How to properly file a 1099-NEC received from a Canadian company
I'm pretty confused about how to handle this situation with my taxes. My wife does some consulting work and received a 1099-NEC from a company based in Montreal, Quebec. The total compensation was around $2,700, so not a huge amount, but I still want to make sure we report it correctly. We're using CashApp to prepare our taxes this year, but I've hit a roadblock - the system won't let me enter the 1099-NEC because the address is in Canada, not the US. It keeps giving me an error when I try to input the non-US address. Does anyone know the proper way to handle a 1099-NEC from a foreign company? Do we need to report this differently since it's from Canada? Any advice would be appreciated because I don't want to mess up our return over this.
24 comments


Wesley Hallow
The issue you're facing is common when dealing with foreign-sourced income reported on US tax forms. Since the 1099-NEC is from a Canadian company, you should still report this income even if your tax software is giving you trouble with the address. The easiest solution is to report this income on Schedule C (Profit or Loss from Business) as self-employment income. You don't actually need to enter the 1099-NEC form itself - you just need to report the income amount. On Schedule C, you can report the $2,700 as gross receipts without needing to enter the Canadian address that's causing the error. This income is still subject to self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare taxes) even though it's from a foreign source. The IRS doesn't care where the money came from - they just want their piece of the pie!
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Justin Chang
•If I report it on Schedule C without entering the 1099-NEC specifically, will that cause a mismatch with what the IRS has on file? I'm worried they might flag us for audit if the numbers don't match up exactly with what was reported to them.
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Wesley Hallow
•The IRS matching program might eventually notice the discrepancy, but it's not likely to trigger an audit if everything else on your return is in order. The 1099-NEC is still reported to the IRS, but the key is that you're not omitting income - you're just reporting it in a slightly different way due to software limitations. If you're concerned, you can include a brief statement with your return explaining that you received a 1099-NEC from a Canadian company but were unable to input the foreign address in your tax software. Make sure the dollar amount on your Schedule C matches exactly what's on the 1099-NEC.
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Grace Thomas
I had a similar issue last year with a client from Toronto. After struggling with it for hours, I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which helped me figure out exactly how to handle foreign source income documents. Their system actually recognized my Canadian 1099-NEC and gave me step-by-step instructions for inputting it correctly. The key thing I learned is that foreign-sourced income reported on US tax forms has specific rules, and most regular tax software isn't great at handling these edge cases. The tool analyzed my specific situation and showed me how to report it properly without risking audit flags.
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Hunter Brighton
•Does taxr.ai work with other foreign income situations too? I get payments from clients in Europe and always struggle with reporting them correctly.
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Dylan Baskin
•I'm skeptical about these online tools. How does it actually help with something standard tax software can't handle? Isn't it just generic advice you could find on the IRS website?
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Grace Thomas
•Yes, it works with virtually any foreign income situation. I've seen it handle income from European clients, Asian businesses, and even more complex situations with multiple countries involved. It's especially helpful for figuring out which forms you need and where to report different types of foreign income. It goes way beyond what you'd find on the IRS website. It actually analyzes your specific documents and provides personalized guidance based on your exact situation. In my case, it spotted that my Canadian client had incorrectly classified certain expenses on the 1099-NEC and showed me how to make the proper adjustments to avoid problems later.
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Hunter Brighton
Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai for my situation. I was dealing with payments from clients in Germany and Sweden that didn't fit neatly into any category in my regular tax software. The tool actually saved me from making a pretty big mistake! I had been reporting all my foreign income as "Other Income" on my 1040, but apparently that wasn't right for my consulting work. The system analyzed my payment documents and showed me I needed to use Schedule C and that I was missing out on legitimate business expense deductions I could have been taking. It even caught that one of my foreign clients had classified me incorrectly in their paperwork. Definitely worth checking out if you're dealing with any international income situations!
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Lauren Wood
Hey, I dealt with exactly this problem last tax season! After 6 frustrating calls to the IRS that all ended in disconnections, I finally got through using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). They have this system that basically holds your place in line with the IRS and calls you when an agent is ready to talk. Check out how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent confirmed that I needed to report my foreign 1099-NEC on Schedule C as self-employment income, even though the payer was Canadian. They explained that the country of origin doesn't change your tax obligations - it's still taxable income in the US. The agent walked me through the exact process to make sure it was reported correctly.
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Ellie Lopez
•Wait, this service actually gets you through to the IRS? How does that even work? I thought it was literally impossible to get a human on the phone there.
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Dylan Baskin
•This sounds like BS honestly. If it was that easy to get through to the IRS, everyone would be doing it. No way some random service can magically get you through when millions of people can't get through on their own.
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Lauren Wood
•It uses technology to basically wait on hold for you. They have a system that dials repeatedly using the optimal times and methods to get through to the IRS. When they finally connect with an agent, they connect the call to your phone so you can speak directly with the IRS representative. It's not magic - it's just automating the frustrating hold process. They apparently use some specific techniques that increase your chances of getting through. I was skeptical too but it worked within about 3 hours (much better than my previous failed attempts). The IRS doesn't give them special access or anything - they're just better at navigating the phone system than the average person.
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Dylan Baskin
I need to eat my words about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try it anyway since I've been trying to reach the IRS for weeks about a similar foreign income issue. It actually worked! Got connected to an IRS agent in about 2 hours. The agent confirmed exactly what others here said - you should report the Canadian 1099-NEC income on Schedule C as self-employment income. They also mentioned that if you have significant foreign income, you might need to look into FBAR requirements, though that's probably not necessary for just $2,700. For what it's worth, the agent said this is a common issue, and they see lots of people struggling with reporting foreign-sourced income correctly. Definitely worth getting the official word directly from them.
