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r4racing
New Member

My 17 year old daughter that is claimed on my taxes earned $1,553 on a 1099 MISC for delivering newspapers. Does she have to pay taxes on this amount?

My understanding is that newspaper carriers are exempt from having to pay SE taxes and that income can be listed under less common income - misc income.  She also worked for her high school as a stage hand for school productions and got a 1099 for that as well.  Can both the newspaper and school income be listed under the less common income to avoid having to pay self employment taxes?

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3 Replies
NancyG
New Member

My 17 year old daughter that is claimed on my taxes earned $1,553 on a 1099 MISC for delivering newspapers. Does she have to pay taxes on this amount?

It does appear your daughter is self-employed and subject to self-employment tax. She is also entitled to deduct any expenses she has related to her jobs. 

Are you self-employed?

Sole proprietor, independent contractor, consultant and freelancer are all terms used to describe self-employed workers. Whether you do it full-time or on the side—if you’re an independent worker like an Uber/Lyft driver, web designer, tutor, or babysitter—you’re self-employed.

You may not think of yourself as running a business, but you’re considered self-employed if you engage in business-like activities.

Three key factors that generally define an activity as a business:

  • You intend to make a profit (even if you operate at a loss).
  • Your activities are regular.
  • You make efforts to sustain or grow your business.

Situations where you wouldn't be considered self-employed:

  • You mowed your elderly neighbor's lawn all summer, and he gave you money as a token of his appreciation. (You didn't intend to make a profit.)
  • You were paid to tutor a friend's child, but you’re not going to do it again. (Your activities are not regular.)
  • You draw for fun, and your friend paid you to create a poster for a birthday party. (You're not making efforts to sustain or grow a business.)

When you’re self-employed, you’re likely to receive a 1099-MISC or a 1099-K. Even if you don’t receive these forms, you still need to report all your income from self-employment.

 Related Information:

Whether you received a 1099-MISC for self-employment, rent, royalties, fishing, or another reason, you can enter the information by following these steps (or this link for our mobile app:(

  • Sign in to your TurboTax account.
  • Select the orange button Take me to my return.
  • Type “1099-misc” in the Search box.
  • Select the “Jump to” link.
  • This will take you to the 1099-MISC screen.

After you’ve entered the information from your 1099-MISC, we'll ask a few questions to confirm the type of income you received and create the necessary forms. If your 1099-MISC income is from self-employment, we’ll help you enter expenses related to your income.

The related expenses are entered in the 1099 MISC section: 

  • Log into your TurboTax online account and click on the Business tab and select Continue
  • Select “I’ll choose what I work on” and this takes you to “Let’s gather your business info” screen
  •  The first section down is Business Income and Expenses, choose Update
  • You are now at the “Here’s  the business info we have so far” screen where you should see your Business listed
  • Click Edit next to that business and on the next screen, scroll down to the fourth section which should be Business Expenses and select “Visit All

To add multiple IRS Schedule Cs:

  • go to Business tab; then Continue
  • choose Explore on my own or I'll choose what to work on  (if it comes up)
  • then Business Income and Expenses
  • then Profit or Loss from Business, click Start or Update.  
  • you should see the Business Summary page that lists your businesses, 
  • right below the list you can Add Another Business.

 

 

r4racing
New Member

My 17 year old daughter that is claimed on my taxes earned $1,553 on a 1099 MISC for delivering newspapers. Does she have to pay taxes on this amount?

I heard that there is an exemption from the SE tax for newspaper carriers, is this not the case?
NancyG
New Member

My 17 year old daughter that is claimed on my taxes earned $1,553 on a 1099 MISC for delivering newspapers. Does she have to pay taxes on this amount?

The following are the self-employment rules regarding newspaper carriers.  If the last paragraph applies to your daughter, she may not be subject to self-employment taxes on these earnings.

A special rule applies to services you perform as a newspaper carrier or distributor.

Treated as self-employed. You are a direct seller and you are treated as self-employed for federal tax purposes if all the following conditions apply.

You are in the business of delivering/distributing newspapers or shopping news, including directly related services such as soliciting customers and collecting receipts.
Substantially all your pay for these services directly relates to sales or other output rather than to the number of hours worked.
You perform the delivery services under a written contract between you and the service recipient that states you will not be treated as an employee for federal tax purposes.
This rule applies whether or not you hire others to help you make deliveries. It also applies whether you buy the papers from the publisher or are paid based on the number of papers you deliver.

Treated as an employee. If you do not meet the above conditions, you may be an employee subject to having taxes withheld from your pay. As an employee, you would not have to pay SE tax on this income. Wages newspaper carrier employees receive for delivering newspapers or shopping news to customers are subject to withholding for social security and Medicare taxes if the carrier is 18 or over. See Publication 15-A for more information about who is an employee.

Carrier, distributor, or vendor under age 18. Your income is not subject to SE tax if you are under age 18 and you are a newspaper carrier or distributor (who does not deliver or distribute to any point for subsequent delivery or distribution) or a vendor (who works under a buy-sell arrangement).

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