1. Get a contractor spreadsheet out of Wave
Wave doesn't file 1099s itself. Use the Account Transactions or vendor reports to total what you paid each contractor for the year, export to CSV, and add each contractor's tax ID and address from their W-9. Menu and report names change between versions, so yours may differ a little.
If you track contractors as vendors, a report filtered to the contractor expense account gets you most of the way.
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.