How To File Twitch Taxes 1099 Form in 2023

In the US, streamers must pay Twitch taxes on their income. To do this quickly and efficiently, it is required that you keep accurate records of your streaming activity.

Streamers are often asked about their taxes, but it’s not easy to answer. What is the tax rate for streamers? How do I pay my Twitch taxes? A qualified accountant can answer all of these questions.

Some streamers use Twitch TurboTax, but it does not handle Twitch streaming income. Only income through Twitch affiliate/Turbo subscription programs affects your Twitch taxes without proper documentation.

How to Pay Your Twitch Taxes in the Most Efficient Way

When you start making money off your Twitch stream, it’s time to consider your Twitch taxes.

If you’ve been streaming long enough and have seen steady growth in your viewership, you should be earning enough money to trigger Twitch’s affiliate program.

If you are a Twitch affiliate, Twitch will begin paying 50% of your subscription fees for users who subscribe to your Twitch channel using their Twitch turbo service.

This also triggers the requirement for Twitch TurboTax to help streamers pay their Twitch taxes accurately.

How can I fill 1099 Twitch form?

A Form 1099 is a reporting form that the IRS uses to collect tax data on yearly compensation. If you received any of the following kinds of income in the year, you will receive a 1099 form in the mail.

You must pay income tax on all Twitch TurboTax subscribers who have paid using the Twitch Turbo service, even if you did not receive the Twitch TurboTax directly.

• If you earned more than $600 in the US, the IRS’s threshold for issuing 1099s, you should receive one if you live there.
• PayPal issues its 1099s for all contributions.
• Stripe sends out its 1099s for any credit card contributions.

When is the deadline for filing a tax return for my Twitch earnings?

The IRS will begin accepting e-1099s on January 2, 2022. You must post your e-1099’s by January 31 to be considered for this tax year.

What happens if you don’t pay your Twitch taxes?

Even if you miss it by a single day, failing to submit an income tax return and paying an outstanding balance on time will result in fines plus accrued interest. Amazon offers all its payments to the IRS, which will examine all the submitted papers.

If their payment does not match the balance that they owe, there will be penalties and fines too.

What if you didn’t receive a Form 1099 but were paid anyway?

Many individuals believe that if they earn less than $600, they don’t have to submit a 1099 form. This isn’t correct; failing to present one may result in penalties.

You are not required to obtain a 1099 form from Amazon. Even if your earnings were under $600, they are taxable and sent to the IRS.

And there’s a difference between hobby and career.

How to Differentiate Between a Hobby and a Career

If you’re considering whether Twitch streaming is a hobby or a career, the answer might sound like it’s in the eyes of the beholder.

Twitch donations and Twitch subscriptions are two common ways to make money off Twitch. One allows members to donate money directly to streamers (twitch donations), while another requires them to pay for kink TurboTax, twitch Prime, or twitch turbo (twitch subscriptions).

Any of these incomes are taxable and should be reported on Form 1040.

The IRS has a list of criteria that can determine whether or not a pastime is genuinely a business. They are as follows:

• If you run your channel like a business and keep track of your paperwork and books, see streaming as a job, not a pastime.
• A company is “an organization that sells or distributes a product for money.” Spending time and energy streaming to make money would be considered a business.
• You’re running a business if your stream funds your living or pays your bills.
• If you suffer losses beyond your control or common for streaming, it’s a company.
• Changing how you stream or improve your features to be more profitable falls into the category of business activity.

The IRS will consider the following factors as well:

• Whether you made a profit in a similar project in the past.
• How much money you make every year.
• This would be the sum of your monthly income adjusted for inflation.

If most of these statements tilted one way or another on your stream-watching attitude, you’d know where you stand and how to pay taxes accordingly.

Further Reading:

• OnlyFans Taxes: What Taxes Do I File? [2022 US Guide]

Twitch Taxes for Hobby Streamers

Any money earned through hobbies is taxable and must be recorded on line 21 of Form 1040 (other taxable earnings). If you made over $600, Twitch should send you 1099.

In 2018, the ability to claim hobbies-related expenses was terminated, meaning hobby earnings could not be subtracted.

Hobbies are not subject to self-employment taxes and are only taxed at a personal income rate.

How To Make Twitch Tax Time Easier

It’s not unusual to be confused by the calculation. The good news is that if you’re looking to expand your business from home, there are programs available that can help you do so more effectively.

Using a program like Quickbooks to keep track of your stream revenue and expenditures throughout the year will be beneficial. It makes it easy to invoice people for your services; they assist if you have questions.

You’ll have everything you spent money on during the year documented, so when it’s time to file your taxes, you’ll know exactly where everything went. Then, when it comes to tax season, you’ll have all of your expenditures and deductions itemized so that preparing your taxes is easier.

You may also show an online accountant your clean paperwork, making it easier to complete your Twitch taxes.

How Federal Taxes will affect the Career of Streamers

A streamer would be required to pay self-employment tax and income tax. The IRS considers a 15.3 percent self-employment tax as standard. According to the IRS, money is transferred to the “company” for which the streamer acts as a “work” (even though it’s usually them).

