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How do I enter a 1099-K for personal item sales?

by TurboTax923 Updated 2 months ago

Form 1099-K tracks income you made from selling goods or providing services via payment apps and online marketplaces. Examples include PayPal, Venmo, Square, Etsy, Uber, and Ebay.

You should receive a 1099-K if you made more than $5,000 on one of these platforms.

Even if you don't receive a 1099-K, or you make less than $5,000, you still need to report all taxable income to the IRS.

Selling personal objects is different from self-employment income or hobby income.

Examples of personal items include:

  • Baseball cards
  • Concert or movie tickets
  • Used computers or electronics
  • Cars
  • Used clothes

Follow these steps to enter your 1099-K using TurboTax Premium:

  1. Open or continue your return.
  2. Go to 1099-K.
  3. Follow the onscreen instructions to enter your 1099-K.
  1. Open or continue your return.
  2. Search for 1099-K and select the Jump to link.
  3. Follow the onscreen instructions to enter your 1099-K.

Each gain or loss from a personal item sale needs to be reported separately. If you had a loss on the sale of any personal item, it can't cancel out any gain on the sale of another personal item.

Example: Tyrone bought a couch for $400 and sold it two years later for $200. Since he sold it for less than his original purchase price, the loss can't offset other income, and the sale would be reported as $0 on his tax return. However, when Tyrone bought a table for $200 and sold it for $300 two years later, he had to report the $100 gain as taxable income.