Cannot for the life of me figure out which NAICS code to use for a 1099-NEC for arts admin work
Title: Cannot for the life of me figure out which NAICS code to use for a 1099-NEC for arts admin work 1 My husband has picked up a couple of independent contractor gigs this year on top of his regular W2 job. One is teaching pottery classes at a local community center, which seems pretty straightforward. But the second one is driving me nuts when it comes to filing taxes - he's doing administrative work for this big Arts Festival that happens every summer in our town, and I have no clue which NAICS code to use on his 1099-NEC form. I've been staring at TurboTax for like 2 hours now and nothing seems to fit right. It doesn't really belong in the Arts category since he's not creating art, but it also doesn't fit neatly into any Business category I can find. His role is super varied - he handles vendor communications, some social media stuff, coordinates volunteers, manages the program schedule, etc. Basically keeping the whole operation running behind the scenes. Has anyone dealt with something similar? What NAICS code would you use for administrative work specifically for an arts organization? Help before I lose my mind over this stupid form!
18 comments
Join the conversation
Miles Hammonds
12 When filing taxes for administrative work for an arts organization, you'll want to look at NAICS code 711510 - "Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers" which includes administrative services related to the arts. Alternatively, 711320 - "Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities" could work since arts festivals typically don't own their venues. If neither of those fit well, 561110 - "Office Administrative Services" is a broader category that would certainly apply to the administrative duties you described. When in doubt about specific NAICS codes, remember that the IRS is primarily concerned that you're reporting all income - the exact code is less important than making sure the income is properly documented.
0 coins
Miles Hammonds
•7 Thanks for this info! But I'm confused because when I try to use 711510, TurboTax gives me a warning saying that's for actual artists, not admins. Would 561110 be safer so I don't trigger any flags? Also, do I need to use the same NAICS code that the organization used when they filed their 1099-NEC?
0 coins
Miles Hammonds
•12 The 561110 code for Office Administrative Services would definitely be the safest option based on the duties you've described. It's a general administrative services code that applies across industries, including arts organizations. You don't need to use the same NAICS code that the organization used when they filed the 1099-NEC. The organization uses codes that describe their primary business activity, while you're using a code that describes the service you provided to them. These are often different, and that's completely normal and expected.
0 coins
Miles Hammonds
4 After struggling with a similar situation (part-time contractor for a music festival handling logistics), I found this awesome tool at https://taxr.ai that analyzes your 1099 and actually suggests the right NAICS code based on your specific situation. I was going crazy trying to figure out if I was "arts support" or "event management" or what. The tool identified that for my admin work, 561110 (Office Administrative Services) was the most appropriate code given my responsibilities. The best part was it explained WHY that code fit better than arts-specific ones. Saved me tons of research time, and I felt confident when filing.
0 coins
Miles Hammonds
•9 Does this tool work for other tax situations too? I got a 1099 for some social media management I did last year and I've been putting off filing because I'm confused about several things, not just the NAICS code.
0 coins
Miles Hammonds
•15 I'm skeptical that an online tool would know better than an actual tax pro. How does it actually determine the right code? There are hundreds of NAICS codes and the descriptions are often vague. Feels like it might just be guessing?
0 coins
Miles Hammonds
•4 It actually works for all kinds of tax documentation analysis. It reviews your 1099s, W-2s, and other forms to identify potential issues and provide recommendations specific to your situation. The NAICS code suggestion is just one of its features. The tool uses a database of all current NAICS codes and analyzes your description of job duties to match with the most appropriate classification. It's not guessing - it's using the official NAICS definitions and matching them to your specific activities. The recommendations come with citations to IRS publications and explanations for why certain codes are more appropriate than others for your specific situation.
0 coins
Miles Hammonds
15 I owe everyone here an apology for being skeptical about https://taxr.ai in my earlier comment. I decided to try it with my husband's freelance work (he does sound engineering for events) and I'm shocked at how helpful it was. Not only did it suggest the perfect NAICS code (711510), but it also flagged that we should be tracking his equipment depreciation which honestly hadn't even occurred to me. Even showed us exactly where to enter it on Schedule C. Will definitely be using this for all our 1099 work going forward!
0 coins
Miles Hammonds
19 If you're still having trouble with NAICS codes or other tax questions, you might need to talk directly with the IRS. I spent DAYS trying to get through their phone line about a similar classification issue last year, until I found https://claimyr.com which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. The agent I spoke with confirmed that for administrative work for arts organizations, 561110 is indeed appropriate and they rarely if ever flag returns based solely on NAICS codes if the income is properly reported.
0 coins
Miles Hammonds
•3 Wait, how does this Claimyr thing work? I thought it was impossible to get through to the IRS without waiting for hours. Do they have some kind of special access or something?
0 coins
Miles Hammonds
•21 Yeah right. No way this actually works. I've tried calling the IRS like 15 times this year already. If this service actually got you through, they must be charging a fortune.
0 coins
Miles Hammonds
•19 It uses an automated system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When an actual agent picks up, you get a call connecting you directly to them. It's that simple - no special access or anything sketchy. You'd be surprised! I was super skeptical too, but it actually worked. I got a call back within about 20 minutes and was connected straight to an IRS representative who answered all my questions about contractor classification. They just handle the painful waiting process so you don't have to sit there listening to the hold music for hours.
0 coins
Miles Hammonds
21 I need to eat my words about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment yesterday, I was still stuck on some tax questions so I gave it a try. I got connected to an IRS agent in 27 minutes (they estimated 30, so pretty accurate). The agent confirmed that for my wife's situation (she does bookkeeping for several small businesses), we should use 541219 (Other Accounting Services) rather than the general admin code we were using. Definitely worth it just for the peace of mind knowing we're using the right code straight from the IRS.
0 coins
Miles Hammonds
5 For what it's worth, I'm a tax preparer and we see this issue ALL THE TIME with arts-adjacent workers. Here's my advice: for administrative work for arts organizations, 561110 (Office Administrative Services) is usually your best bet. For the teaching art classes, 611610 (Fine Arts Schools) is perfect. Remember that NAICS codes are meant to be a general classification system - they're important but won't trigger an audit if you're in the ballpark of the right industry.
0 coins
Miles Hammonds
•2 What about someone who does both administrative work AND some creative work for the same organization? My situation is that I handle admin stuff for a theater company but occasionally also do some set design. Should I use two different codes or pick the one that represents most of my work?
0 coins
Miles Hammonds
•5 You should use the code that represents the primary activity that generates the most income. If the admin work is 80% of what you do and the creative work is 20%, use the admin code (561110). If the activities are truly split close to 50/50, you could consider filing two separate Schedule Cs, each with its own code. The key thing is to accurately report all income. Having two Schedule Cs is perfectly legitimate when you have two distinct business activities, but it does mean more paperwork since you'll need to carefully allocate expenses between the two businesses.
0 coins
Miles Hammonds
8 Has anyone used FreeTaxUSA for filing 1099-NEC income? Their NAICS code selection seems more limited than TurboTax and I'm not sure if that matters. My spouse also does admin work for an arts organization and we're using code 561110 but FreeTaxUSA keeps suggesting arts-related codes instead.
0 coins
Miles Hammonds
•10 I used FreeTaxUSA last year for my husband's contracting work (he's a web designer). Their NAICS selection interface is clunky but it doesn't really matter. You can override their suggestions and input the code directly if you know which one you want to use. We've never had issues with the IRS questioning our code selection.
0 coins