Recipient copies of most 1099 forms must arrive by Monday, February 2, 2026 — not January 31. The deadline shifts because Jan 31 falls on a Saturday. Set a reminder for the actual due date, not the one in your head.
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2026 is unusual: January 31 is a Saturday and February 28 is also a Saturday. Both deadlines shift to the next business day, and the IRS calendar gets a little messier than usual.
| Recipient copies (most 1099s) | Monday, February 2, 2026 (shifted from Jan 31, Saturday) |
| 1099-NEC to IRS | Monday, February 2, 2026 (same date as recipient copies) |
| 1099-B, 1099-S, 1099-MISC box 8/10 to recipients | Tuesday, February 17, 2026 (Presidents' Day shift) |
| 1099-MISC to IRS (paper) | Monday, March 2, 2026 (shifted from Feb 28, Saturday) |
| 1099-MISC to IRS (e-file) | Tuesday, March 31, 2026 |
| 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, 1099-K to IRS (e-file) | Tuesday, March 31, 2026 |
| Form 1096 (paper transmittal) | Monday, March 2, 2026 |
Source: IRS Publication 1220 and the 2026 General Instructions for Certain Information Returns. The IRS confirms the recipient deadline shift to February 2, 2026 in its information returns reminder list.
Federal tax deadlines that land on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday move to the next business day. The rule comes from 26 U.S.C. §7503. It applies to most IRS filings, including 1099 recipient and IRS deadlines.
That makes "Jan 31" a moving target. In 2025 it was Friday — the deadline was Jan 31 exactly. In 2026 it's Saturday, so it shifts forward to Monday, Feb 2. In 2027 it's Sunday, shifting to Monday, Feb 1. Three years, three different actual deadlines, one shared mental shortcut that sometimes lies.
This is exactly why a date-locked reminder beats memory. You set it to the real business-day date and stop guessing.
The pattern repeats but the dates don't. Here's how the next three filing seasons line up.
| 2025 recipient deadline | January 31, 2025 (Friday — no shift) |
| 2026 recipient deadline | February 2, 2026 (Jan 31 = Saturday) |
| 2027 recipient deadline | February 1, 2027 (Jan 31 = Sunday) |
| 2028 recipient deadline | January 31, 2028 (Monday — no shift) |
Two reminders work better than one. Set the first for early December 2025 to start collecting missing W-9s and verifying vendor totals. Set the second for mid-to-late January 2026 to actually file before Feb 2. The December prep checklist walks through what those six weeks should cover, and the 1099 deadline reminder pillar explains how the follow-up emails work.
If you miss the date, the late filing penalty schedule is where the cost lives — $60 to $660+ per form, scaling with how late and how willful.
January 31, 2026 falls on a Saturday. IRS rules push deadlines that land on weekends or federal holidays to the next business day, which is Monday, February 2, 2026. The shift applies to recipient copies for most 1099 forms and to the IRS filing deadline for 1099-NEC.
February 2, 2026 — for both recipient copies and IRS filing. The 1099-NEC has a single combined deadline, unlike 1099-MISC which has separate recipient and IRS dates. Missing it triggers per-form penalties starting at $60.
Recipient copies are due February 2, 2026 (shifted from Jan 31). IRS paper filing is due March 2, 2026 (shifted from Feb 28 which is a Saturday). IRS e-filing is due March 31, 2026 (no shift).
These forms have an extended recipient deadline. Recipients must receive them by February 17, 2026 (the day after Presidents' Day, since Feb 15 falls on a Sunday in 2026). IRS filing dates for these forms still follow the standard February 28 / March 31 split.
January 31, 2027 falls on a Sunday, so recipient deadlines shift to Monday, February 1, 2027. For IRS e-filing of 1099-MISC and similar forms, the deadline remains March 31, 2027. The IRIS system also becomes the only intake system for information returns starting in filing season 2027.
Penalties start the next day. Within 30 days late: $60 per form. After that through August 1: $130 per form. After August 1 or not filed: $330 per form. Intentional disregard: $660+ per form with no maximum cap.
Free. No account. Pick the date once, get notified well in advance, on the day, and until you've filed. The penalty per form starts at $60 — this reminder doesn't.
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