Platform tax guide
If you take assignments through WorkMarket, your pay lands on Form 1099-NEC — not the 1099-K that Field Nation uses. This guide covers how WorkMarket reports, why there is no worker-side fee, the reporting threshold changes for 2025 and 2026, and how to reconcile your earnings report before you file. It is federal planning education, not tax advice.
Federal figures reviewed as of 2026-07-15 — planning estimates only, not tax advice.
WorkMarket reports contractor earnings on Form 1099-NEC (Nonemployee Compensation). That is different from Field Nation, which reports on Form 1099-K. Box 1 of your WorkMarket 1099-NEC shows the total nonemployee compensation paid to you during the year.
No. On WorkMarket the platform fee is charged to the client (the buyer) rather than deducted from the technician, so the amount you agree to on an assignment is generally the amount you are paid. Because there is no worker-side fee, your 1099-NEC Box 1 typically matches your net earnings — unlike a Field Nation 1099-K, which reports gross including its provider fee.
The 1099-NEC reporting threshold is $600 per payer for tax year 2025 and rises to $2,000 per payer for tax year 2026 under the OBBBA. Important: the threshold only controls when the form is issued. All of your WorkMarket income is taxable and reportable on Schedule C even if you earn under the threshold and receive no 1099-NEC.
WorkMarket issues technicians a Form 1099-NEC (Nonemployee Compensation). Box 1 shows the total nonemployee compensation paid to you during the calendar year. This is the same form a direct client would send you for contract work, and it flows onto your Schedule C as a 1099 field technician.
This is a meaningful difference from Field Nation, which reports on Form 1099-K. A 1099-K is a payment-settlement form that reports gross volume, and Field Nation's gross includes its 10% provider fee. A 1099-NEC reports compensation paid to you as a contractor. Knowing which form each platform uses tells you what number to expect and how to reconcile it.
On WorkMarket the platform fee is charged to the client (the buyer posting the work), not deducted from the technician. In practice that means the assignment amount you agree to is generally the amount you are paid, and your 1099-NEC Box 1 typically lines up with your net earnings.
Contrast that with Field Nation, where a 10% provider fee comes out of your side and the 1099-K still reports the gross. So a Field Nation 1099-K number is usually higher than what actually hit your account, while a WorkMarket 1099-NEC is usually a close match. Either way, you report your actual business income and deduct legitimate business expenses on Schedule C.
Form 1099-NEC. No worker-side fee — the platform fee is billed to the client. Box 1 generally matches your net pay.
Form 1099-K. A 10% provider fee comes out of your pay, but the form reports gross including that fee.
Usually a 1099-NEC (if they paid you $600+ in 2025 or $2,000+ in 2026), or no form at all — the income is still taxable.
A payer must issue a 1099-NEC once it pays a contractor $600 or more for tax year 2025. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), that threshold rises to $2,000 per payer for tax year 2026.
Read that carefully: the threshold only decides when a form is issued. It does not make income below the threshold tax-free. If you earn $1,500 on WorkMarket in 2026, you may not receive a 1099-NEC (since it's under $2,000), but every dollar is still taxable and reportable on your Schedule C. Keep your own records regardless of what forms show up.
Before you rely on the 1099-NEC number, reconcile it against your own earnings report so nothing is missed or double-counted:
Once you have a clean income figure, you can estimate what to set aside. Drop your WorkMarket pay, mileage, and hours into TechLedger to see after-tax profit and a quarterly plan — federal estimates for planning, not tax advice.
WorkMarket pay is self-employment income, so it carries both federal income tax and self-employment (SE) tax. SE tax is 12.4% Social Security up to the annual wage base — $176,100 for 2025 and $184,500 for 2026 — plus 2.9% Medicare, figured on 92.35% of your net Schedule C profit. An extra 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax applies above higher income thresholds. See the full mechanics in the 1099 field-tech tax overview.
Two things soften the bill. You can deduct business mileage using the IRS standard rate, which for 2026 is 72.5 cents per mile from January 1 through June 30 and 76 cents per mile from July 1 onward (IRS Announcement 2026-11) — see the mileage deduction guide. And you may qualify for the 20% qualified business income (QBI) deduction under Section 199A. Because nothing is withheld, most WorkMarket techs also make quarterly estimated payments.
TechLedger estimates federal tax only. State and local taxes are not calculated and should be checked separately — a tech working across state lines may owe nonresident tax where the work is performed.
WorkMarket 1099-NEC reporting, fees, and reconciliation.
Export your WorkMarket earnings report for the tax year and total the paid assignments by pay date, not assignment date — a job completed in December but paid in January counts in the later year. Compare that total to Box 1 of your 1099-NEC. If they differ, common causes are timing at year-end, adjustments or refunds, or bonuses. Report your own complete records on Schedule C; the 1099-NEC is a cross-check, not the whole picture.
WorkMarket pay is self-employment income. You generally owe federal income tax plus self-employment tax — 12.4% Social Security up to the annual wage base ($176,100 for 2025, $184,500 for 2026) plus 2.9% Medicare, figured on 92.35% of your net Schedule C profit. You may also qualify for the 20% qualified business income (QBI) deduction under Section 199A. TechLedger gives federal planning estimates only, not tax advice.
Usually yes. No tax is withheld from WorkMarket pay, so self-employed techs generally make four federal estimated-tax payments a year. You can avoid an underpayment penalty by meeting a safe harbor: 90% of your current-year tax or 100% of your prior-year tax (110% if prior-year AGI was over $150,000). No estimated payments are generally required if you expect to owe under $1,000.
TechLedger turns your WorkMarket assignment pay, mileage, and hours into after-tax profit and a quarterly estimated-tax plan. It is free, runs in your browser with no account, and keeps your data in local browser storage — nothing is sent to a server. Federal estimates for planning only, not tax advice. For more platform and field-tech tax guides, visit the TechLedger blog.