When a company pays a streamer, it must pay the employer and employee Social Security and Medicare taxes. Social Security is 6.2 percent on each dollar, while Medicare tax is 2.9%. When you add it, social security comes to 12.4% and Medicare tax to 2.9%.

The streamer’s income for the year, less any legitimate taxes and expenditures, would be taxable.

Income tax is not calculated based on a set percentage of income, as self-employment tax is. Income taxation is determined by the amount of money a person makes. This is done using a table.

How Do I Calculate Federal Tax on Streamers?

There are a couple of things to consider.

To begin, your deductions and other costs must be deducted from your total earnings before you can calculate taxable income. To compute the taxable income, you must fill out the Schedule SE. You’ll also need a copy of Schedule C for this process to work correctly.

Second, this is a stair-step approach. Simply because you made taxable earnings of $100,000 does not imply that your overall tax rate on everything would be 24% (if you’re filing as a single). The first $9,875 is still taxed at 10%, and the profits between $9875 and $40125 are taxed at

Income tax brackets are updated yearly, so don’t rely on this year’s figures for next year. (I think that adjusting for inflation is a good idea.) You’ll use the following table to prepare your taxes for 2021 in 2022:

State Taxes For Streamers

Every state has a similar income tax table. If you are itemizing deductions, you can take deductions from your state taxes.

What Deductions Can Professional Streamers Take?

You may be able to deduct (at the absolute least) purchases and services if you’re streaming for a profession. The following are examples of claimed costs:

#1: Rent/Mortgage Payments

Even if part of a house payment or rent is attributed to business costs, a room may be explicitly dedicated to streaming or editing.

#2: Internet and Program Use

The IRS permits a partial deduction for business costs that may be used for personal purposes.

Most streamers operate from their homes, so the internet is frequently used for non-streaming activities. As a result, only a fraction of the overall internet bill would be deductible. In this situation, the content provider must estimate the percentage of their time spent streaming or performing personal tasks online.

The streaming proportion is deductible. This is true for all of the equipment and expenses that may be present.

#3: Streaming Equipment

The majority of the equipment needed for streaming may be deducted. Any equipment that is used solely to operate a company is deductible. This includes cameras, microphones, computers, desks, or any other equipment as long as it is only utilized for streaming activities.

However, any improvements to equipment are deductible, and it is critical to note that any equipment sold must be recorded as income. There’s also a standard deduction or itemized deductions.

For example, you purchased a new computer for $1000 in 2021, used exclusively for streaming or business purposes. You can deduct $500 in the upcoming year because you used this item for 50% of your business activities.

#4: Charitable Donations

You may now deduct up to $300 in donations from your taxable income as of 2021. Your charity expenses above the threshold may be claimed if you track how much you spend. This is fantastic news for channels that frequently offer charity streams.

#5: Commissioned Work

If you purchase any commissioned work, it is deductible whether or not you sell the item. Any expenses related to selling this type of art are also deductible. This includes the cost of advertising, trade shows, and commissions.

Unfortunately, there’s no straightforward answer here because every person’s situation is different. Every person’s tax position must be considered when deciding whether or not a deduction is worthwhile.

It’s also possible to subtract any payments made to others to enhance a stream’s quality or editing. (Remember to pay relevant payroll and income taxes.) Any employer levies may also be subtracted.

Employment and Income Taxes

Employers must also withhold federal taxes, including employee and income taxes. These taxes are due every quarter. On the other side, employers should exercise caution since the IRS is notorious for adding interest and penalties to tax bills and any extra money.

You must pay quarterly installments on a 1040-es if you’re due for your tax return by April 15. You must make estimated payments if you earn more than $1,000 in federal income taxes each year.

What are the different forms that Twitch taxes may be filed on?

The following documents will be submitted or utilized during the payment of Twitch taxes:

• 1099 – If you have made more than $600 from the platform, Twitch or another payer of royalties will send you a 1099-K. They will also provide the IRS with these amounts. 

• 1040 – periodic tax return statement.

• 1040 SE – Pay estimated taxes every quarter, as required by law.

• Schedule SE – Self-employment tax.

• Schedule C – profit or loss from business (has business expenses and income)

If you found it complicated, Please join our community and ask whatever you want.

#Quick Case Studies

The case studies (for Federal taxes) that we’ve used as an example for you:

Michelle, the Career Streamer

Michelle prefers to play old games while being deadpan. She has been streaming for years and has made it a career. She earned $68,200 in 2019.

She’s been saving money since the beginning of the year by previously paying her editor $4,000 throughout the year. She also paid for a Stream Deck replacement of $250 and split her expenses to account for her home business. Overall, she has made a profit of $19,750.

Her taxable income is calculated as follows: She deducts the $19,750 she received from the $68,200 she was awarded, resulting in a taxable revenue of $48,450 (note: she may be able to take other deductions, such as the basic exemption of $12,000; however for simplicity’s sake we will omit them.

She must pay a 10% tax on the first $9,875 (or $987.50). She will need to pay a 12% tax for the difference of $30,250 (or $3,630)

Conclusion

If you don’t pay your Twitch taxes, the IRS will knock.

Whether it’s a hobby or a career, there are certain things streamers need to keep track of and file with their tax return if they want everything to be accurate come filing season next year.

Contact us today, and let’s discuss how we can make this process easier for you!

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