1. Get a contractor spreadsheet out of QuickBooks Online
In QuickBooks Online, run the 1099 Contractor Summary or Contractor Balance Detail report for the year (Reports, then search for "1099" or "contractor"), and the vendor contact list with tax IDs. Export each to Excel. Put name, tax ID, address and total paid into one sheet, one row per contractor. Menu and report names change between versions, so yours may differ a little.
QuickBooks Online can also e-file 1099s itself for a per-form fee. If you'd rather file through the IRS's own free IRIS portal, this is how to get the CSV it wants.
2. Convert it
Open the spreadsheet to IRIS 1099-NEC converter, fill in your own business details as the payer, and drop the CSV. It matches your columns, splits names into first and last, works out SSN or EIN, turns state names into codes and puts back the ZIP zeros Excel drops. It lists anything to check, like missing tax IDs or amounts under the filing threshold, and gives you the IRIS CSV, split into files of up to 100 forms.
It runs in your browser, so your contractors' tax IDs never leave your computer. Up to 5 forms are free; more is $49 for the filing season.
3. Upload it to IRIS
- You need an IRIS Transmitter Control Code (TCC). Applying is free but can take weeks, so apply early.
- In the IRIS Taxpayer Portal, choose to upload a CSV with form data and pick the file as downloaded. Don't open and re-save it in Excel first.
- 1099-NECs are due to contractors and the IRS by January 31. Check the IRS instructions for your situation; this isn't tax advice.
More on the change: FIRE is closing and filing moves to IRIS.