Received a 1099-NEC from Uber but never drove for them - what's going on?

That's definitely confusing! A 1099-NEC is for "Non-Employee Compensation" - it's what companies use to report payments made to independent contractors (which is what Uber drivers are classified as). First, check the amount on the 1099-NEC. If it's showing income that you never received, you'll need to contact Uber immediately. It could be a mistake, or possibly something more concerning like identity theft where someone might be driving under your account. When you contact Uber, request a corrected 1099-NEC form if the information is incorrect. Document all your communications. If you can't resolve it with Uber, you might need to file Form 4852 (Substitute for Form 1099) with your tax return explaining the situation. The IRS gets copies of all 1099 forms, so ignoring it isn't an option - they'll expect to see that income reported on your tax return.

I went through something similar last year with a food delivery app! After weeks of trying to reach someone at customer service with no luck, I found this service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me resolve the issue. They analyzed my 1099 problem and helped me draft the exact correspondence I needed to send to both the company and the IRS. The best part was they showed me exactly what documentation I needed to protect myself in case of an audit. They even gave me a template for the explanation letter to include with my tax return. Within days of using their guidance, I got a corrected form from the company and was able to file without worrying about reporting phantom income! Might be worth checking out if Uber's customer service gives you the runaround.

Just wanted to follow up - I ended up using taxr.ai for my Instacart 1099 problem and it was a game changer! They immediately identified that what happened was likely a system error where another driver's earnings were assigned to my account. Their system generated a perfect dispute letter with all the right tax code references that I sent to both Instacart and the IRS. Within a week, Instacart acknowledged the error and sent a corrected 1099. The best part was having the peace of mind that if I got audited later, I had proper documentation explaining the whole situation. Definitely worth it for anyone dealing with incorrect 1099 forms!

If you need to talk to someone at the IRS about this (which you might if Uber doesn't fix it), good luck getting through to them. I spent THREE DAYS trying to get someone on the phone last month. Finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and got a callback from the IRS in under 45 minutes. Check out how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Basically saves you from waiting on hold forever. I was super skeptical but it actually worked. The IRS agent I talked to was super helpful once I finally got through and explained what I needed to do about a similar situation with a wrong 1099.

I'm eating crow on this one. After seeing the previous comments I decided to try Claimyr since I was desperate to talk to someone at the IRS about my refund status. I was 100% convinced it wouldn't work and was just going to be a waste of money. Holy crap was I wrong. Got a call back from an actual IRS agent in about 37 minutes. The agent was able to see that my refund was held up because of a mismatch with a 1099 that someone had incorrectly filed under my SSN. We got it all sorted out in one call, and she told me exactly what documentation I needed to submit to get my refund released. I would have never figured this out without actually speaking to someone. After months of stress, it was resolved in less than an hour once I actually got through.

Before you panic, you should check if the shop might have somehow used your Uber driver account to arrange those rides! I work at an auto repair shop and sometimes we help customers get rides, but we use our shop's business account. Maybe someone at the shop asked for your login info or phone when arranging the rides? Or possibly they entered your details as the "driver" by mistake when they were actually ordering rides for you as a passenger?

This happened to me but with Lyft! Turned out someone had hacked my account and was driving under my name. You should immediately check your account for any bank details that aren't yours!

This is a really concerning situation and you're right to be stressed about it. Based on what you've described, this definitely sounds like either a system error or potentially someone using your account without authorization. Here's what I'd recommend doing immediately: 1. **Log into your Uber driver account** (if you still can) and check for any activity, payment methods, or bank account information that isn't yours. Look for any trips or earnings history that you didn't authorize. 2. **Contact Uber support right away** - Use their driver support portal or call their driver support line. Explain that you received a 1099-NEC for $347.50 but never actually drove for them. Ask them to provide detailed records of what this income allegedly represents (dates, times, locations of trips). 3. **Don't ignore the 1099** - Since the IRS receives copies of all 1099 forms, they'll expect to see this income reported on your tax return. If Uber can't resolve this, you may need to report the income but then claim it as an adjustment or file Form 4852 to explain the discrepancy. 4. **Document everything** - Keep records of all communications with Uber, including dates, representative names, and case numbers. The theory about the shop manager accidentally using your driver account is plausible, but even that wouldn't normally generate taxable income for you. This really needs to be resolved directly with Uber first before you file your taxes.