• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

eBay will pay nearly $50 million after employees reportedly sent a Massachusetts couple a bloody pig mask, cockroaches and death threats

2

Jamie Dimon says his stockbroker father taught him to invest with a 'brutally hard' childhood game

3

Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline

1

eBay will pay nearly $50 million after employees reportedly sent a Massachusetts couple a bloody pig mask, cockroaches and death threats

2

Jamie Dimon says his stockbroker father taught him to invest with a 'brutally hard' childhood game

3

Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline
LifestyleTikTok

TikTok influencers threaten to not pay their taxes if the app gets banned

Sydney Lake
By
Sydney Lake
Sydney Lake
Associate Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
Sydney Lake
By
Sydney Lake
Sydney Lake
Associate Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 17, 2025, 12:33 PM ET
Young man and woman stand in front of ring light camera to record video
TikTok creators plan to retaliate against the ban.Getty Images—PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.
  • TikTok influencers are claiming they won’t pay their taxes this year if the app gets banned. Some argue they shouldn’t have to pay the government for taking away their job, and others say they won’t be able to access important tax documents.

Just days before the TikTok ban takes effect, the Supreme Court on Friday upheld the federal law banning the app. While the White House signaled it won’t enforce the ban, influencers are preparing for the worst-case scenario—at least in their eyes. 

Recommended Video

Several TikTok influencers have posted videos declaring they won’t pay their taxes if the app ban goes through, arguing that if their livelihoods are taken away from them by the government, the authorities shouldn’t have any right to a cut of their pay.

“If they ban this app, we are not paying taxes this year,” TikTok influencer @itsnickholiday said in a video. “Besides the fact that rent is at an all-time high and so is food and so is gas prices, the people that are in charge of banning this app are literally paid by our taxes.”

@itsnickholiday We are not paying taxes if they ban TikTok ##tiktokban##fyp##taxes ♬ original sound – ItsNickHoliday

Another influencer, @michellebellexo, also known as Michelle Raleigh Bartender, said the app provides “significant income” for her. The looming TikTok ban is reminiscent of COVID-related closings for her bartending job.

“When the government took away my bartending job because I couldn’t go to work because of COVID, I got unemployment,” said @michellebellexo, who has more than 5 million followers on TikTok. “How is this different?”

@michellebellexo Replying to @ano612 they really want to cut off the 24 billion dollars in taxable income of 7 million small businesses? No. I don’t think they will do that even if we all pay our taxes this year😂#tiktokban ♬ original sound – Michelle Raleigh Bartender

@itsnickholiday, who has about 500,000 followers on TikTok, also claimed the potential ban would send “millions” of people into an already-flooded job market “with no jobs available because everything is being taken over by AI.” 

Other influencers have also argued that the resistance to paying taxes goes beyond retaliation against the ban. Some claim they won’t be able to file their taxes if they can’t access their 1099s or W2s, which many influencers have said they can only obtain through the app itself and that the tax forms aren’t sent to them another way.

“If I can’t access my W2s, then how will I be able to access my W2s?” questioned @michellebellexo. “How will they know how much I made? They won’t. They won’t know.”

The IRS did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.

Can TikTok influencers get away with not paying their taxes?

Although some TikTokers seem to believe they can skirt paying their taxes, experts say they likely don’t have the grounds to do so.

Just because TikTok gets banned, it’s doubtful influencers can successfully argue their taxes aren’t due unless there’s a change in the internal revenue code, Wayne Cohen, a managing partner at Cohen & Cohen Attorneys and law professor at the George Washington University School of Law, told Fortune. 

He compared the potential TikTok ban to other types of businesses closing down.

“If a waiter works at a restaurant and earns money, but the restaurant, for whatever reason, gets burned down or goes out of business, the waiter still needs to pay taxes,” Cohen said. “If a corporate executive at a company gets a huge payout from a corporation, but that same corporation files bankruptcy, [the] executive still owes taxes.”

Stephen A. Weisberg, principal attorney and founder at The W Tax Group, said that TikTokers avoiding paying taxes just because the app is banned is “not legal” and tax deniers can get hit “especially hard” with higher penalties. 

“If you don’t pay your taxes, the IRS will prepare to enforce collections against you,” Weisberg told Fortune. “IRS collections include bank levy, wage garnishment, property lien, and property seizure. Penalties and interest continue to accrue at an accelerated rate until the balance is paid.”

Avoiding paying taxes could also result in criminal charges and jail time, he said.

Since TikTok influencers are still on the hook to pay their taxes, Lisa Greene-Lewis, a spokesperson for TurboTax who has more than 20 years of experience in tax preparation, suggests claiming all businesses expenses like travel, equipment, home office deduction and car expenses. 

Doing this can “really lower their taxable income,” Greene-Lewis told Fortune.

About the Author
Sydney Lake
By Sydney LakeAssociate Editor
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Sydney Lake is an associate editor at Fortune, where she writes and edits news for the publication's global news desk.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Lifestyle

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Lifestyle

f
North AmericaWhite House
Beyond the Covid origins: Fauci’s pandemic diary reveals a starstruck Julia Roberts and Trump gasping for oxygen
By The Associated PressJuly 29, 2026
2 minutes ago
f
LawCongress
RFK says he found Fauci’s diary in government archives as Fauci invokes the Fifth Amendment over 100 times
By Lauran Neergaard, Ali Swenson and The Associated PressJuly 29, 2026
22 minutes ago
Millionaires are leaving the U.K. in droves thanks to tax hikes—but the CEO of $1 billion tax platform says it’s their ‘social responsibility’ to stay
SuccessWealth
Millionaires are leaving the U.K. in droves thanks to tax hikes—but the CEO of $1 billion tax platform says it’s their ‘social responsibility’ to stay
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 29, 2026
7 hours ago
milk
HealthGrocery
California is banning ‘sell-by’ dates in grocery stores, but they’re pretty much made up anyway
By Olga R. Rodriguez and The Associated PressJuly 29, 2026
8 hours ago
f
North AmericaCongress
Fauci’s diary shows he thought Covid could be man-made. Now he’s telling Congress it was ‘molecularly impossible’
By Lauran Neergaard, Ali Swenson and The Associated PressJuly 29, 2026
8 hours ago
boehly
Arts & EntertainmentLawsuit
Lawsuit: Penske and Boehly staged Golden Globes boycott to buy it cheap
By Andrew Dalton and The Associated PressJuly 29, 2026
9 hours ago

Most Popular

eBay will pay nearly $50 million after employees reportedly sent a Massachusetts couple a bloody pig mask, cockroaches and death threats
Law
eBay will pay nearly $50 million after employees reportedly sent a Massachusetts couple a bloody pig mask, cockroaches and death threats
By The Associated Press and Leah WillinghamJuly 28, 2026
1 day ago
Jamie Dimon says his stockbroker father taught him to invest with a 'brutally hard' childhood game
C-Suite
Jamie Dimon says his stockbroker father taught him to invest with a 'brutally hard' childhood game
By Sarah GlodekJuly 29, 2026
15 hours ago
Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline
Retail
Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline
By Sydney LakeJuly 29, 2026
7 hours ago
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
Real Estate
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 25, 2026
4 days ago
He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
Success
He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
By Preston ForeJuly 29, 2026
6 hours ago
Current price of oil as of July 28, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 28, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 28, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.