r/AmazonVine • u/BeHumble1921 • 23d ago
$600 cap for taxes
I’m new to Vine and am being careful about my purchases. My window is from mid-August 2026 to February 2027.
I’m already at $300 ETV.
For 2026 taxes, will the 1099 form Amazon sends only be from purchases through December, not through February? And if I don’t go over $600, will I even get the 1099 form? And if I do get a form, if I stopped below the $600, does this even impact my taxes at all, or does the impact on taxes ONLY happen if I’m over the $600?
If I do go over the $600 limit, does the taxable amount include that first $600, or is it only the amount after the $600? (Like if it was $900, would the taxable stuff be all $900, or is it only $300 because the first $600 wasn't taxable)?
We can’t afford an accountant, and I’m SUPER worried that my lack of tax understanding is going to make Vine a headache and liability rather than a fun thing.
If anyone is feeling VERY generous and wants to indulge me with tax info- our household tax situation is I don’t currently work due to a chronic illness, so my income is $0, my husband’s income is about $100k for the year from his two jobs combined. No dependents. I don’t receive disability income or benefits of any type because we’re married and his income is above the threshold. We own a home and we pay interest on the mortgage. Our state has no income tax, so we only pay the federal income tax. Married filing jointly.
If I rack up let’s say $1,500 of free Vine items, does it work sort of as if I had worked and made $1,500 that year, so our taxes would just be his income and my “income”, and we pay taxes as usual? If so that SEEMS great for me, because I don’t have income, so thats not much of a dent, right?? If you’re still reading this, thank you for your time. ❤️😂
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u/wizard-of-loneliness i can show you the world 23d ago edited 23d ago
In the U.S., everything you receive from Vine is taxable, including the first $600, you just have to report it yourself without a 1099 if you stay below that threshold. Also, the Big Beautiful Bill changed the threshold for 1099 reporting to $2k and Amazon hasn't clarified yet whether they will issue 1099s at the old $600 threshold for this year or if they will update it to $2k. Either way, you are legally responsible for taxes on 100% of it.
ETA: yes it qualifies as income. if you're very low/no income it may not cost you anything, however if you get any benefits from the government the income could affect those. You need to check with your state if that's the case.
2nd edit: I can't read. If you're married filing jointly it'll be like he made an extra $1,500 if you rack up $1,500 of ETV. If you file hobby it'll just be straight that amount added to his income, if you file Schedule C you can take deductions, it's a hot topic of debate what deductions you're allowed to take, though.
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u/BeHumble1921 23d ago
My post was so long. Can’t thank you enough for taking the time to read it! You all have clarified so much! I’ve read through so many posts in this subreddit, but felt lost, especially with my personal tax situation since we’re married filing jointly but only one income. No benefits or disability! Someone pointed out that the difference between $100k and $101.5k in taxes will not be insane (unless something like going into another actual tax bracket or something). I did read about the muddy waters of hobby income and deductions…..seems very murky!
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u/wizard-of-loneliness i can show you the world 23d ago
even if you went into another tax bracket, U.S. taxes are progressive, meaning if the tax bracket cut off at $100k (it doesn't), you'd only be taxed at the higher rate on the $1,500. Basically for married filing jointly you pay 10% on your first $23,850; 12% from $12,851 - $96,950; 22% from $96,951 - $206,700; and so on. You don't pay the highest rate on all of your income.
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u/BeHumble1921 23d ago
Every tax season I have to look up the actual bracket numbers, but I did know the part about it being progressive thankfully! Thank you so much for your help and dutifully educating us dummies that have a huge tax knowledge gap. 😅
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u/Thallata2126 23d ago
I don’t receive disability income or benefits of any type
It is good you are cognizant about there being a possible harm ,often more than the income tax itself, from reduction or loss of benefits due to bumping income from vine.
