Q: I am 76 years old. Do I have to report income if I start renting a room in my house in Lee co, Fl thru AirBnB?
I have not filed income tax for about 4 years as advised by VITA/TCE tax prep site in Lee Co, FL.
A:
If it's passive you'd have to check the minimum filing requirements for income. If it's active then you would have to file since it's subject to Self-employed tax.
It's likely a passive activity. You should keep records of income and expenses. After the year ends you'll need to run the numbers to see if you have a filing requirement.
Then maintain those records for 6 years so that you can show you didn't have a filing requirement in case of audit.
Bruce Alexander Minnick agrees with this answer
A: Wow. In my professional opinion you have a problem much worse that wondering if you have to report the proceeds received from renting a room through Airbnb. Your should stop believing the bad advice received from some dumb people who run a tax service in Lee County and find smart person to help you file late income tax returns. Why? Because there may come a day when the IRS starts looking at you--not for the AirBnB stuff but for failure to file four tax returns. And if they do, they will also become aware of the AirBnB.
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