Ship code, not a shoebox of receipts.
TaxClover categorizes your SaaS stack, hardware, and conference travel by Schedule C line and keeps a running quarterly estimate.
Typical freelance designers & developers: Web dev · UI/UX design · app development · branding · contract engineering
Design and dev freelancing is low-overhead but subscription-heavy: Figma, the JetBrains pack, GitHub Copilot, hosting, a dozen APIs. Individually small, collectively a real deduction. TaxClover auto-categorizes the recurring stack, tracks your hardware, and keeps your quarterly estimate live across project-based income.
What freelance designers & developers write off most
TaxClover sorts each one onto the correct IRS line automatically. These are the big ones for your line of work.
SaaS & developer tools
Figma, Adobe CC, GitHub Copilot, JetBrains, hosting, domains, and the APIs your projects depend on.
Computers & hardware (§179)
A new MacBook Pro, monitor, or workstation over your threshold is depreciated or expensed under Section 179.
Conference travel
Travel and lodging for industry conferences and client kickoffs is deductible business travel.
Subcontractors
A specialist you bring onto a project — and pay $600+ — is contract labor, and likely needs a 1099-NEC.
Personal and business often share one card and one laptop. Mixed-use items only count for the business-use percentage — TaxClover lets you log the split instead of guessing at year-end.
Everything a freelance designers & developer needs to stay tax-ready
- A live quarterly estimate — federal, SE, and your state
- Schedule C expense tracking across all 22 IRS lines
- Mileage logging at the 2026 rate of 72.5¢/mile
- Receipt scanning that drafts a categorized expense
- 1099-NEC tracking and reconciliation by client
- A year-end bundle ready for your CPA or TurboTax
One plan, $19/mo or $190/yr. TaxClover doesn't file your taxes and isn't a substitute for a CPA — it makes sure you're ready for both.
Freelance designers & developers tax questions
Are all my software subscriptions deductible?+
If they're ordinary and necessary for the work, yes — they sit on Schedule C Line 27b. TaxClover's merchant rules auto-tag the common ones (Figma, Adobe, GitHub, Vercel).
I freelance on top of a W-2 dev job — do I still owe quarterly?+
Possibly. If the side income creates $1,000+ of unwithheld tax, the IRS expects estimates. TaxClover folds in your W-2 withholding and tells you whether you actually need to pay.
How do I handle a subcontractor I hired?+
Log the payment as contract labor (Line 11). If you paid them $600+, you likely owe them a 1099-NEC — TaxClover's tracker reminds you in January.
The April surprise is a choice. Stop choosing it.
Start a 14-day trial — no credit card. Log a week of income and see your real number. $19/mo flat after that, cancel anytime.