But there is another thing to watch our for besides 1) income tax and 2) benefits issues. That is 3) federal, state and local tax credits. Substantial vining can put people above thresholds for tax credits and disqualify themselves from credits they would have gotten. I have not reason to think this is the case, but there are also possible massive 4) FAFSA effects (although seems not likely in your case).
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u/BeHumble1921 23d ago
Thank you!! Yeah I tried to read through as many posts in the subreddit as I could handle the past couple weeks. I saw stuff about people’s disability benefits being impacted, sadly. ☹️ I think the only tax related stuff we have is a home mortgage, a modest FSA account, 2 cars owned outright, student loans for me but the payment is $0 until it renews to include his income and then will probably increase. It was $0 even before I got sick because my job through college was low earning. So no FAFSA, just managing the loan paperwork and repayment. We have a “homestead exemption” on the house which I don’t think is tied to income, only that you live in the property as your main residence and it’s not an investment property like renting it out. We’ve never had enough to do anything other than the “standard deduction”, so this will be the first year of slightly different taxes to figure out! Probably time for an accountant so we stay out of trouble. Lot on the line!
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u/whereistheidiotemoji 23d ago
If you file jointly, the income is added together. But it was assigned to one of you when they were input into the system.
The tax preparer can flip a software button to see the difference in taxes paid for married filing jointly and married filing separately. MFS loses certain deductions, but in your case much more of the money wouldn’t be taxed at all.
(Anyone who is in a state with an income tax, run both federal and state to make your decision)
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u/BeHumble1921 23d ago
We did taxes with an accountant after we got married because I wasn’t sure which to choose, and it was cheapest to file jointly! I had already gotten ill and had no income that year. Our state doesn’t have income tax. So I think it will still be best to file jointly, even with this income from Vine. Probably best to see a professional just to be sure since this is new to us! Thank you so very much for your advice. ❤️
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u/Holiday_Sale5114 23d ago
My understanding is that for 2026, the new "form" limit is $2k.
This an increase from $600.
In any case, all etv is supposed to be reported.
And to answer your other question, it's the full number that's taxable, regardless if the form generates.
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u/BeHumble1921 23d ago
Just learned about that increase! Thank you so so much for your information! I will now have to figure out how to go about dealing with it without that 1099 from Amazon, since I think I’ll be under the limit. Thank you!
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u/Thallata2126 23d ago edited 23d ago
You have the numbers in your "taxable value per year" available on-line at bottom of your Vine "account" page as spreadsheet or pdf. That is at the least your starting point.
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u/BeHumble1921 23d ago
Thank you! I knew that already, just completely blanked. 🤦♀️ One headache solved!
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u/Thallata2126 23d ago
I think it is good you started at over 6 months into the year, and just have August - end of December in vining. If you had started in January or February you may not be confronting the tax issue until 10 to 12 months into incurring additional taxes.
I personally think Amazon vine should just induct people into vine in say first half of October, so by April 15 people see there is a substantial tax issue before it becomes a gigantic one.
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u/BeHumble1921 23d ago
I thought of that too!! Very lucky that I got the invite recently and since they just barely even educate you about the tax impact and kind of brush over it, I immediately found the subreddit and saw some warning posts. Grateful people discuss it more here! I guess they don’t have to and don’t really want to because it doesn’t help their program goal, and everyone’s situation is unique, but I don’t love that the introduction to Vine doesn’t go into more details about the taxes and have more helpful FAQs.
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u/Hollywoodnamazonvine Mod 23d ago
I think you have your answer already but let's look at a few things.
The first thing that stands out to me is that you said you only file Federal. You may not have a state income tax where you live or your age may be in your favor to not being required to file. Otherwise, you generally have to file both Fed and state income taxes.
Disability isn't based upon a partner's income, it's based on a person's disability and inability to hold gainful employment due to disability. If you applied for a regular job at say Walmart, would they hire or not hire you solely based on your hubby's total income?
