F-1 student visa holder to host on Airbnb, experiences?

[Ahmed336]

Hello all,

I'm an international student in the US on a F-1 visa, I have some room in my apartment that I would like to rent on Airbnb. My landlord is totally ok with this.

My question is: I want to report my income to the IRS, but I don't have a SSN. Does anybody have experience in applying for (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) to report their income from Airbnb? Did it work or not?

Any input is highly valued.

Thank you

[Sarah977]

@Ahmed336  Only very specific work is allowed on an F1 visa. You need to read the rules. You are not allowed to work off-campus, and hosting on Airbnb is considered to be working and earning an income, no matter how renters try to twist semantics to claim they are only subsidizing their rent. It's commendable that you want to report the earnings to the IRS, but you would jeopardize your visa and could end up being deported for breaching the terms of your visa.

If you have a spare room, perhaps you could just find a compatible roommate who could pay half the rent.

[Ahmed336]

Thank you, Sarah, for your reply.

The ITIN is for individuals who are not eligible for SSN and not working but they earn money somehow (selling art, designing shirts, etc...). So, I thought I would ask if that would work with Airbnb as I doubt that Airbnb is considered "work".