When Are 1099s Due in 2027? Every Deadline, Form and Penalty
For payments you made in 2026, Form 1099-NEC is due to both the IRS and the contractor by Monday, February 1, 2027. The legal date is January 31, but that falls on a Sunday in 2027, and the IRS rule moves any deadline that lands on a weekend or legal holiday to the next business day (IRS General Instructions for Certain Information Returns).
Form 1099-MISC has three dates: the recipient's copy by February 1, 2027, the IRS copy by March 1, 2027 on paper, or March 31, 2027 if you e-file. Most other 1099s (INT, DIV and similar) follow the 1099-MISC schedule.
The bigger change this season is not a date. For payments made after December 31, 2025, the reporting threshold for 1099-NEC and most 1099-MISC boxes rose from $600 to $2,000 (IRS Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC, Rev. December 2026). A contractor you paid $1,500 in 2026 no longer needs a 1099-NEC. Every date and amount below was verified on IRS.gov as of Oct 2026.
1099 deadlines for the 2027 filing season
These dates cover payments made in calendar year 2026, filed in early 2027. The adjusted dates apply the next-business-day rule to the statutory deadlines in the IRS instructions.
| Form | Copy to recipient | IRS, paper | IRS, e-file |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1099-NEC | Feb 1, 2027 | Feb 1, 2027 | Feb 1, 2027 |
| 1099-MISC (most boxes) | Feb 1, 2027 | Mar 1, 2027 | Mar 31, 2027 |
| 1099-MISC (amounts in box 8 or 10) | Feb 16, 2027 | Mar 1, 2027 | Mar 31, 2027 |
| 1099-INT, 1099-DIV and similar | Feb 1, 2027 | Mar 1, 2027 | Mar 31, 2027 |
Two dates surprise people every year:
- 1099-NEC has no e-file grace period. Paper or electronic, it is due the same day the contractor's copy is due. The extra month most forms get for e-filing does not apply.
- The box 8 and 10 date is February 16, not February 15. The statutory date for those statements is February 15, which is Presidents' Day (a federal holiday) in 2027.
If you are deciding between the two forms for a given payment, our breakdown of 1099-NEC vs 1099-MISC walks through it box by box.
What changed for payments made in 2026
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act raised the base threshold in section 6041(a) to $2,000 for payments made after December 31, 2025, the first change since the $600 level was set in 1954. The IRS instructions now say to file 1099-NEC for each person "to whom you have paid at least" the threshold for services in the course of your business.
What the change does and does not cover:
| Payment type | Threshold for 2026 payments |
|---|---|
| Nonemployee compensation (1099-NEC box 1) | $2,000 |
| Rents, prizes and awards, medical and health care payments (1099-MISC) | Same as 1099-NEC |
| Royalties | $10 |
| Gross proceeds paid to an attorney | $600 |
The new base is indexed to inflation for calendar years after 2026, so expect a slightly higher number for payments made in 2027. One thing has not changed: if a contractor refuses to give you a taxpayer ID, you may still owe backup withholding on payments reportable in box 1, whatever the amount.
Who does not get a 1099
Getting the list right matters as much as the date. The same IRS instructions exclude several common payments:
- Corporations. Payments to a C or S corporation are generally not reportable. The exceptions are attorneys' fees, gross proceeds paid to an attorney, and medical and health care payments, which you report even when the payee is incorporated.
- Card and payment app payments. If you paid a contractor by credit card, debit card or a third-party network, the payment processor reports it on Form 1099-K. You do not also issue a 1099-NEC for those payments.
- Employees. Wages, bonuses and awards to employees go on Form W-2, never on a 1099.
- Goods. Payments for merchandise, freight, storage and similar items are not reportable.
In practice, the card rule is the one that shrinks the list most for small businesses. A designer you paid through a card-based invoicing tool may need no 1099 from you at all, while the same designer paid by bank transfer does. Your accounting software can usually split payments by method; our comparison of small business accounting software notes which tools track 1099 vendors.
Who has to e-file
If you file 10 or more information returns in total during the year, you must e-file. The count is across all form types combined: four 1099-NECs and six 1099-MISCs make ten, so all of them go electronically (Pub. 1099).
You have two IRS systems to choose from. IRIS has a free web portal for keying in returns by hand and an XML route for bulk uploads; FIRE is the older system used by most filing software. Our step-by-step guide on how to file 1099 forms online covers both. If you file for many clients or hundreds of payees, typing returns into a portal stops being practical, and dedicated bulk 1099 filing software handles imports, TIN checks and state copies in one run.
