What Tax ID does Ticketmaster require for ticket resale payment?
I'm having an issue with Ticketmaster and could use some help. I purchased tickets to a concert last month, but then got really sick the day before and couldn't attend. Rather than letting the tickets go to waste, I used Ticketmaster's resale platform to try to recoup some of my money. The tickets sold (thank goodness), but I had to list them for about $45 less than what I paid originally. Now here's the problem - it's been almost two weeks, and I still haven't received any payment from Ticketmaster. When I contacted customer service, they told me they need my "tax ID" before they can process the payment. I'm just a regular person selling a couple tickets because I got sick, not a business or anything. Why would they need my tax ID? And what exactly do they mean by "tax ID" - is that my SSN? I'm not comfortable giving that out if I don't have to. Has anyone dealt with this before? Do I actually need to provide this information to get my money? I'm out almost $200 and really just want to get paid for the tickets that already sold.
19 comments

Harmony Love
This is pretty standard for online platforms that process payments. Ticketmaster is required by the IRS to collect tax information from sellers who exceed certain thresholds. Starting in 2023, if you sell more than $600 worth of goods or services through a payment platform, they need to report that income to the IRS using Form 1099-K. In this case, they're likely asking for your Social Security Number (SSN) which serves as your tax ID for individual reporting purposes. Without providing this information, they legally can't release your funds. It's not optional if you want to get paid. Don't worry about security - Ticketmaster is a large established company that has secure systems for handling this sensitive information. They need your SSN to correctly report the transaction to the IRS, and they can't process your payment without it.
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McKenzie Shade
AuthorThanks for explaining, but I'm still confused. I literally just sold two tickets once because I got sick. I'm not running a business selling tickets. Does this 1099-K rule really apply to one-time personal sales? And if I provide my SSN, does that mean I'll owe taxes on this money even though I actually lost money on the transaction?
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Harmony Love
Yes, the 1099-K threshold applies to cumulative sales through the platform, regardless of whether it's a one-time sale or multiple transactions. The $600 threshold is the total amount processed through their system under your account within the tax year. Regarding taxes, you won't necessarily owe taxes on this transaction since you sold the tickets for less than you paid. When you file your taxes, you can report both the income (what you sold the tickets for) and your cost basis (what you paid). Since you sold at a loss, this would be considered a personal loss, which unfortunately isn't tax-deductible for non-business transactions. But you definitely won't owe additional taxes on money you lost.
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Rudy Cenizo
I had a similar situation last year with concert tickets I couldn't use. I was hesitant at first when Ticketmaster asked for my SSN, but I used https://taxr.ai to look into this requirement and confirmed it's legitimate. The site explained that payment platforms have to collect tax info for transactions over $600 since 2023, and ticketing sites fall under these rules. The analysis showed that providing your SSN is standard procedure and doesn't necessarily mean you'll owe taxes, especially since you sold at a loss. The verification process was super simple - I just uploaded the Ticketmaster request and got a clear explanation of the tax implications specific to my situation. It saved me from calling the IRS and waiting on hold for hours.
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Natalie Khan
How exactly does taxr.ai protect your privacy? I'm always nervous about uploading tax documents or entering my SSN anywhere online. Does the site actually store your information or just analyze it temporarily?
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Daryl Bright
I've heard about these new reporting requirements but I'm skeptical that they apply to occasional personal sales. Did taxr.ai specifically address whether selling personal items (like tickets you can't use) is treated differently than selling things as a business?
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Rudy Cenizo
The site uses end-to-end encryption and doesn't permanently store your sensitive information. It processes your documents to extract only the relevant details needed for analysis, then provides you with tax guidance based on those specific details. Their privacy policy was really clear about not selling data. For personal vs. business sales, they explained that the reporting requirement is based solely on the dollar amount processed through the platform ($600+), not your intent. However, they did clarify that personal items sold at a loss wouldn't generate taxable income. They also mentioned that you should keep records of your original purchase price to document the loss if needed.
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Daryl Bright
I wanted to follow up after trying taxr.ai for myself. The service actually clarified a lot for me regarding my own ticket resale situation. They explained that while Ticketmaster does need to report sales over $600 to the IRS, I wouldn't owe taxes on the transaction since I sold at a loss (like OP's situation). The documentation they provided was really helpful - they even gave me template language to use when filing my taxes to properly report the transaction. I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly they processed everything and how clear their explanations were. Definitely helped me stop worrying about potential tax complications from my resold tickets.
