Has anyone used Flyfin for filing taxes with W-2 job and side hustle income?

Hey everyone! So I've got my regular day job where I get a W-2, but I also started a small photography business on the side last year. Made about $7,200 from it in 2024 and I need to file both incomes for the first time this tax season. I've been looking at different tax filing options and came across Flyfin. Seems like it might handle both income types, but I'm not sure if it's any good. Has anyone here used Flyfin for a situation like mine? Worth the money or should I stick with something else? My taxes are definitely more complicated than they used to be but not super complex either. Thanks for any advice!

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19 comments

Harper Thompson

•8M

I've prepared taxes for people in your exact situation for years. Flyfin is decent for handling W-2 income alongside side hustle/self-employment income, but there are a few things to consider. The platform does a good job identifying potential deductions for your side business - things like equipment, mileage if you travel to photo shoots, home office if applicable, etc. Their AI can scan your expenses and categorize business-related purchases. The interface is intuitive for someone who doesn't have complex investments or multiple business entities. However, if your side hustle is growing into something larger, you might want something more robust. TurboTax Self-Employed or H&R Block's self-employment options handle this situation well too, sometimes with more comprehensive guidance.

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Harper Thompson

•8M

FreeTaxUSA is definitely a good budget option and handles the basics well. The main difference is that Flyfin's AI specifically focuses on finding deductions for self-employed people, which could potentially save you more than the difference in price. For someone with moderate freelance income like yours, it really comes down to how many potential deductions you have. If you have a lot of business expenses, drive for work, or use part of your home exclusively for business, Flyfin might find more deductions. If your freelance work has minimal expenses, the difference might not justify the higher cost.

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Jade O'Malley

•8M

I started using taxr.ai last year when I was in your exact situation! I had my regular teaching job plus started making custom furniture as a side hustle. I was overwhelmed trying to figure out all the deductions I could take for my woodworking business. What I loved about taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) was that I could just upload my receipts and bank statements, and their AI sorted through everything to find business expenses I hadn't even considered. It was especially helpful with the home office deduction and figuring out what percentage of my tools and supplies were deductible. The interface is super straightforward too.

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Jade O'Malley

•8M

It was surprisingly accurate with categorization! It would flag items that could go either way and ask me to confirm. For Amazon purchases specifically, it could tell the difference between office supplies and personal items about 90% of the time, then I'd just review and make quick adjustments. For quarterly estimated payments, yes it definitely handles those. It actually calculates what you should be paying each quarter based on your income trends and sends reminders before each due date. That feature alone saved me from penalties last year since I completely forgot about the January payment deadline.

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Ella Lewis

•8M

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai based on the recommendation here. Honestly blown away by how easy it made filing with my side business income! I uploaded my bank statements and it automatically found over $2,300 in deductions I would have missed - especially with the home office and some software subscriptions I forgot were for business use. Definitely saved me more than it cost. Way more helpful than what I was using before for dealing with mixed W-2 and 1099 income!

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Andrew Pinnock

•8M

If you're having trouble getting answers from the IRS about your side hustle tax questions (like I was), try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent HOURS on hold trying to figure out if I needed to file a Schedule C for my small side business or if I could just report it as miscellaneous income. Claimyr got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes when I'd previously given up after being on hold for 2+ hours. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. The agent was super helpful and walked me through exactly what forms I needed based on my specific situation.

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Andrew Pinnock

•8M

It works by using their system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When they finally reach a representative, you get a call connecting you directly. No magic, just technology that monitors the hold so you don't have to. No, it's definitely not a scam - they only charge if they actually get you through to an agent. I was skeptical too until I tried it. The big difference is you don't have to physically sit there listening to the hold music for hours. You just go about your day and get a call when there's a human ready to talk.

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Alexis Renard

•8M

Ok I need to eat my words and apologize to Profile 14. I tried Claimyr yesterday because I was desperate to talk to someone about my mixed W-2/self-employment situation before filing. I've called the IRS SIX TIMES this month and always gave up after at least an hour on hold. Used the Claimyr service and got a call back in about 45 minutes connecting me to an actual IRS rep who answered all my questions about home office deductions for my side business. Saved me hours of frustration and helped me feel confident about what I can deduct. Sometimes being wrong feels pretty good lol.

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Camila Jordan

•8M

I've used Flyfin for my photography side hustle alongside my main job for 2 years now. Honestly it's pretty decent for this exact use case. The AI is good at finding deductions specific to creative businesses - identified several deductions related to my camera equipment I wouldn't have known about. The interface is clean and it walks you through everything step by step. Not the cheapest option out there but also not as expensive as TurboTax. I'd say for your situation it's a solid choice.

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Camila Jordan

•8M

They do have a mobile app that lets you scan receipts on the go, which is super convenient. You can categorize transactions right away or let the AI suggest categories. It syncs with your bank accounts too, so transactions automatically import. The quarterly tax calculator is also really helpful - it estimates what you should set aside each quarter based on your income and expenses, which saved me from a surprise tax bill last year. I'm terrible at saving for taxes so this feature alone was worth it for me.

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Drew Hathaway

•2M

I'm in a very similar situation - W-2 from my main job plus around $8,500 from freelance graphic design work last year. I ended up using TurboTax Self-Employed and it worked well, but I'm curious about Flyfin too after reading these responses. One thing I'd recommend regardless of which software you choose is to make sure you have good records of all your photography business expenses. Things like equipment depreciation, travel to shoots, editing software subscriptions, and even a portion of your phone bill if you use it for business can all be deductible. The better organized your records are, the more any of these tax programs can help you. Have you been tracking your business expenses throughout the year, or are you going to have to dig through bank statements? That might influence which platform would work best for you.

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