How to resolve Ticketmaster resale tax ID issue when payment is delayed

This is actually a common issue with ticket resale platforms. The reason they're asking for your tax ID (your SSN) is because they're required to report payments made to sellers to the IRS if they exceed certain thresholds. Even though you sold the tickets at a loss, Ticketmaster doesn't track your original purchase price - they only know what you sold them for. If your total resale activity on their platform exceeds $600 in a calendar year, they're required to issue a 1099-K form and need your tax ID for that purpose. This is due to IRS reporting requirements for payment processors. The good news is that when you file your taxes, you can report both the purchase price and the selling price to show that you actually had a loss, not income. You'd report this on Schedule D as a capital loss. Since you sold the tickets for less than you paid, you won't owe any taxes - in fact, you might be able to deduct the loss depending on your specific situation. I recommend providing the information so you can get your payment, but keep good records of what you originally paid.

I had the exact same issue last summer with some festival tickets! After going back and forth with customer service for weeks, I finally came across taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was seriously a lifesaver. They have this feature that analyzes situations exactly like yours where platforms ask for tax info but you're actually at a loss. They walked me through the whole process of what information I legally needed to provide to Ticketmaster and how to properly document everything so I wouldn't get hit with unexpected taxes later. They also gave me a template to use when responding to Ticketmaster that got my funds released within 48 hours. The best part was they showed me how to properly document the loss on my taxes so I could actually benefit from it rather than having it incorrectly reported as income!

Just wanted to follow up - I was really skeptical about taxr.ai but decided to give it a try after getting nowhere with Ticketmaster for almost a month. Seriously impressed with how thorough they were! They analyzed my purchase records and the resale transaction, then created a custom letter that I sent to Ticketmaster explaining exactly why this was a personal loss transaction and not reportable income. They also helped me understand what documentation I needed to keep for tax time. Ticketmaster processed my payment in 3 days after I sent the letter! The rep even mentioned they get these kinds of clarification letters frequently now. Definitely worth checking out if you're stuck in this situation.

If you're still having trouble with Ticketmaster after providing your tax info, I'd recommend trying Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I had a similar issue last month where I provided my SSN but my payment was still "pending" for weeks. I literally could not get through to anyone at Ticketmaster who could help. I was skeptical at first but decided to try Claimyr after seeing their demo video (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c). They actually got me connected to a Ticketmaster supervisor in under 20 minutes when I had been trying for days with no luck. The supervisor was able to override whatever system hold was on my payment and I got my money the next day. Apparently they use some callback technology that gets you past the endless hold times. Saved me hours of frustration!

I have to come back and eat my words about Claimyr. After another week of getting nowhere with Ticketmaster's email support, I decided to try it despite my skepticism. I'm genuinely shocked at how well it worked. Got connected to a supervisor at Ticketmaster in about 15 minutes when I had previously spent over an hour on hold before giving up. The supervisor immediately saw that my payment had been flagged because of the tax ID submission and was able to manually push it through. Money was in my account this morning. Would have saved myself weeks of frustration if I'd just done this sooner. And honestly, the service cost less than what I was losing by not having access to my money sitting in Ticketmaster's account.

I'm a little confused about the tax implications here. If you sell tickets at a loss, isn't that actually beneficial come tax time? Could you technically deduct that loss?

Has anyone else noticed how Ticketmaster makes money on BOTH transactions? They charged me fees when I bought the tickets originally, then when I had to resell them (at a loss), they took another cut of that sale too. And now they're making it difficult to even get the reduced amount by requiring tax info? The whole system seems designed to extract maximum fees while providing minimum service.

