Clickbank and taxes

I can answer part of your question.

A 1099 is simply a statement of earnings. If you earn over $600 within a calender year they are obligated by law to report the earnings via the 1099 to the US IRS. They also send you a copy for your records. Uncle Sam really wants to know how much you're earning.

As to transferring or redesignating the EIN perhaps that question is answered on the IRS site.

Elmer

Ok, here is what the IRS has to say about an EIN.

“An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number, and is used to identify a business entity”

Now a business entity would be an LLC, Corporation, S Corporation, there are some others that I can’t think of right now also. A corporation is a separate entity from the owner as far as taxes and liability are concerned. When you do form an LLC you will need an EIN. You could also run your business as a Sole Proprietor in which you use you Social Security Number just as you would for your regular taxes; except you will need to fill out a 1040 Schedule C with your taxes to document your revenue and expenses.

Which to Choose?

A corporation helps protect your personal asset in the event your business goes bankrupt or get sued or something like that. Pros are the protection the con is the initial set can be very confusing without a lawyer to help set it all up, it is also expense.

A sole proprietor is easy to set up, I am not certain on all states but I also live in Florida and the only thing you would need is a DBA (Doing Business As), and you only need this if you want to open a checking account in your business name. This is good idea as it keeps your business money separate from your personal money, the IRS likes that. Now the con is that you are responsible for all the liability of your business personally.

Once you start making a good amount of money you are probably going to want to set up a corporation of some type.

As far as a 1099 is concerned there are NO taxes taken out, it just documents what click bank paid you. This is reported to the IRS from click bank so you will need to claim it and pay any taxes on your profit (revenue-expenses, 1099 would be revenue). You can deduct some of your house expenses with a home office expense.

You can do your taxes on your own if you are willing to do a lot of reading , the best way is to use Tax Cut, Turbo Tax or something like that as they make it a lot easier than trying to fill out all the forms your self. You could also hire an accountant.
I did my business taxes last year myself for the first time and made it through alright, no IRS audit

I hope this helps let me know if you have any questions,
Tommy

Great thread... I just want to add a couple of points that I think will help:

1. Sole proprietors are not required to have an EIN, but I think it's a good idea, especially with all of the identity theft that occurs these days. If you have an EIN, then you don't have to give out your SSN every time you join a new affiliate program, etc. You can apply for an EIN for free at the IRS website. Here's the direct link: Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) Online

2. A couple of people already mentioned this, but it's important enough to repeat: all of your income is taxable, regardless of whether you get a 1099 or not. You should receive a 1099 if you earn $600 or more from a company (such as eBay, ClickBank, or anyone that you provide a service for), but even if you don't receive a 1099, that doesn't mean you don't have to report the income. The good news is that you can deduct business expenses against your business income.

Finally, I second LB's advice to talk to an accountant. A good tax professional can save you hundreds or even thousands in taxes... a good tax professional is an investment, not an expense.

Yes, CB DOES send out 1099. I've gotten them for the past 2 years.

Just FYI, many programs do still report your earnings to the IRS whether you hit that number or not. It's best to report all earnings and not worry about it.

This definitely is an excellent thread and I wanted to keep the 1099 conversation going, but from the other direction.

With Jan 31st coming up (deadline to issue 1099's) especially...

If you outsource work to a ghostwriter or graphics designer for example and they earned over the $600 in the past year from you, then it is my understanding you should issue a 1099 to them, but that leads me to a couple of questions I hope someone can help with.

What about membership sites you might belong to where you source products for sale, like resell rights or plr? What if you belong to a membership (as opposed to a outsourced writer/designer) that creates site designs and writes sales copy for you? There are also other services such as hosting providers (among others) that are providing services to you every year and for some of those services you do end up paying more than $600.

Should we be issuing 1099's to all of the above sources?

I live in a small area and I've spoken with a couple of CPA's and I have learned real quick that not all CPA's are created equal or have a thorough understanding of how everything applies to our 'digital' world so I figured this would be a good place to ask.

Another question I have is, what about providers in foreign countries? Any other form we have to issue there (don't think there is, but hey, I am asking questions, so figured I'd throw it out there lol).

Thanks again for a great thread and thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Xavier