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What is Form 1099-NEC?

In previous tax years, small business owners who paid independent contractors for services met their tax reporting obligations by reporting those payments using box 7 of IRS Form 1099-MISC.

Form 1099-NEC is not a new form, yet so many of today's small business owners are unfamiliar with it. This form was reintroduced in 2020 as a way for businesses to report nonemployee compensation, separate from other types of payments reported on Form 1099-MISC.

What is the difference between Form 1099-NEC and Form 1099-MISC?

Some businesses will need to file both 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC forms. It is important to understand the differences. The primary change is that, instead of reporting nonemployee compensation on Form 1099-MISC, such payments should now be reported on Form 1099-NEC.

Nonemployee compensation reported on Form 1099-NEC may include payment for services, including parts or materials, professional service fees, referral fees, commissions, benefits, prizes and awards for services by a nonemployee, and other types of compensation paid to nonemployees.

1099-MISC is used to report other types of payments. You will use this form if you paid someone at least ten dollars in royalty payments, or if you paid them $600 or more in 2022 for rents, prizes and awards, medical and health care payments, payments to an attorney, and other less common payments like fishing boat proceeds or crop insurance proceeds. 1099-MISC is also used to report federal income tax under the backup withholding rules, of any amount.

Who needs to file Form 1099-NEC?

If your business paid an independent contractor $600 or more during 2022 for services, you are required to prepare and file Form 1099-NEC, and to provide a copy of the form to the independent contractor.

In general, you will use Form 1099-NEC if all of the following is true: 

  • You paid someone who is not an employee for services related to your trade or business. 
  • Payments during the year totaled $600 or more.
  • Payment was made to an individual, a partnership, an estate, or a corporation.

How do I file Form 1099-NEC?

You will need several key pieces of information in order to prepare Form 1099-NEC. These include: 

  • Your business's information (as payor), including its legal name, employer identification number (EIN), and address. 
  • The recipient's name, address, and Social Security number or tax identification number. 
  • The total amount of nonemployee compensation paid to the recipient in 2022. 
  • Federal income tax withheld (if any). 
  • State information.

Small businesses may, and are encouraged to, file Form 1099-NEC electronically with the IRS rather than filing paper copies. To do so, you can use the Filing Information Returns Electronically (FIRE) system.

Is Form 1099-NEC part of the combined Federal and State program?

Under the IRS combined Federal/State filing program, information reported to the IRS on several types of tax and payroll forms is automatically shared with participating state tax authorities. For the 2022 tax year, that includes Form 1099-NEC, according to IRS Publication 1220.

Plan Now to Meet Your Business's Tax Form Filing Deadlines

Regardless of whether your workers are classified as employees or independent contractors, the federal filing deadline for 2022 employee W2s and independent contractor 1099-NEC forms is January 31, 2023.

Beginning the data-gathering and verification process as early as possible can help you meet your obligations to workers and to the IRS. As previously mentioned, your company may also be subject to state-specific requirements and deadlines, so consult with a tax professional in your state or a Rocket Lawyer network attorney to understand your obligations with respect to Form 1099-NEC.

This article contains general legal information and does not contain legal advice. Rocket Lawyer is not a law firm or a substitute for an attorney or law firm. The law is complex and changes often. For legal advice, please ask a lawyer.


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