Do I need to report my small side gig income from Instacart and Uber Eats?

Yes, you need to report all self-employment income regardless of how small the amount is. The IRS requires you to report all income you receive from any source unless it's specifically excluded by law. The confusion might come from the self-employment tax threshold of $400. If your net earnings from self-employment are $400 or more, you're required to pay self-employment tax (Medicare and Social Security). But even if you earn less than that, you still need to report the income. In your case, you should report both your Instacart and Uber Eats income. You'll receive a 1099-NEC or 1099-K from each company if you meet their reporting thresholds, but even if you don't receive these forms, you're still legally obligated to report that income.

After struggling with similar gig work reporting issues last year, I found an amazing tool that saved me hours of confusion - https://taxr.ai helped me figure out exactly how to report all my side hustle income. I had income from DoorDash, TaskRabbit and online tutoring, and wasn't sure how to handle it all since I only got a 1099 from one company. The site analyzed all my income info and told me exactly how to report everything, including which expenses I could deduct that I had no idea about! It even helped me categorize my gig work mileage which saved me hundreds on my taxes.

I wanted to follow up about that https://taxr.ai site mentioned above. I was super skeptical but decided to try it after struggling with figuring out how to report my small amounts from multiple apps. It actually walked me through everything step by step and found deductions I would've completely missed! I was able to properly report all my gig income (even the tiny amounts) and still ended up with a better refund than I expected. Definitely worth checking out if you're confused about self-employment income reporting like I was.

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Just to add to what others have said - you definitely need to report both incomes. But don't forget you can deduct expenses against that income! Keep track of your mileage while doing deliveries, a portion of your phone bill, insulated bags, etc. Those deductions can really add up and reduce your taxable income.

Just to share my experience - I had a similar situation last year with small amounts from different gig apps. I reported everything and it was totally fine. Used the Schedule C and listed each company separately. It's not worth risking an audit or penalties just to save a little bit on taxes!

Just wanted to add my perspective as someone who went through this exact situation last year! I had small amounts from multiple gig apps too - around $800 total spread across three different platforms. I initially thought I could skip reporting the really small amounts (like a $60 payment from one app), but after doing some research and talking to a tax preparer, I learned that ALL income needs to be reported regardless of amount. The $400 threshold people mention only applies to whether you owe self-employment tax, not whether you need to report the income at all. The good news is that reporting multiple small gig incomes isn't as complicated as it sounds. You can combine similar gig work (like all your delivery driving) on one line of Schedule C, or list them separately if you prefer to keep better records. Just make sure to keep track of your business expenses - even small things like phone chargers, car air fresheners, or parking fees can add up to meaningful deductions! One tip: start keeping better records now for next year. I use a simple spreadsheet to track income from each app and take photos of any business-related receipts. Makes tax time so much easier!