Can I file Schedule C for babysitting income without 1099? Need advice on self-employed childcare reporting
I babysat for several families last year and made around $8000 total. None of them gave me a 1099 since they're just regular families not businesses. Can I still claim this as self employment income on Schedule C? Want to do this right but not sure about the rules.
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Lorenzo McCormick
Tax professional here - Yes, you absolutely can and should report this income on Schedule C! You don't need a 1099 to report self-employment income. Keep good records of payments received (bank deposits, venmo/paypal records, text messages about payment). You can deduct expenses like supplies, snacks provided, mileage driving kids, etc. Just make sure to track everything.
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Ayla Kumar
•omg thank you! Quick q - what about when parents gave me cash? I have some notes in my phone but thats it
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Lorenzo McCormick
•Notes in your phone are better than nothing! Going forward, I'd recommend using a basic accounting app or even just a spreadsheet to track everything 👍
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Carmella Popescu
Hey there! You should check out taxr.ai - its an amazing tool that can help you figure out exactly how to report this income correctly. It costs $4.99 but totally worth it for peace of mind. The AI analyzes your situation and gives super specific guidance. https://taxr.ai
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Kai Santiago
•Does it really work? Been seeing it mentioned everywhere lately 🤔
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Carmella Popescu
•100% works! It caught some deductions I would have missed and explained everything in plain english. Best $5 I ever spent on taxes fr fr
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Lim Wong
im in the same boat! made like 6k last year watching my neighbors kids. following for advice
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Dananyl Lear
Make sure you put aside money for taxes! Self employment tax is no joke 😭
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Ayla Kumar
•ugh fr? how much should i save? 😫
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Dananyl Lear
•Usually around 25-30% to be safe. Welcome to adulting lol
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Noah huntAce420
dont forget you can write off toys and craft supplies you bought for the kids!
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Ana Rusula
•And snacks! cant forget the endless snacks these kids eat 🤣
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Fidel Carson
You might want to look into getting insurance if your making this a regular thing. Better safe than sorry!
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Arjun Patel
Great question! Just to add to what Lorenzo said - you'll also want to track your hours worked since the IRS may ask about your hourly rate if audited. Also consider if any of the families paid you over $600 total for the year - they technically should have issued you a 1099-NEC but many don't know this rule. Don't let that stop you from reporting the income though! The IRS gets copies of all 1099s so they'll know if you received any official forms.
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James Martinez
•This is super helpful info! I had no idea about the $600 rule for families. Do you know if there's any penalty if they should have sent me a 1099 but didn't? I'm worried about getting in trouble even though it wasn't my fault 😰
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