< Back to IRS

Mei Liu

How to report additional income from Cash App personal account for taxes?

I made about $3,600 through my personal Cash App account last year from selling some custom artwork and doing a few side gigs. Since my account is set up as personal (not business), I know Cash App won't be sending me a 1099-K, but the amount is definitely over the $600 threshold so I'm pretty sure I need to report it. I'm just not sure HOW to properly claim this on my taxes. This is my first year having this kind of side income and I'm super anxious about doing it wrong and getting audited. I don't want to mess up my taxes or get in trouble with the IRS. Should I just add it as "other income" somewhere? Do I need receipts or documentation from Cash App even though they don't provide a 1099? Help!!!

You're right to be concerned about reporting this income, but it's actually pretty straightforward! Since you've earned income through Cash App without receiving a 1099-K, you'll need to self-report this as income. The best way to handle this is to report it on Schedule C (Profit or Loss from Business) if it's from self-employment activities like your artwork sales and side gigs. This allows you to not only report the income but also deduct any legitimate business expenses you had related to earning that money, which can reduce your tax liability. Make sure to keep your own records - screenshots of Cash App transactions, a spreadsheet tracking payments, etc. Even without a 1099, you should maintain your own documentation in case of questions later.

0 coins

Amara Nwosu

•

Does that mean they have to pay self-employment tax on that money too? And what if some of the money was just friends paying them back for stuff, not actual income?

0 coins

Yes, if the income is from self-employment activities like selling artwork or performing services, you would be subject to self-employment tax (which covers Social Security and Medicare) in addition to regular income tax. This applies when your net earnings from self-employment exceed $400. For money that was simply friends paying you back (reimbursements), that's not considered income and doesn't need to be reported. Just be sure to keep good records so you can distinguish between actual income and reimbursements. The key is being able to document the nature of each transaction if you're ever questioned.

0 coins

AstroExplorer

•

I was in EXACTLY this situation last year with about $4,200 in Cash App payments from my photography side hustle. I spent hours trying to figure it out and was so stressed about potential audits. Then I found this AI tax assistant at https://taxr.ai that completely saved me. You upload your Cash App transaction history and it automatically categorizes everything as business income, personal transfers, or reimbursements. It then creates a perfect Schedule C with all your transactions organized. I was able to properly document everything, claim the right deductions, and file with confidence. Their system even spotted some deductions I would have missed!

0 coins

That sounds helpful but does it work with Venmo too? I use both platforms and get super confused about what counts as taxable.

0 coins

How secure is this? I'm always nervous about uploading financial data to random websites. Did you need to give them your banking info or just the Cash App statements?

0 coins

AstroExplorer

•

Yes, it absolutely works with Venmo! I actually had some transactions on both platforms, and it handled everything seamlessly. It has specific integrations for Cash App, Venmo, PayPal, and Zelle, so it covers all the major payment apps people typically use for side income. For security, I was nervous about that too, but you only need to upload your transaction history (which you can export as a PDF or CSV) - no banking details or account logins required. They use bank-level encryption and don't store your raw financial data after processing. I researched them pretty thoroughly before using it since I'm paranoid about that stuff too.

0 coins

Just wanted to update everyone - I decided to try that https://taxr.ai service after being super skeptical about it. Honestly, it was a game changer for my situation! I had a mix of legitimate business income and personal transfers on Cash App that I was completely confused about. The system sorted everything perfectly and even identified several deductions related to my side gig I hadn't considered. It created a really clean Schedule C that clearly separated my actual business income from personal transfers. I'm actually getting a slightly larger refund than expected because it helped me identify some legit business expenses! Super glad I took the leap and tried it.

0 coins

Dylan Cooper

•

If you're also stressing about potentially getting audited and need to talk to someone at the IRS about your specific situation, good luck with that! I spent 3 WEEKS trying to get through to a human at the IRS last month about a similar issue with unreported income. After being on hold for hours and getting disconnected repeatedly, I found https://claimyr.com which was a total lifesaver. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c but basically they wait on hold with the IRS for you and then call you when they get a human on the line. I was able to speak directly with an IRS agent who explained exactly how to handle my Cash App income situation, and they confirmed I was doing it correctly. Totally worth it for the peace of mind alone!