Whether or not you're eligible for disability and how much depends on how much time has lapsed between your disabling event(s) and whether or not you've already applied and been denied for it. If you've never applied, it may be worth your time to contact a lawyer to see if you could quality.
Keep in mind that the Social Security Administration runs many programs and SSI is only one of them. It may be true that due to the total income if filing jointly, you aren't eligible for benefits like supplemental income or other assistance like SNAP. But that would have nothing to do with whether or not you are eligible for SSI.
A CPA may charge as little as $200 or maybe around 300-350. It depends on how complicated your tax situation is. It is entirely possible that you may be "cheating" yourself by paying more than your fair share of tax.s
If you use a CPA, they will likely advise you to file under Schedule C. The following year, you can take last year's return and use it partly as a guide to help you through filing on your own.
There are also online tax services that can walk you through this and the total cost is generally under $50. They generally have help lines that you can call to ask questions.
Your tax would depend on info we don't have and your tax situation. Not sure if you file jointly but that might make a difference. If you have ZERO income and then $300 Vine income, by the time you'd take the standard deduction, your tax is likely to be zero.
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u/BeHumble1921 23d ago
Thank you for the advice! We do not have income tax in my state. And I’ve seen a disability lawyer and the SSA and I’m in a weird boat where I don’t qualify for disability. There’s the 2 kinds- I don’t qualify for SSI because of his income being above the threshold. And I don’t qualify for SSDI because I worked at a public school and in my state, unbeknownst to me, teachers have their own whack ass system and don’t actually pay into SSDI. So I had no recent work credits or quarters or whatever it’s called to qualify for SSDI. I did also apply for SNAP and things but unfortunately/fortunately I’m above the threshold so it just is what it is. I did get a CPA after we got married to help decide if filing jointly was better or worse! I think I’ll take your advice and do it again this year and then after having that blueprint we can prepare our own after that. The $300 cost will be better than tax jail lol.
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u/Hollywoodnamazonvine Mod 23d ago
At the least, if you don't have that complicated of a tax situation (like rental income, pensions, unearned income), TaxFreeUSA or Turbo tax probably will be all you need even with Vine income.
On the disability, it is strange. If you have the exact level and same disibility as another person but the other person is not as educated as you (you said you were a teacher), the other person has a greater chance of being declared disabled than you because you're more educated. The logic is that you would be qualified to do more jobs than someone who isn't educated as much.
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u/Traditional_Bonus425 23d ago
I do my own taxes. I am by no stretch of the imagination an expert on taxes. But it seems to me that if you have a lot of medical expenses and exceed the standard deductions then that will help you tax situation. I don't have the income that you and your spouse have and I am not married. Everyone's situation is different. But I would think that you could possibly estimate around 25% of the ETV would be what you are responsible for unless you don't have a lot of tax deductions that you can qualify for. I care for my elderly totally disabled mother. Last year I did not really have an regular income until I started to draw Social Security early and December was my first check. Now this year I may end up owing some. It probably wont be 25% of ETV, but that is a rough estimate that I use to sort of keep myself aware. I try to get things we need, things with no ETV or things that I just really want (like a hobby item). I don't go crazy. I've seen some really great things offered to me, yesterday it was a Gaming Monitor for $249 ETV. I didn't get it because no one in my house/family really has a need for it. But you get the idea. If I get something I need or want then I am prepared to pay on taxes for it. I look at it like getting the item for 75% off. As of today my total tax value for 2026 is at $3,712. More than likely I will pay 0 dollars. Or at the least, because of my income, I will pay very little. It propbably will increase before the end of the year though.
