2026 Guide

What Is a 1099? How to Read One

1099 means the family of IRS forms that report income you were paid outside of regular wages. Here is a plain-English guide to the document and its commonly used fields.

What is a 1099?

A 1099 is an IRS information return that reports income other than an employer’s wages. There are many variants — 1099-NEC for contractor pay, 1099-MISC for miscellaneous income, 1099-INT for interest, 1099-DIV for dividends, 1099-R for retirement distributions, and 1099-K for payment-app and card income. Whoever paid you files it with the IRS and sends you a copy.

Who sends a 1099, and when?

Businesses, banks, brokerages, and platforms issue 1099s to report money they paid you. Most are due to recipients by January 31 (some, like 1099-B, later).

How to read a 1099, field by field

Form type (NEC, MISC, INT, DIV, R, K…)

The suffix tells you what kind of income it reports. Always identify the variant first — the boxes differ.

Payer name, address & TIN

Who paid you and their taxpayer ID. This is the business, bank, or platform issuing the form.

Recipient name & TIN

You (or your business) and your SSN or EIN.

Box amounts

The income figures — the box number and label depend on the variant (for example, 1099-NEC nonemployee compensation is Box 1 on 2020-2025 forms and Box 1a on the 2026 form).

Federal & state tax withheld

Any backup or voluntary withholding already sent to the IRS or state.

Tax year & account number

The year the income applies to and an optional account identifier from the payer.

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What to double-check

⚠You may receive several different 1099 variants in one year — do not assume they are duplicates.
⚠A "corrected" 1099 has the CORRECTED box checked and replaces the earlier one.
⚠Even if you never receive a 1099, the income is still reportable and the IRS likely has a copy.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common types of 1099?

1099-NEC (contractor pay), 1099-MISC (miscellaneous), 1099-INT (interest), 1099-DIV (dividends), 1099-R (retirement), and 1099-K (payment apps/cards).

When are 1099s due?

Most 1099s must reach recipients by January 31. Filing deadlines to the IRS vary slightly by form and filing method.

What is the difference between a 1099 and a W-2?

A W-2 reports employee wages with taxes withheld; a 1099 reports non-wage income (often with no withholding).