If my employer gives me a gift card for Christmas, do I have to claim it?

posted

Gifts received are not taxable and you do not enter them on a tax return. If the employer is treating that "gift" as wages, they have to include it on your W-2--which would be pretty crummy.

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**

The gift card is additional pay and is taxable income to you. The employer should include the value of the gift card in the wages in box 1 of your W-2. If they do that correctly, you do not have to do anything special to report it. It's already included in your income.