UBER said I won’t get a 1099 since I didn’t make more than 20,000. Is this correct and do I have to claim if under 20K?

you have to claim any self-employment earnings over $400.

No, that is not correct.  A company should issue independent contractors earning more than $600.  Uber generally does issue them along with a 1099-K.  

However, even if you do not get one you will still need to file a return if you earned more than $400 in self-employment income. Since you are self-employed, you should be tracking your income and expenses and can easily file your return using the information you have.  TurboTax has added a great feature this year for Uber and Lyft drivers.  

To enter your Uber  income 

1.      Click on Federal
2.      Income & Expenses
3.     Scroll Down to Self-Employment and click 
4.     Click Start next to Income and Expenses
5.     Answer YES to “Did you have any self-employment income or expenses”
6.     When you Enter Uber or Lyft when it asks you to “Tell us the type of self-employment work you do” TurboTax will customize your interview and will make it easy to enter all of your information.