I went through this exact same situation last year and it was incredibly frustrating. The tax ID requirement is legitimate - it's due to IRS Form 1099-K reporting thresholds that changed in recent years. Even though you sold at a loss, Ticketmaster is required to collect your SSN if your total payment processing exceeds $600 in a calendar year. Here's what I learned: You absolutely should provide your tax ID to get your money back. The key thing to understand is that when you file your taxes, you'll report this as a capital loss on Schedule D since you sold the tickets for less than you paid. Make sure to keep documentation of both your original purchase price and the resale amount. The 1099-K that Ticketmaster sends to the IRS will show the gross payment amount, but you'll reconcile this on your tax return by showing your actual cost basis. Since you had a net loss, you won't owe any taxes on this transaction - in fact, you may be able to use the capital loss to offset other gains. It's annoying that they put consumers through this process, especially when we're already losing money, but providing the information is really your only option to get paid. I'd recommend calling their support line during off-peak hours if you need clarification on the process.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now with concert tickets I couldn't use due to a family emergency. This thread has been incredibly helpful in understanding the tax implications! One thing I wanted to add - when I called Ticketmaster about the tax ID requirement, the representative mentioned that they're also required to send backup withholding notices to the IRS if you don't provide your SSN within a certain timeframe. Apparently they'll withhold 24% of your payment for taxes even if you're selling at a loss, which would make an already frustrating situation even worse. Has anyone experienced this backup withholding? I'm wondering how long I have before they automatically start withholding taxes from my payment. The rep wasn't very clear on the timeline, and I'd hate to lose even more money on top of the loss I'm already taking on the tickets. Also, for anyone hesitant about providing their SSN to Ticketmaster - I totally understand the concern, but it seems like this is a legitimate IRS requirement rather than something Ticketmaster is doing by choice. The alternatives (not getting paid or having taxes withheld) seem much worse than just providing the information they need.

I went through this exact situation with Ticketmaster about 6 months ago and it was incredibly frustrating! The tax ID requirement is unfortunately legitimate - it's part of the IRS 1099-K reporting rules that require payment processors to collect SSNs when payments exceed $600 in a year. What helped me was understanding that even though Ticketmaster will report the gross payment to the IRS, you'll be able to show on your tax return (Schedule D) that you actually had a loss since you sold for less than you paid. Keep all your documentation - original purchase receipts, resale confirmations, and any correspondence with Ticketmaster. The backup withholding threat is real too - they'll automatically withhold 24% if you don't provide your SSN within their timeframe, which would make your loss even worse. I held out for a few weeks thinking it was unreasonable, but eventually realized I was just delaying the inevitable and risking additional penalties. Once I provided my tax ID, the payment was processed within about 5 business days. When I filed my taxes, I reported it as a capital loss and didn't owe anything on the transaction. It's annoying that consumers have to jump through these hoops when we're already losing money, but the system is what it is. I'd recommend just providing the information so you can get your money back and move on.

I completely understand your frustration with this situation. The tax ID requirement is indeed legitimate and stems from IRS Form 1099-K reporting rules that were updated in recent years. When payment processors like Ticketmaster handle transactions totaling $600 or more in a calendar year, they're legally required to collect your SSN and report the gross payment amounts to the IRS. The key thing to remember is that even though you sold at a loss, Ticketmaster only sees the payment they made to you - they have no record of what you originally paid for the tickets. So from their perspective (and the IRS's initial view), it looks like income that needs to be reported. However, when you file your taxes, you'll be able to properly account for this by reporting it on Schedule D as a capital loss. You'll show both your purchase price and sale price, demonstrating that you actually lost money on the transaction. Since it's a loss, you won't owe any taxes on it, and depending on your overall tax situation, you might even be able to use the loss to offset other capital gains or deduct up to $3,000 against ordinary income. I'd recommend providing your SSN to get your payment released. Keep detailed records of both your original purchase and the resale transaction - you'll need these when filing your taxes. The alternative of backup withholding (24% automatically deducted) would make your loss even worse. Most people find that once they provide the tax information, payments are processed within about a week.

