The Internal Revenue Service announced a delay in reporting thresholds for third-party settlement organizations set to take effect for the upcoming tax filing season.
As a result of this delay, third-party settlement organizations will not be required to report the tax year 2022 transactions on a Form 1099-K to the IRS or the payee for the lower, $600 threshold amount enacted as part of the American Rescue Plan of 2021.
Guidance Provided
As part of this, the IRS released guidance outlining that the calendar year 2022 will be a transition period for implementation of the lowered threshold reporting for third-party settlement organizations that would have generated Form 1099-Ks for taxpayers.
“The IRS and Treasury heard several concerns regarding the timeline of implementation of these changes under the American Rescue Plan,” said Acting IRS Commissioner Doug O’Donnell. “To help smooth the transition and ensure clarity for taxpayers, tax professionals, and industry, the IRS will delay implementation of the 1099-K changes. The additional time will help reduce confusion during the upcoming 2023 tax filing season and provide more time for taxpayers to prepare and understand the new reporting requirements.”
TPSO
The American Rescue Plan of 2021 changed the reporting threshold for TPSOs. The new threshold for business transactions is $600 per year; revised from the previous threshold of more than 200 transactions per year, exceeding an aggregate amount of $20,000. The law is not intended to track personal transactions such as sharing the cost of a car ride or meal, birthday or holiday gifts, or paying a family member or another for a household bill.
Under the law, beginning Jan. 1, 2023, a TPSO is required to report third-party network transactions paid in 2022 with any participating payee that exceed a minimum threshold of $600 in aggregate payments, regardless of the number of transactions. TPSOs report these transactions by providing individual payee’s an IRS Form 1099-K, Payment Card, and Third-Party Network Transactions.
The transition period described in Notice 2023-10 delays the reporting of transactions over $600 to transactions that occur after the calendar year 2022. The transition period is intended to facilitate an orderly transition for TPSO tax compliance and individual payee compliance with income tax reporting. A participating payee, in the case of a third-party network transaction, is any person who accepts payment from a third-party settlement organization for a business transaction.
Tax Compliance
The change under the law is hugely important because tax compliance is higher when amounts are subject to information reporting, like Form 1099-K. However, the IRS noted it must be managed carefully to help ensure that 1099-Ks are only issued to taxpayers who should receive them. In addition, taxpayers must understand what to do as a result of this reporting, and tax preparers and software providers have the information they need to assist taxpayers.
More to Come
Additional details on the delay will be available shortly along with additional information to help taxpayers and the industry. For taxpayers who may have already received a 1099-K due to the statutory changes, the IRS is working rapidly to provide instructions and clarity so that taxpayers understand what to do.
The IRS also noted that the existing 1099-K reporting threshold of $20,000 in payments from over 200 transactions will remain in effect.
Source: IRS
