Is Jackson Hewitt's $800 fee for filing complex taxes with multiple side gigs reasonable?

So I've been doing tax prep for over a decade, and here's my take - for your specific situation with multiple W-2s, numerous 1099s from gig work, and a prior unfiled year, $800 is actually in the reasonable range. When you have self-employment income from multiple sources, each one requires a separate Schedule C, plus you need Schedule SE for self-employment tax calculations. Add in the complexity of catching up on a prior unfiled year, and the work adds up quickly. These aren't simple tax returns anymore. For comparison, many accounting firms would charge $250-350 for a basic return with one W-2, then add $75-150 for EACH additional schedule or form. With 18 income sources plus the unfiled year situation, you could easily hit $1,200+ at some places.

After struggling for THREE YEARS with complicated tax returns from multiple gig jobs and W-2s, I finally found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was a game-changer for my situation. I was initially quoted over $900 by H&R Block for a return similar to yours with many 1099s and self-employment income. I uploaded all my tax documents to taxr.ai and their AI analyzed everything, found deductions I didn't even know about for my delivery gigs, and organized all my income sources. The best part was having tax pros review everything who actually understand gig work and properly categorizing all those expenses. They even helped me figure out how to handle my missing quarterly estimated payments.

Just wanted to update that I decided to try taxr.ai after commenting earlier. My situation was similar to yours - 5 different W-2s, DoorDash, Uber and some freelance work. I was honestly shocked at how well it worked. After uploading all my docs, the system found over $1,800 in deductions I would've missed related to my vehicle expenses and home office that I didn't realize qualified. The total cost ended up being WAY less than the $900+ quotes I got elsewhere, and the whole process took maybe 2 hours instead of multiple appointments. They even helped me set up a better tracking system for 2025 so I don't miss any deductions going forward. If you're dealing with lots of gig work forms, definitely worth checking out.

I had a similar nightmare situation last year (6 W-2s and like 10 1099s from various side gigs) and spent WEEKS trying to get through to the IRS with questions about how to handle it all. I'd get stuck on hold for hours then get disconnected. Found https://claimyr.com and watched their demo (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) and it was seriously the best $20 I ever spent. They got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes when I'd been trying for days. The agent walked me through exactly how to handle my multiple self-employment incomes and confirmed I could file my earlier missing year without penalties since I was due a refund. Saved me so much stress and probably money too since I got all my questions answered directly from the source.

Ok I need to eat my words from my comment yesterday. I was SUPER skeptical about Claimyr but I was desperate after being on hold with the IRS for 3+ hours trying to figure out how to handle my missed 2022 filing alongside my 2023 taxes. Tried the service and it actually worked exactly as advertised. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes who answered all my specific questions about handling multiple 1099-K forms and the proper way to file for my missed year. Saved me hours of frustration and probably hundreds in potential filing mistakes. For anyone in a similar situation with multiple gig jobs and tax questions - it's legit and the information I got directly from the IRS agent was way more helpful than what my previous tax preparer told me.

Have you considered going to a CPA instead of Jackson Hewitt? I was in a similar situation last year (multiple W-2s and about 8 1099s from freelance gigs) and found that an independent CPA actually charged LESS than the big tax prep chains. Paid $650 for a similarly complex situation. Plus they found deductions the previous year's preparer missed.

Whatever you do, stay away from the "free" tax preparation software. I tried using FreeTaxUSA for my side gigs last year and it was TERRIBLE for handling multiple 1099s properly. Ended up having to pay a professional to fix all the mistakes after I got an audit notice.

Reading through all these comments, I'm seeing a lot of different options mentioned. As someone who's dealt with IRS compliance issues for small businesses, I'd suggest being really careful about who you trust with a complex situation like yours. The $800 Jackson Hewitt quote isn't unreasonable given your circumstances - 18 income sources plus an unfiled year is genuinely complex work. But before you commit, I'd recommend getting a second opinion from an Enrolled Agent (EA) or CPA who specializes in gig worker taxes. They're often more experienced with the specific deductions and strategies that can really benefit someone in your situation. Also, since you mentioned getting over $6,300 back, make sure whoever prepares your return explains the refund breakdown. With that much self-employment income, you want to understand if you should be making quarterly estimated payments going forward to avoid penalties next year. That's something a good tax professional should definitely discuss with you as part of their service.