sparkle-illustration

Missed Tax Day? File as soon as possible to limit penalties. Try our fast, hassle-free tax filing. It's just $50.

Missed Tax Day? Try our fast, hassle-free tax filing. It's just $50.

Learn more

Venmo Taxes: How to Tell Whether You Owe Money

Is Venmo taxed? That depends on whether you’re taking personal or business payments.

Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or click to take an action on their website. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.

Updated · 4 min read
Profile photo of Andy Rosen
Written by Andy Rosen
Lead Writer/Spokesperson
Profile photo of Pamela de la Fuente
Assigning Editor
Fact Checked

If you’re using Venmo to split a restaurant check or collect your roommate’s half of the rent, you probably don’t have to worry about the tax implications of those transactions. But if you are collecting payments for a business using the popular app, you may need to settle up with the IRS. 

The basic tax rules distinguishing business and personal income haven’t changed much, but there’s been some understandable confusion over Venmo payments in recent years. Here’s what’s going on:

If you receive more than $20,000 and have more than 200 transactions via Venmo or another payment app in 2023, the operator of the app is supposed to send a Form 1099-K to you and the IRS detailing the record of those transactions

.

To get a better handle on business income paid through Venmo and its competitors, the IRS had planned to require a 1099-K from anyone who received more than $600 in payments for goods and services in 2023. But in November 2023, the agency changed course and said it would delay the $600 reporting threshold for tax year 2023.

For tax year 2024, if you receive more than $5,000 in third-party payments, you'll get a 1099-K in 2025.

NerdWalletTaxes Logo

Simple tax filing with a $50 flat fee for every scenario

With NerdWallet Taxes powered by Column Tax, registered NerdWallet members pay one fee, regardless of your tax situation. Plus, you'll get free support from tax experts. Sign up for access today.

for a NerdWallet account

Checkmark symbol with the text 'Feedback Success', indicating successful completion or validation of feedback.

Transparent pricing

Hassle-free tax filing* is $50 for all tax situations — no hidden costs or fees.
Checkmark symbol with the text 'Feedback Success', indicating successful completion or validation of feedback.

Maximum refund guaranteed

Get every dollar you deserve* when you file with this tax product, powered by Column Tax.
Checkmark symbol with the text 'Feedback Success', indicating successful completion or validation of feedback.

Faster filing

File up to 2x faster than traditional options.* Get your refund, and get on with your life.

*guaranteed by Column Tax

Cartoon illustration of a person sitting at a desk with a laptop, calculator, and paperwork, surrounded by tax-related icons and graphics.

How is Venmo taxed?

If you’re receiving payments as part of your work, you’re supposed to report that income to the IRS and pay applicable taxes. This is true whether you’re being paid by card, check, a sock full of quarters or — yes, Venmo. 

That underlying concept has been true for years, but it is going to become easier for the IRS to track these payments. 

The change may create some new work for you, though, even if you’ve always been scrupulous in your bookkeeping.

» What do you owe? Check out NerdWallet’s tax calculator

Why does Venmo need my tax information?

Venmo collects tax information in order to prepare a Form 1099-K for people who are using the service to collect payments for goods and services. Among the required information is a Social Security number or tax identification number.

If you don’t provide the requested details, Venmo says it is required by law to do what’s called “backup withholding” on your behalf. Backup withholding is a way for the IRS to try to make sure it gets your tax dollars no matter what, by hanging onto a chunk of your income if you haven’t entered identifying information.

The amount of your payments that are subject to withholding can vary over time, but it is currently set at 24%

IRS. Backup Withholding. Accessed Mar 8, 2023.

The good news is that, in many cases, backup withholding is not an issue if you provide the proper tax information and you haven’t had recordkeeping issues with the IRS in the past. 

If you are subject to backup withholding, Venmo emphasizes that the platform isn’t hanging onto your money for its own benefit. 

“Venmo is not keeping your money,” the company says on its website. “Payments placed on tax hold are in your account, but they're unavailable to you until you provide your tax info or until the next [monthly] backup withholding date.” 

What does Venmo consider a taxable payment?

If you’re a business account on Venmo, then the platform considers all of your payments to be for business purposes. That means you’ll likely have to report that income on your taxes, and you’ll have to pay Venmo’s business fees. 

But if you have a personal account, not every bit of money that comes your way on Venmo is necessarily considered to be taxable income. If you haven’t noticed, there’s an option that allows payers to report that a transaction is for “goods and services.”

The “goods and services” designation can entitle both the buyer and the seller to purchase protection, and it also allows Venmo to help itself to the same fees it charges business and charity accounts: 1.9%, plus 10 cents. 

Where things could get complicated is if you occasionally accepted personal payments using a business account that was previously below the tax reporting threshold. Now, you’ll need to convince the IRS that the income reported on your forms from personal transactions isn’t related to your business. 

NerdWalletTaxes Logo

Simple tax filing with a $50 flat fee for every scenario

With NerdWallet Taxes powered by Column Tax, registered NerdWallet members pay one fee, regardless of your tax situation. Plus, you'll get free support from tax experts. Sign up for access today.

for a NerdWallet account

Cartoon illustration of a person sitting at a desk with a laptop, calculator, and paperwork, surrounded by tax-related icons and graphics.

How do you get tax information from Venmo?

While Venmo may send you forms in the mail, it’s pretty easy to get those forms through the app. Here’s what you do:

  • Open the Venmo app.

  • Tap the “settings” icon.

  • Open the tax documents option.

  • Pull up the year you’re looking at to see if there are any applicable documents. 

Will Venmo provide any other tax documents? 

Venmo may also send you tax documents if you buy and sell cryptocurrency on its app. Cryptocurrency taxes are generally calculated in the same way as other investments, such as stock: If you sell a crypto asset for more than you paid for it, you may have to pay capital gains taxes

» MORE: Learn about crypto tax software

If you sold cryptocurrency on Venmo in 2023, the service will send you a gains and losses statement for use in preparing your taxes.

Can I get out of Venmo taxes by switching services?

Venmo is not alone in having to comply with IRS requirements. Other popular payment services have similar programs in place.

There are some exceptions: Zelle says the IRS restrictions do not apply to its network, for instance. And CashApp sends tax forms only to people who have business accounts.

But remember: Even if a third party such as an app is not reporting your income to the IRS, you’re still supposed to account for it when you file your taxes. 

Get more smart money moves – straight to your inbox
Sign up and we’ll send you Nerdy articles about the money topics that matter most to you along with other ways to help you get more from your money.