received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada

Just got a email '' information regarding your tax form 1099-k ''  never received this form before , is this just if you sell on ebay.com , if you sold at least $20,000 in gross merchandise and exceeded 200 transactions for goods and services  you will receive this form , but I did not ( not even close )  so will i still get a form even if in live in Canada not the U.S.

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Re: received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada


@cumos55 wrote:

If a Canadian  seller gets an official 1099-k,  that seller must contact the US IRS  and provide information as to where that seller lives  and pays taxes....

 

Canada.....  Canada... Canada.

 

 


No you don't, unless you are a US Citizen living in Canada or a Canadian citizen who is a permanent resident of the USA.

 

 



"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.
Message 21 of 45
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Re: received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada

By the way, the title of this thread is misleading, no tax forms were sent out, just a generic notice that one could be sent out.

 

I've exceeded the limits many times in the years since this requirement has been in place (it was part of the Affordable Care Act legislation in 2010), I have never received a 1099. On the other hand I earn a couple of Dollars in interest on my US based bank account and I get a 1099 for that which shows the amount and the withholding tax (usually just pennies). I can use this amount of withheld taxes as a credit on my Canadian Tax return because the US and Canada have a tax treaty which allows that.

 

Same applies to a brokerage account I have in the US but since the withholding on that is much more substantial I submit a WBEN-8 to the broker which exempts me from the US reporting process. That form needs to be provided annually so I do it for the brokerage account but don't bother for the back account because the amount is tiny.

 

Another problem with the thread title is the "live in Canada" part because the US requires ALL US citizens to file a US tax return even those who do not live in the US, are dual citizens and never plan to return to the USA.

 

My SIL is a dual citizen born in Canada, hasn't been a resident of the USA for 20 years but still has to file a US tax return until such time as she revokes her US citizenship.

 

 



"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.
Message 22 of 45
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Re: received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada

Re: received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada


@recped wrote:

@cumos55 wrote:

This email about the 1099-k form was received in eBay messages..  One must conclude that it came from eBay.   Is that correct???

 

The form comes from Paypal....  Therefore it must be concluded that the total  of $20,000 includes postage..... and if this is a US form it must be in US dollars

 

For Canadians the total for $20,000 is sales only, in Canadian dollars, and is forwarded to the Canada Revenue Agency.  Is that correct???

 

 

Also... When I log into my Paypal account the address is shown as.....

 

https://www.paypal.com/ca/signin

 


Not correct, neither eBay nor PayPal report anything to CRA unless requested for informatuion on a specific seller. About 15 years ago CRA demanded a list of sales by seller (Powersellers only) from eBay, after several years of negotiations eBay handed over a list for 2009 but I don't think they ever reported after that. Those reports were not in the form of a regular T4/T5 slip, just a list which it was speculated was to be used by CRA to audit sellers who had eBay sales revenue but did not declare any business income on their tax returns.

 

It's unknown what CRA did with the list but in all the years I've been on the boards I don't recall ever hearing about any audits as a result. Of course not many people are going to reveal that they have been audited as a result of the list eBay submitted (if they even knew that was the reason).

 


Just as a note I do know someone, another seller who lives in my area, who was audited because of that stuff sent to the CRA.....

Message 24 of 45
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Re: received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada

@rainbow*rob 

 

From the PayPal Help Page

 

https://www.paypal.com/ca/smarthelp/article/how-does-paypal-report-my-sales-to-the-irs-will-i-receiv...

 

How does PayPal report my sales to the IRS? Will I receive a tax Form 1099-K?

 

 

PayPal will track the payment volume of your account(s) to check whether your payment volume exceeds both of these levels in a calendar year:

  • $20,000 USD in gross payment volume from sales of goods or services in a single calendar year
  • 200 payments for goods or services in the same year*

You may be asked to provide your tax identification number (TIN), such as a Social Security Number (SSN) or Employer Identification Number (EIN), to your existing account(s), if you don’t already have one on file. If your TIN fails verification, you will need to fill out an equivalent tax Form W-9.

