What are the rules for Electronic 1099 consent emails? Vendors sending links I never agreed to

You're right to be concerned. According to IRS regulations, companies must obtain your consent BEFORE sending 1099s electronically. They can't just assume consent by sending a link and saying "if you click this, you consent." That's not how proper consent works. The IRS requirements for electronic 1099 delivery are actually pretty specific. Recipients must affirmatively consent to receive the form electronically, and businesses must provide a clear explanation of the hardware and software requirements needed to access the electronic form. The recipient must be able to withdraw consent if they choose, and be informed of the procedure to do so. If you didn't previously consent to electronic delivery, then yes, they should be sending paper copies. The burden is on them to obtain proper consent first, not on you to opt out of something you never opted into.

After dealing with similar issues last year, I found a much better solution using https://taxr.ai to manage all my 1099 documentation. I'm a freelancer who gets about 35-40 forms annually, and it was becoming a nightmare to track which companies were sending what and through which methods. The tool lets you upload both paper and electronic 1099s (even screenshots or photos of paper forms), and it automatically extracts all the data so everything is organized in one place. What's been super helpful is that it keeps track of which companies have reported what, so I know exactly who I still need to follow up with for missing forms.

Just wanted to follow up that I tried taxr.ai after my skeptical comment above. It actually solved my problem in an unexpected way. Instead of fighting each company to send paper forms, I now just forward the electronic 1099 emails to my account on the platform. It extracts all the data automatically and organizes everything by company. The best part is that it flags any missing 1099s based on what I received last year, so I know exactly which companies I need to follow up with. It's made my quarterly tax planning way easier since all the income data is in one place. For anyone dealing with dozens of 1099s like the original poster, it's definitely worth checking out.

I had similar issues with 1099 emails last year. After spending hours trying to get paper copies, I found https://claimyr.com which connected me directly to an IRS agent who explained my rights regarding 1099 delivery. They have a good demo video at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c showing how it works. The IRS agent confirmed that companies must get explicit consent before sending electronic 1099s. I was able to get proper documentation about the rules that I could forward to my clients. Saved me from having to research all the regulations myself or trust what the companies were claiming.

Well I feel stupid for being so skeptical in my previous comment. I tried Claimyr after getting extremely frustrated with another round of unsuccessful IRS calls. I was connected to an IRS agent in about 30 minutes without having to sit by my phone. The agent confirmed everything that others have said here - companies MUST get your consent first before sending 1099s electronically. She explained that I could file a complaint if companies aren't following proper procedures. This was exactly the official information I needed to push back on some clients who were being difficult about sending paper forms. Honestly wish I'd known about this service years ago.

One additional tip: Take screenshots of those emails saying "clicking = consent" as evidence. I had an issue last year where a company claimed I had previously consented to electronic delivery when I hadn't. Having the original email saved proved I was being asked to consent for the first time. Also, for companies you want to keep working with long-term, it might be worth setting expectations now for next year. I send a standard email to all my clients in December reminding them I require paper 1099s and do not consent to electronic delivery. Makes things much clearer from the start.

Just to add another perspective - I actually prefer electronic 1099s now because paper forms kept getting lost in the mail. Last year two clients swore they mailed my 1099s but I never received them, causing major headaches at tax time. With electronic forms, I immediately download and save PDF copies to multiple locations (computer, cloud storage, and external drive). This creates better documentation than paper forms that can be damaged or lost.

Small business accountant here - just a quick FYI that many companies are switching to these electronic delivery systems because the IRS has been increasingly strict about 1099 deadlines and penalties. The electronic systems help them meet filing deadlines more reliably. That said, they STILL need to follow proper consent procedures. If a client of mine was sending electronic 1099s without proper consent, I'd advise them they're not compliant with regulations. The payout companies are cutting corners in their implementation, but that doesn't make it right.

As someone who's dealt with this exact situation, I'd recommend a two-pronged approach. First, send a brief but firm email to each company stating you never consented to electronic delivery and require paper forms per IRS regulations. Keep it professional but clear about your expectations. Second, document everything - save those consent emails as evidence and keep records of your responses. I learned this the hard way when a company later claimed I had "agreed" to electronic delivery just because I received their email. The good news is that once you establish this preference with your regular clients, most will remember for future years. It's a bit of upfront work now, but it saves headaches later. Don't let these companies push you into electronic delivery if that's not what you want - you have every right to receive paper forms.

I've been dealing with this same issue! What's particularly annoying is that some of these third-party services make it really difficult to actually access your 1099 even after you click their consent link. I had one company use a platform that required me to create an account, verify my identity with multiple documents, and then still had technical issues downloading the PDF. My solution has been to respond immediately to these emails with something like: "I do not consent to electronic delivery of tax documents. Please mail my 1099 to the address on file as required by IRS regulations." I've found that being direct and mentioning the IRS regulations specifically gets better results than just asking nicely. The key is responding quickly - if you wait too long, some companies assume silence means consent and might not send paper copies at all. I learned this lesson when I missed getting a 1099 entirely from one client because I ignored their electronic consent email.