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Chad Winthrope
Another option to consider is using a different tax software. CashApp tax is great for simple returns but has limitations with international situations. I switched to FreeTaxUSA last year and it handled my British 1099 situation without issues. It let me enter "Foreign Address" and then fill in the details. If you're committed to using CashApp though, you could try entering a dummy US address for the company (like their US headquarters if they have one) and then include a note explaining the actual source is Canadian. Not ideal but might work in a pinch!
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Paige Cantoni
•Isn't it risky to enter incorrect address information on a tax form? I'd be worried about getting flagged for providing false information even with an explanation.
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Chad Winthrope
•You're right to be concerned. It's definitely not the ideal approach. The better solution would be switching to software that can handle international addresses properly. If you're set on using CashApp, another approach would be to call the company that issued the 1099-NEC and ask if they have a US office or affiliate whose address you could legitimately use. Some Canadian companies with US clients maintain a US business presence specifically for these kinds of tax situations.
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Kylo Ren
I'm confused about something basic here - why is a Canadian company issuing a 1099-NEC anyway? Isn't that a US tax form? When I worked with Canadian clients, they gave me T4A slips, not 1099s.
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Nina Fitzgerald
•Canadian companies that have US reporting obligations will issue 1099s to US contractors, even though they're Canadian. It's actually pretty common for Canadian companies that do substantial business in the US. They're following US tax requirements for payments to US persons.
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Connor O'Reilly
I went through this exact same situation two years ago with a consulting client in Vancouver. The key thing to understand is that even though the company is Canadian, if they're paying a US person (your wife) more than $600, they're required to issue a 1099-NEC under US tax law. For your tax return, you have a few options to work around CashApp's address limitation: 1. Report the income directly on Schedule C without trying to enter the 1099-NEC form itself - just include the $2,700 as gross receipts 2. Switch to a different tax software that handles foreign addresses better (TurboTax and H&R Block both handle this) 3. Contact the Canadian company and ask if they have a US mailing address or subsidiary you could use The most important thing is that you report the income - the IRS cares more about you declaring the $2,700 than the specific mechanics of how it gets entered. Since it's consulting income, it will be subject to self-employment tax regardless of the source country. Also keep in mind that if your wife plans to continue doing consulting work with foreign clients, it might be worth investing in tax software that handles international situations better from the start.
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Luca Ricci
•This is really helpful! I had no idea that Canadian companies were required to issue 1099s to US contractors. That explains a lot about why we received this form in the first place. I think I'll try option 1 first - just reporting the income directly on Schedule C without entering the 1099-NEC form. It seems like the safest approach to avoid any software glitches while still properly reporting the income to the IRS. Quick question though - when you say "gross receipts," do I need to worry about any expense deductions related to this Canadian work, or should I just report the full $2,700 amount?
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Carmella Fromis
I'm dealing with a similar situation but with a twist - I received a 1099-NEC from a Canadian company AND they also sent me a T4A slip for the same income. Now I'm really confused about which form I should be using for my US taxes. Has anyone else encountered this double-reporting situation? The amounts are identical ($3,200 on both forms), but I'm worried about accidentally reporting the same income twice or using the wrong form entirely. The Canadian company told me they issue both forms "to cover all bases" for their US contractors, but that doesn't really help me figure out what to do on my end. Should I just use the 1099-NEC for my US return and ignore the T4A, or is there something more complex I need to consider here?
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Oliver Brown
•For your US tax return, you should use the 1099-NEC and ignore the T4A slip. The T4A is for Canadian tax purposes only and isn't relevant for your US filing. The Canadian company is probably issuing both forms because they're trying to comply with both countries' reporting requirements, but as a US taxpayer, you only need to worry about the US form. Just report the $3,200 from the 1099-NEC on your Schedule C as self-employment income - don't double-report it or try to include the T4A information. The key is that it's the same income, just reported under two different countries' tax systems. Keep the T4A for your records in case you ever need it for Canadian tax purposes, but it doesn't factor into your US return at all.
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Nora Bennett
I've been following this thread with interest since I had a nearly identical situation last year. My wife received a 1099-NEC from a Toronto-based marketing firm for about $3,100 in consulting fees. After reading all the advice here, I want to emphasize what several people mentioned - the simplest and safest approach is to report this on Schedule C as self-employment income without trying to force the 1099-NEC form into tax software that can't handle the Canadian address. One additional tip that helped us: We included a brief note with our return stating "1099-NEC income from Canadian company reported on Schedule C due to software limitations with foreign addresses." Our tax preparer suggested this would help if the IRS ever had questions about the reporting method. The income is definitely subject to self-employment tax regardless of the source being Canadian. We learned this the hard way when we initially tried to report it as "Other Income" and got a notice from the IRS later requiring us to pay the additional SE tax. Also, keep good records of any business expenses related to this work - things like phone calls, internet costs, or materials used for the Canadian client. These can be deducted on Schedule C to reduce your taxable income from this source.
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Daniel Rivera
•Thank you for sharing your experience! The note you included with your return is brilliant - I hadn't thought about proactively explaining the reporting method to avoid potential IRS questions later. That's definitely something I'll do when I file. Your point about the self-employment tax is really important too. I almost made the same mistake of trying to report it as "Other Income" since it felt different coming from a foreign company. It's good to know the IRS treats all consulting income the same way regardless of where the client is located. One follow-up question - when you mentioned business expenses, did you have any issues deducting expenses that were specifically related to working with the Canadian client? I'm thinking things like international phone calls or currency conversion fees. Were those treated as normal business expenses?
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