I have solar panels on the roof of my home. I received a 1099-MISC for about $1500 in solar credits that a broker sold on my behalf. This is a yearly occurrence. I've done this the last 4 years and never had a problem. This year Turbo Tax is giving me all sorts of errors. Looking for a "Principal Business Code" for which I have no idea what to enter and highly suspicious that even if I find that, they are treating this like a business and hence will be looking for self employment taxes and other garbage.
It's a rabbit hole of bureaucracy. This didn't happen last year or the year before that. It is incredibly frustrating.
You can enter the Form 1099-MISC and identify that it was not income from working so that it doesn't get misclassified as self-employment income:
If you are prompted to select a Principal Business Code, then yes, the program is setting up a Schedule C business. You can delete the 1099-MISC that you entered (click on the trash can icon that appears next to the income entry).
To enter income from a Form 1099-MISC that is not from working, in TurboTax Online, enter Form 1099-MISC information in the section to which it pertains. In Wages and Income, there are several locations where you can enter a Form 1099-MISC.
If you enter Form 1099-MISC in the Other Common Income section, at the screen "Does one of these uncommon situations apply?", a list of options appears from which you can select that includes reasons for Form 1099-MISC other than self-employed income.
In the alternative, you can enter the amount under Other Reportable Income. In TurboTax Online:
See here for another discussion involving a similar topic.
When I go to "other reportable income" it states specifically "Do not enter income reported on 1099-MISC"
You can enter the Form 1099-MISC and identify that it was not income from working so that it doesn't get misclassified as self-employment income: