MANSFIELD, Conn. (AP) – A high school teacher in Connecticut who raised $ 41,000 to help hundreds of his struggling neighbors during the COVID-19 pandemic received an unwelcome surprise for his charitable efforts: a form in which he says he can $ 16,031 in income tax debt.
Louis Goffinet, 27, of Mansfield, began picking up groceries for elderly neighbors who were afraid to go to the store during the early days of the pandemic and often spent his own money. Because of the great need, he later organized two fundraisers on Facebook over a year and helped hundreds of families with groceries, rent money and gifts, the Hartford Courant reported, setting a limit of $ 200.
Goffinet said financial support for his efforts and the demand for help eventually turned out to be higher than he first expected. He tracked 140 grocery trips on a spreadsheet and noted that he also offered 125 family meals for 125 families, gift cards for 20 families so they could buy gifts for their children, 31 Thanksgiving meals and rental assistance to five families. Some local businesses donated food.
“It got dramatically bigger than I thought,” he said. ‘My original goal was to raise $ 200 to help one family with groceries. I already doubted myself when I introduced it, that people in the city do not want to pay for someone else’s groceries. ”
In January, Facebook sent a 1099 form to Goffinet stating that it owed tax on the money it raised. Facebook warns users that money raised from a fundraiser on the social media platform could be taxable if more than $ 20,000 is raised and that a 1099 tax form will be issued.
“I was so shocked,” Goffinet told Courant. ‘When I think of the spiritual place I was at the end of January, I did a second fundraiser that was a lot of work – busy weekends coordinating Thanksgiving, holiday gifts – to mail what I consider an account getting for $ 16,000 was just shocking. ‘
Goffinet is working closely with a local accountant to determine how best to handle the situation. His account is due on May 17 and he expects to pay some sort of tax burden, but he does not know exactly how much. Meanwhile, some people in the community are now trying to help him with the tax bill and so far they are sending $ 2,000 checks to a mailbox – not via Facebook.