The IRS announced on Tuesday that it is delaying a controversial tax reporting requirement targeting Americans who made more than $600 online through third-party payment apps like Venmo or PayPal.
The rule change – approved by Democrats in March 2021 with the passage of the American Rescue Plan – would have required payments platforms including Venmo, PayPal, Etsy and Airbnb to send Form 1099-K to the IRS and users if their transactions totaled more than $600 over the course of the year.
Instead, the IRS will treat 2023 as "an additional transition year," meaning that payment apps will not be required to send users Form 1099-K unless their gross income exceeded $20,000 or they had 200 separate transactions within a calendar year. Beginning in 2024, that basic reporting threshold will be increased from $600 to $5,000.
"Taking this phased-in approach is the right thing to do for the purposes of tax administration, and it prevents unnecessary confusion," IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a statement. "It’s clear that an additional delay for tax year 2023 will avoid problems for taxpayers, tax professionals and others in this area."
The change was intended to crack down on Americans evading taxes by not reporting the full extent of their gross income. However, critics say that it amounts to government overreach at its worst and that it could ultimately hurt small businesses.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