If you cross the IRS thresholds in a given calendar year, PayPal will send Form 1099-K to you and the IRS for that year early in the following year.

You can access your 1099-K from your PayPal account by January 31st annually. Only those customers that meet the 1099-K eligibility requirements will see the 1099-K available for download in their account.

If there are any discrepancies between what is reported by the IRS for your tax identification number and name and what PayPal has on file and used for Form 1099-K, you may receive an IRS B-Notice.

You can find more information and FAQs by visiting the PayPal tax website.

*Except in Vermont and Massachusetts where the threshold is lower irrespective of the number of transactions.

 

https://www.paypal.com/ca/smarthelp/article/common-us-irs-tax-questions-1099k,-b-notice,-and-fatca-f...

Message 25 of 45
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Re: received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada

Has anyone reached out to ebay / paypal for an explanation on this or what Canadian ebayers are expected to do (or not)? I deal with CRA, does that mean we have to start filing tax forms with the IRS now (Canadians who are not US citizens / residents)?
Message 26 of 45
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Re: received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada


@selling2u_buying4me wrote:
Has anyone reached out to ebay / paypal for an explanation on this or what Canadian ebayers are expected to do (or not)? I deal with CRA, does that mean we have to start filing tax forms with the IRS now (Canadians who are not US citizens / residents)?

Neither eBay nor PayPal are going to give tax advice to sellers.

 

Bottom line, if you are a Canadian citizen that permanently resides in Canada and does not operate a business with a nexus in the USA you can totally ignore any 1099K.

 

 



"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.
Message 27 of 45
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Re: received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada

Just checked my Dashboard.

 

My sales to Canadian buyers  and to US buyers are presented in US dollars.

 

When I first sold on eBay  I sold in US dollars on eBay.com.

 

Then I moved  to eBay Canada  and continued to sell in US dollars.

 

Today I sell on eBay Canada in Canadian dollars...

 

But my record of annual and total sales over many years on eBay  is presented in US dollars, as indicated in my Dashboard.

 

Maybe that is why we as Canadian sellers receive an indication that we might be or will be getting a Form 1099-k.

 

 

Message 28 of 45
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Re: received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada


@cumos55 wrote:

Just checked my Dashboard.

 

My sales to Canadian buyers  and to US buyers are presented in US dollars.

 

When I first sold on eBay  I sold in US dollars on eBay.com.

 

Then I moved  to eBay Canada  and continued to sell in US dollars.

 

Today I sell on eBay Canada in Canadian dollars...

 

But my record of annual and total sales over many years on eBay  is presented in US dollars, as indicated in my Dashboard.

 

Maybe that is why we as Canadian sellers receive an indication that we might be or will be getting a Form 1099-k.

 

 


All irrelevant, selling currency has nothing to do with anything. Listing directly to eBay.com might trigger the generic message from eBay but it would not trigger PayPal to send a 1099 because those are only sent to those who hold a US PayPal account which no Canadians are supposed to have.

 

 

 

 



"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.
Message 29 of 45
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Re: received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada

What If???

 

Here is a link to information about the 1099-k form.

 

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

 

The following is a part of that information.  Do not ignore the 1099-k form if it has been received.….Respond to the US IRS

 

The following is included on the page of information -------

 

"If the Form 1099-K does not belong to you, contact the Payment Settlement Entity (PSE) listed on the Form 1099-K to try determine why you received the document.  The name and telephone number should be shown in the lower-left part on the form.  If a PSE name and number are not shown, contact the Filer at the number shown in the upper-left corner on the form.  Retain any correspondence with the PSE ."

 

We sell as Canadian sellers on eBay.  There is always a possibility that someone uses our basic information to have a business in the US  and sell only to US Buyers. 

 

That someone can sell from January to December of a year and then disappear.... all under your name and your Canadian address as the primary location of a business located in the US and selling in US dollars only to US buyers....  and with a US Paypal account

 

It is most amazing what can be found on the internet… about anyone… and everyone.

 

Message 30 of 45
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Re: received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada

And as expected the correction notice email has been sent. 

