This is for 2020 taxes.  The main concern is that the tax payer did not make more than 8k last year as total. So does the customer still need to file a return just because there was money earned a 1099-MISC? 

This is based on the below 2020 income limits to file taxes,

$12,400 In 2020,

for single filing status if under age 65 is $12,400. If your income is below that threshold, you generally do not need to file a federal tax return.