Tax information for US drivers
Tax info for the 2020 tax year is currently available in the ‘Tax Information’ tab in your Dashboard.
This article will help you with filing your taxes as a Lyft driver.
If you need to update your tax info with Lyft, go to the ‘Payout Information’ tab in your Dashboard.
We’ll do our best to make it easy for you to file your taxes, but keep in mind that Lyft can’t give tax advice. If your question isn’t covered here, we recommend talking to a tax professional.
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Income verification
Drivers classify as independent contractors, and aren't employees of Lyft.
Lyft can’t verify employment, because drivers aren't employees of the company. Lyft also can't provide pay stubs or income verification.
If you need proof of your earnings, you can download your Annual Summary or weekly summaries in your Dashboard.
Annual Summary
Your Annual Summary has all your earnings info from last year.
You can download a PDF of your Annual Summary in the 'Tax Information' tab in your Dashboard.
Weekly summaries
If you need earnings info from previous weeks or months, you can use your weekly summaries.
You can download your weekly summaries in the 'Driving History' tab in your Dashboard.
Filing your taxes as a driver
Lyft can’t give tax advice, but we want to make it easy for you to file your taxes. You can import your tax info into TurboTax by clicking the free offer in your Dashboard.
Since drivers classify as independent contractors, you won’t get a W-2 from Lyft.
All drivers get an Annual Summary, as long as they have earnings in 2020. This has everything you should need from Lyft to file your taxes.
Some drivers also qualify to get a 1099 form from Lyft, depending on how much they earned that year. If you don’t have a 1099 form in your Dashboard, you can still use your Annual Summary to file your taxes.
Here’s what you’ll find in the ‘Tax Information’ tab in your Dashboard:
- Your Annual Summary
- Any 1099 forms you qualified for
- An offer for free TurboTax Self-Employed
To learn about what expenses you can deduct on your taxes, see these resources from our tax partners:
- Tax Tips for Lyft Drivers: Ridesharing Taxes from TurboTax
- Prepare for tax season with Everlance
Drivers in Hawaii may owe Gross Excise Tax (GET) on their gross income. For more info, see Hawaii Tax Information Release No. 2018-01.
Annual Summary
Your Annual Summary shows your earnings, expenses, total rides, and total online miles.
Here’s a breakdown of what’s in your Annual Summary:
Ride payments include the total amount that passengers paid for the rides you gave. This includes:
- Ride payments
- Tips
- Toll reimbursements
- Cancellation fees
- Lyft’s platform fees
- Third-party fees
Non-ride earnings include any earnings you made from bonuses, such as:
- Referral bonuses
- Streak bonuses
- Ride Challenges
- Earnings guarantees
- Personal Power Zones
- Manual bonuses
Expenses include all fees and tolls:
- Lyft’s platform fees
- Service fees
- Third-party fees
- Express Pay fees
- Express Drive rental fees
- Tolls
Your Annual Summary will also list wage garnishments, if you had any.
1099 forms
Some drivers qualify to get a 1099-K or 1099-NEC from Lyft.
If you don’t see a 1099 form in your Dashboard, you can use your Annual Summary to file your taxes.
1099 requirements
Here are the requirements to get a 1099 for the 2020 tax year:
1099-K: At least 200 rides and at least $20,000 in ride payments from passengers in the year.
- Vermont, Massachusetts, and Virginia: You’ll get a 1099-K as long as you earned at least $600 in ride payments.
- Illinois: You’ll get a 1099-K as long as you earned at least $1,000 in ride payments.
1099-NEC: At least $600 from activities other than driving in the year (like bonuses).
You may get both a 1099-K and a 1099-NEC, depending on your earnings for the year.
In previous years, drivers would receive a 1099-MISC instead of a 1099-NEC.
What’s on a 1099
1099-K: The dollar amount in Box 1 is the total amount that passengers paid for the rides you gave in 2020.
This amount is your ‘gross ride receipts.’ It includes Lyft’s platform fees, taxes, and toll reimbursements. This means it’ll be higher than what you actually received in your bank account.
The 1099-K doesn’t list your expenses (such as Lyft’s platform fees, third-party fees, and tolls). You can find this info in your Annual Summary.
1099-NEC: The dollar amount in Box 1 includes all your earnings that aren’t related to passenger payments.
This includes all bonus payments, such as referral bonuses or streak bonuses.
The 1099-NEC doesn’t list your earnings from ride payments or your expenses. You can find that info in your Annual Summary.
Learn more about using a 1099 form on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website:
Accessing your Dashboard
All drivers can access their tax info in the Dashboard, even if their account is deactivated.
If your account is deactivated, you may not be able to access your Dashboard using your app. Instead, you can log in here using a web browser
If you have a new phone number, you’ll need to update it to log in. You can update it here.
If you have any trouble updating your phone number, use the ‘Contact Us’ button at the bottom of this page. Be sure to include:
- Your old phone number
- Your new phone number
- A photo of your driver's license
Deleted accounts
If you’ve deleted your Lyft account, we can’t provide your tax info. You also won’t be able to claim our TurboTax offer for drivers.
Tax information for 2021 isn’t available in your Dashboard yet. We recommend waiting until it’s available so you can download it before deleting your account. Our support team can’t access your tax info once your account is deleted.
If you need a 1099 form that was issued by Lyft, you should contact the IRS or talk to a tax professional.
Free TurboTax Self-Employed
We’re partnering with TurboTax to give Lyft drivers free TurboTax Self-Employed. You can also get 50% off TurboTax Live Self-Employed, which connects you to a real tax expert for tax advice.
All drivers get the following perks:
TurboTax Self Employed ($130 value)
- Free federal filing until 4/15
TurboTax Live Self-Employed ($100 value)
- 50% off federal filing until 4/15
Platinum drivers with Lyft Rewards get a special offer that includes state filing. Open the menu of your Lyft Driver app and tap 'Lyft Rewards' to learn more.
As a heads up, you have to access TurboTax through your Dashboard to get the discount. If you go to TurboTax directly through their website, you won't get the discount. Lyft can't reimburse you for any charges from TurboTax.
B notices
You'll get a backup withholding notice (B notice) from the IRS if there's an issue with the name or Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) you gave Lyft in a previous year.
B notices are usually just due to a typo in the tax info you provided to Lyft. To fix this, follow the instructions on the B notice you got in the mail.
If we don’t get the requested info within 15 days of the notice being sent to you, the IRS requires us to withhold 24% of your earnings. This money will be sent to the IRS and applied toward your income tax obligation for next year.
You won’t be able to use Express Pay or Lyft Direct if there's a backup withholding on your account.
If you never got your B notice in the mail, use the ‘Contact Us’ button at the bottom of this page. For any questions about your B notice, we recommend talking to a tax professional.
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