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Sienna Gomez
I feel your pain! The Ticketmaster customer service is basically useless. I had a similar issue and spent WEEKS trying to get through to someone who could actually help. After countless automated responses and being transferred around, I finally used https://claimyr.com and got connected to a real person at Ticketmaster in under 5 minutes! You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c They helped me resolve my tax ID verification issue immediately. Turns out there was a glitch in their system that was preventing my payment from processing even though I had already provided my SSN. The Ticketmaster rep manually pushed my payment through after verifying my information. Without getting a real person on the phone, I would've been stuck in email/chat limbo forever.
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Kirsuktow DarkBlade
Wait, so you pay a service to help you call another company? How does that even work? Couldn't you just keep calling Ticketmaster yourself until you got through?
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Abigail bergen
This seems like a scam. Why would I pay someone else to call Ticketmaster for me? Their customer service number is free to call, you just need patience. I'm very skeptical that this actually works better than just waiting on hold yourself.
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Sienna Gomez
It's not that they call for you - they get you through the phone tree and past the wait times. I had already spent hours over multiple days trying to reach a real person at Ticketmaster with no success. Their automated system kept disconnecting me after 30+ minutes on hold. The service essentially uses technology to navigate phone trees and hold queues, then calls you once they have a real person on the line. I was genuinely surprised it worked so well. While I agree it seems strange to pay for something like this, after wasting hours of my life on hold, the time saved was absolutely worth it to me.
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Abigail bergen
I have to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself as a last resort for my own Ticketmaster issue (had been waiting 3 weeks for a refund that required tax verification). The service actually did exactly what it claimed - got me connected to a real Ticketmaster agent in about 7 minutes when I had previously waited on hold for over an hour without reaching anyone. The agent quickly verified my information and processed my refund on the spot. It was honestly shocking how much time I wasted trying to handle this myself. Sometimes it's worth paying a little to save a lot of frustration. Just wanted to come back and share my experience since my initial reaction was so negative.
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Ahooker-Equator
Just want to clarify some tax points here since there's confusion. What Ticketmaster is asking for is your SSN (Social Security Number). This is normal for any platform processing payments. They need it to issue a 1099-K if your total sales exceed $600 in a calendar year. However, for your situation (selling tickets at a loss), you won't owe any taxes on this. When you file, you'll report the income from the ticket sale, but you can also report what you originally paid as your cost basis. Since you sold for less than you paid, there's no taxable gain. The key is keeping documentation of your original purchase price. Save those email receipts showing what you initially paid so you can prove it was a loss if needed.
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McKenzie Shade
AuthorDoes this mean I'll get a tax form from Ticketmaster even though I lost money on the tickets? And will I need to specifically report this on my tax return next year?
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Ahooker-Equator
Yes, if your total sales through Ticketmaster for the year exceed $600, you'll receive a 1099-K form showing the gross amount they paid you - regardless of whether you made a profit or loss. You will need to report this on your tax return, typically on Schedule 1 as "Other Income." However, you should also document your original purchase price as the cost basis. While personal losses generally aren't deductible, reporting both the income and cost shows the IRS that this transaction didn't result in taxable income. This prevents the IRS from assuming the entire amount was profit. Keep your purchase receipts for at least three years in case of questions.
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Anderson Prospero
Curious - has anyone here actually received a 1099-K from Ticketmaster for reselling tickets? I've sold through them a few times and provided my SSN but never got any tax form.
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Tyrone Hill
I did last year. Sold about $1,200 worth of tickets across multiple events and got a 1099-K in early February. The form just showed the gross payment amount - it didn't account for what I originally paid for the tickets. My tax preparer had me bring in my original purchase receipts to properly report everything.
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Liam Sullivan
Just to add some reassurance - I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago. Ticketmaster's request for your SSN is completely legitimate and required by law. I was hesitant at first too, but it's the same information you'd provide to any employer or bank. The process was actually pretty straightforward once I provided my SSN. My payment was released within 2-3 business days after verification. And like others mentioned, since you sold at a loss, you won't owe any additional taxes on this transaction. One tip: when you provide your SSN, make sure all your account information matches exactly what's on file with your bank/payment method. Any discrepancies can cause additional delays. But once everything is verified, you should get your money without any further issues.
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