If I got a $50 stipend for a side gig, do I have to include it on my tax return?

[yvbulgakova]

Hello,

I got a $50 stipend this year from a university for being in a student film production for a student of that university. Do I have to report it on my tax return? I heard that for non-W2 sources of income there exists a 1099-MISC form, but I read that you will only get this form if you make something like over 600 dollars for the job. Should I contact the university for this form? If not, do I still need to file this amount somehow on my tax return?

Thanks

[Texas Roger]

If you are filing a tax return then you must include the $50 stipend even though you did not receive a 1099-MISC. You would enter it as Other Common Income in the section where you would enter a 1099-MISC.

[yvbulgakova]

EDIT: I ended up following the Self Imployment steps and it seems right. (Too bad turbotax charges for additional sources of income.)

I did read that you must report stipends as taxable income. I also read that stipends are not considered wages. This seems to me like you should submit it similar to a 1099-MISC but in Turbotax trying to do Other Common Income and selecting where you would use a 1099-MISC, if you select No for the question "Did you receive a 1099-MISC" it just goes back to the main screen, and the only other area I see where you can report other income are under the Self Employment category. However the description for that states:

Freelancer/independent contractor
On-demand service (Uber, TaskRabbit)
Small or home-based business (includes sole proprietors)

Technically I wasn't self employed in the sense I feel is described above in terms of marketing myself as a business. Would this still apply? I auditioned for an acting role in a university production, showed up and participated in the filming/got valuable experience (probably why they were able to file it as a stipend), and got my $50 stipend later.

Thanks

[Texas Roger]

When you enter a 1099-MISC in the Other Income section, TurboTax determines whether it is self employment income subject to self employment taxes or not depending on how you answer all the questions that follow the entry. If the way you answer the questions indicates it is not self employment income, then TurboTax enters it as other income not subject to self employment tax. 

To get to other income, type other income in the search box and click on jump to other income. That is where you enter the 1099-MISC and answer all the followup questions that determine how the income is treated on your tax return. 

[yvbulgakova]

Since my stipend was for only $50, I didn't receive the 1099-MISC.  When I search "other income" it asks me "Did you get a 1099-MISC?" so I answer "No" to it and it brings me back to the main Wages & Income page.

The same happens when I scroll down to the Other Income category. There are 4 options
Refunds Received for State/Local Tax Returns
Other 1099-G Income
Form 1099-MISC
Form 1099-K
and none of them apply to me. When I click Form 1099-MISC because that's the closest one that applies I again get to that page that asks me if I have a 1099-MISC and click "No" and it leads me back to the main page.

However, when I go through the "Self-employment income and expenses" route, I am at least able to enter that I received a check for $50 and provide answers to questions which describe this payment.

[Texas Roger · Accepted solution]

Go all the way to the bottom of the Income section and enter it as Miscellaneous Income, Other Income. 

Or type other reportable income in the search box and click on jump to other reportable income to go directly to where you can enter income without a 1099-MISC. 

[yvbulgakova]

I found instructions on another Turbotax thread for filing a stipend and it said to use Miscellaneous too, under Less Common Income. That's what I did. Good because I also ended up reading that stipends are not the same as self employed income and are taxed differently. Thanks for your guidance! 🙂