Here's what you need to know about your tax documents as a Loula provider.
Your contractor status
As a member of Loula's provider network, you remain an independent contractor, not a Loula employee. This means you run your business independently while adhering to Medi-Cal and managed care plan guidelines. Because you're an independent contractor, you'll receive a 1099-NEC form from Loula for tax purposes.
If you were paid out less than $600 for the year, you won't receive a 1099, since Loula is only required to file one above that threshold.
Confirm your information in Stripe
You will receive an email from Stripe (sender email [email protected]) with the subject "Get your Loula 2026 tax forms faster by enabling e-delivery." Through this email, you can update your tax information and set up e-delivery of your 1099-NEC. Follow these steps:
Open the email and click "Confirm information"
Log in to your Stripe account
Click the “Confirm your tax information” link on the Stripe page
Review and edit your tax information
If you want paperless delivery of your 1099, then agree to access forms on Stripe Express
If you don't see this email in your Loula inbox, check the inbox for the email you used to set up Stripe. This email will be sent to the address connected to your Stripe account.
The confirmation deadline is January 15th, so complete this as soon as you get the email.
When and how you'll receive your 1099
Your 1099-NEC for the previous tax year is available by the end of January. You can access your 1099 at any time via Stripe:
Log into app.joinloula.com
Go to the Payments tab
Click the “Go to Stripe” button
Once in Stripe, locate the navigation item that reads "Tax Forms"
Click "View Form" or the "…" icon
If you selected Mail as your preferred delivery option, your 1099 will be postmarked by January 31st, and it can take another week or two to arrive by mail. If you didn't log into Stripe to indicate a delivery preference, Loula will mail you a paper copy as well.
How your 1099 total is calculated
You'll receive a 1099-NEC by the end of January if you were paid out more than $600 from Loula in the tax year.
Your 1099 total is based on how much was paid out to your bank account during the tax year — not how much you submitted in visits. This means visits submitted in the last two pay cycles of December are excluded from that year's 1099, since they're paid out the following January.
Referral bonuses, Getting Started bonuses, and other incentives sent via Giftogram during the year are included in your 1099 total. These can only be excluded if they qualify as de minimis fringe benefits and because they're cash-equivalent items, they don't qualify. Learn more here.
You can check your 1099 total with this formula:
Payments via Stripe + Referral bonus(es) + Getting Started bonus + any other Giftogram bonuses = 1099 Total
Getting a record of your payments
To get a full record of your Loula payments:
Log into app.joinloula.com
Go to the Payments tab and click the “Go to Stripe” button
Once in Stripe, locate the navigation item that reads "Transactions"
Payments refer to the money that we move from our Stripe account to your Stripe account
Payouts refer to the money that goes from your Stripe account to your bank account
These two values should be equal to each other, since we automatically trigger payouts so that the money lands in your bank via direct deposit
If you want to reconcile these bank transactions with the visits you've submitted, you can do the following steps:
Go to Payouts
Click on a transaction
In the Details righthand sidebar, under Statement Descriptor, you'll see something like LOULA_AB52LM
The last 6 characters (i.e. AB52LM) refer to the Visit ID on your Loula Portal that the payout is for
You can export all transactions by clicking Export
In the modal that appears, make sure to select Date range: All and Columns: All columns (22) so that you see all transactions and the Statement Descriptor shows up as a column for your own accounting
Can I claim the Loula fee as a business expense?
No — you cannot claim the Loula fee as a business expense. When you join Loula, you sign on as an independent contractor, so the payments Loula makes to you are non-employee compensation, reported on a 1099-NEC. For something to count as an expense, money would need to leave your account and enter Loula's — here the opposite happens: money leaves Loula's account and enters yours.
Questions about your 1099 amount
If you have questions about your 1099-NEC total, check it against the calculation above, or reach out to [email protected].
If you need to correct the name, address, or TIN on your 1099, contact [email protected] and Loula can file a correction for you.