Received $840 1099-NEC After Already Filing Joint Taxes - What Now?

So my wife and I already submitted our joint tax return for the year, and I just got a surprise in the mail - a 1099-NEC for $840 that I completely forgot about. I did some freelance design work last summer and honestly thought it was going to be under $600 (which wouldn't need to be reported). Clearly I was wrong! Now I'm wondering if I absolutely need to file an amended return for this? It's not a huge amount, but I'm concerned about potential consequences. What's the worst thing that could happen if I just pretend I never saw this 1099? Would the IRS come after me for such a relatively small amount? Or is filing an amendment just going to cost me more in time and possibly fees than it's worth?

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18 comments

Javier Mendoza

•8M

You should definitely file an amended return (Form 1040-X) to report this income. The company that paid you has already reported this to the IRS, so they know about it. When their systems match documents, they'll notice this 1099-NEC wasn't included on your return. While $840 might seem small, ignoring it could result in a CP2000 notice (underreported income), penalties, and interest that will grow over time. The tax owed would be around $130-$190 depending on your tax bracket, plus self-employment tax of about $119. So you're looking at roughly $250-$300 in taxes owed. Filing an amendment is pretty straightforward - you'll just need to include Schedule C for the self-employment income and Schedule SE for the self-employment tax. Most tax software allows amendments, often for a small fee, and guides you through the process.

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Javier Mendoza

•8M

All income technically needs to be reported regardless of amount - the $600 threshold is just for when the payer is required to issue a 1099. If you received a 1099 for $300, the IRS already knows about that income, so you should report it. Even if you didn't receive a 1099, you're still legally required to report all income earned. It's a common misconception that income under $600 is "tax-free" - it still counts as taxable income, there's just not a reporting requirement for the payer.

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Malik Davis

•8M

I went through almost this exact situation last year with a forgotten 1099-NEC for about $900. I was stressing about doing the amendment myself and potentially making mistakes. I ended up using https://taxr.ai to help me figure out exactly what forms I needed to amend and how to properly report the income. They analyzed my tax documents and gave me step-by-step instructions for filing the amendment. The software showed me exactly what my tax liability would be and helped me understand the self-employment tax portion I hadn't considered. It was way less stressful than I expected.

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Malik Davis

•8M

It absolutely works for amended returns. The tool specifically has options for analyzing missed income and calculating the impact on your existing return. It shows you exactly what lines on your 1040-X will change and by how much. For the self-employment question, it handles all the Schedule C and Schedule SE calculations automatically. It actually explained to me that I needed to pay both income tax and the self-employment tax (which is about 15.3%) on that income - something I hadn't realized.

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Isabella Santos

•8M

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai for my own forgotten 1099 situation. I was really surprised by how helpful it was! It analyzed my original return alongside the new 1099-NEC and showed me exactly how much additional tax I owed. The breakdown between regular income tax and self-employment tax was super clear. What I found most helpful was that it generated a complete packet with all the forms I needed to submit for my amendment. It even highlighted exactly what changed from my original return so I could double-check everything. Saved me a lot of stress trying to figure out which forms I needed to include with the 1040-X.

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Ravi Gupta

•8M

After getting hit with a CP2000 notice last year for missing a 1099, I can tell you that dealing with the IRS directly is a nightmare. I spent WEEKS trying to get through to someone who could help me understand what I needed to do. Every time I called, I'd wait on hold for hours only to get disconnected. I finally found https://claimyr.com which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in less than an hour. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. They basically hold your place in line and call you when an agent is available. Made a huge difference in resolving my issue. Trust me, it's better to handle this amendment now rather than waiting for the IRS to catch it and dealing with their phone system later.

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Ravi Gupta

•8M

The service doesn't let you skip the IRS queue - they wait in it for you. They have an automated system that calls the IRS repeatedly and navigates the phone tree until they reach a human. When an agent answers, they connect you to the call. You don't have to sit there listening to hold music for hours. It's definitely not a scam. I spent three days trying to reach someone myself with no luck. During tax season especially, the IRS wait times can be 2+ hours, and they often disconnect calls when their system is overloaded. I mean, try it yourself first if you want, but when you get frustrated after multiple attempts, this is a solid alternative.

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Omar Hassan

•8M

I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I decided to try calling the IRS myself about a similar issue with a missed 1099. Three attempts and over 5 hours of hold time later, I got disconnected every single time. Out of desperation, I tried the Claimyr service. Within 45 minutes, I got a call back and was connected to an actual IRS representative who helped me understand exactly what I needed to do for my amendment. They even confirmed that I was right to be concerned - the IRS does automatically flag returns when they receive 1099s that don't match what was reported. The agent was able to tell me exactly what forms I needed and gave me a timeline on when I might expect to pay the additional tax. Saved me so much frustration!

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Chloe Anderson

•8M

You'll need to file separate amendments - one for federal (Form 1040-X) and one for your state. Each state has its own amendment form (usually called something like "Amended State Tax Return" or "[State] Form X"). Most tax software can handle both amendments together, generating all the required forms, but they're submitted separately. Your state amendment usually needs to reflect the changes you made on your federal amendment, so it's best to do the federal one first or at the same time.

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