Do affiliates get a 1099? How creator taxes work

The short answer

Yes. If your affiliate earnings clear the IRS reporting threshold for the year, you get a 1099-NEC. On Harmonia, Stripe issues it for you automatically at year-end. There is no W-9 to chase, nothing to file with us to receive it, and no point where your Social Security number or bank details reach Harmonia or the brand.

The rest of this article is the detail behind that answer: what the form is, when it shows up, how the number on it is built, and where Stripe sits in the middle of all of it.

What a 1099-NEC is

A 1099-NEC is the IRS form that reports nonemployee compensation: money you earned as an independent contractor rather than as a W-2 employee. Affiliate commission is nonemployee compensation, so it lands on a 1099-NEC, not a W-2.

The form does two things:

• Reports your earnings to the IRS. The payer files a copy with the IRS so the income is on record.
• Gives you the number to report. You get a copy showing the total paid to you for the year, which you use when you file.

A 1099-NEC is a record of what you were paid. It is not a bill, and it does not mean tax was withheld. As an independent contractor, you handle your own taxes on that income.

The IRS threshold that triggers it

There is a dollar threshold. Below it, a payer is not required to issue a 1099-NEC for the year. At or above it, the form is issued. The threshold is set by the IRS and can change between tax years, so confirm the current figure with a tax professional or at irs.gov rather than assuming last year's number.

Two things to keep in mind:

• You may owe tax on income even if no 1099-NEC is issued. Not receiving the form does not mean the income is untaxed. The threshold governs the paperwork, not whether the income counts.
• The threshold is per payer, per year. It looks at the total you were paid through Stripe over the year, not any single payout.

How Harmonia issues it: automatic, through Stripe

You earn commission across the year as the sales you drive get attributed and paid out. Payouts run through Stripe Connect Express, the same rail that moves your money. Because Stripe is already the payer of record for those payouts, Stripe is also the party that issues your 1099-NEC.

What that means in practice:

• No manual paperwork from Harmonia. We do not mail you a form or ask you to chase a W-9. If you clear the threshold, Stripe generates and delivers the 1099-NEC at year-end.
• The form reflects what you were paid. It totals the commission Stripe paid you across the year, not what you accrued or what is still pending.
• You get notified by Stripe. Stripe handles delivery of your copy, so keep the email and tax details on your Stripe account current.

For the step-by-step on what you do and what Stripe does, see the athlete taxes guide.

Stripe-hosted KYC: your SSN and bank details stay with Stripe

Before your first payout, you complete identity verification, called KYC ("know your customer"), inside a Stripe-hosted flow. You enter your details directly with Stripe. Harmonia never sees them.

This is the same reason the 1099-NEC can be automatic: Stripe already holds your verified tax identity from KYC, so it has everything it needs to generate the form without asking you for it again at year-end. One verification, done once, covers both payouts and tax reporting.

Walk through what verification asks for and why in the verification guide.

How the number on your 1099-NEC ties back to your commissions

The figure on your 1099-NEC is the total commission Stripe paid you across the year. To see how it gets there, follow one sale through the model.

You earn the commission the brand sets, in full. The 20% platform fee is billed to the brand, so it is never taken out of your payout. If a brand sets a $50 commission, you receive the full $50, and that full $50 is what counts toward your 1099-NEC.

$50commission paid to you $50counted on your 1099-NEC

Here is how that single $50 sale flows:

A few consequences worth stating plainly:

• Only paid commission counts. Commission you earned but that has not been paid by December 31, because the brand's invoice has not cleared yet, lands on the following year's form, in the year it is paid.
• The 20% platform fee never appears. It is the brand's cost, on top of your commission. It is not part of your earnings, so it is not on your 1099-NEC.
• Refunds are already netted out. If a sale is refunded inside the refund window, the commission is reversed proportionally before it is paid, so it never reaches your 1099-NEC in the first place.

For the full picture of how money moves from a click to your bank account, read how athletes get paid, which covers payout timing, the $25 floor, and the December 15 year-end force-pay.

FAQ

Will I get a 1099 from Harmonia or from Stripe?

From Stripe. Payouts run through Stripe Connect Express, so Stripe is the payer of record and the party that issues your 1099-NEC. Harmonia does not mail you a separate form or ask you to file anything to receive it. If you clear the IRS threshold for the year, Stripe generates and delivers the form automatically at year-end.

What's the earnings threshold for receiving a 1099-NEC?

The IRS sets a dollar threshold for the year. At or above it, a 1099-NEC is issued; below it, the payer is not required to issue one. The threshold can change between tax years, so confirm the current figure with a tax professional or at irs.gov. Note that you may still owe tax on income even when no form is issued, and the threshold looks at your total paid through Stripe for the year, not any single payout.

Does anyone at Harmonia see my Social Security number?

No. You enter your Social Security number and bank details directly into Stripe's hosted KYC flow. They stay with Stripe. Harmonia never sees or stores them, and the brand never sees them. We see only that your account is verified and ready for payout. See the verification guide for what the flow asks for and why.