1099s & Tax Reporting for Artist Payouts | Payments & Payouts | Crafted Call
1099s & Tax Reporting for Artist Payouts
Gallery OwnersUpdated Jun 13, 2026
When your gallery pays artists for their work, those payments may create a tax-reporting obligation. Crafted Call helps you see which artists are approaching reporting thresholds, collect the tax details you'll need, and generate forms — but you and your accountant decide what actually gets filed. This guide explains what the platform tracks, the difference between the forms involved, and how to find it all.
Important: This article is general information, not tax advice. Tax rules vary by country, state, entity type, and how you pay your artists, and they change. Always confirm your filing obligations with a qualified tax professional or accountant before issuing forms or relying on any threshold described here.
What Crafted Call Tracks
For a given tax year, Crafted Call can show you, per artist:
Total reportable earnings paid through the platform for that year
Whether the artist's total meets the reporting threshold you've set (the IRS default in the app is $600)
Whether the artist has a W-9 (tax form) on file
Whether the artist has a tax ID on file (SSN or EIN)
The status of any 1099 already generated for that artist
This gives you a single view of who you may need to report on, who still owes you a W-9, and who's ready to receive a form. It's a starting point for your filing work, not a substitute for your accountant's review.
Who's Responsible for Issuing a 1099?
In the United States, the business that paid a contractor is generally the party responsible for reporting those payments. So if your gallery pays artists directly — by check, ACH, wire, or a Stripe payout you initiate — your organization is typically the one that needs to consider issuing a 1099 to artists who cross the threshold.
A few general points worth confirming with a professional:
The common threshold for the 1099-NEC (non-employee compensation) is $600 in a calendar year, but thresholds and the right form depend on the kind of payment and current rules.
Forms generally go to the artist and to the tax authority.
You'll need each artist's legal name, address, and tax ID (collected on a W-9) before you can issue a correct form.
Note: Crafted Call requires your organization's own tax ID (EIN) to be on file before it can generate 1099 forms — the form needs a payer ID. Add it in your finance/tax settings first.
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Stripe Connect 1099-K vs. a Gallery-Issued 1099-NEC
It's easy to confuse two different forms, so here's the distinction:
1099-K (from Stripe/the payment processor): When artist payments flow through a Stripe Connect connected account, Stripe may issue a 1099-K directly to the recipient reporting the gross amount processed. This is the processor's reporting, based on payment-card and third-party-network activity, and it happens outside of anything you generate.
1099-NEC (from your gallery): When your organization pays an artist for services or sales as a non-employee, you may be responsible for a 1099-NEC reporting that compensation.
The two can both exist for the same artist, and they cover different things. Because double-counting and overlap rules are genuinely tricky, this is exactly the kind of question to take to your accountant — especially if some artists are paid through Stripe Connect and others by check.
Tip: Know how each artist is paid before tax season. The reporting form often follows the payment rail (processor vs. direct gallery payment).
Collecting Artist Tax Details
To produce accurate forms, you need a completed W-9 (or local equivalent) and a tax ID for each artist who'll cross the threshold. In Crafted Call you can:
See which artists are missing a W-9 or tax ID in the 1099 view for the tax year.
Send reminders to artists who still need to submit their tax form.
Track who has returned their details as they come in.
Collect this early — chasing tax IDs in January is far harder than asking when an artist first sells work.
Important: Tax IDs are sensitive. Crafted Call stores them encrypted. Never ask artists to send an SSN or EIN through chat, public comments, or unsecured email — use the platform's collection flow.
Where to Check 1099 Status in the App
The 1099 and tax tools live in your organization's financial / tax area. There you can:
Select a tax year and a form type (1099-NEC, 1099-MISC, or 1099-K).
Review per-artist earnings against the threshold, W-9 status, and tax-ID status.
Generate forms for eligible artists and download them (individually or as a batch).
Send W-9 reminders to artists who are missing details.
Note: The 1099 generation and advanced export tools are part of the platform's finance features and may depend on your plan. If you don't see them, check your plan's finance capabilities or contact support.
Best Practices
Set your threshold deliberately. The app defaults to $600, but confirm the right figure and form for your situation with your accountant.
Reconcile before you generate. Make sure your payout records for the year are complete and accurate first — the earnings totals are only as good as the records behind them.
Collect W-9s up front. Ask for tax details when an artist first earns, not at filing time.
Keep your own copies. Download and archive every form you issue.
Don't rely on the platform alone. Treat Crafted Call's tracking as a working view, and have a professional review before you file.
FAQs
Does Crafted Call file my 1099s with the IRS for me?
No. It helps you see who's reportable, collect details, and generate forms. Filing is yours (and your accountant's) to complete.
An artist was paid through Stripe — do I still owe them a 1099-NEC?
Maybe, maybe not — it depends on the payment type and whether a 1099-K already covers it. This is a question for your tax professional.
The earnings total looks wrong.
It's built from your recorded payouts and sales for that tax year. Reconcile your payout records first; if a payment is missing, the total will be off.