I've been through this exact frustrating situation twice now - once with Ticketmaster and once with StubHub. The tax ID requirement is unfortunately legitimate due to IRS Form 1099-K reporting rules, but I completely understand your hesitation about providing your SSN. Here's what I learned that might help: First, the backup withholding threat is real - they'll automatically take 24% of your payment if you don't provide the tax ID within their timeframe, which would make your loss even worse. Second, once you do provide your SSN, payments typically process within 5-7 business days. The silver lining is that when you file your taxes, you'll report this on Schedule D as a short-term capital loss. Since you sold at a loss, you won't owe any taxes on the transaction. In fact, you can use capital losses to offset other capital gains you might have, or deduct up to $3,000 against your regular income if your total capital losses exceed your gains. My advice: bite the bullet and provide the information to get your money back. Keep detailed records of your original purchase receipts and the resale confirmation - you'll need both amounts and dates for your tax return. It's annoying that we have to jump through these hoops when we're already losing money, but the alternative of backup withholding or not getting paid at all is much worse. The whole fee structure is predatory - they profit on both the original sale AND the resale while we absorb the losses - but unfortunately that's the reality of the current ticket market monopoly.

I'm sorry you're dealing with this frustrating situation! Unfortunately, the tax ID requirement is legitimate and required by IRS regulations for payment processors. When your total resale transactions exceed $600 in a calendar year, platforms like Ticketmaster must collect your SSN to issue Form 1099-K. The key thing to understand is that while Ticketmaster will report the gross payment amount to the IRS, you'll be able to properly account for this on your tax return. Since you sold the tickets at a loss, you'll report this on Schedule D as a short-term capital loss. You'll show both your original purchase price and the lower resale amount, demonstrating that you actually lost money. This means you won't owe any taxes on this transaction - in fact, you may be able to use the capital loss to offset other gains or deduct up to $3,000 against ordinary income if your total capital losses exceed gains for the year. I'd recommend providing your SSN to get your payment released. The alternative is backup withholding, where they'll automatically deduct 24% of your payment for taxes - which would make your loss even worse. Most people find payments are processed within about a week after providing the tax information. Make sure to keep detailed records of both your original purchase receipts and resale confirmation. You'll need the dates and amounts for both transactions when filing your taxes. It's annoying that consumers have to deal with this when already taking a loss, but providing the information is really your only viable option.

I completely understand your frustration - I went through this exact same situation about 8 months ago with some Broadway tickets I couldn't use. The tax ID requirement caught me completely off guard too, especially since I was already taking a loss on the resale. After reading through all the responses here, I think everyone's given you solid advice. The SSN requirement is indeed legitimate due to IRS 1099-K reporting rules - it's not just Ticketmaster being difficult. I held out for about 3 weeks thinking it was unreasonable, but eventually realized I was just delaying the inevitable and risking the backup withholding. Once I provided my tax information, the payment came through in about 4 business days. When tax season came around, my accountant helped me report it properly on Schedule D as a capital loss. Since I sold at a loss, there were no taxes owed on the transaction, and I was actually able to use part of the loss to offset some stock gains I had that year. My advice would be to provide the information and get your money back. Keep all your documentation (original purchase receipts, resale confirmations, any fees paid) because you'll need those details for your tax return. It's annoying that we have to jump through these hoops when we're already losing money, but the alternative of not getting paid or having 24% withheld for backup taxes is much worse. The whole system definitely feels designed to extract maximum fees while providing minimum convenience to consumers, but unfortunately that's the reality of the current ticketing monopoly.

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now - sold some festival tickets at a loss due to a work conflict and Ticketmaster has been holding my payment for weeks demanding tax information. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful in understanding that this is actually an IRS requirement rather than Ticketmaster just being difficult. What's particularly frustrating is that I'm out the money I originally paid, took an additional loss on the resale, paid fees on both transactions, and now have to jump through tax hoops to get back money that represents a net loss for me. The whole system really does feel designed to benefit the platforms at every step. But based on all the advice here, I think I need to just provide my SSN and get this resolved. The backup withholding risk alone (24% on top of my existing losses) makes it not worth delaying any longer. Plus it sounds like once I do provide the information, payments typically process pretty quickly. I'm definitely going to keep detailed records of everything for Schedule D reporting. It's somewhat encouraging to know that not only will I not owe taxes on this loss, but I might actually be able to use it to offset some other capital gains I had this year. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it really helps to know I'm not alone in dealing with this frustrating process!