In 2025, you must issue a 1099-NEC to an independent contractor if you pay them $600 or more in a calendar year for work performed in your trade or business. If you pay less than $600 to a person, you generally do not need to file a 1099-NEC.
Form 1099-K Reporting Reverts to Original Thresholds
The IRS delayed implementation of these changes, most recently stating that it would impose a $2,500 threshold for 2025. Section 70432 of the new Act, however, reinstates the $20,000 and 200 transactions thresholds for required reporting, retroactive to 2022.
If you sold items online via platforms like Etsy or Ebay or you were paid through apps like Venmo or PayPal, you could receive Form 1099-K. The new tax laws in 2025 increased the reporting threshold for this form back to $20,000 and 200 transactions.
Getting Form 1099-K from eBay
If your sales hit the payment threshold, eBay must prepare and send 1099-K copies to the IRS and to you by January 31 of the following year. IRS 1099-K payment reporting thresholds by year: $5,000 in 2024. $2,500 in 2025.
Reminder: Whether or not you receive a Form 1099-K, you must still report any income on your tax return. This includes payments for any goods you sell (including personal items such as clothing or furniture sold at a gain) or services you provide.
Effective February 2025, ebay will hold private sellers funds for 14 days if the order is posted with an un-tracked delivery service (such as Royal Mail 2nd Class).
Here's a summary of key changes for the 2025 tax year.
What are the penalties for a business failing to meet a 1099-MISC or 1099-NEC deadline? If a business fails to issue a form by the 1099-NEC or 1099-MISC deadline, the penalty varies from $60 to $330 per form for 2025, depending on how long past the deadline the business issues the form.
Penalties of Not Paying Taxes
There is no way around paying them. If you pay an employee a regular paycheck, the taxes will be taken out from what they earn. If you pay an employee under the table and the IRS finds out about it, you are going to have to pay all that money yourself, and then some.
A 1099 requirement is triggered when a business pays an independent contractor or unincorporated entity $600 or more (increasing to $2,000 after 2025) in a calendar year for services, or makes other specific payments like royalties or rents, requiring the payer to report these to the IRS using Form 1099-NEC (for services) or 1099-MISC (for other income), unless the recipient is a corporation (with exceptions for law firms).
OBBBA reinstates the $20,000 and 200 transactions thresholds, retroactive to 2022 (or as if the reporting changes American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 had never happened) for certain merchants and businesses. That means that the $20,000 and 200 transactions thresholds will apply to the tax year 2025.
The annual exclusion amount for 2025 and 2026 is $19,000. The individual and his or her spouse wish to split all gifts made by each other during the calendar year.
The 2025 reporting threshold is $2,500 or more, which will be reduced to $600 in 2026. Any business or platform issuing you a Form 1099-K must provide a copy directly to the IRS. Due to Zelle's functionality, the platform is not obligated to issue a 1099-K to you, the IRS, or any qualifying state agencies.
Some of the major tax changes effective from April 1, 2025, are revised tax slabs, rebate of up to Rs. 60,000, revised ITRU deadlines, calculation of partner's remuneration allowable as a deduction and revised TDS/TCS threshold limits. What is the Rebate available under section 87A?
To avoid the 22% tax bracket (or any higher bracket), focus on reducing your taxable income through strategies like maxing out 401(k)s and HSAs, deferring bonuses, tax-loss harvesting, smart charitable giving, and strategic asset location, understanding that higher rates only apply to income within that bracket, not your entire income.
Yes, you can transfer $50,000 to a family member, but you'll need to report it to the IRS by filing Form 709 because it exceeds the 2026 annual gift tax exclusion of $19,000 per person, though you likely won't owe tax unless your total lifetime gifts surpass the very large lifetime exemption. For large cash transfers, banks also report it to FinCEN, and you might need a formal gift letter for things like a home down payment to prove it's not a loan.
For the 2025 tax year, you'll generally receive a Form 1099-K from platforms like eBay, Etsy, and payment apps if you have over $20,000 in gross payments AND more than 200 transactions, but you must report all income (even small amounts) if it's for goods/services, as you're taxed on profit, not just when you get a 1099-K, with lower state thresholds possible.
The most common trigger for an investigation is submitting incorrect figures on a tax return - so it's worth asking an accountant to offer professional advice about your accounts and check over your tax returns before you send them.