IRS rules for payment app transactions

Venmo is a convenient platform for sending, receiving, and requesting money. But if you use Venmo for certain types of transactions, you could be on the hook for taxes.

The good news is that personal transactions on the payment platform typically don’t generate tax liability. But when you use Venmo for business purposes or the sale of goods for a profit, you’ll need to prepare for a tax bill.

If you’re confused about how taxes work on Venmo, keep reading. You’ll learn which Venmo transactions the Internal Revenue Service considers taxable and what you need to know while preparing your tax return. We’ll also explain some new IRS rules for Venmo and other payment apps that you should prepare for in 2025 and 2026.

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When you’re sending money to friends and family using Venmo, you typically don’t need to worry about paying taxes or reporting the transactions to the IRS. But if you use Venmo or other peer-to-peer payment platforms, like PayPal or the Cash app, for business payments and purposes, you’ll need to report the income and pay taxes on the money you receive.

Here are some examples of transactions you don’t have to report to the IRS or pay income taxes on:

Your friend sends you money through Venmo to cover their share of a meal or Uber ride.

Your mom Venmos you money as a birthday gift.

Your roommate sends their half of the rent and electric bill to you via Venmo.

But if you use Venmo to collect payments for your small business or side hustle, or you’re selling items for a profit, you need to report the money you earn to the IRS and pay taxes on it. Here are some examples of Venmo transactions that fall under the reporting requirements and trigger tax liability:

You’re a business owner selling T-shirts and crafts on Etsy and accept payments through third-party apps.

You walk dogs or clean houses as a side hustle, and your clients pay you through Venmo or a similar platform.

You’re a freelancer who gets paid through Venmo.

You sell your old couch for more than you paid for it, and the buyer Venmos you the payment.

Note that these tax-reporting requirements apply no matter how you receive the money you earned. You’re required to report income and profits to the IRS and pay taxes on that money. It doesn’t matter whether you’re paid in cash or via check, direct deposit, credit card, or a third-party app. These requirements don’t change much from year to year.

Here’s where it gets confusing, though: The rules for when payment apps are required to report your income to the IRS and furnish you with tax documents are changing.

Read more: Can you use a credit card on Venmo?

Taxpayers who get paid from third-party apps like Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal, and those who receive payments from credit cards, debit cards, or gift cards may receive a tax document called a Form 1099-K. In some circumstances, a payment-processing company or third-party app will submit information about the money you earned to the IRS through the 1099-K form and send you a copy by Jan. 31 for the previous calendar year.

What’s changing is that the IRS is lowering the Form 1099-K reporting thresholds for Venmo, PayPal, and similar apps.

The American Rescue Plan, a COVID-19 relief package passed in 2021, included a provision requiring payment services like Venmo to provide users with tax form 1099-K if they had business transactions of $600 or more.

The new rule was originally scheduled to take effect for tax year 2022, but the IRS pushed back its implementation due to concerns about taxpayer confusion. For example, many people casually sell personal items, like clothing or furniture, for less than what they paid, which shouldn’t result in a tax bill. However, many people could have received a 1099-K form if they had similar transactions that exceeded $600.

In late 2023, the IRS announced it would once again push back the higher reporting threshold by another year and phase in the lower requirement. That meant payment platforms only had to send you a 1099-K form if you had payment transactions for goods and services sold exceeding $20,000 and more than 200 transactions (though some states have lower thresholds). You’d also receive a 1099-K if you’re subject to backup withholding, which the IRS may require if you haven’t provided an accurate tax identification number or you’ve underreported dividend or investment income in the past.

As part of its phased approach, the IRS is implementing the following lower thresholds:

For 2024 (applies to tax returns due April 15, 2025), you should have received a 1099-K if your payments from third-party platforms exceeded $5,000.

For 2025 (applies to tax returns due April 15, 2026), you’ll receive a 1099-K if your payments from third-party platforms exceed $2,500.

For 2026 (applies to tax returns due April 15, 2027), you’ll receive a 1099-K if your payments from third-party platforms exceed $600.

These thresholds apply regardless of the number of transactions.

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If you’re self-employed and earn business income through Venmo, or you’re selling items for a profit, there’s no getting around the fact that you’ll owe federal tax on that money. You’ll need to report that income when you file your tax return, even if you don’t receive Form 1099-K. Consult with a tax professional if you have any questions about whether a transaction counts as taxable income.

You can’t avoid the taxes by turning to a different payment app. Other peer-to-peer payment platforms, including PayPal, Stripe, and Square, are subject to the same rules. And you’re responsible for reporting money you earn and paying taxes on it, regardless of how you’re paid — even if you don’t receive a 1099-K.

That said, there are a few situations when you may face a tax bill for a Venmo transaction even though you have no tax liability.

Make sure any payments your friends and family send you for gifts or reimbursements aren’t accidentally tagged as “goods and services.” If incorrectly tagged personal transactions exceed the reporting threshold for the year ($5,000 in 2024), you could be issued a Form 1099-K, even though these transactions aren’t taxable. Plus, you’ll pay fees on transactions that should be free of fees. If someone sent you a payment that was inadvertently tagged as goods and services, ask them to contact Venmo to correct the mistake.

You can generally avoid paying taxes on Venmo transactions if you sell items for less than you paid. If you sold less than $5,000 worth of items, you shouldn’t receive a 1099-K for 2024. But as the new reporting requirements phase in, you’ll receive one for 2025 if your sales exceed $2,500 and one for 2026 if your sales are over $600.

Getting a 1099-K doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll owe taxes. For example, suppose you paid $30,000 for your car and then sold it on Venmo for $23,000. Even if you received a 1099-K from Venmo, you could report the loss when you file your return and avoid any tax liability. Keeping records of how much you paid for any item you may eventually sell is essential. Check with a tax adviser to make sure you don’t end up with an unnecessary tax bill.

Read more: How to file taxes as an independent contractor

You’re required to pay taxes on money you earned through Venmo in 2024, as well as other tax years. However, the IRS has delayed the implementation of new Form 1099-K reporting thresholds. Most taxpayers will only receive a 1099-K tax form for 2024 if they received more than $5,000 in Venmo payments for goods and services. But you’re still responsible for reporting Venmo income below these thresholds and paying taxes on that money, even if you don’t receive Form 1099-K.

The $600 tax rule is a new rule that will eventually require third-party payment apps like Venmo, PayPal, and Cash App to submit Form 1099-K for any user who earns more than $600 on the platform during a tax year. The new rule is being phased in, so this tax season, it will only affect users who earned more than $5,000 on the platforms. A lower threshold of $2,500 will apply for the 2025 tax year before the final $600 rule takes effect for the 2026 tax year.

You’ll receive a gains and loss statement from Venmo if you sold cryptocurrency using the platform. Regardless of what platform you use to sell crypto, your profits are subject to capital gains taxes. You may be able to offset some of your gains through capital losses, so consult with a tax professional about the rules.