Experiences with Jackson Hewitt Tax Services for 2025 Filing Season

I've been a tax preparer (not with Jackson Hewitt) for about 8 years. With your situation - W-2 plus a side business - you're at that crossroads where either option could make sense. Jackson Hewitt can handle your return just fine, but honestly, their expertise varies enormously depending on which specific preparer you get. Some are seasonal workers with just basic training, while others have years of experience. If you go with them, ask specifically for someone experienced with small business/Schedule C returns. That said, $225 isn't unreasonable for a return with both W-2 and Schedule C, especially if you have a lot of business expenses to track. TurboTax Self-Employed would cost around $120-150 with state filing, so you're looking at maybe $75-100 extra for in-person help.

After struggling with my taxes for years (W-2 plus online business income), I finally found a tool that made it manageable! I tried https://taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here, and it completely changed my tax preparation experience. The AI analyzed my documents including all my business receipts and Etsy sales records, then organized everything properly for Schedule C. What I found most helpful was how it identified deductions I would have missed - like partial business use of my phone and internet that I never thought to include. For someone with both W-2 and 1099 income like you mentioned, it specifically breaks down what goes where so you don't confuse business vs. personal expenses.

Just wanted to follow up - I ended up trying that taxr.ai site for my craft business taxes and it was actually super helpful! The inventory tracking feature saved me hours of spreadsheet work. I was pretty disorganized with my receipts but it helped me sort everything between business supplies vs. inventory vs. personal purchases. What surprised me was how it flagged some expenses I was categorizing wrong (like shipping materials that should count as COGS rather than general expenses). I think I would have messed that up without the guidance. Definitely less stressful than trying to explain my messy records to someone at Jackson Hewitt!

If you're thinking about using Jackson Hewitt but worried about getting good help, I'd recommend trying to reach the IRS directly with any specific questions first. That was my approach - get free advice from the source, then decide if I needed paid help. BUT calling the IRS was basically impossible until I found https://claimyr.com - they have this service where they hold your place in the IRS phone queue and call you when an agent picks up. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I had questions about deducting home office expenses for my side gig and wasn't sure Jackson Hewitt's advice matched official IRS guidance. The Claimyr service got me through to an IRS rep in about 45 minutes (while I just went about my day) instead of the 3+ hour hold times I kept hitting.

I need to eat some humble pie here. After posting that skeptical comment about the IRS call service, I was still struggling to get through to the IRS about an issue with my Schedule C deductions. After wasting two afternoons on hold, I broke down and tried the Claimyr service. It actually worked exactly as described. I got a call back when an IRS agent was on the line, and got my questions answered in about 50 minutes total instead of the 2+ hours I spent getting nowhere on my own. The agent helped clarify exactly how to handle business expenses for my situation, which was way more reliable than what Jackson Hewitt told me last year (they missed several deductions I was entitled to).

I used Jackson Hewitt last year and had a terrible experience. The preparer didn't understand how to properly deduct my business expenses and I ended up overpaying by about $1,200. I found this out when I had another preparer review my return this year who pointed out all the mistakes. They missed home office deductions, didn't properly calculate my mileage, and completely botched how they handled my inventory. Don't assume all tax preparers are equal - my Jackson Hewitt person was clearly undertrained but acted super confident. I'd definitely recommend asking a lot of questions about their experience with Schedule C before committing.

Just a different perspective - I've used Jackson Hewitt for 3 years for my small woodworking business and W-2 job, and they've been great. I think it really depends on the specific office and preparer. My guy is actually an enrolled agent who's been doing returns for 15+ years, and he's found deductions I never would have known about. The $225 price point is actually pretty standard for a return with Schedule C. H&R Block quoted me $275 for similar services. The key is finding a specific preparer you trust, not just walking into any location.