A filing calendar that works backwards from February 1
Most late filings are not caused by the forms. They come from missing W-9s and mismatched names in January. Working backwards:
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| October to November | Pull a list of every contractor you paid at or above the threshold in 2026. Request a W-9 from anyone missing one. |
| December | Run every name and taxpayer ID through the IRS TIN Matching program and fix mismatches while contractors still answer email. |
| Early January | Decide how you will handle state copies, choose IRIS, FIRE or software, and draft the returns. |
| By February 1 | File and furnish all 1099-NECs. Furnish recipient copies of 1099-MISC and most other forms. |
| By March 1 or March 31 | File the remaining 1099s with the IRS, on paper or electronically. |
TIN matching is the step most small businesses skip, and it is the one that triggers B-notices and backup withholding letters months later. Our IRS TIN matching guide explains how to run names through the program before you file.
State filing: what the Combined Federal/State program does
Many states also want a copy of your 1099s. The IRS Combined Federal/State Filing (CF/SF) program forwards returns you e-file through FIRE to participating states for free, which removes a separate state submission for those states (IRS Topic 804). 1099-NEC is one of the eligible forms.
Three limits to know before you rely on it:
- You need approval first. The IRS approves you for CF/SF after you submit a coded test file to the FIRE test system, so start in the autumn, not in late January.
- Some participating states still want to hear from you. The IRS describes itself as a "forwarding agent only" and says some states require separate notice that you file this way.
- Not every state participates. Non-participating states need their own filing.
Our full guide to the Combined Federal/State Filing program lists how it works and what it does not cover.
Extensions: what you can and cannot get
| Request | How | Who qualifies |
|---|---|---|
| 30 more days to file with the IRS (most 1099s) | Form 8809, filed by the original due date | Automatic for most forms |
| More time to file 1099-NEC with the IRS | Form 8809 | Not automatic: only for the hardship reasons listed in the instructions |
| More time to send recipient copies | Form 15397, by fax only | Not automatic |
The practical reading: plan as if 1099-NEC cannot be extended, because for most businesses it cannot (IRS General Instructions).
Late filing penalties
The penalty is charged per return (and separately per recipient statement), and it grows with how late the correct return arrives. For returns due in 2026, the IRS schedule was (IRS information return penalties):
| Filed correctly | Penalty per return (returns due in 2026) |
|---|---|
| Within 30 days of the due date | $60 |
| 31 days late through August 1 | $130 |
| After August 1, or not filed | $340 |
| Intentional disregard | $680, with no annual maximum |
The amounts are adjusted for inflation each year, so the figures for returns due in 2027 may be a few dollars higher. Annual maximums are lower for small businesses with average gross receipts of $5 million or less. Ten contractors forgotten until September still cost $3,400 in penalties under the 2026 schedule, before the matching recipient-statement penalties.
One more year-end report people forget
1099s are not the only compliance report with an autumn or spring deadline. If your business holds money that belongs to someone else, such as uncashed vendor checks or customer credits, many states require an annual unclaimed property report, with deadlines that vary by state and by holder type. Our guide to unclaimed property reporting and escheatment covers dormancy periods and due diligence letters.
FAQ
When are 1099s due in 2027?
For payments made in 2026, 1099-NEC is due to the IRS and the recipient by February 1, 2027. 1099-MISC and most other 1099s are due to recipients by February 1, 2027, and to the IRS by March 1, 2027 on paper or March 31, 2027 electronically.
Why is the 1099-NEC deadline February 1 instead of January 31?
January 31, 2027 is a Sunday. The IRS moves any due date that falls on a weekend or legal holiday to the next business day, which is Monday, February 1.
Do I need to send a 1099-NEC to a contractor I paid $1,500 in 2026?
No. For payments made after December 31, 2025, the 1099-NEC threshold is the new, higher one, so $1,500 falls under it. You still need one if you withheld backup withholding from that contractor.
Can I get an extension for 1099-NEC?
Not automatically. Form 8809 gives an automatic 30-day extension for most information returns, but for 1099-NEC an extension is only granted for specific hardship reasons.
What happens if I miss the 1099 deadline?
You owe a penalty per late return, which for returns due in 2026 started at $60 if filed within 30 days and rose to $340 after August 1. Filing late is still far cheaper than not filing.
Do I have to file 1099s with my state as well?
Often, yes. The Combined Federal/State Filing program forwards e-filed returns to participating states, but you must be approved first, some states require separate notice, and non-participating states need their own filing.
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