GUIDES · NOVEMBER 3, 2026

Does Whatnot send a 1099?

For tax year 2025, Whatnot says it issues Form 1099-K through Stripe when a US seller is over the federal line, or over a lower state line. The form is gross payments. It is not what you kept.

This is a reading of Whatnot’s help and of public IRS pages. It is not tax advice. Whatnot’s own US tax guide says the same thing and tells sellers to use a tax adviser for their return.

The 2025 line, and why 2024 felt different

Whatnot’s 2025 Form 1099-K article says US sellers who cashed out with a connected Stripe account, and who meet the threshold, receive a 1099-K from Whatnot via Stripe. Whatnot states the 2025 federal threshold as both of these:

• More than $20,000 in gross payments, and
• More than 200 transactions.

Whatnot says 2024 was different. The IRS had temporarily lowered the threshold to $5,000 for that year, so a seller could have received a 2024 form and not a 2025 form. The IRS describes the federal third-party threshold as over $20,000 and more than 200 transactions again. Whatnot also says you cannot opt out if you are over the line.

Some states use a lower threshold. Whatnot’s article, which notes that not every state had finalized 2025 rules, names Arkansas ($2,500), California ($600), the District of Columbia ($600), Illinois ($1,000 and 4 transactions), Maryland ($600), Massachusetts ($600), Montana ($600), New Jersey ($1,000), North Carolina ($600), Vermont ($600), and Virginia ($600). A state form in that case is reported to the state. Confirm the list against Whatnot’s article before you rely on a state being absent.

Seller Hub, then Stripe or PayPal

Whatnot says eligibility is on the Tax Documents tab. On the web: Seller Hub, Finances, Tax Documents. In the app: Seller Hub, Payouts, Tax Documents. The tab shows one of three states: eligible via Stripe, check PayPal if you cashed out only that way, or not eligible.

Whatnot said 2025 forms would be available through Stripe by January 31, 2026, electronically or by mail depending on the preference in Stripe. Seller statements for 2025 were described as going to all sellers, separate from the 1099-K. If you only used PayPal to cash out, Whatnot tells you to look there instead.

A missing form does not mean the sales are invisible

Whatnot and the IRS both say the reporting threshold is not the tax threshold. Sales can be taxable when no 1099-K arrives. The form reports gross payment amounts. It does not subtract Whatnot’s commission, processing, your cost, or a refund you already made.

Whatnot’s US tax guide, dated September 2026 and written as a general overview by an outside firm, walks through gross income, the difference between a business and a hobby, and records for the price you originally paid. Cost per item on a listing is one of those records. The fee calculator is the other half of a single order, an illustration of commission and processing, not a Schedule C.

If you did not give Whatnot a valid taxpayer identification number, Whatnot’s tax guide says backup withholding is generally 24%.

Sales tax is usually on the buyer’s total

The same US tax guide says many states require a marketplace to collect and remit sales tax for taxable sales on the platform. It points sellers to Whatnot’s list of states and territories, and it says marketplace rules are not identical. A seller can still have registration or filing work. This page will not tell you your rate.

Tax the buyer pays is not income you keep. It does sit inside the card total Whatnot uses for payment processing. That is why the fee calculator has a tax field, and why an 8% commission on the item is not 8% of the charge the buyer saw.

Questions sellers ask