I Started a Business. Here’s Why I Fired Myself from Doing Taxes

Key takeaways

• As your side hustle grows, business taxes can become more complex than a simple W-2 return.
• The time you spend figuring out Schedule C, deductions, and quarterly payments has real opportunity cost.
• DIY taxes can mean missed deductions or costly mistakes once your income increases.

Four years ago, I didn’t have a business. I had a steady full-time job and taxes that took 30 mins to file. 

Then I picked up a small freelance project. Then another. Then referrals started rolling in. 

Before I even realized what was happening, my “side gig” had become a real business.

And tax season hit.

Suddenly, I was at my kitchen table late at night, buried in invoices, mileage logs, and forms I barely understood.

Somewhere along the way, I’d built a business — and had no idea how to handle the taxes that came with it.

When your freelance income makes taxes more complicated

You can still be organized and good with numbers, and know how to do step-by-step instructions — but simplicity fades away. Doing your own taxes can initially feel practical and responsible. But as your freelance or business income increases, taxes can start to feel like a full-time second job.

Without warning, you’re suddenly dealing with:

• Forms like Schedule C
• Business deductions
• Expense tracking
• Quarterly estimated payments
• Rules you didn’t know existed

What used to be a simple process can quickly take over your weekends and evenings.

At some point, you’ll ask, “Is this actually a smart use of my time?”

The reality check you can’t ignore

If you’ve moved beyond a simple W-2 job, your time has real value now. Let’s say you’re a consultant, writer, editor, designer, photographer, or online seller making $75 to $100 an hour from your side business. 

Spending 10-15 hours trying to figure out your taxes? That’s $750 to $1,500 worth of time — gone.

And that’s assuming you did everything right. If you miss deduction or misclassify an expense, you could lose even more money.

If you make an error on a form, you’re also dealing with penalties and more time lost.

Suddenly, “saving money” doesn’t look like savings at all.

What DIY taxes are truly costing you

Once you start earning income outside a regular paycheck, taxes stop being a simple chore. They can quickly become complicated and very easy to mess up.

Even more importantly, they rob the one thing you can’t get more of: your time.

It’s also important to realize that you didn’t pick up all this extra work so you could become an amateur accountant. You did it to earn more money or build something amazing.

At a certain point, doing your own taxes defeats the purpose of that goal.

Why working with a tax professional saves you time and money

When you hand your taxes to an expert, you’ll notice three things: 

• You uncover deductions you likely wouldn’t have found on your own
• You get your weekends back
• You stop worrying that you’re doing something wrong

Instead of guesswork and second-guessing, your taxes are handled by a pro who knows exactly what they’re doing.

Let an expert handle it from here

If you’re thinking, “My taxes are officially above my pay grade,” you don’t have to keep handling things on your own. 

Hand it off. Get back to running your business.

TurboTax connects small businesses with a tax professional who can handle everything accurately, start to finish — so you can focus on the work that actually grows your business.

Growing your business? Let the experts handle your taxes.