Message 31 of 45
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Re: received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada

Just received this message from eBay.

 

Dear triber,

On Thursday, December 19th, we inadvertently sent you an incorrect message. The subject line read, “Information regarding your tax Form 1099-K.” The message was intended for US-based sellers only. Please disregard the message.

Message 32 of 45
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Re: received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada

Dear brettjet38,

On Thursday, December 19th, we inadvertently sent you an incorrect message. The subject line read, “Information regarding your tax Form 1099-K.” The message was intended for US-based sellers only. Please disregard the message.

We sincerely apologize for the error and any concerns you may have had.

As always, thank you for selling on eBay.

Sincerely,
The eBay Seller Team

 

As I said originally in my original post on here just another eBay gremlin

 

"@richardcm @recped @electronicifycanada @triber @rainbow*rob 

 

I also received this directly from eBay, here on the site in my messages. I suspect it was not supposed to be sent to Canadian registered members...

 

But, it is Legit from eBay.

 

I also received it in my emails this morning, but only got in in my eBay messages an hour or two ago, just more eBay ..."

 

Message 33 of 45
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Re: received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada

Let us call it...

 

A Wake Up Call.

 

We have learned something!

Message 34 of 45
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Re: received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada

Another interesting reply from eBay today.

 

Thanks for forwarding the suspicious email you received.

The email is a spoof, also known as a "phishing," email. (That's phishing, as in "fishing" for personal information.) It didn't come from eBay. Our Trust & Safety team is working to disable any websites it links to.

Copies of any emails we send you about the status of your account or a change in your account information will be displayed in My Messages. This is especially helpful since many spoof emails try to convince you that your account is in jeopardy.

-- Important --
*Never* respond to a suspicious email or click any links in the email message. If you think you may have given out personal information in a spoof email or website, you need to take steps to protect your identity right away.

Message 35 of 45
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Re: received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada

The information about the 1099-k form came through eBay messages....  It was eBay's mistake.

 

If you get a suspicious email through your email system....  check on eBay messages to confirm it came from eBay.

 

In today's internet world... there will always be someone looking for information about your eBay account...

 

eBay will ONLY communicate through eBay messages.   A copy of this eBay message will show on your email system.  

 

Always be careful if a message, that looks like an  eBay  message, only shows on your email system and NOT on eBay Messages

Message 36 of 45
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Re: received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada

@cumos55 

 

This is where it would be most helpful if eBay messages were synced in some sort of close to real time. Listing offers, mail from buyers or sellers, eBay eBucks etc can appear entirely at random in assorted forms with 0 percent consistency in both(eBay & personal) mail.  Often these special offers arrive just as they about to expire as official eBay mail. This has been an ongoing problem for ages which seems to be getting worse not better. Basically darned if you do or darned if you don't. It appears in this 1099-K situation there was a bit of a gap (4 days?) before there was acknowledgment of it being an error. This does not do anything to improve confidence in eBay's mail delivery system and safety practices.

 

-Lotz 

Message 37 of 45
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Re: received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada

You are correct cumos55, I should have checked my eBay account messages. Obviously someone who had read that I had sent a spoof email to eBay somehow used that to send me this email. I hadn't clicked on any links, I don't do that thankfully, thanks for your advice, I need to be more careful in checking the source of supposed eBay messages.

Message 38 of 45
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Re: received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada

More than likely it was ebay who replied and it wouldn't be the first time that the department that replied said an email was a spoof even though the  the email in question had been sent by ebay.  The left hand often doesn't know what the right hand is doing...

Message 39 of 45
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Re: received tax form 1099-k from ebay , but live in Canada


@pjcdn2005 wrote:

More than likely it was ebay who replied and it wouldn't be the first time that the department that replied said an email was a spoof even though the  the email in question had been sent by ebay.  The left hand often doesn't know what the right hand is doing...


No, it wasn't from eBay, I found it was not in my eBay messages. Someone who knew I had sent a spoof message to eBay probably sent it.

Message 40 of 45
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