How do you handle cash payments (lawn, etc) and taxes?

[Steve S.]

If a neighborhood kid mows your lawn do you 1099 them?  What's the impact of not sending the 1099?  Do you lost the payments on your expenses?

[Logan Allec]

Landlords issuing 1099s is a grey area.

There is no strict requirement for landlords to issue 1099s, and I have never heard of the IRS going after landlords for failure to file 1099s.

That being said it does not necessarily mean that 1099ing your contractors is a bad idea.

And remember the 1099 threshold for something like mowing lawns is $600 for the year per recipient.