Does Airbnb send the IRS any info when less then $20,000 is earned?

[Lubov0]

Its Tax time and I do my own taxes (turbo tax), does anyone know if the IRS gets info from Airbnb regarding host income if the income was less than 6000. I saw that airbnb issues a form to hosts if they earned $20,000 and/or had 200 bookings...

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Derick1]

I have 3 properties listed on Airbnb.  Is the $20K AND 200 reservations applicable to each specific property?  Or, is it applicable to the total among the three?

[Clare0]

@Derick1  It relates to the number of payouts (200+) and amount ($20,000+) to the host, not to the listings involved. 

This form of reporting is allowed by the IRS for any company that processes electronic funds payments (PayPal does the same thing) and the IRS wants to know if you received this kind of money, regardless of the source (listings) of the income. 

[Hanna25]

I am pretty new in AirbandB, just one year and i just hosted people a few times. I had 6 people staying and my total $ in a year was less than $650. Do I need to do taxes for it? I am currently out of the US and I am not sure how to figure this out. 

Thank you.

[Cynthia-and-Chris1]

@Hanna25  The IRS says, "If you use a dwelling unit as a home and you rent it less than 15 days during the year, its primary function is not considered to be rental. You are not required to report the rental income and rental expenses from this activity on Schedule C or E (Form 1040)." 

[Clare0]

Hi @Hanna25  No, Airbnb would not report this amount to the IRS, however, since the income was generated in the US you may need to report it to the IRS.  Best to contact a tax expert to advise you.   Many hosts mistakenly believe that if Airbnb doesn't report rental income to the IRS it is not taxable which is not correct. 

The amount may be negligible in your case, but only a tax expert can confirm this.  🙂

[Heather1]

its not and/or 200 transaction. 

20K+ AND more than 200 transactions is 1099k.

otherwise is 1099misc

[David996]

I had an apartment that cost me $1600 per month and I purchased a new home with 9 months left on the lease and no way out. So I moved into my purchased home, staged the apartment and rented it out on airbnb until the lease was up to offset the costs some. I actually still lost $3800 over what the lease was costing. So do I need to report this as income, because it was NOT "income" I used the airbnb earnings to contribute towards the rent on a properly I was not living in, just to satisfy the leave obligation. I don't see how that how that can be considered an income. 

Thanks! 

[Clare0]

@David996 You'll need to consult a tax expert on this.  I imagine (and it's only that) that your report the income then take the rental credit, if allowed.  

Here are (hopefully) some useful links: 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1213/resources-for-the-2016-us-tax-season

https://www.hrblock.com/pdf/Tax-Information-for-Hosts1-4-16.pdf

[Ruth108]

this from Turbo Tax may be helpful:  https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2996893-how-do-i-report-airbnb-income-on-my-apartment-rental

[FlaviaandAustin0]

We are renters and have our extra bedroom on Airbnb. We haven't talked about this with the landlord, but haven't had any issue with It ether. This said, we would pay taxes, but we don't know if that would cause more problems, like for example, since we don't have the short rental permit, would that come out cause we paid taxes and declared we have some income from the extra room? I don't know if I can explain myself well enough... any suggestion Is welcome tho

[Kira22]

Here are the actual details from the IRS website on the 15 day rule "Master's Rule".  The tricky part is if you go OVER 14 days you must claim ALL income, not just income beyond 14 days, because the dwelling is reclassified.

https://www.irs.gov/publications/p527/ch05.html

Used as a home but rented less than 15 days.   If you use a dwelling unit as a home and you rent it less than 15 days during the year, its primary function is not considered to be rental and it should not be reported on Schedule E (Form 1040). You are not required to report the rental income and rental expenses from this activity. The expenses, including qualified mortgage interest, property taxes, and any qualified casualty loss will be reported as normally allowed on Schedule A (Form 1040). See the Instructions for Schedule A (Form 1040) for more information on deducting these expenses.

Used as a home and rented 15 days or more.   If you use a dwelling unit as a home and rent it 15 days or more during the year, include all your rental income in your income. Since you used the dwelling unit for personal purposes, you must divide your expenses between the rental use and the personal use as described earlier in this chapter under Dividing Expenses . The expenses for personal use are not deductible as rental expenses.

[Rosy30]

Hi,

I am a non-US citizen and I have put my house for rent for only 14 days total. Should I file a tax? I have SSN but no Tax id.

Thanks !!!!

[Clare0]

@Rosy30 Your Social Security Number, SSN, is your Tax ID! This link might give you more information: 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/122/why-is-airbnb-requesting-my-taxpayer-information

Also, this might help:

https://assets.airbnb.com/eyguidance/us.pdf

Hope this helps!

[Keilly0]

I am an actor in the middle of applying for unemployment insurance and need a 1099 from airbnb in order for the NY State Department of Labor to consider my claim (building management won't allow me to airbnb anymore). Until i get something IRS-related from AirBnb to send to the NYS DOL, they don't consider my wages valid. I made $4,500 from July-October as a host on AirBnb. Any idea what i can do? 

[Clare0]

@Keilly0 Airbnb won't send you a tax form for your earnings if they are less than $20,000 and 200+ payouts.  Maybe the DOL will accept a copy of your Transaction History.  You can copy and paste it onto a text document.  

You can explain to the DOL that Airbnb only issues tax forms that meet these requirements by copying this article: 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/414/should-i-expect-to-receive-a-tax-form-from-airbnb

Of course, you can always contact Airbnb and ask them for an official letter confirming your earnings, but I'm not sure they would do this.

Wish I had better news for you!