To order 1099 forms from the IRS, use the agency’s Online Ordering for Information Returns and Employer Returns portal, where official scannable form sets are free. Each order is capped at 10 copies of any single form type, so if you need more you’ll either buy kits from a commercial vendor or skip paper entirely by e-filing through the IRS’s free IRIS system.1Internal Revenue Service. Order Paper Information Returns and Employer Returns
Ordering Free Forms From the IRS
The IRS ships official 1099 form sets at no charge through its online ordering portal for information returns.1Internal Revenue Service. Order Paper Information Returns and Employer Returns A typical set includes Copy A for the IRS, Copy B for the recipient, and Copy C for your records, along with the Form 1096 transmittal you need for paper filing.
The hard limit is 10 copies per form type per order. If you file 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC, those are separate orders, each capped at 10. The cap is deliberate: the IRS wants higher-volume filers to submit electronically.
Delivery generally takes about 15 business days, and delays are common during peak season in January and February. Tax year 2025 forms for the 2026 filing season typically become available in late fall. Get your order in by early December if you can, because the 1099-NEC filing and recipient deadline is January 31, and waiting until the new year cuts the timeline close.
Why You Can’t Print Copy A From the IRS Website
Copy A is the version you submit to the IRS on paper, and it’s printed in a specific red ink that the agency’s scanning equipment reads. You cannot download a usable Copy A from IRS.gov and print it on your office printer. The IRS explicitly warns that submitting a printed-from-website Copy A can trigger penalties because the scanners can’t process it.2Internal Revenue Service. Am I Required to File a Form 1099 or Other Information Return
Copy B, Copy C, and state copies (Copies 1 and 2) are different. You can print those on plain white paper or use substitute forms, as long as they follow the layout and sizing rules in IRS Publication 1179.3Internal Revenue Service. About Publication 1179, General Rules and Specifications for Substitute Forms 1096, 1098, 1099, 5498, and Certain Other Information Returns The red-ink rule applies only to the Copy A you send to the IRS.
Buying 1099 Forms From Commercial Vendors
Office supply stores, tax form publishers, and accounting supply companies sell pre-packaged 1099 kits that include the red-ink Copy A along with the other copies. This is the faster route when you need forms quickly or when the 10-copy IRS limit falls short.
Kits are typically sold in packages of 25 or 50 and generally run from roughly $15 to $50 depending on quantity and vendor. Before buying, confirm the vendor’s forms comply with the current version of IRS Publication 1179, which sets the exact paper size, ink color, and layout specifications Copy A must meet to pass through IRS scanners.4Internal Revenue Service. General Rules and Specifications for Substitute Forms 1096, 1098, 1099, 5498, and Certain Other Information Returns Reputable vendors advertise compliance on the packaging.
If you use accounting or payroll software, you can often print recipient copies (B, C, 1, and 2) onto blank perforated stock sold by the same vendors, with the software handling the formatting. Copy A still has to be either the official IRS red-ink version or a Publication 1179-compliant substitute. Most software now includes electronic filing, which removes the paper Copy A problem entirely.
When You’re Not Allowed to File on Paper
Before you order anything, check whether you’re even permitted to file on paper. If your business files 10 or more information returns in a calendar year, you must file them electronically. The threshold is aggregated across all form types, including W-2s filed with the Social Security Administration.5Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 801, Who Must File Information Returns Electronically
This catches more small businesses than expected. Five 1099-NEC forms plus five 1099-MISC forms already hits the mark, and paper filing is no longer an option. If electronic filing creates genuine hardship, you can apply for a waiver on Form 8508, but the default rule at 10 or more returns is e-file.6Internal Revenue Service. Form 8508, Application for a Waiver From Electronic Filing of Information Returns
Free E-Filing Through IRIS as the Alternative
The IRS operates a free web-based system called the Information Returns Intake System (IRIS) that lets you e-file 1099 forms directly, with no special software.7Internal Revenue Service. E-File Information Returns With IRIS This is where the IRS is steering filers. E-filing means no red-ink Copy A, no Form 1096, and no trip to the post office.
IRIS supports virtually every 1099 form type for the 2026 filing season, including 1099-NEC, 1099-MISC, 1099-INT, and 1099-DIV. You can enter data manually or upload a CSV file to populate up to 100 returns at a time. The portal also generates printable recipient copies for you to send out.
Setting Up IRIS
Registration takes time, so don’t wait until the week before a deadline:
- You need an Employer Identification Number. If your business already has one, you’re set on this step.
- Apply for a Transmitter Control Code (TCC), the five-digit code that identifies your business when you e-file. The application runs through the IRS website and involves identity verification through ID.me.
- Choose your role during the application: “Issuer” if you’re filing your own returns, “Transmitter” if you’re filing on behalf of other businesses.
The TCC application can take weeks to process. Submitting in January is a common mistake that forces businesses into a last-minute scramble for paper forms.
FIRE Is Being Retired
The older Filing Information Returns Electronically (FIRE) system, which many businesses and third-party filers have used for years, is targeted for retirement after Tax Year 2026 (Filing Season 2027). Starting with Filing Season 2027, IRIS will be the only electronic intake system for these information returns.8Internal Revenue Service. Filing Information Returns Electronically (FIRE) If you currently file through FIRE, apply for an IRIS TCC now and start transitioning.
Which 1099 Form Should You Order
The right form depends on what you paid. The most common ones small businesses need are:
- Form 1099-NEC for nonemployee compensation of $600 or more paid to independent contractors, freelancers, and other non-employees for services performed for your business.9Internal Revenue Service. Reporting Payments to Independent Contractors
- Form 1099-MISC for rents, prizes, awards, medical and health care payments, and other miscellaneous income of $600 or more, plus royalties of $10 or more.10Internal Revenue Service. About Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Information
- Form 1099-INT for interest income of $10 or more paid during the year.11Internal Revenue Service. About Form 1099-INT, Interest Income
- Form 1099-DIV for dividends and other distributions to shareholders.
Identify every form type before placing an order. A business that pays contractors and also pays rent on office space will need both 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC, and each is a separate order subject to its own 10-copy cap.
Don’t Forget Form 1096 for Paper Filings
If you file Copy A on paper, you must include Form 1096 as a cover sheet. This transmittal summarizes how many information returns you’re sending and the total dollar amounts.12Internal Revenue Service. About Form 1096, Annual Summary and Transmittal of U.S. Information Returns You need a separate 1096 for each type of 1099. Filing both 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC on paper means two 1096 transmittals. Form 1096 comes with the IRS form sets you order, and it isn’t needed at all if you e-file.