This tax season, freelancers and side hustlers may receive an unfamiliar form in the mail — IRS tax form 1099-K.
After two years of delays, the IRS is finally implementing a tax reporting change, which requires third-party payment apps like PayPal, Venmo and Cash App to issue a 1099-K for anyone who earns self-employment income over a certain amount through these apps each year. For last year, if you earned $5,000 or more on a third-party app, you can expect to receive this tax form.
If you own your own business, freelance or have a side hustle, you’re likely no stranger to 1099 tax forms. You may have received a 1099-NEC (the IRS’s nonemployee compensation form) from companies you’ve previously worked with. A 1099-K is similar, but instead of the company you work with issuing the form, you’ll receive a tax form from the payment platform.
This isn’t a new tax rule-you’re required to report your freelance or self-employment income whether you receive a tax form or not. It’s a tax reporting change that switches the reporting requirement to payment apps so the IRS can keep better tabs on income earnings that might otherwise go unreported.
“The taxation and tax treatment requirements for taxpayers has not changed,” said Mark Steber, chief tax information officer for Jackson Hewitt. “This taxable income has always been considered by the IRS to be taxable and should be reported on a tax return.”
Although the IRS will be able to keep a closer eye on freelance earnings, the tax agency isn’t interested in the money you’re sending to your family and friends. If you pay your roommate your portion of rent through Venmo, for example, these transactions are not considered taxable.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new 1099-K tax reporting change.
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What is a 1099-K?
A 1099-K is a tax form that reports income received via a third-party payment platform from a non-permanent job, such as a side hustle, freelance agreement or contractor position where taxes are not withheld.
The IRS currently requires any third-party payment apps like Cash App and Venmo to send a 1099-K to the IRS and individuals if they earned more than $20,000 in commercial payments across more than 200 transactions. If you regularly make over $20,000 in freelance income, are paid through Venmo, and receive more than 200 transactions in payments, you may have received a 1099-K tax form before.
What is the IRS’s new 1099-K rule?
Under new reporting requirements first announced in the American Rescue Plan, third-party payment apps will eventually be required to report earnings over $600 to the IRS.
“Prior to 2024, the earnings threshold was $20,000 and 200 transactions to receive a 1099-K tax document,” said Steber.
For your 2024 taxes (which you’ll file in 2025), the IRS is planning a phased rollout, requiring payment apps to report freelancer and business owner earnings over $5,000 instead of $600. The hope is that raising the threshold will reduce the risk of inaccuracies while also giving the agency and payment apps more time to work toward the eventual $600 minimum.
Why was the third-party payment app tax rule delayed?
Originally set to kick off at the beginning of 2022, the IRS planned to implement a new reporting rule that would require third-party payment apps, like PayPal, Venmo or Cash App to report income of over $600 or more per year to the tax agency. The IRS delayed this new reporting requirement in 2022 and again in 2023.
Why? Distinguishing between taxable and nontaxable transactions through third-party apps isn’t always easy. For example, money your roommate sends you through Venmo for dinner is not taxable, but money received for a graphic design project might be. The delayed rollout gave payment platforms more time to prepare.
“We spent many months gathering feedback from third-party groups and others, and it became increasingly clear we need additional time to effectively implement the new reporting requirements,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel in a November 2023 statement.
Which payment apps are required to send 1099-Ks?
All third-party payment apps where freelancers and business owners receive income are required to begin reporting transactions involving you to the IRS in 2024. Some popular payment apps include PayPal, Venmo and Cash App. Other platforms freelancers may use, such as Fivver or Upwork, are also on the hook to begin reporting payments that freelancers receive throughout the year.
If you earn income through payment apps, it’s a good idea to set up separate PayPal, Cash App or Venmo accounts for your professional transactions. This could prevent nontaxable charges — money sent from family or friends — from being included on your 1099-K in error.
Zelle users will not receive a 1099-K
There’s one popular payment app that’s exempt from the 1099-K rule. Payment transfer service Zelle will not be issuing 1099-Ks, regardless of whether you receive business funds through the service or not. That’s because Zelle doesn’t hold your funds in an account, like PayPal, Venmo or Cash App do, and instead is used as a way to transfer money between bank accounts. If you are paid for your freelance or small business services through Zelle, it’s your responsibility to report all income on Schedule C of your tax return.
Is the IRS taxing money you send to family or friends?
No. Rumors have circulated that the IRS was cracking down on money sent to family and friends through third-party payment apps, but that isn’t true. Personal transactions involving gifts, favors or reimbursements are not considered taxable. Some examples of nontaxable transactions include:
- Money received from a family member as a holiday or birthday gift
- Money received from a friend covering their portion of a restaurant bill
- Money received from your roommate or partner for their share of the rent and utilities
Payments that will be reported on a 1099-K must be flagged as payments for goods or services from the vendor. When you select “sending money to family or friends,” it won’t appear on your tax form. In other words, that money from your roommate for her half of the restaurant bill is safe.
“This is only for self-employment income,” said Steber. “You should not receive a 1099-K for personal transactions but be aware that some platforms could accidentally include personal transactions in the 1099-K and that will need to be corrected on the users tax return.”
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Will you owe taxes if you sell items on Facebook Marketplace or Poshmark?
If you sell personal items for less than you paid for them and collect the money via third-party payment apps, these changes won’t affect you. For example, if you buy a couch for your home for $500 and later sell it on Facebook Marketplace for $200, you won’t owe taxes on the sale because it’s a personal item you’ve sold at a loss. You may be required to show documentation of the original purchase to prove that you sold the item at a loss.
If you have a side hustle where you buy items and resell them for a profit via PayPal or another digital payment app, then earnings over $5,000 will be considered taxable and reported to the IRS in 2024.
Make sure to keep a good record of your purchases and online transactions to avoid paying taxes on any nontaxable income — and when in doubt, contact a tax professional for help.
What should you do to prepare for this reporting change?
Any payment apps you use may ask you to confirm your tax information, such as your employer identification number, individual tax identification number or Social Security number. If you own a business, you most likely have an EIN, but if you’re a sole proprietor, individual freelancer or gig worker, you’ll provide an ITIN or SSN.
In some cases, receiving a 1099-K may take some of the manual work out of filing your self-employment taxes.
Once this rule takes effect, you may still receive individual 1099-NEC forms if you were paid through direct deposit, check or cash. If you have multiple clients who pay you through PayPal, Venmo, Upwork or other third-party payment apps and you earn more than $5,000, you’ll receive one 1099-K instead of multiple 1099-NECs.
To avoid any reporting confusion, make sure you’re tracking your earnings manually or with accounting software such as Quickbooks.
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