Understanding Your 1099
If you earn $600 or more hosting on Carvia in a calendar year, you'll get a tax form for it — here's what's reportable, what isn't, and what's still being finalized.
The $600 threshold
Once your total trip earnings on Carvia hit $600 or more in a calendar year, Carvia issues you a tax form reporting that income to you and to the IRS. That's the general rule guests of any US-based marketplace should expect, and it's the one Carvia is building toward.
Which form — still being finalized
`[PENDING: confirm 1099-K vs. 1099-NEC and state-specific thresholds]` — Carvia hasn't finalized whether hosts will receive a 1099-K or a 1099-NEC, and some states set their own reporting thresholds below the federal $600 mark. We're telling you this plainly rather than picking one and hoping it's right: once volume and state requirements are confirmed, this page will specify the exact form and any state-by-state threshold differences, and we'll notify hosts directly when tax documents are available for the year. Either way, the underlying concept is the same — your reportable trip earnings for the year get reported to you on a tax form, and you'll use it (along with your own records) to file.
What counts as reportable earnings
Your trip earnings — the host-share portion of what guests pay for renting your car, based on your earnings plan (75% / 85% / 93% depending on Max Protection, Balanced, or Max Earnings) — are what gets reported as income.
What doesn't count: reimbursements are pass-through
Tolls, citations, and agreed refueling charges billed to a guest and passed through to you are NOT included in your reportable earnings. These are pass-through funds — a guest incurred a cost during their trip, Carvia bills it to them, and you're reimbursed at 100%. Because you're not being paid for a service, they're not income, and they won't show up in the gross-earnings figure on your tax form. See Toll and Ticket Reimbursement for how these work.
This distinction matters when you're reconciling your own records: your in-app earnings ledger separates trip earnings from reimbursements for exactly this reason. When tax season comes, use the trip-earnings total, not your full ledger balance.
Carvia doesn't provide tax advice
Carvia isn't a substitute for a tax professional, and we don't give personalized tax advice. A few things worth raising with your own accountant or tax preparer:
- State and local rental/sales tax — some states apply rental or sales tax obligations to peer-to-peer car-sharing income, separate from federal income tax. Whether this applies to you depends on your state and how you're set up as a host.
- Deductible expenses — mileage, maintenance, depreciation, and other hosting-related costs may be deductible, but the specifics depend on your situation.
- Business structure — if hosting becomes a significant part of your income, a tax professional can advise on whether a different business structure makes sense for you.
Consult a tax professional, especially one familiar with peer-to-peer or gig-platform income, before filing.
Where to find your numbers
Your in-app earnings dashboard shows year-to-date trip earnings and reimbursements separately at any time — you don't need to wait for your tax form to see where you stand. See Getting Paid: Payout Schedule for how your running ledger works.