A W-2 is a separate form from a 1099. The primary difference is that the W-2 is issued to employees on the company payroll, while the 1099-NEC is given to independent contractors and non-payroll workers.
Key Takeaways. If you work as an employee, you'll receive a W-2 form from your employer that shows your tax information for the year, but if you're an independent contractor or own your own business, you'll receive 1099 forms from clients with your tax information.
Self-employment tax: 1099 contractors are subject to self-employment tax, which covers both the employer and employee portions of Social Security and Medicare taxes. This totals 15.3% of your net earnings. In contrast, W-2 employees only pay the employee portion (7.65%), while their employer covers the remaining half.
However, simply receiving a 1099 tax form doesn't necessarily mean you owe taxes on that money. You might have deductions that offset the income, or some or all of it might be sheltered based on the characteristics of the asset that generated it.
A 1099 form reports income from self-employment, freelance work, investment, or other non-employee sources. A W-2 form reports wages, salaries, and taxes withheld for employees by their employer.
Form 1099 is a collection of forms used to report payments that typically aren't from an employer. 1099 forms can report different types of incomes. These can include payments to independent contractors, gambling winnings, rents, royalties, and more.
A 1099 form is a document used by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to track various types of income that are not part of regular employment wages. In essence, it acts as a financial record that helps the IRS monitor income sources that haven't had taxes withheld throughout the year.
While it won't affect your self-employment tax rate, since that's calculated based on your 1099 earnings, it can affect your federal and state income tax rate. That could result in owing more money at tax time, even if you've been paying the appropriate amount of estimated quarterly taxes.
First of all, you don't receive regular paychecks and you also don't receive a W2 at the end of the year. Instead, you should receive 1099-NEC forms from each client that has paid you over $600. So, you might be wondering “Can I get a tax refund with a 1099?”. The short answer is–typically no.
1099 contractors pay the full 15.3% from the money they earn.
What Is 1099 Form Used for? The 1099 form is used to report non-employment income to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Businesses are typically required to issue a 1099 form to a taxpayer (other than a corporation) who has received at least $600 or more in non-employment income during the tax year.
If you receive Form 1099-A, you will need to report it on Schedule D of your tax return that year. Form 1099-A can help you determine if you have any capital gain or loss from the foreclosure of your property. Capital gains from foreclosure are treated the same as capital gains from a traditional sale.
1099 Drawbacks
There is a degree of risk with misclassification and non-compliant contracts. For workers: 1099 workers lack the stability that comes with being a W-2 employee. Also, most are ineligible for company benefits and may pay more in taxes.
In most cases, self-employed contractors will pay a slightly higher tax rate than employees on paper – but overall they typically pay a lower amount of taxes due to business tax breaks and expense deductions.
For tax year 2025, the threshold is $2,500, regardless of the number of transactions. For tax year 2026 and after, the threshold is $600, regardless of the number of transactions.
If you've received a 1099 Form instead of an employee W-2, your company is treating you as a self-employed worker. This is also known as an independent contractor. When there is an amount shown on your Form 1099-MISC in Box 7, you're typically considered self-employed.
Key Takeaways. Businesses that send you a Form 1099 are also required to send the same information to the IRS. So, if you don't include reportable income on your tax return, the system that matches tax returns to the information in the IRS systems will likely flag your tax return for further evaluation.
Yes, you will likely owe the IRS (a lot of) money.
If you earned more than $600 from a 1099 source, you'll need to pay taxes on it. Your employer has already notified the IRS about paying you so there's no getting out of it. And it's quite expensive.
The IRS uses automated systems to match the income reported on tax returns with the information reported on 1099 forms. If a taxpayer reports income that does not align with the information provided by employers on 1099s, it may trigger an investigation.
1099: Being a 1099 employee offers more flexibility and control over your work, the possibility of higher earnings, and potential tax deductions for business expenses. However, you'll be responsible for managing your own taxes, won't have access to employee benefits, and may experience income volatility.
If you don't include this and any other taxable income on your tax return, you may be subject to a penalty. Failing to report income may cause your return to understate your tax liability. If this happens, the IRS may impose an accuracy-related penalty that's equal to 20% of your underpayment.
That “30% rule of thumb” comes from the fact that self-employment income is taxed at an additional 15.3% to make sure that self-employed people still pay Medicare and Social Security tax.
If you're not an employee of the payer, and you're not in a self-employed trade or business, you should report the income on line 8j of Schedule 1 (Form 1040), Additional Income and Adjustments to Income PDF and any allowable expenses on Schedule A (Form 1040), Itemized Deductions.
Cash payments of $600 or more to an independent contractor should be reported on a 1099 form, regardless of the payment method. Neglecting to issue the appropriate tax forms for cash payments can lead to tax implications and penalties.
You can deposit higher than regular amounts on your retirement accounts, and manage your own social security, healthcare, and income taxes. Another benefit is that you can deduct business expenses like home office supplies, internet travel expenses, or even meals.