Where to request your 1099

Your 1099 comes from the person or business that paid you, not from the IRS. If you received non-employee income — freelance work, rental income, interest, dividends, or other payments outside a regular W-2 job — the payer is required by law to send you a copy by January 31 of the following year. You request it directly from them.

Start by contacting the business or individual who paid you. This might be your freelance client, the property management company handling your rental, your bank, a brokerage firm, or a platform like Stripe or PayPal. Most have a customer service line, email address, or online account portal where you can request tax documents.

If you worked with multiple payers during the year, you will need to contact each one separately. A freelancer with three clients, for example, will receive three different 1099s — one from each client — if each paid more than $600.

Key Takeaways

  • Your 1099 comes from the business or person who paid you, and they must send it to you by January 31 if you were paid $600 or more in that income category.
  • You can request a copy through customer service, email, your online account, or by phone — the method depends on the payer's size and setup.
  • If you do not receive your 1099 by early February, contact the payer again in writing and keep a record of your request.
  • The IRS also receives a copy of your 1099, so if you do not file it with your tax return, the IRS will notice the mismatch.

What information you need before you request

Have your account number or client ID ready when you contact the payer. This helps them locate your records quickly. If you worked with a large company or platform, they may ask for the email address or phone number associated with your account.

You should also know which type of 1099 to expect. A 1099-NEC is for non-employee compensation (freelance work, consulting). A 1099-INT is for interest income. A 1099-DIV is for dividends. A 1099-MISC covers miscellaneous income like rental payments or awards. Knowing which form applies to your situation speeds up the request.

How to request through online portals

Many larger payers — banks, brokerages, payment platforms, and established freelance networks — let you read your 1099 directly from your online account. Log in and look for a section labeled "Tax Documents," "1099s," "Year-End Statements," or "Tax Center." You can usually read a PDF when ready.

If you cannot find the tax documents section, check the account settings or help menu. Some platforms hide the link under "Statements" or "Account History." If the option does not appear, the payer may not have issued a 1099 yet — this is common in late January — or your account may not have met the $600 threshold for that year.

Requesting by email or phone

For smaller businesses or individual payers, email or phone is often the only option. Send a clear, brief message: "I need a copy of my 1099-NEC for [year]. My name is [your name], and I worked on [project or service] from [dates]. Please send it to [your email or mailing address]."

Include your full name, the year in question, and any account or project number that identifies your work. If you are calling, have this information ready before you dial. Ask for confirmation of the email address where they will send it, or ask whether they will mail a paper copy.

Keep a record of when you made the request — note the date, the person's name if you spoke to someone, and what they said. This matters if the 1099 does not arrive and you need to follow up.

What to do if your 1099 does not arrive

The important date for payers to send 1099s is January 31. If you have not received yours by early February, send a follow-up request in writing — email counts. Reference your earlier request and ask for a specific delivery date.

If the payer still does not respond by mid-February, you have two options. You can file your tax return without the 1099 and include a statement explaining that you requested it but did not receive it. Or you can contact the IRS at 800-829-1040 and ask them to contact the payer on your behalf. The IRS tracks which businesses fail to send 1099s and can enforce the requirement.

Do not skip reporting the income on your return just because you do not have the 1099 in hand. The IRS receives a copy of every 1099 issued, and if your return does not match what the payer reported, the IRS will send you a notice months later asking for the difference plus penalties and interest.

Understanding what the 1099 shows

When you receive your 1099, check the dollar amounts against your own records. The form shows the total amount the payer reported to the IRS that they paid you. Box 1 on a 1099-NEC, for example, shows non-employee compensation. Box 1 on a 1099-INT shows interest paid.

If the amount is wrong — either too high or too low — contact the payer when ready and ask them to issue a corrected form, called a 1099-C (for corrected). The payer must send the corrected version to you and the IRS by the same important date. Do not file your tax return until you have the corrected form, because filing with the wrong amount will trigger an IRS notice later.

Keep all your 1099s in a folder or file until you have completed your tax return. You will need them to fill in the income sections of your return, and you may need to reference them if the IRS questions your reported income.

Multiple 1099s and consolidated reporting

If you received income from several payers in the same category, you will receive multiple 1099s. You do not combine them into one form — instead, you report each one separately on your tax return, or you add them together and report the total in the appropriate income section.

For example, if you did freelance work for five different clients and each sent you a 1099-NEC, you will receive five separate forms. On your tax return, you add all five amounts together and report the total as self-employment income. The IRS will see all five 1099s in their records, so your return must account for all of them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a 1099 to report income on my tax return?

No. You are required to report all income, whether or not you receive a 1099. However, the IRS receives a copy of every 1099 issued, so if you do not report it and the payer did, the IRS will notice the gap and send you a notice. It is easier to report it when you file.

What if I was paid less than $600?

The payer is not required to send you a 1099 if you were paid under $600 in that income category. However, you still owe tax on that income and should report it on your return. Some payers send 1099s anyway, even for amounts under $600.

Can I get a 1099 for work I did last year if I did not receive one?

Yes. Contact the payer and request a 1099 for the prior year. They can issue a corrected or late 1099 at any time. If the payer refuses or cannot be reached, you can still report the income on your return and note that you did not receive the form.

What if the payer says they do not issue 1099s?

If you were paid $600 or more for non-employee work, the payer is legally required to issue a 1099-NEC. Explain this to them and ask again. If they still refuse, you can report the income on your return anyway and contact the IRS to report the payer's non-compliance.

Do I need to file the 1099 with my tax return?

No. You do not attach 1099s to your return. You use the information from the 1099 to fill in the income sections of your return. Keep the 1099 with your records in case the IRS asks about it later.