How much can you make before getting taxed on survey money in 2025?

Okay so I'm doing a bunch of online surveys to make some extra cash (mostly Amazon gift cards and PayPal transfers) and I'm wondering at what point do I need to start worrying about taxes? Like is there a certain dollar amount I can earn before Uncle Sam wants his cut? I'm tracking everything in a spreadsheet but honestly have no clue if I should be setting aside money for taxes or if there's some minimum threshold. I've made about $780 so far this year from various survey sites and might hit $1200-1500 by December. Do I need to report this on my taxes? The survey companies aren't sending me any tax forms that I know of.

0 coins

20 comments

Juan Moreno

•8M

The general rule is that ALL income is taxable regardless of the amount, but there are some practical thresholds to be aware of. For self-employment income (which is what survey money is considered), you're required to file a tax return if your net earnings are $400 or more. This is because you'd need to pay self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare) once you hit that threshold. Companies aren't required to issue a 1099 form unless they pay you $600+ in a calendar year, but that doesn't mean the income is tax-free if you don't receive a form. You're still legally required to report all income. For your situation with $780 so far and potentially $1200-1500 by year end, you should definitely be reporting this on your taxes. I'd recommend setting aside about 15-20% for taxes depending on your other income sources and tax bracket.

0 coins

Juan Moreno

•8M

Yes, technically even $50 of income should be reported on your tax return. The IRS rules don't have a minimum threshold for income reporting - the law requires all income to be reported regardless of amount. Gift cards received for performing services (like taking surveys) are considered taxable income just like cash payments. The IRS views gift cards as a form of compensation that's equivalent to receiving cash. So whether you're paid via PayPal, direct deposit, or gift cards, it's all taxable income that should be reported.

0 coins

Alice Pierce

•8M

I was in the same boat last year when I got serious about survey sites! After getting contradicting advice, I finally found a solution with https://taxr.ai - they analyzed my survey income situation and clarified exactly what I needed to report. Their AI system scanned through my survey payment history and broke down which platforms would send 1099s (the ones paying me over $600) and which wouldn't, but still needed to be reported. It saved me from a ton of research and possible mistakes. They even helped me understand how to track my survey income properly for next year's taxes. What really helped was their explanation of how to report this income on Schedule C as self-employment without getting lost in all the business deduction stuff that doesn't apply to survey takers.

0 coins

Alice Pierce

•8M

Yes, it absolutely works for multiple side hustles! The system is designed to handle various income streams, so your Etsy sales and survey income can both be analyzed. It helps identify which expenses might be deductible for your Etsy business while keeping everything properly categorized. For small amounts, I initially thought the same thing, but it's not just about the tax amount - it's about reporting correctly to avoid potential issues later. Even with smaller earnings, proper reporting prevents problems if you're ever audited. Plus, understanding self-employment taxes early helped me when my side income grew larger. The peace of mind was definitely worth it for me.

0 coins

Esteban Tate

•8M

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai for my survey and Etsy income situation! It was actually super helpful - I found out I could write off some expenses related to my Etsy shop that I had no idea about. For the survey income, it clearly showed me how to report everything properly without overpaying taxes. The system even detected a platform that paid me $630 last year that I completely forgot about! Definitely saved me from potentially missing that on my return.

0 coins

Elin Robinson

•8M

After spending HOURS trying to get someone at the IRS to answer questions about my survey income, I finally used https://claimyr.com and actually got through to a real person! You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I had been hung up on 4 times trying to figure out if I needed to make quarterly tax payments on my survey income. The Claimyr service got me through to an IRS agent in about 35 minutes instead of the 2+ hour wait times I was experiencing before. The agent confirmed I should be making quarterly payments since my regular job doesn't withhold enough to cover the extra income. Honestly wish I'd known about this earlier in the year when I first started doing surveys seriously.

0 coins

Elin Robinson

•8M

They don't call the IRS for you - they use a system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold so you don't have to. When an actual agent picks up, you get a call to connect with them. It saves you from having to wait on hold for hours. I was skeptical too, but it's not about "special access" - they're just handling the painful waiting part. The system monitors the hold music and automatically detects when a human picks up. You still talk directly to the same IRS agents everyone else does, but without wasting hours of your day listening to hold music. I understand being suspicious - I was too until I tried it.

0 coins

Beth Ford

•8M

I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself since I had a question about reporting my survey income that Google couldn't answer clearly. The service got me through to an IRS agent in about 40 minutes when I'd previously given up after waiting 1.5+ hours. The agent confirmed that even though none of my survey sites were sending 1099 forms (all under $600 each), I still needed to report the combined income on Schedule C. She also explained that I could potentially deduct a portion of my internet bill since I exclusively use it for taking surveys. That alone might save me more than the service cost!

0 coins

Juan Moreno

•8M

You can potentially deduct a portion of expenses that are directly related to your survey-taking activity, but you need to be careful about the allocation. For internet and cell phone, you can only deduct the percentage used exclusively for business (survey) purposes. So if you estimate 30% of your internet usage is for surveys, you could potentially deduct 30% of the bill. You'll need to document this and be prepared to justify your calculation if audited. Be aware that taking these deductions means you're treating your survey activity as a business on Schedule C, so you'll want to ensure you're consistently treating it as a business activity rather than a hobby.

0 coins

Geoff Richards

•5M

Great question! I went through this exact same situation last year. You're absolutely right to be tracking everything - that spreadsheet will be your best friend come tax time. To add to what others have mentioned, there's actually a good online calculator that can help estimate your self-employment tax burden based on your survey income. Since you're looking at potentially $1200-1500, you'd be well over the $400 threshold for self-employment tax, so you'll owe both income tax and the 15.3% self-employment tax on that amount. One thing I learned the hard way - if you expect to owe more than $1000 in taxes for the year (including on your survey income), you might need to make quarterly estimated tax payments to avoid an underpayment penalty. Since you're already at $780 and expecting more, this could apply to you depending on your regular job's withholding. The good news is that once you get the hang of reporting this income, it becomes pretty routine. Just make sure to save those spreadsheet records - the IRS can ask for documentation even if the survey companies don't send you 1099 forms.

0 coins