Do you have to report your eBay earnings?

With the start of tax season, the question I keep hearing the most is ‘do I have to report my eBay earnings?’

If you sell items on eBay for a profit, then you are required to report those profits and you may owe income taxes on your eBay sales. It doesn’t matter if it’s just a hobby or if you are trying to build a business.

Generally, any income you receive from all sources is subject to income tax unless it is specifically exempt by law (hint: eBay profits are not exempt).

You must file a tax return if your net earnings from self employment are $400 or more.  You are self employed if you carry on a trade or business for profit.

To report your earnings, file Form 1040, and attach Schedule C or C-EZ.  Schedule C is used to calculate your net profit or loss from your business, which is then reported on your Form 1040.

At this point, you may be thinking “I don’t run a business; I just sell on eBay as a hobby”.  Unfortunately, income from hobbies is taxable as well.  Even worse, you can only deduct expenses up to your hobby income, which means losses are not deductible.  For more on this topic, please read ‘Is your eBay activity a hobby or business?‘.

There is a common misconception that if you do not receive a 1099 or W-2, you are not required to report your income.  This is not true.  All income is reportable, regardless of whether you receive a form or not.  EBay is only a facilitator of the auction, therefore you will not receive a 1099 from eBay reporting your sales.

Tags: ebay taxes, income tax on ebay sales