This has been such an incredibly helpful thread! I'm also new to Amazon Vine and was completely overwhelmed when I received my first 1099-NEC for about $3,100 in products. Reading through everyone's experiences has clarified so much - I definitely need to file Schedule C and treat this as self-employment income. What really struck me was how many legitimate deductions I hadn't even considered. I've been doing all my reviews on my laptop at my dining room table, but now I'm thinking about setting up a more dedicated workspace so I can justify home office deductions. I also never thought about deducting storage solutions or photography equipment, but those make perfect sense as business expenses. The advice about keeping detailed records from day one is so valuable. I'm going to implement the separate bank account idea and start tracking my internet/phone usage for business purposes. The photo documentation approach mentioned by several people also seems really smart for backing up any deductions. One question for those with more experience: I sometimes order additional accessories or complementary products when testing Vine items to give more comprehensive reviews (like buying different types of batteries to test with electronic products). Would these purchases typically be considered deductible business expenses since they directly support the review process? I want to make sure I'm being appropriately conservative but not missing legitimate deductions. Thanks again to everyone for sharing such practical advice - this community has been more helpful than any tax guide I could find!

I've been following this discussion as someone who's also navigating Amazon Vine taxes for the first time, and I wanted to share a resource that's been helpful for my situation. Since so many people here are dealing with the complexity of Schedule C filing and figuring out legitimate deductions, I thought others might benefit from knowing about it. I ended up using a service called FreeTaxUSA for filing my Vine-related Schedule C. What I liked about it was that it has specific guidance for gig economy and product review situations, and it walked me through exactly which expenses I could legitimately claim. They have a pretty comprehensive interview process that helped me identify deductions I wouldn't have thought of on my own. The software specifically asked about things like home office space, equipment purchases, storage costs, and internet/phone usage - basically all the categories people have been discussing here. It also calculated the self-employment tax automatically, which was helpful since I was really confused about that aspect. For anyone feeling overwhelmed by the Schedule C process, having tax software that's familiar with these newer types of income sources can really simplify things. The free version handled everything I needed for my Vine income situation, and it gave me confidence that I was filing correctly without missing any legitimate deductions. Just thought I'd share since so many people in this thread seem to be in similar situations with their first year of Vine taxes!

I'm going through a similar situation with missing 1099 forms from multiple platforms this year. What I've learned from my tax preparer is that the IRS actually expects you to report ALL income regardless of whether you receive forms - they're more concerned about accuracy than having the paperwork. For your Facebook earnings, definitely keep detailed records of your payments. You can screenshot your payout history from Creator Studio as others mentioned, but also consider downloading your bank statements showing the deposits from Meta. Having multiple sources of documentation gives you better backup if questions ever arise. One thing to consider - if you plan to continue growing your content creation income, it might be worth setting up proper bookkeeping now even for smaller amounts. This makes tax time much easier as your earnings increase, and you'll be prepared when you do start receiving 1099s regularly. Plus tracking expenses from the beginning can save you money even on modest earnings.

I've been dealing with this exact issue as a new content creator! Just wanted to share that I called the IRS taxpayer assistance line (1-800-829-1040) directly about reporting platform income without forms, and they confirmed that you absolutely should report all income even without receiving a 1099. The representative told me that for amounts under $600, companies aren't required to send forms, but that doesn't change your obligation to report the income. They also mentioned that the IRS has been seeing a lot more questions about creator economy income lately, so they're well aware of these situations. What really helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet with the date, amount, and source of each payment. I also took screenshots of my payment history from the platform and saved them as PDFs. The IRS rep said this type of documentation is perfectly acceptable for reporting purposes. For anyone else in this situation - don't stress about the missing form. Just be accurate with your numbers and keep good records. The IRS cares way more about you reporting honestly than having the perfect paperwork!

I've been through this exact situation with my consulting business in Germany. One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is the timing of the check-the-box election - you need to file Form 8832 within 75 days of forming the entity OR by the due date of your return for the year you want the election to be effective. Also, regarding the self-employment tax concern that several people raised - if your foreign business involves providing services personally (like consulting), then yes, you'll pay SE tax on that income. However, if it's more passive investment income or rental income from the foreign entity, it might not be subject to self-employment tax even after the election. The key is understanding what type of business activities you're engaged in through the foreign entity. I'd strongly recommend getting a professional analysis of your specific situation before making the election, as it can't easily be undone once made.

