Would I have received my 1099-K from 2021 GoFundMe already? When do they mail these forms?

So I had a GoFundMe campaign back in 2021 that a friend set up for me after my house flooded. The money (around $8,000) went directly into my checking account. I'm trying to figure out tax stuff now and realized I should have gotten a 1099-K for this, right? This applies to money from GFM, PayPal, Venmo, etc. I'm worried because I never received anything in the mail about this. Would GoFundMe have sent me a 1099-K already? Does it matter that my friend created the campaign, even though the money went to my account? I just want to make sure I'm filing correctly and don't want any surprises from the IRS later. Anyone dealt with this before?

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18 comments

Omar Zaki

•8M

You should have received a 1099-K by January 31, 2022 for any payments received in 2021 if you met the reporting threshold. For 2021, the threshold was $20,000 AND 200 transactions. Since you mentioned receiving about $8,000, you actually wouldn't have received a 1099-K because you were under the $20,000 threshold that was in place for 2021. Even though you didn't receive a 1099-K, you're still technically required to report that income on your tax return if it's taxable. However, many GoFundMe donations are considered personal gifts, which aren't taxable income to the recipient. The key is whether people donated to you with no expectation of receiving anything in return (like merchandise or services).

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Omar Zaki

•8M

The reporting requirements for the payer (GoFundMe) are different from the recipient's tax obligations. If donations were made to help with personal hardship like flood damage with no services or goods provided in return, these are generally considered personal gifts and not taxable income. For casualty losses, the rules changed after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Personal casualty losses are only deductible if they occurred in a federally declared disaster area. If your flood occurred in such an area, you might be eligible to claim losses not covered by insurance, but this is separate from how the GoFundMe donations are treated.

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Chloe Martin

•8M

After spending HOURS trying to figure out my 1099-K situation with my side gig last year, I discovered this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that literally saved me so much stress. I uploaded my GoFundMe and bank records, and it immediately identified that my campaign funds were considered personal gifts rather than taxable income. The tool analyzes all your documents and gives you a clear breakdown of what's taxable and what's not. It even has a specific section for crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe and explains the exact reporting requirements based on your situation. Much better than the generic advice I was finding online.

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Chloe Martin

•8M

It doesn't connect to GoFundMe directly, but you can upload statements from your bank or the confirmation emails from GoFundMe. The system is smart enough to identify donation patterns and categorize them properly based on the transaction details. The tool actually asks you specific questions about the nature of your campaign, what was promised to donors, and the purpose of the funds. It then applies the correct tax rules based on your answers. For example, it distinguished between the donations I received for medical expenses (non-taxable gifts) versus the portion where I was selling t-shirts (taxable income).

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Anastasia Sokolov

•8M

I was really skeptical about tax tools as mentioned above, but I decided to try taxr.ai after continuing to get conflicting advice about my fundraiser income. It actually saved me from making a huge mistake! I had a GoFundMe for my dog's surgery and was about to report all $5,400 as income. The tool asked me specific questions about my campaign and explained that since donors received nothing in return, these were personal gifts - completely non-taxable! It even provided references to the specific IRS guidelines. I was able to download a detailed report explaining the tax treatment that I can keep with my records in case of an audit. Totally changed my understanding of how these platforms work with taxes.

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Sean O'Donnell

•8M

If you're still trying to get clarity on this 1099-K issue, I'd recommend calling the IRS directly. After spending 3 weeks trying to get through their phone lines, I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me connected to an IRS agent in under 15 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I explained my GoFundMe situation to the agent and they confirmed that for 2021, I wouldn't receive a 1099-K unless I crossed the $20k/200 transactions threshold. They also walked me through how to properly document the gifts I received through the campaign to avoid issues during a potential audit. Way better than guessing or getting conflicting info online.

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Sean O'Donnell

•8M

It works by using a combination of automated dialing technology and call patterns they've analyzed. They keep trying different IRS numbers and extensions until they find an open line, then they connect you. It's basically doing what you'd do if you had unlimited phones and time to keep redialing. No special access or relationship with the IRS - they're just using technology to solve the phone queue problem. When they get through, they call you and connect you directly with the IRS agent. You're talking to the actual IRS, not some intermediary. I was skeptical too, but it saved me hours of frustration and hold music.

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StarStrider

•8M

Ok I have to eat my words. After posting that skeptical comment above about Claimyr, I was still desperate to talk to the IRS about my own 1099-K issues, so I gave it a shot anyway. I'm shocked to say it actually worked exactly as advertised. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 12 minutes (would have taken me days of redials otherwise). The agent explained that for 2021, GoFundMe campaigns under $20k wouldn't generate a 1099-K, and walked me through how to document everything properly for my tax return. She even gave me specific advice about which form to use for reporting my particular situation. Definitely worth it for the peace of mind and clear answers directly from the IRS.

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Luca Esposito

•8M

I went through this exact situation with a medical GoFundMe in 2021. The important thing to remember is that even if you don't get a 1099-K (which you wouldn't for under $20k in 2021), the nature of the funds determines taxability, not whether you received a form. For your flood damage fundraiser, those contributions are almost certainly considered gifts if donors didn't receive anything in return. Gifts aren't taxable income to you. Just keep good records of what the campaign was for and documentation of your flood damage in case you're ever questioned about it.

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Luca Esposito

•8M

That's correct - funds received as gifts to help with your personal hardship (like flood damage) with no goods or services provided to donors would generally be considered non-taxable gifts. The IRS doesn't require you to report gifts you receive on your tax return. I would recommend keeping documentation that clearly shows the purpose of the GoFundMe campaign (screenshots of the campaign page would be ideal), records of the deposits to your bank account, and documentation of how you used the funds for flood repairs (receipts, invoices, etc.). While this might seem excessive, having this documentation will make things much easier if questions ever arise.

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