taxes?

[Katrien-V]

Do you have to pay taxes on the money you earn with completing surveys?

Usually it is not that much (for example 50 euro's a month).

Does anybody know about it?

I read in the policy of one survey site that if you earn more than 600 dollar a year, than you do have to pay taxes...

I live in Europe, anybody experience with it?

[Dantheman]

600 U.S. dollars a year yes

Europe... I dunno

[Box-in-Jack]

Strictly speaking I imagine you're correct Kim1963, but the nature of this business is so notoriously unreliable that it would seem very easy to slip through the net, so to speak, and get away without declaring such earnings, at least until one reaches a point at which payments could be said to be 'regular'.

So far I've earned such a small amount, and at such infrequent intervals, that I couldn't say myself how much I'd earned in total, much less how much it equates to in tax assessment terms.

Given the well-known unreliability of payment (not to mention such things as mid-survey ejections et al.), how realistic is it that a tax assessor could determine what one was paid for what work? Even I, in my short time doing surveys, have 'participated' and not been paid.

It seems to me that this game is akin to gold-mining; you can work all day and earn nothing one day and then 'work' 25 minutes for £5 the next! The tax man is surely only going to have evidence once Paypal has evidence, I think. Without a Paypal account it might be possible to pass off numerous small cheques as birthday gifts from friends!

[Jimmy56]

Obviously you should pay tax on all survey earnings. I do agree with other comments, it also depends on how much you make. If you only make a few extra dollars here and there, then you probably could get away with it. However if you make a regular monthly income similar to that of a part time job(which some people do) then you really must pay your taxes on it.

[caveman]

According to the IRS if you find a dollar on the street your supposed to report it as income. But then, who would know if you did or not? Since you didn't join these survey companies as an employee, providing a social security number and completing a W-4 for tax withholding, your income should be considered non-reportable. You can voluntarily report the income and pay taxes on it but you're not required to report it until you reach $600 in annual income and are considered an independent contractor and are provided a 1099 from the survey company. When they request your SS# in order to continue to receive money, you must report it for tax purposes. This is my personal opinion and you should always consult your tax professional for advice.

[Dantheman]

most secret shopping, survey, and gpt sites will stop you when you get close to 600$ with them and make you fill out a w-4

keep good books on the sites that make you fill out the w-4 before hand... I encountered one secret shopping site that is asking me for it, but I'm not really close only about half way there from getting reimbursed for oil changes.