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Hi there, a relative of mine got hit with expensive medical bills abroad, another relative who also lives abroad is considering opening a GoFundMe campaign to help cover some of the medical expenses and asked me if they could use my bank account as it would be easier to pay the healthcare providers.
I checked online and apparently GoFundMe donations are considered personal gifts and therefore not taxable, but I wanted to double check if that's still the case or if my personal situation changes anything. That being said, here are my questions:
1. Would I be taxed on the donations I received through GoFund me?
2. Is there a limit amount I can receive before it becomes taxable?
3. Do I need to provide medical receipts or similar to the IRS? What happens if the patient is someone else that is not my dependent?
Thank you in advance.
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Please see this post from @maglib.
This is an area of tax that's still developing. The IRS has handed out big tax bills to people who have received large sums of money on go fund me in the last couple of years (many are still being fought as they can be considered gifts). In order to be non-taxable funds generally have to come through a qualifying charitable organization or be considered gifts (which normally only the payor would have tax liability if excess gifting). If the funds are considered gifts then there are no tax implications for the recipient.
The issue at hand is the 1099-K that the IRS requires be sent to recipient.
Typically, money raised through a crowdfunding site such as Go Fund Me is processed through third-party settlement entities. IRS rules for those processing entities are very clear regarding the requirement to issue the 1099-K:
The settlement of third-party payment network transactions above the minimum reporting thresholds of
A potential manner to report this is to include the amount on the 1040 as “Other Income,” and reflect a negative adjustment in the same amount with a statement attached to your return (must file by mail then).
Example statement to attach:
"All amounts in the 1099-K are excludable from income under IRC Section 102. These amounts reflect the money taxpayer received as the result of gifts from donors. Those gifts were used to pay the medical expenses of the taxpayer and are justifiably excludable from gross income as gifts."
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