UPDATE - ANNOUNCEMENT FROM IRS November 27, 2023: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-announces-2023-form-1099-k-reporting-threshold-delay-for-third-party-platform-payments-plans-for-a-5000-threshold-in-2024-to-phase-in-implementation


PLEASE READ THE ABOVE UPDATE OR CONTACT THE IRS DIRECTLY FOR THE MOST ACCURATE INFORMATION


THE CONTENT BELOW IS PUBLISHED BY PHOTOSESH AND MAY BE OUTDATED.  ALWAYS CONTACT A TAX PROFESSIONAL OR THE IRS FOR THE MOST ACCURATE INFORMATION


If you're a freelancer whom the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) defines as a “U.S. Person” and earn money working with your client through PhotoSesh, you need to report this income on your tax return. And because of changes to the tax laws, freelancers—including those who earned more than $600—will not receive a Form 1099-MISC from PhotoSesh (and the clients are not required to send you a 1099-Misc either).

Freelancers who are not U.S. persons are not required to give us the information in a W-8BEN.

We recommend that all freelancers use your total earnings number within the app to accurately document your earnings.

 

Exception

Some freelancers will receive IRS forms from their jobs on PhotoSesh via 1099-K.

1099-K

This goes out to freelancers who are U.S. Persons and receive over $20,000 with more than 200 transactions through PhotoSesh.

Qualifying freelancers will receive a form called the Form 1099-K (not to be confused with the more common 1099-MISC). Under the Internal Revenue Code Section 6050W, PhotoSesh will file a Form 1099-K form with the IRS for you, and you will receive a copy of your Form 1099-K via U.S. Postal Service by January 31. Remember that only those who have received over $20,000 in gross payments across more than 200 incoming transactions will receive a 1099-K. If you don’t meet the minimum payment threshold and/or transaction count, you will not receive any type of 1099 form. For example:

  • Took in $25,000 as 25 payments of $1,000 each? No 1099-K would be sent.
  • Took in $2,500 as 250 payments of $10 each? No 1099-K would be sent.
  • Took in $25,000 as 250 payments of $100 each? U.S. persons would receive a 1099-K.

A 1099-K is a record of payments, not earnings. In accounting terms, this is a “gross” total rather than “net.” As such, it includes all payments to the freelancer on all contracts. This includes funds you may have then paid to PhotoSesh as fees or to your clients as refunds rather than withdrawing. For example:

  • Received $25,000, but refunded $500, $6,000, or even all $25,000? It doesn’t matter. We have to use the total before fees and refunds.
  • If you received $100 from a new client for a contract, the full $100 would count towards the 1099-K total (not the $80 in earnings left after you paid $20 to PhotoSesh in service fees). That means if you had $100 contracts with 250 different clients, you’d have $25,000 in payments on your 1099-K.

Tip: The membership and service fees you pay to PhotoSesh may be tax deductible business expenses and refunds may not be considered “earnings” for tax purposes. Because the 1099-K is a record of payments only, what you report as income/earnings to the IRS may differ from the amount on this form.


 

This article does not address all the tax issues for freelancers and it cannot and should not be relied upon as legal or tax advice.  Readers are strongly encouraged to seek tax advice based on their particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor.