Driving with an LLC or Corp? How to send your EIN to Uber or Lyft

Most Uber and Lyft drivers are sole proprietors who will report their ride share earnings on the Schedule C tax form, but some of you may have an LLC, corporation, or other tax entity that you prefer to operate under.

It’s a smart move — by reporting your Uber and Lyft earnings under the umbrella of a corporation, you may be able to lower your tax bill.

Neither Uber nor Lyft makes it totally clear how to have your earnings filed under your Employer ID Number (EIN) or another tax ID.

And after you do figure out how to navigate each Uber & Lyft’s tax reporting system, there’s often not a lot of reassurance that you’ve done it right and everything will be correctly reported at tax time.

I’ve operated as an Uber and Lyft driver under my S-Corp for a few years now, so I’ll walk you through how you can let Uber and Lyft know that you are operating under an EIN or another tax classification.

And I can tell you to expect at tax time each year.

Which tax classifications does Uber accept?

Uber allows you to operate under many different tax classifications. By default, drivers are individuals/sole proprietors, but Uber also allows drivers to operate under the following tax classifications:

• Individual/Sole Proprietor
• C Corporation
• S Corporation
• Limited Liability C Corporation
• Limited Liability S Corporation
• Limited Liability Partnership
• Single member LLC under a business entity
• Single member LLC with individual as sole owner
• Partnership
• Trust/estate

How to set your tax classification with Uber

In the Uber Driver app, tap Menu > Account > Tax Info > Tax Settings.

On the tax settings screen, you can select your federal tax classification, and enter your company legal name, DBA, and EIN.

How to set your tax classification with Lyft

Lyft allows drivers to select two tax classifications: Individual, or Corporation/LLC.

There are two ways to change your tax classification settings with Lyft.

Lyft Driver App Instructions

Select Menu > Account > Pay and Tax Info > Scroll to Tax Info.

Those steps will direct you to your profile page at Lyft.com, where you can update your info.

Lyft.com Instructions

1. Log in at Lyft.com/login
2. On the left menu, click “Payout Information”
3. Click the edit button
4. Enter the relevant info. Classification, EIN, etc
5. Click Save

After you have successfully entered your info, the Tax Classification should be the entity that you entered.

Lyft’s system never displays any part of your EIN displayed on screen after you submit it, and if you re-click “Edit Tax Info,” the EIN field is blank.

The blank EIN field may make you feel like Lyft hasn’t correctly received or stored your info, which is not reassuring. But in my experience, Lyft does receive and use the info you input.

You can also use an EIN with other top gig companies

You can use your business entity for any 1099 work that you do.

When you are completing your tax info or filling out a W-9, use your EIN or other business entity to be taxed as that entity.

You can use your EIN at top gigs like:

• DoorDash
• Instacart
• Shipt
• Amazon Flex
• …and any other gig app that has you fill out a w-9 or classifies you as a 1099 contractor

What happens at tax time?

One of my fears when I first created my S-Corp was that Uber and Lyft would file a 1099 under my SSN, and I’d either have to spend time correcting that with Uber and Lyft or pay the higher tax rate of a sole proprietor.

Neither company spells it out in huge letters that you’ve correctly listed your EIN, and they don’t specifically say that your income will be reported to your EIN. For a new corporation holder, that might be scary. It was for me.

In my experience, both companies sent me a 1099 in January that listed my EIN and corporation name rather than my SSN.

I’ve learned that companies don’t need to send a 1099 to a corporation, but Uber and Lyft do.

I appreciate getting the 1099s because they reassure me that the income has been properly attributed to my EIN.

So when you file your taxes or have someone else prepare your taxes, you can be assured that the IRS knows that your income is tied to your EIN, not your SSN.