#side-hustle
Tax, accounting, and growth tips for side projects, freelancers, and part-time businesses
Amazon Associates pays roughly 60 days in arrears, ShareASale and Impact pay per merchant program rather than as a single payer, and the 2026 1099-NEC threshold rose from $600 to $2,000 — so most affiliate income now arrives with no tax form at all, making a monthly earned-basis reconciliation the only reliable way to track what you actually owe.
Discord issues 1099-Ks through Stripe reporting gross subscriber payments, not your net payout after the ~10% platform fee, Stripe processing, and app-store cuts. Here's how server owners reconcile the gap on Schedule C, what the restored $20,000/200-transaction federal threshold means for 2026, and the self-employment tax that applies either way.
House sitters typically charge $50–$150 per night for overnight stays and $250–$500 weekly, but a deposit collected before a sit begins is unearned revenue, not income, until the stay is completed or the cancellation window passes.
Peer-to-peer garage and driveway storage income is usually reported on Schedule E rather than Schedule C, is taxable even without a 1099-K, and requires tracking gross bookings, platform fees (commonly 4.9% + $0.30 per transaction), and prorated home costs separately from personal expenses.
Section 280A can classify a rented RV as a dwelling unit, capping deductions once personal use exceeds 14 days or 10% of rental days. How peer-to-peer RV hosts should keep a use-day log, choose between 5-, 7-, and 27.5-year depreciation, apply 100% bonus depreciation or Section 179, and record platform commissions gross instead of net.
A 1099-K from StockX or GOAT reports gross payments, not profit. Here's how sneaker resellers track per-pair cost basis, apply FIFO to cop-and-flip inventory, deduct platform fees that run 10-12% per sale, and meet the restored $20,000/200-transaction reporting threshold with clean books.
Paid newsletter revenue on Substack, Ghost, or beehiiv is Schedule C self-employment income — owing 15.3% SE tax, quarterly estimates once you owe over $1,000, and facing a new 90% cap on hobby-expense deductions in 2026. Here's how the 1099-K thresholds, the 13–19% effective platform-fee cost, and the deduction rules actually work for writers.
The federal 1099-K threshold is back at $20,000 and 200 transactions, but reselling profit is taxable either way. How Poshmark and Depop sellers should handle hobby-vs-business classification, the nondeductible personal-use loss rule under IRC Section 165(c), cost of goods sold, and reconciling income across platforms that report gross vs. net.
Stock photo and video royalties from platforms like Adobe Stock and Shutterstock are almost always Schedule C income subject to 15.3% self-employment tax — not passive royalties. This guide covers the hobby-vs-business test, reconciling multi-platform 1099s, deducting gear via Section 179 ($2,560,000 limit) or 100% bonus depreciation, and when quarterly estimated payments kick in.
The 2026 IRS 1099-K threshold for platforms like eBay, StockX, and Whatnot is back to $20,000 and 200 transactions, but sneaker and trading card resellers still owe tax on profit below that line — here's how to nail cost basis, inventory tracking, and the hobby-vs-business test.
Boatsetter and GetMyBoat report gross transaction volume on Form 1099-K, not your net payout, so record the full charter price as revenue and the platform commission as a separate expense — and track bareboat versus captained bookings separately, since adding a captain shifts income from Schedule E to Schedule C self-employment tax.
IRS Direct File will not return for the 2026 filing season; IRS Free File, FreeTaxUSA, Cash App Taxes, VITA, and MilTax remain free options, but only some fully support Schedule C for freelancers and small business owners.
