Help: Self Employ. Tax on Race Purses

[Julie Jordan]

John ~ As we discussed on the phone, just because the 1099 was issued in error does not mean it changes the composition of the income to your son. Race winnings should be reported in box 3 of the 1099 (prizes & awards), rather than box 7 (non-employee compensation, which would be for services rendered). An entry in box 3 means the income is not subject to SE tax. An entry in box 7 leads the IRS to believe the income is SE income.

When a racer gets their 1099's at year-end they should review them. If they are issued incorrectly, they should contact the payor and request a corrected one (I know, good luck in getting that done, right? But stranger things have happened!)

When doing your returns, report the income on Form 1040, line 21. Report it as "hobby winnings", "prizes and awards", etc., anything that will indicate to IRS that the 1099 is not for services rendered.