Form 1099-MISC is an important form for independent contractors. It reports the total number of payments received from a single entity (a person or company) during the calendar year in which services were provided. The IRS requires that any company that pays an independent contractor to report the worker and that payment on a 1099-MISC, which is then sent to the recipient and to the IRS.
Any number of consulting firms, fishermen, rental property owners, and skilled contractors may end up receiving a 1099-MISC form. Moreover, if you’re starting a business that uses contract labor rather than employees, you may discover that you need to issue these forms as well. And when this happens, you’re likely to ask yourself the question, “What is form 1099-MISC?” in a whole new light.
Here’s one quick and easy answer: Form 1099-MISC is an IRS form that documents the income earned as non-employee compensation and which isn’t already accounted for by some other 1099 form. Indeed, between retirement and pension funds, interest and dividends, health and education savings accounts, real estate sales, and debt cancellation, there’s close to 20 different types of 1099 form filings.
This “miscellaneous” category for business income can itself be confusing, but it also prevents every single type of commercial activity from triggering its own 1099 form. And because it’s also the category used for independent contractors and self-employed businesses, the IRS also uses this data to track different tax classifications and liabilities for employees vs. independent contractors and the businesses who use their services. You can learn about the differences between employee/contractor classifications from the IRS here https://www.irs.gov/uac/about-form-ss8.
What is Form 1099-MISC and W2 Software Support?
Either way, Advanced Micro Solutions (AMS) has the right software for your small business. Our W-2/1099 Forms Filer makes the transition from your current system as easy as possible while providing you with a solid, reliable filing product. You can import almost any type of data set, whether you’re using CSV tables, standard spreadsheets, or plain text formats. Data entry fields can be navigated using several keyboard shortcuts. It doesn’t matter if you’re used to using the TAB key arrow keys, or just direct mouse clicks; our software uses it.
AMS also provides invaluable information about a host of complicated tax and wage forms, including Form 1099-MISC. We have a 1099-Misc Form FAQ page to answer any questions you may have about independent contractors and payments. Not sure if you can print two recipients on a 1099-MISC? We have a well-researched, to-the-point answer. Need software support to enter a zero in Box 9 of your form? We have that answer ready to go, too.
Another vital part of tax software is recordkeeping and error-checking. Whether you want to create reports for manual tracking or you just want to print off hard copies of everything that has been e-Filed, you can do that. Reports can be tailored using any key as a query point, allowing you to focus on the areas of the report that are most important to you.
Taking a Modular Approach
There’s no such thing as one software program being a good fit for every business. At AMS, we recognize this. That’s why we’ve taken the stance that you shouldn’t have to pay for what you don’t use. We’ve adopted a modular approach to our software so that you can determine which software products are best for you. Our W-2/1099 Forms Filer is the only required purchase to start building a better system for your business. Check out all our software products and costs:
- W-2/1099 Forms Filer
- Payroll Software
- Software-Generated Forms
- Forms Filer Plus
- E-File Direct
- Affordable Care Act Filer
- 1042-S Filer
Contact our Sales and Information team at (800) 536-1099 to let us help tailor a solution that’s right for you. You should also download our free demo to get a better feel for how it’s going to help you and your business.