0 coins

Sofia Perez

•

Wait, so does this service just keep calling the IRS until they get through? How long did it take them to actually reach someone? The IRS phone system is literally the worst.

0 coins

This sounds like a scam. Why would anyone pay a third party just to call the IRS? Can't you just keep calling yourself or go to a local office? I'm very skeptical that this is legitimate.

0 coins

Dylan Cooper

•

It doesn't just keep calling - they have a sophisticated system that navigates the IRS phone tree and stays on hold so you don't have to. In my case, it took about 2.5 hours for them to get through (which is actually pretty quick for the IRS these days), but I didn't have to sit there waiting - they called me when an agent was on the line. Regarding legitimacy, I had the same concerns initially. But you're not giving them any sensitive information - they're just connecting you directly with the IRS. As for going to a local office, most IRS offices require appointments now, which can take weeks to get. And many offices have limited services. I tried calling myself for three days before giving up and trying this service.

0 coins

I need to eat my words from my skeptical comment above. After struggling to get through to the IRS for days after posting that comment (disconnected 4 times after waiting on hold for 1+ hours each time), I broke down and tried Claimyr. The service actually worked exactly as described. They got through to an IRS agent in about 3 hours, and I got a call connecting me directly. The agent I spoke with was super helpful about my Cash App income situation. She walked me through exactly how to report it on Schedule C, what documentation to keep, and even explained which expenses would qualify as deductions for my particular side gig. I'm shocked to say it was worth every penny just for the time saved and anxiety reduced.

0 coins

Another option nobody mentioned - you could also report this on Schedule 1, Line 8 as "Other Income" instead of Schedule C if you don't consider it a business. The downside is you can't claim business expenses to offset the income. But it's simpler if you don't have many expenses.

0 coins

Ava Johnson

•

Would using Schedule 1 instead of Schedule C reduce the chance of an audit? I've heard Schedule C is an audit trigger, but idk if that's actually true.

0 coins

It's difficult to say definitively whether Schedule 1 or Schedule C would trigger more audit attention. The IRS doesn't publish their exact audit selection criteria. However, Schedule C does generally receive more scrutiny because there's more opportunity for errors or misreporting with business expenses. That said, you should always file the most accurate form for your situation regardless of audit concerns. If you're truly running a business with legitimate expenses, Schedule C is appropriate and allows you to deduct those expenses. Using Schedule 1 just to avoid audit risk when you have business expenses would actually cost you more in taxes than you'd save in audit prevention.

0 coins

Miguel Diaz

•

Has anyone used Cash App's tax reporting features? I know they have some built-in tools for business accounts but idk if those help with personal accounts too?

0 coins

Zainab Ahmed

•

Cash App's tax reporting is only useful if you have a business account AND meet the threshold for them to generate a 1099-K (which is currently over $20,000 and 200+ transactions in most states). For personal accounts like OP has, they don't provide any tax documents or reporting features.

0 coins

Just to add another perspective - I was in a similar boat last year with about $2,800 from freelance graphic design work through Cash App. I ended up going the Schedule C route and it was definitely the right choice. Even though it seemed more complicated at first, I was able to deduct things like my Adobe subscription, art supplies, and even a portion of my home internet bill since I work from home. Those deductions saved me way more than I would have saved by just reporting it as "other income" on Schedule 1. The key thing that helped me was keeping really detailed records throughout the year - I created a simple spreadsheet tracking each payment, what it was for, and any related expenses. When tax time came, everything was already organized and ready to go. Don't stress too much about the audit risk - as long as you're honest and have documentation, you'll be fine!

0 coins

IRS AI

Expert Assistant
Secure

Powered by Claimyr AI

T
I
+
20,087 users helped today