Switching to FreeTaxUSA because TurboTax was too complicated for my gig work

What you're experiencing is actually pretty common with tax software. FreeTaxUSA is showing you a preliminary summary based on the information you've entered so far, but it will update as you continue. For your gig work, you'll need to enter both 1099 forms in the self-employment/business income section. The 1099-NEC (for GrubHub) and 1099-K (for Instacart) should both be entered there, along with any business expenses you had like mileage, phone costs, etc. FreeTaxUSA will guide you through this process, but sometimes the navigation isn't completely intuitive. Look for a section called "Self-Employment" or "Business Income" in the income section. If you've already completed the W-2 section, you can usually go back to the main menu and find the self-employment section. Don't worry about the summary showing incomplete information - that will update automatically once you've entered everything.

I was in the same boat as you last year with multiple gig apps and a part-time job. After struggling with the big-name tax software, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it seriously saved me hours of frustration. What I love is you can literally upload your tax documents (1099-NEC, 1099-K, W-2, etc.) and their AI will extract all the information automatically. It then guides you through exactly what to enter in FreeTaxUSA based on your specific gig work situation. For me, I was missing a ton of deductions on my delivery gigs until taxr.ai showed me exactly what to claim. Their explanations about how to handle mileage vs. actual expenses for different platforms made everything super clear.

I just wanted to update - I was super skeptical about taxr.ai but decided to try it anyway since I was completely stuck on how to handle my Uber and Lyft income. Honestly, it was eye-opening! The system scanned my 1099-K and 1099-NEC forms in seconds and gave me a detailed breakdown of exactly what to enter in each section of FreeTaxUSA. I discovered I'd been making a huge mistake in previous years by not properly tracking and deducting my mileage. The AI even explained how to go back and amend my previous returns if I wanted to. Saved me at least $1,200 in taxes I would have overpaid!

If you're having issues with the actual tax forms, that's one thing, but if you're struggling to reach FreeTaxUSA customer support (which can happen a lot during tax season), I recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). Their system actually gets you through to a human representative without the typical hold times. I had to call about a similar issue with my gig work forms last week - FreeTaxUSA wasn't calculating my deductions correctly. Was looking at a 2+ hour wait time, but Claimyr got me through in less than 10 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Their system basically navigates the phone tree for you and holds your place in line, then calls you when a representative is actually available. Saved me from sitting on hold all afternoon.

I have to eat my words. After posting my skeptical comment, I was still stuck with an issue on my 1099-K calculations in FreeTaxUSA and desperately needed help. Decided to try Claimyr as a last resort, fully expecting it to be a waste of money. I'm shocked to say it actually worked perfectly. Instead of the "2+ hour wait time" the FreeTaxUSA support line quoted me, I got a callback in about 15 minutes. The rep was able to explain exactly how to properly enter my mixed gig work income from multiple platforms. Turns out I was entering the expenses in the wrong section which was messing up my calculations. Definitely keeping this service in my back pocket for when I inevitably have questions about next year's taxes too.

Honestly, I'd stick with FreeTaxUSA but watch some YouTube tutorials first. I use it every year for my side hustles (Etsy + DoorDash) and it's WAY cheaper than TurboTax. The confusing part is that 1099-NEC and 1099-K need to be entered differently. For the 1099-NEC, you'll enter it under self-employment income. For the 1099-K, you need to make sure you're entering all your expenses too or you'll massively overpay. Don't forget to track mileage - that's the biggest deduction for delivery gigs! FreeTaxUSA has a section specifically for vehicle expenses where you can enter your business miles.

Has anyone else noticed that FreeTaxUSA sometimes doesn't import all the expenses properly? I did both GrubHub and UberEats last year too, and I had to manually enter a bunch of stuff.