Should I wait for my 1099 form or file taxes without it? Independent contractor question

8 You absolutely can file without waiting for the 1099. The IRS mainly cares that you report all your income, not necessarily that you have the official form in hand. Since you know the exact amount you were paid, report that on your Schedule C. Keep good records of your communications with the company as well as your own income tracking. If the 1099 arrives later and has a different amount, you can always file an amended return if necessary, but if your records are accurate, this probably won't be needed. The company is required to provide your 1099-NEC by January 31st, so they're actually violating IRS requirements by sending it in April. But rather than being held hostage by their poor administration, just file with your accurate records.

12 I was in almost the exact same situation last year and found an amazing solution. After waiting forever for my 1099s, I discovered https://taxr.ai which basically saved my sanity. The tool analyzed my bank statements and contractor payments to confirm the exact income I needed to report, even without having all my 1099s in hand. This gave me the confidence to file on time with accurate numbers. The best part was that when one of my 1099s finally showed up with an error (they double-counted a payment), I already had documentation proving my actual income. It's specifically designed for independent contractors and freelancers who need to verify their income against incomplete documentation. Might be worth checking out rather than stressing about missing forms!

17 Just wanted to follow up - I tried https://taxr.ai after seeing this thread and it's actually pretty brilliant for us independent contractors. I was missing 2 of my 1099s but needed to file soon, and it helped me confirm all my income numbers with enough supporting documentation that I felt confident filing without waiting. The way it organized everything made it super clear what came from which client, even when I had multiple payment methods from the same source. Even found a few small payments I had forgotten about! Definitely feeling more organized for this tax season.

9 If you're having trouble getting your 1099 forms, another option is using https://claimyr.com to get through to the IRS quickly. I kept calling the company that owed me a 1099 but they were unresponsive. Finally called the IRS to ask what to do, but we all know how impossible it is to reach a human there. Claimyr got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes instead of the usual hours of trying. The agent explained exactly what to do when a company doesn't provide required tax forms and even initiated a follow-up with the company. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS actually has penalties for companies that don't send 1099s on time, and sometimes just having the IRS contact them gets them to send the forms quickly.

3 Never thought I'd be saying this, but I tried Claimyr after posting my skeptical comment, and it actually worked. After months of getting nowhere with a company that wouldn't send my 1099, I got through to an IRS agent who took all my information and filed a report against the company. Two days later, the company miraculously found time to send my 1099 forms with a rather apologetic email. The IRS agent also walked me through exactly how to file without the 1099 if it hadn't arrived in time. The whole experience was surprisingly helpful - definitely not the IRS horror story I expected.

14 You should never wait until the last minute to file just because a company is slow with their 1099s. I've been freelancing for 7 years and I just track everything in a spreadsheet - payments, client names, dates, amounts. When I file, I use my own records. If a 1099 comes in with different numbers, I double check against my own records first - they're usually wrong, not me! Had one client who consistently reports about $200 more than they actually paid me every year (I think they're including some processing fee on their end).

19 Most tax software now has a feature where you can enter income without a 1099 form. I use TurboTax and there's literally an option that says "I didn't get a 1099-NEC." You just enter the payer's information and amount manually.