Redbubble taxes work like any other self-employment income: you owe federal income tax and 15.3% self-employment tax on your net profit, you report the money on Schedule C attached to your Form 1040, and you handle the tracking yourself because Redbubble does not send its artists a 1099.1Redbubble. Where Is My 1099? Whether you sold one sticker or thousands, the IRS expects the income on your return.
No 1099 From Redbubble — You Track Your Own Income
Redbubble states it does not issue tax forms to independent artists on its marketplace.1Redbubble. Where Is My 1099? No 1099-NEC. No 1099-K from Redbubble itself. That silence is not the same as the income being tax-free; the IRS requires you to report all income whether or not a form arrives.
Your payment processor is a separate question. PayPal, Payoneer, or a similar platform may issue a 1099-K if you cross the reporting threshold. For 2026, third-party payment platforms must file Form 1099-K for payees receiving more than $20,000 across more than 200 transactions.2Internal Revenue Service. IRS Issues FAQs on Form 1099-K Threshold Under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill; Dollar Limit Reverts to $20,000 Most sellers won’t hit both.
Build your own summary. Download your payment history from the Redbubble account dashboard for the calendar year, then cross-reference it with deposits into your payment processor. If the two records don’t line up, reconcile them before you file. Redbubble may also ask you to complete Form W-9, which provides your taxpayer identification number.3Internal Revenue Service. About Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification
Where the Income Goes on Your Return
Redbubble earnings belong on Schedule C (Profit or Loss From Business), attached to your personal Form 1040.4Internal Revenue Service. IRS Form 1040 Schedule C – Profit or Loss From Business Enter your total revenue, subtract your business expenses, and the net profit flows into two calculations: your regular income tax and your self-employment tax on Schedule SE.
The self-employment tax exists because you are both the employer and the employee, so you pay both halves of Social Security and Medicare.5Internal Revenue Service. Self-Employment Tax (Social Security and Medicare Taxes) The combined rate is 15.3%:
- Social Security at 12.4% applies to net earnings up to $184,500 for 2026. Earnings above that cap are not subject to this portion.6Social Security Administration. Contribution and Benefit Base
- Medicare at 2.9% applies to all net earnings with no cap. If your total self-employment income exceeds $200,000 as a single filer or $250,000 married filing jointly, an additional 0.9% Medicare tax applies to the amount above that threshold.7Internal Revenue Service. Questions and Answers for the Additional Medicare Tax
You can deduct the employer-equivalent portion of your self-employment tax (roughly half) when calculating adjusted gross income. That lowers your income tax but does not reduce the self-employment tax itself.5Internal Revenue Service. Self-Employment Tax (Social Security and Medicare Taxes)
Quarterly Estimated Payments
Nothing is being withheld from your Redbubble payouts, so the IRS wants the money as you earn it. If you expect to owe $1,000 or more for the year after withholding and refundable credits, you generally have to make quarterly estimated payments.8Internal Revenue Service. 2026 Form 1040-ES Estimated payments cover both income tax and self-employment tax.
The 2026 deadlines:
- April 15, 2026, for January through March
- June 15, 2026, for April and May
- September 15, 2026, for June through August
- January 15, 2027, for September through December
You can skip the January 15, 2027 payment if you file your full 2026 return and pay the balance by February 1, 2027.8Internal Revenue Service. 2026 Form 1040-ES
You’ll avoid the underpayment penalty if you pay at least 90% of your current year’s tax or 100% of last year’s tax, whichever is smaller. If your adjusted gross income last year exceeded $150,000 ($75,000 if married filing separately), the prior-year safe harbor rises to 110%.9Internal Revenue Service. Underpayment of Estimated Tax by Individuals Penalty The penalty compounds fast when a strong fourth quarter leaves you facing a large April balance.
Deductions That Cut the Bill
Every ordinary and necessary cost of running your shop reduces the net profit that gets taxed. The main categories for Redbubble sellers:
Design Software and Equipment
Subscriptions to Adobe Creative Cloud, Procreate, Affinity Designer, and mockup generators are fully deductible in the year you pay for them. Font licenses, stock image subscriptions, and payments to freelance designers for outsourced artwork count too. A drawing tablet or a computer purchased primarily for design work is deductible; for equipment above a few hundred dollars that lasts more than a year, Section 179 lets you write off the full purchase price in the year you buy rather than depreciating it. Mixed-use items get pro-rated: a laptop used 70% for design work yields a 70% deduction.