Just wanted to add another consideration that I learned the hard way - if you make the check-the-box election, you'll also need to be very careful about the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE) if you're living abroad. When your foreign entity becomes disregarded, that income is treated as directly earned by you, which can actually help you qualify for the FEIE if you meet the physical presence or bona fide residence tests. This could potentially exclude up to $120,000 (for 2023) of that foreign earned income from U.S. taxation, though you'd still owe self-employment tax on it. However, there's a catch - you can't claim both the FEIE and foreign tax credits on the same income. So you'll need to run the numbers to see which gives you a better result. In my case, the FEIE ended up being more beneficial than trying to claim foreign tax credits, especially since it doesn't eliminate the SE tax anyway. Also worth noting: if you're claiming the FEIE, you might want to consider making a Section 962 election if you have other foreign corporations that generate GILTI, as it can help with the overall tax optimization across all your international structures.

I'm dealing with a very similar situation but with a different twist - I won $650 from FanDuel but it was spread across multiple small wins over a few months rather than one big bet. I never received any tax forms either. From all the great advice here, it sounds like I still need to report the full amount regardless of how I won it or whether I got forms. My question is: should I report this as one lump sum of $650 in gambling winnings, or do I need to break it down by each individual winning bet? I can access my FanDuel account and see the transaction history, but there were probably 8-10 different winning bets ranging from $25 to $180 each. For TurboTax purposes, I'm assuming I just enter the total amount as gambling winnings from FanDuel, but wanted to double-check since my situation is a bit different from the original poster's single big win. Also, I had some losing bets too during that same period - probably lost about $400 total. Based on what others mentioned about needing to itemize to claim gambling losses, it doesn't sound like it would be worth it for me since I'd be taking the standard deduction anyway. Just wanted to confirm that's the right approach. Thanks for all the helpful information in this thread - it's exactly what I needed to figure out how to handle this properly!

I work as a tax preparer and see this exact situation all the time, especially with sports betting becoming more popular. You're absolutely doing the right thing by wanting to report this income! Since you won $800 from a single bet, FanDuel wasn't required to send you a W-2G (which is typically for winnings of $1,200+ from slot machines or $5,000+ from poker). However, you're still legally required to report ALL gambling winnings as income. In TurboTax, go to the "Income" section and look for "Less Common Income" or "Additional Income Sources." Select "Gambling, Lottery, and Prize Winnings." There should be an option like "I don't have a tax form" or "Enter without a form." You'll just need to enter: - Payer: FanDuel - Amount: $800 - Type: Sports betting winnings Keep your bank statement showing the deposit from FanDuel as documentation. If you can still access your FanDuel account, screenshot your transaction history showing the winning bet and withdrawal - this creates a nice paper trail in case you're ever audited. The IRS actually prefers taxpayers who proactively report income without forms rather than those who try to hide it. You're showing good faith compliance with tax law, which is always the right approach. Don't worry about getting "flagged" - millions of people report gambling winnings this way every year!

Quick tip from someone who's been freelancing for 15+ years: start including a damage clause in your contracts! I specifically have language that states any reimbursements for damaged equipment are not considered income and will not be reported on tax forms. It's saved me from this exact headache multiple times. Most clients don't even notice it when signing, but it gives you something concrete to point to when their accounting department tries to 1099 you for reimbursements. Worth adding to your contracts going forward!

This is a great discussion with solid advice from everyone! I'm dealing with a similar situation right now where a client damaged some lighting equipment during a corporate shoot. Reading through all these responses really helped clarify my options. I'm definitely going to try contacting their accounting department first to explain that it should be treated as property damage reimbursement, not service income. If that doesn't work, the backup plan of reporting it as income but then deducting the exact repair amount on Schedule C makes sense as a safety net. The contract clause suggestion from Kelsey is brilliant - I'm definitely adding that to my standard agreement going forward. Prevention is always better than having to fix these issues after the fact! Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions. This community is incredibly helpful for navigating these tricky tax situations that come up in freelance work.