Just wanted to add my experience since I went through this exact situation last year. I have a single-member LLC with an EIN and was equally confused by Venmo's limited options. I ended up selecting "Partnership" as recommended by several people here, and it worked out fine. The key thing I learned is that Venmo's internal categorization is separate from your actual tax filing status. When tax time came, I filed Schedule C as a sole proprietor (disregarded entity) just like any other single-member LLC, and there were no issues. The 1099-K I received from Venmo showed my EIN and payment amounts, but didn't specify the business type category I had selected in their system. My accountant confirmed that what matters is how you actually file with the IRS, not what box you check on a payment platform. One tip: keep a note in your business records about which category you selected on each platform and why, just in case you need to explain it later. But honestly, it's been a non-issue for me.

Just to add another perspective here - I'm a tax professional who works with a lot of small business owners, and this Venmo classification issue comes up constantly with my single-member LLC clients. The advice everyone's giving here is correct: select "Partnership" on Venmo when you have an EIN for your single-member LLC, even though it feels wrong. Venmo's business categories are primarily for payment processing and compliance purposes, not tax classification. What's important to understand is that your tax filing status is determined by your actual business structure and any elections you've made with the IRS, not by what category a third-party payment processor assigns you. A single-member LLC remains a "disregarded entity" for tax purposes regardless of what Venmo calls it in their system. I always tell my clients to document their reasoning for these platform selections in their business records. If there's ever a question during an audit or review, you can explain that you selected the closest available option while maintaining proper tax filing procedures. The IRS cares about your actual income reporting and business structure, not Venmo's internal categorization. One final tip: make sure you're consistent with your EIN usage across all platforms and keep detailed records of all payment processor income for accurate Schedule C reporting.

For anyone still confused about the tax implications, I went through this exact situation last year with Stake.us. The key thing to understand is that gift card redemptions ARE taxable income regardless of the amount, but the $600 threshold only determines whether the company has to send you a 1099-MISC form. I ended up reporting about $1,400 in gift card redemptions on my tax return under "Other Income" (not gambling winnings since it's technically sweepstakes). Even though Stake.us didn't send me any tax forms, I kept detailed records of all my redemptions with screenshots and dates. One thing that caught me off guard - you can't offset these winnings with your Gold Coin purchases since they operate under different parts of their business model. The IRS views the coin purchases as entertainment expenses, not gambling losses. I learned this the hard way when my tax preparer had to correct my initial attempt to deduct those purchases. My advice: keep meticulous records of every redemption, report everything as "Other Income," and don't try to get clever with deductions unless you have a tax professional who specifically understands social casino regulations.

I've been dealing with a similar situation and wanted to share what I learned from my tax professional. The $1,200 you've redeemed definitely needs to be reported as "Other Income" on your tax return, even without a 1099 form from Stake.us. Here's what's important to understand: the IRS considers any prizes or winnings taxable at fair market value, regardless of whether you receive cash or gift cards. Since Stake.us operates as a sweepstakes model rather than traditional gambling, your redemptions fall under sweepstakes winnings rules. My accountant emphasized that you should report this income even if Stake.us doesn't send tax forms. The company may still report aggregate data to the IRS, and it's better to be proactive than face potential penalties later. Unfortunately, you likely can't deduct losses against these winnings since social casinos don't qualify for traditional gambling loss deductions. The "no purchase necessary" aspect of their sweepstakes model means any Gold Coin purchases are considered separate entertainment expenses. I'd recommend keeping detailed records of all your redemptions going forward - screenshots, dates, and amounts. This documentation will be crucial if you ever need to substantiate your reported income during an audit.

Just want to add one important thing about the Head of Household requirements that hasn't been mentioned clearly. For divorced parents with 50/50 custody, the IRS actually has a tiebreaker for determining where a child lived "more" nights when it's very close: If your child spends exactly the same number of nights with each parent (like in a perfect 50/50 split with no extra days), the IRS considers the parent with the higher Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) as the custodial parent for determining where the child lived. So if you and your ex have exactly 182/183 nights each, and your AGI is higher, you'd be considered the custodial parent for HoH purposes - even if your agreement says your ex claims the dependent exemption. Some tax software doesn't explain this nuance well, so it's worth knowing!

Don't forget about the other requirements for Head of Household! Besides having a qualifying person who lives with you more than half the year, you also need to pay more than half the cost of keeping up your home for the year. This includes rent/mortgage, property taxes, utilities, repairs, food eaten in the home, and other household expenses. You don't count clothing, education, medical expenses, or things like that. I got audited last year because I filed HoH but couldn't prove I paid more than half of these costs. Make sure you keep good records of what you spend on housing expenses!

Has anyone used both Sprintax and taxr.ai? I'm trying to figure out which one is better for my situation. I'm on F-1 visa in my 4th year and started OPT last month.

Just wanted to add my experience since I had almost the exact same situation as you! I'm also F-1 on OPT and was getting conflicting information from different tax software about my residency status. What really helped me was understanding that the software sometimes asks questions in a confusing way. When they ask about "days of presence," make sure you're also clearly indicating your visa status for each year. Some programs calculate the raw day count first and then apply exemptions, so if the visa status isn't properly marked, it can give you the wrong result. Also, don't forget that during OPT you're still in F-1 status for tax purposes, so all the same rules apply. The key thing is that you're still within your 5-year exemption period (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024), so you should definitely be filing as a nonresident alien. If you're still having trouble with Sprintax after double-checking your inputs, it might be worth trying a different platform or contacting their support directly. Getting the residency determination wrong can mess up your entire return, so it's worth taking the time to get it right!

Have you considered using different tax software to get another perspective? I was in a similar situation and tried filing my taxes with both TurboTax and H&R Block online to see if they interpreted my custody situation differently. TurboTax told me I couldn't file HOH with 50/50 custody if I wasn't claiming the dependent, but H&R Block's questionnaire was more detailed and determined I could because my daughter was physically present in my home for 183 days that year (I kept meticulous records). The difference in my refund was over $2,000!

I went through this exact situation two years ago and it was so confusing! What helped me was creating a detailed custody calendar showing exactly which nights my daughter stayed at each home. Even though our decree said "50/50," the actual schedule meant she was with me 186 nights and with my ex 179 nights due to how holidays and school breaks fell. That extra week made all the difference for HOH qualification. I kept records of school pickup/dropoff, overnight stays, and even had my daughter's school confirm which address was listed as primary. The IRS wants to see actual physical presence, not just what the divorce decree says. My tax preparer initially told me I couldn't file HOH in years when my ex claimed the dependency exemption, but after showing the detailed custody records, we discovered I qualified based on the "more than half the year" test. The key is proving she lived with you for at least 183 days, regardless of who gets the dependency exemption. I'd recommend tracking every single night this year so you have concrete documentation. Even if your arrangement is supposed to be exactly 50/50, real life rarely works out to be perfectly equal when you count actual overnights.