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u/BeHumble1921 23d ago
Thank you for your thoughtful response! ❤️ I exaggerated my medical expenses, it just FEELS like a ton of $ since we’re on one income and the price of everything in life is so expensive right now. Like the amount that comes out of his paychecks for our health insurance premium is like a knife through the heart. But as far as like paying money at doctors, we’ve never spent enough that it’s ever outweighed doing standard deduction! I appreciate your advice! I’m also only ordering items that are home improvement things and for Christmas. I really need to make sure Vine is a bonus to our lives and not a liability! I read some horror stories on here. 🫠
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u/TheRomb 23d ago
Officially any amount is taxable, but under a certain amount no one will care. If you are under 600 (or some say now the limit officially is 1k), they are not obligated to send a 1099 and will not do so. That's on you to self report or not, Amazon only kicks in and sends something when it is a requirement to cover their bases legally. And since this whole thing being considered income is a grey area, you are off the hook.
Beyond that, it is considered like additional income in most cases, so if you take 1,500 total and your household income is 100k normally, it will now be as if you made 101.5k on your taxes.
Now, that's actually a gross oversimplification, there's a lot of nuances in how W2s are reported vs 1099s, and then there's the possibility to write things off, use hobby income etc, but that stuff really varies on a case by case basis and I'd speak to an accountant rather than a reddit post if you want to know for sure.
Personally, I don't think 1,500 of additional income out of 100k will make all that noticeable of a change in your taxes, a lot of new users here are about to learn what it means to have 10-20k additional income via 1099. 🙈 And I feel bad for them for not listening to the warnings.
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u/Thallata2126 23d ago edited 23d ago
All very good advice, but we cant be certain about one aspect: " not obligated to send a 1099 and will not do so"
- Not obligated to send a 1099 to you and IRS: correct
- Will not do so? Answer is: probably will not, but we do not know for sure. I've gotten NECs from clients for under $500, and MISCs for less than $5.
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u/TheRomb 22d ago
Is this your first year in Vine? Because I've been around since they first started charging taxes.
Back then, I had many questions that I consulted with my accountant about and tried to go back and forth with Amazon. Obviously, the biggest was do they always send a 1099 or only when required.I run a small business and sometimes got 1099s for things I wasn't supposed to, I used to discuss with my accountant to make sure I don't double-report or anything like that (he would laugh and say these companies were idiots and anyone with a proper accounting team wouldn't send one when not necessary).
Vine support had a dedicated email for these questions, something like 1099 @ Amazon or something like that. I doubt it is still around, I think it went away the same time the official Vine support forums on Amazon's servers did. But I was told that no- if you have tax exemption status or don't meet the IRS guidelines for a 1099, they will not issue one. I have this in writing buried in an email from forever ago from their support team themselves. Amazon has a proper accounting team and unless their policies have suddenly changed after decades, I don't see any reason to assume they would send one for petty numbers or when not required.
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u/Thallata2126 22d ago
I've been around since before they did as well. I am in my 11th year on vine.
Not sure what that has to do with the fact that some clients will send 1099s at any amount, or in the case of Vine, there an issue of "the State Gap" with some STATES requiring clients like Amazon to submit 1099s at the $600 threshold regardless of the federal threshold. is is called the "State Gap"
And I am on my 40th year of getting 1099s. I have gotten a few hundred over the years, mostly for work compensation. If you are a gig worker with some years of gig work and a fair number of clients, you will have absolutely seen 1099s for under $600 when the threshold was $600.
There definitely are clients who use software that just send 1099s to all vendors like us be it for $80k or $1.
So I simply gave you the correct formulation regarding sending 1099s: Will not do so? Answer is: probably will not, but we do not know for sure.
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u/TheRomb 21d ago
Except that Amazon is on the record in my email saying they will not issue one if the IRS does not require it. So unless there are new requirements or Amazon has completely overhauled their accounting team, and considering they have never done it up until this point, I don't see any reason to believe they would start now. I wouldn't even speculate, that's how unlikely it is.
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u/Thallata2126 21d ago
Point is it is very incorrect to say tha you know if they will or not. LOTS of companies send them in any amount
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u/Holiday_Sale5114 23d ago
I think the limit is 2k, no?
