1099-K Federal Tax Reporting

What is the 1099-K form and who qualifies?

Keen and LiveAdvice, as third-party settlement organizations, are required by Internal Revenue Code section 6050W to report total annual gross receipts collected on behalf of advisors on form 1099-K for those who meet the following threshold within a calendar year:

More than $20,000 in aggregate annual gross transactions (total amount collected from customers on behalf of advisors through Keen or Live Advice, unadjusted for any fees or commissions advisors may incur operating their personal advice businesses).

AND

More than 200 paid transactions.

Gross receipts are defined as the total dollar amount customers paid before any adjustments to the payment you receive (e.g before credits or platform fees/commissions are deducted). In accordance with IRC Section 6050W, the information reported on Form 1099-K may not reflect your net taxable income.

In order to qualify for IRS form 1099-K, advisors must have a U.S. issued Tax Identification Number (TIN): either a Social Security Number (SSN) or Employer Identification Number (EIN). Your TIN, Payable Name and Address must match the information that is registered with the IRS.

For advisors with multiple accounts on Keen, or LiveAdvice, the annual gross receipts of all accounts with the same TIN will be aggregated (i.e. all user accounts with earnings will be added together) and transactions will then be reported on one form 1099-K.

What information will be provided to the IRS on Form 1099-K?

The contents of the form 1099-K are mandated by the Internal Revenue Service. Total aggregated earnings by month, without regard to any adjustments for credits, platform fees, etc. and total transactions for the year are reported on the 1099-K. Only transactions from the calendar year previous (January - December) will be reported. The form will also include your TIN, name, address (as of 12/31), and Ingenio’s internal reference for your account(s). You can view Form 1099-K here.

Why do you report the amount stated in my gross receipts instead of the amount deposited into my bank account?

The information reported on the 1099-K is not intended to reflect your net taxable income. Gross receipts are the amount customers pay to you before credits or platform fees are deducted from your payment. Certain account activity that is deducted from your earnings may be deductible on your tax return against your reported gross receipts. Please consult with a tax professional to determine which activity on your account is deductible.

What about platform fees and other expenses incurred to run my business through Keenand LiveAdvice ?

Platform fees and other costs may be deductible on your tax return. Advisors should consult with a tax professional to determine whether these fees and other expenses may be deductible.

What is a TIN?

For U.S. taxpayers, a TIN is required by the IRS for the administration of the tax laws. In most cases, your TIN is either your Employer Identification Number (EIN) or your Social Security Number (SSN). User accounts with the same SSN or EIN will receive one 1099-K reflecting the aggregate amount of all gross receipts and payment transactions associated with that SSN or EIN, along with the name and address associated with that TIN in your account as of December 31st.

What if I don't have a TIN (SSN or EIN) on file?

All U.S. registered advisors providing services on Keenand LiveAdvice are required to provide a TIN (SSN or EIN) when requesting payment for services rendered. To enter this information, visit the Payout Information page.

How do I ensure my TIN information is accurate?

To view your TIN information, visit the Payout Information page , Once your information has been verified, our system does not allow for changes to be made to a TIN. If you wish to change your TIN, please contact Keen using the Support Form (note, do not submit your social security number or TIN via email).

What will happen if I don't provide my TIN?

Keen and LiveAdvice, as third-party settlement organizations, are required by law to report the total amount of annual gross receipts transactions collected from customers on behalf of advisors on form 1099-K. Therefore, we may suspend access to your account until your TIN is securely received and verified.

How will I know if my TIN information matches what the IRS has on file?

If your TIN information (SSN/EIN, name, address, etc.) does not match IRS records, Keen will contact you to get this information updated. If we are not able to get this information updated in a timely manner, your account may be suspended temporarily until this information has been provided.

Why would the information I provide not match the IRS?

We may not know exactly why your TIN information came back as invalid and/or did not match the IRS' records, but here are some things to consider:

If you are completing the TIN information as an individual, use the information that appears on your Social Security card.
If you are completing the information as a business, use the business name that appears when reporting taxes to the IRS.
Misspelling your name, not including your middle initial or middle name, or entering an incorrect TIN may cause the TIN not to match the IRS' records.

Will all advisors on Keen and LiveAdvice receive a Form 1099-K?

No, only advisors who have a U.S. issued TIN and are within the reporting threshold will receive a 1099-K form for the tax year.

Will I be able to verify what is being reported online via my Keen and LiveAdvice account?

Yes, you can see your transaction details by month and by year on the Annual Summary page.

Will any information about each individual transaction be given to the IRS?

No. Individual transaction-level details are not reported to the IRS on form 1099-K. The form 1099-K rules only show the total number of your payment transactions in the calendar year and your annual and monthly aggregate gross receipts.

Can Keen or LiveAdvice help me with my tax return?

No, we cannot provide any tax guidance or advice. Anything stated in these FAQ's or otherwise provided by Keen and LiveAdvice, verbally or in writing, should not be interpreted as tax advice. We recommend that you contact a professional tax advisor to help you understand the general reporting rules for form 1099-K and how to report your form 1099-K receipts on your tax return, as we cannot provide any tax guidance specific to your individual circumstances.

When can I expect to receive the Form 1099-K if my account is subject to the reporting rules?

If you qualify for a 1099-K form for the tax year, your form will be available before January 31st. Please keep an eye on your email for more information about how to access these forms when they become available.

What if my TIN or name is incorrect on my 1099-K?

Please contact Customer Support. Additional troubleshooting information will be provided along with the form 1099-K.

How can I find previous year 1099-K forms?

You can visit the Tax Documents page of the Keen website.

Where is my supplemental letter?

As of 2022, we will not be providing a supplemental letter now that advisors have access to the Annual Statement (available on the Yearly Summary page) as a downloadable PDF file.

Why did I receive an email from noreply@tax1099.com?

To ensure a secure, efficient, and streamlined process for delivering your tax documents, we have partnered with the company Tax1099 who is sending 1099K forms via email from noreply@tax1099.com and traditional mail as a physical document.

Helpful Resources

A presentation created by the Keen team.

See below for links to the IRS website that may be helpful when filing:

https://www.irs.gov/businesses/understanding-your-form-1099-k

https://www.irs.gov/payments/general-faqs-on-new-payment-card-reporting-requirements