Do I need to file a 1099-NEC?

The reporting threshold moved from $600 to $2,000 and most guidance online still has not caught up. Check a payment here before you file anything.

You enter	what you paid, who you paid, and how you paid them.
It applies	the threshold that rose from $600 to $2,000, the corporation exemption, the attorney exception to that exemption, and the card rule.
You get	a yes or no with the governing reason — and the 31 January deadline if the answer is yes.

A worked example

Paid a contractor $1,500 in 2026? No 1099-NEC — the threshold rose from $600 to $2,000. Paid them by credit card instead? Still no 1099-NEC at any amount, because the processor reports it on a 1099-K and issuing both double-reports them.

Total paid to this payee this year (USD)Payee typeHow they were paid

Form 1099-NEC requiredFile by 31 January

Meets or exceeds the $2,000 threshold

Amount paid in the year: $2,500
Reporting threshold (2026): $2,000
Payee type: Individual / partnership

This assumes the payee is already correctly classified — worker classification (contractor vs. employee) is a separate question this tool does not answer.

An estimate, not a quote. The IRS produces the figure that actually applies to you — check there before you rely on a number. The reporting threshold rose from $600 to $2,000 for payments made in 2026 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — most guidance still quoted online still says $600.

What this deliberately leaves out

Worker classification, Form 1099-MISC categories (rent, royalties, settlements), state 1099 rules, and backup withholding are not modelled. The $2,000 threshold indexes for inflation starting 2027 — recheck it each filing season. Figures verified 2026-08-17.

Would you rather we handled it?Getting 1099s right the first time is cheaper than correcting them after the IRS notices.

Talk to an accountant See what we do

What to do with this number: The deadline is 31 January to both the recipient and the IRS. The threshold change is recent enough that a lot of published guidance still says $600 — check the date on anything that tells you otherwise.

The figures behind this tool, with their sources and verification dates: the companion guide. When the statute or schedule changes, the guide and the tool move together.