Do I need to file taxes if I sell online commissions and handmade crafts?

Yes, you do need to report that income on your taxes. The IRS considers you self-employed if you're earning money from commissions and selling handmade goods. The threshold that matters here is $400 in net profit - if you make more than that from self-employment, you're required to file and pay self-employment taxes. Since you mentioned making around $2,800, you'll definitely need to report this. But don't panic! You can deduct business expenses like art supplies, shipping materials, platform fees, etc., which will reduce your taxable income. You'll need to fill out a Schedule C to report your business income and expenses, and Schedule SE to calculate your self-employment tax.

I was in a similar situation last year with my digital art commissions and got really confused trying to figure out all the self-employment stuff. I eventually found this tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that really helped me understand what I needed to file. You just upload your income info, and it tells you exactly what forms you need and walks you through the whole process for self-employment income. It flagged all the deductions I could take for my art supplies and even my partial home office that I totally would have missed otherwise.

I tried out taxr.ai after seeing this thread because I was completely lost with my Etsy and commission income. Wow - really surprised at how helpful it actually was! I've been selling handmade pins and digital downloads for about a year and had no idea I could deduct part of my internet bill and even some of my apartment space as a home office. It found me over $800 in deductions I would have completely missed. The best part was how it explained the difference between hobby income and business income, which was something I was really confused about. Much better experience than I had with the big tax software companies that seem to charge extra for every self-employment form. Definitely using this again next year!

If you're selling handmade goods and dealing with self-employment taxes for the first time, you might also run into issues where you need to talk to the IRS directly about your situation. I tried calling them for weeks when I had questions about my Etsy shop income and couldn't get through. Eventually used this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent I spoke with answered all my questions about what expenses I could deduct for my handmade jewelry business and confirmed I was filing everything correctly. Saved me a ton of stress about potentially doing something wrong.

I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr in my previous comment. After struggling with tax questions about my online art sales that I couldn't figure out, I got desperate and decided to try it. I fully expected it to be a waste of money, but I actually got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes! The agent walked me through exactly how to report my commission income and confirmed which deductions were legitimate for my art business. The peace of mind from talking to an actual IRS representative instead of guessing or getting potentially wrong advice online was totally worth it. They helped me understand how to properly categorize my different types of income (commissions vs product sales) and how to document everything correctly to avoid issues later.

One thing nobody mentioned yet - if you're making decent money from your art/crafts (sounds like you are at $2,800), you probably should be making quarterly estimated tax payments instead of waiting until tax time. I learned this the hard way and got hit with an underpayment penalty my first year selling on Etsy.

Make sure you keep track of ALL your expenses related to your art and handmade goods! I sell custom embroidery and the first year I only tracked the obvious stuff like thread and fabric. Totally missed so many legitimate deductions like: - Portion of internet/phone bill used for business - Mileage driving to get supplies - Part of your home used exclusively for work - Software subscriptions for design work - Marketplace fees - Shipping supplies Every dollar in expenses reduces your taxable income!

Just wanna add - don't freak out about this! Reporting self-employment income isn't as scary as it seems. I've been selling handmade jewelry for years and do my own taxes. Schedule C looks intimidating but it's basically just "how much did you make" and "what did you spend on business stuff." The IRS isn't out to get small sellers - they're mostly concerned with people hiding large amounts of income. Just be honest, keep records of everything, and you'll be fine!

This is really helpful information! I'm in a similar boat - I've been doing freelance graphic design work and selling prints on Etsy, made about $3,200 this year. I had no idea about the $400 threshold for self-employment tax vs the $600 for 1099 forms - that's a crucial distinction that I think a lot of people get confused about. One thing I'm still unclear on though - when you mention deducting business expenses, do you need to have receipts for everything? I bought a lot of art supplies throughout the year but didn't always keep receipts for smaller purchases. Also, if I use my personal laptop for both design work and personal stuff, can I deduct a portion of that as a business expense? Thanks for breaking this down so clearly - definitely makes the whole process seem less overwhelming!

Just to add another perspective - I've been doing freelance illustration and selling handmade pottery for about 3 years now. The transition from regular W-2 employment to dealing with self-employment taxes was definitely a learning curve, but it's totally manageable once you get the hang of it. A few practical tips that helped me: - Set aside 25-30% of your side income in a separate savings account for taxes. This way you won't be scrambling to pay when tax time comes. - Use a simple spreadsheet or app to track income and expenses monthly - don't wait until the end of the year! - Take photos of all your receipts immediately and store them in a dedicated folder on your phone/cloud storage. The good news is that creative businesses often have lots of legitimate deductions that can significantly reduce your tax burden. Art supplies, craft materials, booth fees for markets, even business meals with clients - it all adds up. Just make sure everything is actually used for your business and keep good records. Don't let the tax stuff discourage you from pursuing your creative side income - it's really not as complicated as it seems at first!