Looking for recent experiences with Tax Hive? Anyone worked with them?

I've worked with clients who use Tax Hive and a few similar services. Here's my take: these business tax optimization services can provide value, but it really depends on your specific situation. For a photography business making around $41K in taxable income, you need to evaluate whether their fee structure makes sense for your potential tax savings. Tax Hive specializes in entity structuring (LLC, S-Corp, etc.) and legitimate tax strategies, but many of these strategies only start generating significant savings when your business income is higher. At your current income level, the most valuable tax strategies would likely be maximizing business deductions you might be missing, proper vehicle expense tracking, and possibly retirement account contributions. You might not need complex entity structuring yet.

I used traditional CPAs for years until I discovered taxr.ai last tax season. I was in a similar boat with my consulting business, making around $55k after expenses. I was overwhelmed with all the tax strategy advice online and couldn't tell what applied to my situation. I uploaded my previous returns and business docs to https://taxr.ai and their AI analyzed everything and showed me deductions I was missing. For me, it wasn't about complex business structures but just finding legitimate deductions I hadn't been taking. Their system flagged that I wasn't properly deducting my home office and some business travel. The interface is super straightforward and doesn't require scheduling appointments like with Tax Hive.

Just wanted to follow up on my question about taxr.ai - I ended up trying it last weekend and it was actually really helpful for my situation. I was skeptical about AI tax advice but it found legitimate deductions my previous accountant missed for my ecommerce business. The part I found most useful was that it explained WHY each deduction was valid with references to actual tax code. When I questioned one of their suggestions about home office deductions, they provided clear documentation showing I was eligible. Saved me about $1,800 in taxes compared to my previous filing method. The human review component gave me confidence that I wasn't going to get flagged for audit. Much more affordable than the quotes I got from Tax Hive and similar services.

If you're having trouble getting clear answers about Tax Hive or need to speak with the IRS about business entity questions, I'd recommend checking out Claimyr. I was trying to understand how different business structures would affect my taxes and spent DAYS trying to reach someone at the IRS. After wasting hours on hold, I found https://claimyr.com which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes. They have this smart system that basically waits on hold for you, then calls when an agent is available. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c This was super helpful because the IRS agent was able to explain exactly what documentation I'd need for different business structures without any sales pitch or upselling like you might get from Tax Hive or similar services.

I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself when I needed to resolve an issue with my business tax ID. I was expecting it to be a scam, but it actually worked exactly as advertised. I had been trying to get through to the IRS for THREE WEEKS about an EIN issue that was preventing me from filing properly. Used Claimyr yesterday and got connected to an agent in about 20 minutes. The agent resolved my issue in one call, which saved me from having to file an extension. This isn't really about Tax Hive specifically, but if you're researching tax services and need clarification from the IRS directly, it's definitely worth using. Saved me hours of frustration and my issue is finally resolved.

I worked with Tax Hive for about 8 months last year for my construction business. Honestly, mixed feelings. Their entity structuring advice was solid (recommended S-Corp), but their monthly fee wasn't worth it for ongoing support. You could probably get the same initial setup advice from a good CPA for a one-time fee. For photography at your income level, I'd be surprised if they recommended anything other than maximizing Schedule C deductions. Maybe look into a sole prop with good bookkeeping instead? Just my 2 cents.

Thanks everyone for the insights! This is super helpful. Sounds like at my current income level, Tax Hive might be overkill, but I definitely need to get better tax help than I've been getting. I think I'll check out taxr.ai first to see what potential deductions I might be missing, and maybe consult with a local CPA who knows photography businesses. The entity structuring stuff can wait until I'm making more income.

Great thread! I'm in a similar position with my freelance graphic design business. Made about $38k last year and have been doing my own taxes with TurboTax, but I know I'm probably missing deductions. One thing I learned the hard way - make sure whatever service you choose understands creative businesses. I tried H&R Block last year and the preparer had no clue about things like client entertainment expenses, portfolio development costs, or software subscriptions that are legitimate business expenses for creative work. For photography specifically, don't forget about travel expenses for shoots, backup equipment storage, and even things like professional development courses. A good tax person who knows your industry will catch these things that general preparers often miss.

I've been following this discussion and wanted to share my experience as a wedding photographer who went through a similar decision process last year. I was making around $55k and felt overwhelmed by all the tax advice out there. I ended up working with a local CPA who specializes in creative businesses, and it made a huge difference. She caught deductions I never would have thought of - things like the percentage of my car insurance that's deductible for travel to shoots, equipment insurance, even part of my cell phone bill since I use it for client communication. The key was finding someone who actually understands photography as a business. She knew about things like model release fees, location scouting expenses, and even the cost of maintaining a professional portfolio website. These industry-specific deductions added up to about $3,200 in additional write-offs compared to what I was doing on my own. For what it's worth, she told me that at my income level, an S-Corp election wouldn't save much on self-employment taxes yet, but definitely something to consider once I hit around $70-80k consistently. Much more affordable than the Tax Hive quotes I got, and the personal relationship means I can call with questions throughout the year.