A key provision of the American Rescue Plan Act passed in 2021 includes lowering the thresholds that trigger a Form 1099-K – Payment Card and Third-Party Network Transactions. This means businesses and individuals may receive this form for tax year 2022, something they may not have seen in previous years.   

New Form 1099-K Guidelines 

For tax years before January 1, 2022, third-party processors were required to file a Form 1099-K when sales-related transactions exceeded both $20,000 and 200 in number. Beginning in 2023, third-party processors, including Venmo, PayPal, Square, Zelle, and others, must use this form to report when sales-related transactions exceed $600, regardless of how many transactions are involved.  

Businesses, Individuals That May Be Affected 

Organizations dealing with credit cards, cash, or checks most likely will not receive a Form 1099-K. However, if an organization uses third-party organizations, which includes many gig-economy jobs such as Uber and Lyft, or online retailers such as eBay and Etsy, there’s a chance they’ll see this form arrive with their tax documents for tax year 2022. Funds sent by friends and family are not included in the $600 threshold.   

Bookkeeping, Tax Considerations 

Businesses and individuals need to pay attention to how they manage their books and transactions from these payment types to make tax filing easier for the next tax season. Correctly logging any income received can help prevent unexpected tax bills in the future.   

Form 1099-K is used to report the total amount of transactions received, and the form does not include calculations for credits, discounts, fees, and/or returns. Properly tracking income and debits will help business owners and individuals deduct these business costs come tax time.  

If an individual receives Form 1099-K, it may help to file a Schedule C with their Form 1040. A trusted tax professional can help identify if this is the best course of action and any additional benefits a Schedule C may offer.   

Form 1099-K Errors 

With the new threshold, third-party settlement companies may increase the number of tax document issues, which may lead them to create new infrastructure to help with their reporting accuracy. As with any large change, there may be growing pains, which means potential errors on some of the forms issued.  

Some of the expected errors include: 

• Receiving the form in error when an individual only receives money that is not for goods or services from friends and family.  
• Form 1099-K containing the incorrect tax ID number (e.g., your personal Social Security Number instead of the company’s tax ID).  
• Incorrect or missing tax ID. 

If you receive Form 1099-K and suspect an error, contact the Payment Settlement Entity (third-party settlement company) and request a corrected Form 1099-K. Keep a copy of the original and corrected forms and any communication with your tax documents.  

There is no need to panic if you receive a Form 1099-K for the first time. Simply reach out to your knowledgeable tax professionals for more help.