Do I need to report $638 for Uber driving without a 1099?

Yes, you absolutely need to report all income to the IRS regardless of whether you received a 1099 or not. The IRS requirement is that ALL income must be reported, even if it's below the threshold for the company to issue you a formal tax document. For Uber specifically, you'll need to report this on Schedule C (Profit or Loss from Business) since you were essentially self-employed as a driver. You can use the tax summary from your Uber driver portal to get all the information you need - your gross earnings, Uber's fees, and other expenses. You'll report the net amount ($638) as business income. You can still deduct eligible business expenses like mileage, a portion of your phone bill, etc. Make sure to keep good records of these expenses to support your deductions in case of an audit.

I used to stress about this exact situation with my side gigs! After hours of research and confusion, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which completely changed how I handle these situations. Uber doesn't give you a 1099? No problem. I just uploaded my Uber earnings summary to the platform, and it automatically figured out exactly what I needed to report and where on my tax forms. The best part was it identified deductions I didn't even know I qualified for as a driver. It analyzes your specific situation and gives personalized guidance rather than the generic advice you find online. Saved me hours of head-scratching and probably a few hundred dollars in deductions I would've missed.

Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) - I finally tried it after my last comment and I'm genuinely impressed. I was skeptical about how well it would handle my specific situation with unreported Uber income, but it worked perfectly. It walked me through exactly what forms I needed and where to enter the income. The mileage deduction feature saved me the most money - I had been calculating it wrong for years! They even explained which other car-related expenses I could claim in my situation. Much better than the generic YouTube videos I was trying to follow before. Definitely using it for all my tax questions going forward.

If you're still having issues figuring this out, or if you need to talk to someone at the IRS directly about your specific situation, I highly recommend Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in a similar situation last year with unreported gig income and had major anxiety about doing it wrong. After spending DAYS trying to get through to the IRS (literally calling, getting disconnected, calling again...), I found Claimyr and it was a game changer. They have this system that gets you to the front of the IRS phone queue. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I actually spoke with an IRS agent who walked me through exactly how to report my rideshare income without a 1099. Much less stressful than guessing and potentially getting audited later.

I need to eat my words about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I was desperate enough to try it anyway for an issue with my missing refund (not related to Uber income). I've literally spent MONTHS trying to reach the IRS with no success. Using Claimyr, I got through to an actual human at the IRS in about 45 minutes - while I just went about my day until my phone rang. The agent resolved my issue in about 10 minutes once I explained the situation. For anyone dealing with tax issues that need direct IRS clarification (like this Uber income reporting question), it's definitely worth considering. I'm genuinely surprised it worked as advertised.

Friendly reminder that you can also use free tax filing software through the IRS Free File program if your income is under $73,000. Most of these programs will walk you through reporting self-employment income even without a 1099. The software asks about different income sources and guides you through the process.

Uber actually provides a yearly tax summary in your driver account even if you don't get a 1099. Just go to the tax information section in your account and you should find a detailed breakdown of all your earnings, Uber's cut, fees, etc. Just use those numbers on Schedule C.

Just to add to what others have said - don't forget about tracking your vehicle expenses beyond just mileage! As an Uber driver, you can deduct things like car washes, phone mounts, phone chargers, and even a portion of your car insurance if you use the actual expense method instead of the standard mileage rate. Also, keep in mind that since you're reporting self-employment income, you'll likely owe self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare taxes) on top of regular income tax. This is about 15.3% of your net earnings, so factor that in when planning. You might want to make estimated quarterly payments next year if you continue driving to avoid owing a large amount at tax time. The good news is that with proper deductions, your actual tax liability on that $638 might be quite small. Just make sure to keep detailed records of all your driving-related expenses!