Who issues 1099s in the Skool ecosystem
Two parties move money in a paid Skool community:
- Members → Owner: through the owner's Stripe account. Stripe is the merchant of record. Stripe issues the 1099-K if the owner crosses thresholds.
- Owner → Skool: $99/month platform fee. This is a business expense for the owner, not income. Skool does not issue a 1099 for fees you paid them.
There is no Skool-issued 1099. If you receive an email claiming to be a Skool 1099, it is either Stripe (you misread the sender) or a phishing attempt — verify before opening attachments.
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Stripe 1099-K basics for Skool owners
If you accept member payments through Stripe (which is how Skool's billing works), Stripe handles the 1099-K paperwork. Key facts:
- The IRS 1099-K threshold has been changing across years. As of recent updates, the federal threshold is being lowered toward $600 in gross payments per year, but rollout has been phased. Always check the current IRS guidance for the year you are filing.
- State thresholds may be lower than federal. Massachusetts, Vermont, Virginia, Maryland, and a few others have had $600 thresholds for years.
- Stripe sends the 1099-K to the IRS and to you, typically by January 31 for the prior tax year.
- The amount on the 1099-K is gross — total payments received, before any fees, refunds, or chargebacks.
The 1099-K reports gross income. Your actual taxable income is gross minus business expenses (Skool's $99/mo, Stripe fees, tools, etc.).
Deductible expenses for a Skool community owner
Common deductible expenses (consult your tax pro for specifics):
- Skool platform fee: $99/month × 12 = $1,188/year per community.
- Stripe fees: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction (already netted out of payouts; track via Stripe's reports).
- tools4skool: $29–$149/month if you use it.
- Email tool: ConvertKit, Beehiiv, Mailchimp.
- Video hosting: Vimeo, Wistia.
- Live call tool: Zoom Pro and similar.
- Software: Loom, Notion, Slack, Zapier.
- VA / community manager labor.
- Ad spend: Meta, Google, YouTube ads driving signups.
- Home office percentage if you qualify.
Keep clean records. Stripe gives you a detailed report; aggregate the rest in a simple spreadsheet or a tool like Wave or QuickBooks.
International Skool owners
If you are based outside the US:
- Stripe issues country-specific tax documents. UK, Canada, Australia, EU, India each have different forms.
- The 1099-K is a US-only form. International owners get an equivalent (e.g., UK self-assessment summary, Canadian T4A-equivalent).
- VAT/GST: depending on your jurisdiction, you may need to charge VAT on member payments. Stripe Tax can handle this if enabled.
- Skool's $99/mo fee may include reverse-charge VAT for EU owners — check your invoice.
Non-US tax is local-specific and often includes consumer-side rules (you charge VAT to your members, then remit). Get a local accountant who has worked with creators on platforms like Patreon or Substack — the model is similar.
What to do at tax time
Workflow for US owners:
- January: download Stripe's 1099-K and detailed payment report.
- Pull Skool's billing invoices from your account → Settings → Billing.
- Aggregate other expenses (tools, ads, VA labor) into a spreadsheet.
- Hand all of the above to your tax preparer or import into your own filing software.
- File. Pay estimated quarterly taxes if you are self-employed.
For non-US: similar workflow with local forms. If you are running a paid Skool community generating real income, hire an accountant in your jurisdiction. The cost is a deductible business expense.
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