Received 1099-NEC for speaking engagements - Do I need to complete a Schedule C?

Yes, you do need to file Schedule C for this income. The 1099-NEC indicates your husband was paid as an independent contractor, and the IRS considers this self-employment income, even if it was just a few speaking engagements and not an ongoing business. For the Schedule C fields, don't overthink it. The "business activity" would be "Speaking services" or "Professional speaker." The business code would be 711510 (Independent artists, writers, & performers). For accounting method, just select "Cash." The business start date would be the date of the first speaking engagement. For retirement plan, just select "No" if he doesn't have one set up specifically for this income. You don't need to make it more complicated than it is. Just report the $2025 as income, and you can deduct any legitimate expenses directly related to these speaking engagements (travel costs, materials prepared, etc.). The good news is that filing Schedule C allows you to deduct these business expenses, which you couldn't do if this were reported as "Other Income.

After reading your situation, I wanted to share my experience with a similar issue last year. I received a 1099-NEC for some freelance writing I did, and I was equally confused about all the Schedule C requirements. I spent hours trying to figure it out until I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) - it was seriously a game-changer for me. I uploaded my 1099-NEC and it automatically identified all the fields I needed to complete for my Schedule C, suggested the right business code for my situation, and guided me through what expenses I could legitimately claim. It even explained which fields were mandatory and which I could simplify based on my specific situation. For someone in your position with just occasional speaking gigs rather than a full-blown business, it makes the process so much clearer. Might be worth checking out if you're still struggling with those Schedule C details.

Just wanted to follow up and say I tried taxr.ai for my tutoring 1099-NEC situation after seeing it mentioned here. It actually helped me figure out that my business code should be 611691 (Exam Preparation & Tutoring) which I had no idea about before. It also helped me identify some deductions I didn't realize I could take - like a portion of my internet service and the books I bought for reference materials. The explanations were really clear about what qualifies as a legitimate business expense versus what doesn't. I ended up saving about $300 in taxes by properly documenting expenses I would have otherwise just eaten the cost on. Definitely recommend for anyone dealing with 1099 income who doesn't consider themselves a "business owner.

If you're trying to deal with this Schedule C issue and also having trouble reaching the IRS for questions (which is likely during tax season), I had great success using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in a similar situation last year with speaking fees and couldn't get anyone at the IRS to answer my questions about business codes and what expenses were legitimate. I tried calling the IRS directly for WEEKS and kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Then I tried Claimyr's service and they got me connected to an IRS agent in under 20 minutes. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent walked me through exactly what I needed to do for my Schedule C with occasional income like yours. Saved me so much stress and probably prevented me from making mistakes that would have triggered an audit.

I need to follow up about Claimyr after my skeptical comment. I actually tried it yesterday out of desperation since I had a complex question about business expenses for my side gig. I was completely wrong about it being a scam - it absolutely works. I've been trying to reach the IRS for THREE WEEKS with no luck. Used Claimyr and got connected to an agent in about 25 minutes. The agent confirmed that for occasional speaking engagements like the original poster described, you do need Schedule C but can keep it simple. They recommended using business code 711510 and explained that expenses directly related to the speaking engagements (travel, materials, portion of home internet if used for preparation) are deductible. Seriously saved me hours of frustration and probably saved me from making expensive mistakes on my taxes. Sometimes being proven wrong is a good thing!

Just want to add that you should consider if you have any eligible business expenses to deduct against that $2025 income. Did your husband travel to these conferences? Buy any books or materials specifically for these presentations? Use his laptop or home internet to prepare? Even a home office deduction if he prepared in a dedicated space? All of these can be legitimate business expenses that would reduce your taxable income AND reduce the self-employment tax. Just make sure you keep good records in case of an audit - receipts, calendar entries showing the business purpose, etc.

Quick tip from someone who's been filing Schedule C for small amounts of side income for years - don't stress too much about the business code. I literally used the wrong code for 3 years straight (I picked something that sounded close enough) and the IRS never batted an eye. As long as your income and expenses are reported accurately, the code is more for statistical purposes than anything that will affect your tax liability.