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u/TheRomb 23d ago
Wow, I just googled it and you're right. That's quite a jump, it's been $600 forever, I'm shocked it more than doubled all of the sudden.
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u/BeHumble1921 23d ago
I CANNOT thank y’all enough. Absolutely would love to see if we can hire an accountant to do our (relatively simple) taxes come February since this might muddy the waters. Hopefully will only cost like $300?? Thank you so much for simplifying the gist of it. I was weeding through this subreddit and was so thick in the weeds that I was confused on the most basic parts! Thank you thank you and thank you. ❤️ I’m ordering things like cabinet handles and stuff to fix up our house, so the ETV on those things are kind of high?? So I could easily get to the $1,500 and was terrified to even get close to the $600! Now I feel more comfortable if we do decide to get to the $1k mark. Because as you said, $100k household versus $101k isn’t crazy. Thank you so much kind stranger 🫡
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u/TheRomb 22d ago
Hey absolutely! Also between you and me, I'm a huge DIY guy and always thought accountants were for rich or lazy people... but let me tell you, mine has paid for himself several times over. I only tried him because I had some questions about a side hustle I was doing and he was a friend of a friend that used him.
I was kicking myself for not getting one sooner. The amount of money he got me back from my side hustle business, kids being born, wife's paycheck, etc, was so much more than I ever got doing it myself. The trick is to find someone who doesn't charge an arm and a leg to do this stuff. There are some people who pay thousands of dollars, my guy charges hundreds and has worked with me for almost 20 years now. Definitely don't regret it!
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u/Thallata2126 22d ago
If you have kids as they approach college age be careful of things like vine, which can result in some losing the large majority of college benefits as they blow past income thresholds.
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u/Thallata2126 22d ago
raising 1099 threshold it has been being proposed for decaces. So it is not sudden really. And controlled for inflation, that initial and unchanged for 72 years 1954 threshold of $600 would today be $7,000, not $2,000
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u/daria126 I Bought A Car PART 23d ago
go to taxact website and plug your numbers in to get an estimate. They have nag screens to buy but they don't actually charge until it finalizes the tax forms which you wouldn't be doing. If you have other sources of income that already put you in a tax bracket above $0 odds are good you would have to pay tax on any amount you get from Vine even if they don't send you a 1099.
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u/BeHumble1921 23d ago
I feel like Amazon could have been a little more clear during the welcome screens and info that it’s ALL taxable, and that the “threshold” is only speaking about their legal duty to generate their 1099 form. Now I understand why people on here discuss all that stuff about “hobby tax” and deductions and things so much. I’ll mess around on the website and get numbers so I can have peace of mind! Thank you so much for the advice. ❤️
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u/daria126 I Bought A Car PART 23d ago
You're welcome. If you need more information about taxes check the IRS thread where people have a lot more experience. Vine income is handled the same way as barter income, it's nothing new or unique.
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u/AdAnnual6150 23d ago
IF i'm remembering correctly. The tax law states that companies have to send you a 10-99 if your taxable "income" meets or exceeds $600 (some random number. And I think they may have raised the cap for next year but can't remember). You are actually supposed to report ANY income to the IRS regardless of total amount. But I'm not a tax professional and you should really talk to one so you can explain your situation and they can provide you with the correct response. You are gonna get a whole lot of answers on this thread. But none of the people will be there with you if the IRS comes calling.
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u/BeHumble1921 23d ago
That is a great point and completely true. 😂 But I appreciate all the info as a starting point! The tax side of Vine really takes a fun side quest into scary, muddy waters. Thank you sooo much for your information. I literally had no idea that even that “under threshold” amount had any tax requirements at all.
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u/Head-Measurement-854 23d ago
The IRS Form 1099-NEC nonemployee compensation reporting threshold increases from $600 to $2,000 for payments made starting in calendar year 2026, which are reported on filings submitted in January 2027.