Marketing
Paid social ads, promoted pins, promotional video costs, a portfolio site, a custom domain, and a business email subscription are all deductible.
Internet and Phone
Deduct the business-use share of your monthly bills. If you use your home internet 40% of the time for Redbubble work, 40% of the annual cost is deductible. The IRS won’t accept 100% business use of a home line unless you truly never use it for anything personal.
Home Office
If part of your home is used exclusively and regularly for your design work, you can claim the home office deduction two ways.10Internal Revenue Service. Simplified Option for Home Office Deduction The simplified method gives you $5 per square foot of dedicated space, up to 300 square feet, capped at $1,500. The regular method applies your office’s percentage of the home to actual housing costs — rent or mortgage interest, utilities, insurance, and repairs — and often produces a larger deduction if housing costs are high, but you need receipts for everything you include. The exclusive-use requirement is strict. A desk in a bedroom where you also watch TV does not qualify; a spare room used only for design does.
Health Insurance
Self-employed sellers who buy their own health, dental, or vision insurance can deduct 100% of premiums for themselves, a spouse, and dependents as an adjustment to income. This flows through Form 7206 to Schedule 1.11Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 7206 Two conditions apply: you need a net profit for the year, and you can’t be eligible for coverage through a spouse’s employer plan. The deduction can’t exceed your net self-employment income from the business that established the plan.
Mileage
Business trips to the post office, a supply store, or a client meeting are deductible at 72.5 cents per mile for 2026.12Internal Revenue Service. The Standard Mileage Rates and Maximum Automobile Fair Market Values Have Been Updated for 2026 Keep a log with date, destination, business purpose, and miles. Without one, the deduction is essentially indefensible in an audit.
Professional Fees
CPA fees for tax preparation or business advice, trademark registration for your brand or designs, and legal consultations related to the business all belong on Schedule C.
Sales Tax, VAT, and GST Are Redbubble’s Problem
Consumption taxes are charged to the buyer, and Redbubble operates as the merchant of record for most transactions. The platform collects and remits U.S. sales tax, EU VAT, Australian and Canadian GST, and similar taxes elsewhere directly to the taxing authorities. That money never enters your account or your income. You do not need to register for sales tax permits, track state economic-nexus thresholds, or file VAT returns for your Redbubble sales. If you also sell through your own website or another platform that isn’t a merchant of record, those channels are on you.
If You Sell From Outside the United States
Non-U.S. sellers face U.S. withholding rules on top of their home-country obligations. File IRS Form W-8BEN with Redbubble to certify your foreign status.13Internal Revenue Service. About Form W-8 BEN, Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Withholding and Reporting (Individuals) Without one on file, the default withholding rate on U.S.-sourced payments (generally sales to customers in the United States) is 30%, taken off the top.14Internal Revenue Service. NRA Withholding
Many countries have tax treaties with the U.S. that reduce or eliminate this withholding. To claim a lower rate, complete Part II of Form W-8BEN and identify the specific treaty article that covers your type of income.15Internal Revenue Service. Form W-8BEN – Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Withholding and Reporting (Individuals) The gap between 30% and a treaty rate of 0% to 15% is large enough to make professional advice worthwhile if you’re unsure. The W-8BEN handles only U.S. withholding; you still report your worldwide Redbubble income to your home country’s tax authority.
Records That Hold Up
The burden of proof on every deduction sits with you. Open a dedicated bank account for the shop so business spending runs through one channel automatically. Save receipts; digital copies are acceptable as long as they’re legible, indexed, and reproducible as hard copies on request.16Internal Revenue Service. Rev. Proc. 97-22 Electronic Storage Systems Cloud-based receipt apps meet the standard if you actually use them.
Keep tax records at least three years from the date you file. If you underreport income by more than 25%, the IRS has six years to audit, so seven years is a safe default. Digital storage is cheap enough that there’s little reason to cut it closer.