@Mike2552 I truly think you are misunderstanding the situation. AirBnB is a third-party service. Because they are handling money and then issuing it to you, they are required to issue a 1099 to you. Yes, prior to 2022 it was not a 1099-K, it would have been a 1099-Misc or in 2021, a 1099-NEC (not sure which one). Regardless, they issued funds to you and they have to show that, or they will be taxed on all the money THEY took in.
Paypal and Venmo are required to do that as well for businesses that receive funds via those services.
Regardless, you received income and this is how the IRS tries to keep track of that.
It is NOT illegal!
If you have an accountant, it might be worth a conversation to help you understand the situation.
The prevailing sentiment in the responses you have received is that nobody understands your problem with this. If you made the money, you have to pay taxes on it, so why is the piece of paper, or the name of the piece of paper, such a big issue?
This also might have to do with the state you live in. This is from the AirBnB website:
Hosts in states with lower reporting thresholds
Several U.S. states have separate filing thresholds much lower than the Federal (IRS) threshold of $20,000 and 200 transactions. If you are a resident of a state which has a lower reporting threshold, a Form 1099-K will be issued to you and filed with the state in accordance with your state’s reporting requirements. Your state residency is determined by the address you provided on your Form W-9.
The following states currently have lower reporting thresholds (list subject to change): California, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Vermont, and Virginia.