New IRS rules require PayPal to report Sales information such as your social security number, your pay stuff, and your ID with address on it. I feel uncomfortable with this new law.
"Starting in 2011, Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 6050W states that all US payment processors, including PayPal, are required by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to provide information to the IRS about certain customers who receive payments for the sale of goods or services through PayPal. These new rules apply to sellers who receive over $20,000 in gross payment volume AND over 200 separate payments in a calendar year. In order to help you understand these changes, we have prepared the following FAQs."
The IRS rule sounds reasonable. If you receive "$20K or have over 200 separate payments in a calendar year" and don't report it you are engaging in an off-the-books business that doesn't pay taxes. Paypal is only complying with the IRS, not making up its own rules. I would assume that this rule would apply to similar internet payment services too. One of the downsides to not having a Paypal account is most people on FM won't do business with you. As for your SS number, it's not as much the sacred cow you would like to think it is. Banks, medical services, mortgage & credit card companies, auto loans, the military, employment applications, firearms purchases, and the IRS have that information. It's even printed on a Medicare card. When you sell a photograph to a magazine they want your Federal ID or SS number. Is one entity more trustworthy than the other? Protect your SS number as best you can, but canceling Paypal because they are required to collect it is assuming they are going to be less responsible than the others that already have it.
