The following is intended to help Blurb authors calculate their annual earnings, especially in relation to receiving a 1099 if based in the US.
Important 1099 payer info
Your 1099 will show the Payer name of Reischling Press Inc (RPI) since RPI owns the Blurb (and MagCloud) brand. So if you've received a 1099 from RPI it's for your Blurb or MagCloud author profits.
Who gets a 1099?
Blurb/RPI will only issue you a 1099 if you were paid $600 or more in the calendar year and checked one of the boxes indicating you're a US citizen, US resident, or US business owner. And if you're selling on both Blurb and MagCloud, using the same SSN or tax ID, we'll combine your earnings from both platforms to determine if you reached the $600 threshold.
When will your 1099 arrive?
We will send your 1099 via USPS First Class mail at the end of January, to the address listed on your taxpayer information page. (We do not offer digital copies of 1099s at this time). If you do not receive your 1099 in the mail by February 15th please contact us for an update. Note that it's your responsibility to keep your taxpayer address up to date.
Sales data
First, review your sales data by month and year using our monthly sales page. This page will show you all your earnings, and any related payments, for each month of the year, including where the payment was sent to. Figure 2 shows an example of monthly earnings.
Total earnings
You can calculate your total earnings for the year using your monthly sales figures. (See figure 2 below). Also see the information below regarding December payments.
December payments
December earnings are not paid out until January (or later) of the following year. This means you should count any December payments towards the following year's income. For example, earnings from December 2021 would be paid out in 2022 (if the minimum threshold is met) and then count towards 2022's total. See figure 3 for an example of December earnings.
When counting up your total payments you should also include the previous year's payments (if any). Example: count any payments shown under Dec 2020 as part of your 2021 total.
Figure 1: earnings by year (use with caution)
- The amounts shown in this section do not reflect any processing fees that were deducted. As a result, the payment received will be lower than the amount displayed.
- This yearly amount may also be different than what's seen on your 1099 because December earnings are carried over to the following tax year.
- We don't recommend using this yearly total if trying to get an exact payment amount for income tax purposes. Instead, review your earnings by month (figure 2) by clicking on the year in question.
Figure 2: earnings by month
Click on a year to see a monthly breakdown of all earnings and payments for that year.
- Earnings represents profits for completed sales in that month before any payment processing fees are deducted.
- Payment represents the amount Blurb paid the following month according to our payment schedule (assuming the minimum threshold is met), after processing fees are deducted.
- For example: this example author's $99.28 earnings for January would be paid in February, for a total payment of $94.28 (due to the $5 check processing fee).
- The December 2020 earnings below would not count towards the author's total 2020 earnings for tax purposes since that amount was paid in January of 2021.
- Likewise, the author's December 2019 earnings (figure 3) would apply towards their 2020 tax year earnings and be part of their 2020 1099 form (if one is issued).
Figure 3: December earnings
December earnings are not paid until the following year (or whenever you meet the minimum threshold).
- If you're totaling your annual payments for tax purposes, be sure to apply any December earnings towards the following year.
- For example, this author's December 2019 earnings would have been paid out in January of 2020, and therefore count towards their 2020 income/2020 1099.
- December 2020 earnings--paid in January of 2021--would likewise count towards their 2021 income.
Questions about your sales data? Contact our customer support team for assistance.