The IRS signals an upcoming crackdown on Gig workers

In a sign that the Internal Revenue Service could get workers back, the agency received authorization from a federal court to collect information from JustAnswer LLC about any American taxpayers who received compensation through the platform.

California federal court judge Dolly Gee approved the agency’s request for what is known as a John Doe subpoena, which seeks information about a group of individuals the government has not identified by name. or other means. The call seeks information on people who received $5,000 or more to answer questions on the JustAnswer platform in each year from 2017 to 2020.

“The gig economy has grown in recent years and with it, the concern about tax compliance issues has increased,” said Deputy Attorney General David Hubbert in a Department of Justice statement. press release. “This John Doe subpoena shows that working with the IRS we will use all the tools available to us to ensure that, regardless of how much American taxpayers earn income, they properly report and pay their taxes. Those who choose to be in first line of the gig economy they have to be aware and respect all their fiscal obligations”.

JustAnswer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Accurate data on gig workers is difficult to come by due to the decentralized and varied nature of the work. Ma inquiry of workers have shown that many participants in the gig economy earn less than the minimum wage in the state where they work.

While the DOJ and IRS did not indicate they were seeking John Doe subpoenas for other platforms, the press release did name-check several other employment platforms, including Airbnb, Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Etsy .

In November, the IRS published again guide to gig work platforms ordering them to report information to the agency on taxpayers who earned more than $5,000 in 2024, more than $2,500 in 2025, and more than $600 in 2026 and beyond.

Previously, gig platforms only had to report information to the IRS for workers who earned more than $20,000 and completed at least 200 transactions. The new thresholds are designed to make it harder for gig workers to avoid paying taxes on their incomes.

“Like their fellow Americans who earn income through traditional means, American taxpayers who earn income from digital platforms and other platforms that make up the gig economy need to pay their fair share of taxes,” the commissioner said. of the IRS Danny Werfel in a statement. “The world is getting smaller for tax cheats, and we must work collaboratively with our partners to vigorously enforce the nation’s tax laws.”