It is the best alternative. The form you have been paid with - the 1099-NEC - is designed for use when paying self-employed contractors. And the amount shown on it is being furnished to the IRS showing as income. So the IRS is expecting to see that amount on your tax return.
You can enter it as hobby income but then you are not allowed to deduct any expenses. You'd have to pay taxes on the full amount. And since it was earned as a reimbursement for expenses that seems silly and the wrong way to handle it.
So - even though this was not really self-employment income - entering it as business income and entering the matching expense just seems like the most sensible way to handle it.
@jtintn2
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