The 1099 deadline doesn't move for forgetting. Recipient copies are due January 31. The IRS starts charging penalties the next day, and they scale fast. Set a reminder weeks ahead and get nudged until you've actually filed.
Done in seconds. No sign-up required.
Penalties stack per form, per recipient. Skip 30 contractors and the bill grows fast.
per form if filed within 30 days of the deadline
IRS information return penalty schedule, 2026
per form if filed after August 1 (or not at all)
IRS information return penalty schedule, 2026
per form for intentional disregard, with no maximum cap
IRC §6721(e), IRS Topic 802
These are per-form penalties. A small business missing 1099-NEC forms for 20 contractors can owe $1,200 in the first 30 days, scaling toward $6,600 by August. A reminder costs nothing.
The 1099 deadline lands in the worst possible week. Most business owners spend January closing the prior year's books, reconciling bank statements, chasing missing receipts, and trying to get a Q4 estimated payment out the door. Form 1099 prep sits underneath all of that, and it depends on something that should have been done months earlier: collecting W-9s.
Then there's the calendar shift. January 31 falls on a Saturday in 2026, so the deadline moves to February 2. In 2027 it's a Sunday, pushing it to February 1. The date is "Jan 31" in your head, but the actual deadline isn't. That's the gap that catches people.
Accounting software helps with the filing itself, but it doesn't tap you on the shoulder six weeks early to say "you're missing two W-9s." That's the part a reminder solves. See the December prep checklist for what those six weeks look like.
A 1099 reminder isn't just one email. The whole point is follow-through: an early heads-up when you can still collect missing paperwork, a confirmation as the date approaches, an alert on the day itself, and persistent follow-ups until you've actually filed.
Pick January 31 (or the next business day if it falls on a weekend). Enter your email. That's the setup.
Weeks of lead time, not minutes. Time to collect missing W-9s, verify totals, and pick a filing method.
Reminders continue after the deadline if you haven't marked it done. The penalty math doesn't forgive — and neither does the reminder.
Three failure modes — each preventable with a few weeks of lead time.
The deadline shifts when January 31 falls on a weekend. 2026 lands on a Saturday — actual due date is February 2.
See exact 2026 dates →1099-NEC and 1099-MISC have different IRS filing deadlines. Mix them up and you'll either over-rush or file late.
Compare deadlines →$60 in February becomes $130 in March becomes $330 after August. Intentional disregard? $660+ per form, no cap.
Full penalty breakdown →Everything else about hitting the deadline cleanly — the details live here.
For most 1099 forms, you must send recipient copies by January 31. The IRS filing deadline depends on the form: 1099-NEC is due to the IRS by January 31 as well, while 1099-MISC is due to the IRS by February 28 if filing on paper or March 31 if filing electronically. When January 31 falls on a weekend, the deadline shifts to the next business day.
Yes. Late filing is still required and is much better than not filing at all. Penalties scale with how late you are: roughly $60 per form within 30 days, $130 per form after that, $330 per form after August 1, and as much as $660 per form for intentional disregard with no maximum cap.
File as soon as possible. The IRS calculates penalties per form, so every form you get filed limits the bill. If you have a reasonable cause (a documented disaster, illness, or system failure), you can request penalty abatement when the notice arrives. Filing late is always cheaper than not filing.
Often, yes. The recipient files their tax return and reports the income, the IRS matches it against expected 1099 filings, and the missing form triggers a CP2100 or CP2100A notice. Cross-matching has improved sharply since 1099-NEC was separated from 1099-MISC in 2020.
Enter your email, pick January 31 (or the year-shifted business day), and you'll get notified early in January, again as the date approaches, on the day itself, and the reminder keeps following up until you mark it done. No account, no app, no installation.
Set two reminders. One for early December to collect missing W-9s and verify vendor totals, and one for mid-January for the filing itself. The December reminder is the one that saves January.
Free. No account. Takes 30 seconds. You'll get an email weeks before January 31 — with follow-ups until you've filed. A $60 penalty per form costs more than this ever will.
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