Accessibility Skip to Top Navigation Skip to Main Content Home  |  Change Text Size  |  Contact IRS  |  About IRS  |  Site Map  |  Español  |  Help  
magnifying glass
Advanced Search   Search Tips

A Guide to Information Returns

 
Introduction

The Information Reporting Program Website is designed to help you meet your Information Reporting Requirements. Included are help-line telephone numbers and direct links to aid you in reporting information returns. You will also find information about how to file returns electronically.

What is an Information Return?

An information return is a tax document businesses are required to file to report certain business transactions to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The requirement to file Information Returns is mandated by the Internal Revenue Service and associated regulations.

Who must file Information Returns?

Any person, including a corporation, partnership, individual, estate, and trust, who make reportable transactions during the calendar year must file information returns to report those transactions to the IRS. Persons required to file Information Returns to the IRS must also furnish statements to the recipients of the income. Filers who have 250 or more must file these returns electronically.

Types of Payments

Below is an alphabetical list of some payments and the forms to file and report them. However, it is not a complete list of all payments, and the absence of a payment from the list does not indicate that the payment is not reportable. For information on a specific type of payment, see the separate instructions for the form(s) listed.

Type of Payment

Report on Form

Abandonment 1099-A
Accelerated death benefits 1099-LTC
Acquisition 1099-A
Advance earned income credit W-2
Agriculture payments 1099-G
Allocated tips W-2
Annuities 1099-R
Attorneys, fees and gross proceeds 1099-MISC
Auto reimbursements: Employee W-2
Auto reimbursements: Nonemployee 1099-MISC
Awards: Employee W-2
Awards: Nonemployee 1099-MISC
Barter exchange income 1099-B
Bonuses: Employee W-2
Bonuses: Nonemployee 1099-MISC
Broker transactions 1099-B
Cancellation of debt 1099-C
Capital gain distributions 1099-DIV
Car expense: Employee W-2
Car expense: Nonemployee 1099-MISC
Charitable gift annuities 1099-R
Commissions: Employee W-2
Commissions: Nonemployee 1099-MISC
Commodities transactions 1099-B
Compensation: Employee W-2
Compensation: Nonemployee 1099-MISC
Crop insurance proceeds 1099-MISC
Damages 1099-MISC
Death benefits 1099-R
Death benefits:Accelerated 1099-LTC
Debt cancellation 1099-C
Dependent care payments W-2
Direct rollovers 1099-R, 5498
Direct sales of consumer products for resale 1099-MISC
Directors fees 1099-MISC
Discharge of indebtedness 1099-C
Dividends 1099-DIV
Education IRA contributions 5498
Education IRA distributions 1099-R
Education loan interest 1098-E
Employee business expense Reimbursement W-2
Employee compensation W-2
Excess deferrals, excess contributions, distributions of 1099-R
Fees: Employee W-2
Fees: Nonemployee 1099-MISC
Fishing boat crew members proceeds 1099-MISC
Fish purchases for cash 1099-MISC
Foreclosures 1099-A
Foreign persons U.S source income 1042-S
401(k) contributions W-2
404(k) dividend 1099-DIV
Gambling winnings W-2G
Golden parachute: Employee W-2
Golden parachute: Nonemployee 1099-MISC
Grants, taxable 1099-G
Health care services 1099-MISC
Income tax refunds, state and local 1099-G
Indian gaming profits paid to tribal members 1099-MISC
Interest income 1099-INT
Interest, mortgage 1098
IRA contributions 5498
IRA distributions 1099-R
Life insurance contract distributions 1099-R, 1099-LTC
Liquidation, distributions in 1099-DIV
Loans, distribution from pension plan 1099-R
Long-term care benefits 1099-LTC
Medical savings accounts: Contributions 5498-MSA
Medical savings accounts: Distributions 1099-MSA
Medicare+Choice Medical Savings Accounts: Contributions 5498-MSA
Medicare+Choice Medical Savings Accounts: Distributions 1099-MSA
Medical services 1099-MISC
Mileage: Employee W-2
Mileage: Nonemployee 1099-MISC
Military retirement 1099-R
Mortgage interest 1098
Moving expense W-2
Nonemployee compensation 1099-MISC
Nonqualified plan distribution W-2
Nonqualified plan distribution: Beneficiaries 1099-R
Original issue discount (OID) 1099-OID
Patronage dividends 1099-PATR
Pensions 1099-R
Points 1098
Prizes: Employee W-2
Prizes: Nonemployee 1099-MISC
Profit-sharing plan 1099-R
PS 58 costs 1099-R
Punitive damages 1099-MISC
Qualified plan distributions 1099-R
Qualified state tuition program payments 1099-G
Real estate transactions 1099-S
Recharacterized IRA contributions 1099-R, 5498
Refunds, state and local tax 1099-G
Rents 1099-MISC
Retirement 1099-R
Roth conversion IRA contributions 5498
Roth conversion IRA distributions 1099-R
Roth IRA contributions 5498
Roth IRA distributions 1099-R
Royalties 1099-MISC
Timber, pay-as-cut contract 1099-S
Sales: Real estate 1099-S
Sales: Securities 1099-B
Section 1035 exchange 1099-R
SEP contributions W-2, 5498
SEP distributions 1099-R
Severance pay W-2
Sick pay W-2
SIMPLE contributions W-2, 5498
SIMPLE distributions 1099-R
Student loan interest 1098-E
Substitute payments in lieu of dividends or tax-exempt interest 1099-MISC
Supplemental unemployment W-2
Tax refunds, state and local 1099-G
Tips W-2
Tuition 1098-T
Unemployment benefits 1099-G
Vacation allowance: Employee W-2
Vacation allowance: Nonemployee 1099-MISC

Wages

W-2



Guide to Information Returns.

An Information Return Guide is provided with a list of all the information returns and what is reported on them. 250 or more of any one type of these forms require electronic or magnetic media filing with IRS.

Form

Title

What to Report

Amounts to Report

Due Date to IRS

Due Date to Recipient (unless indicated otherwise)

1042-S

Foreign Person's U.S. Source Income Subject to Withholding

Payments subject to withholding under Chapter 3 of the Code, including interest, dividends, royalties, pensions and annuities, gambling winnings, and compensation for personal services.

All amounts, except $10 or more for interest on U.S. deposits paid to Canadian nonresident aliens.

March 15

March 15

1098

Mortgage Interest Statement

Mortgage interest (including points) you received in the course of your trade or business from individuals and reimbursements of overpaid interest.

$600 or more

February 28

(To Payer/Borrower) January 31

1098-E

Student Loan Interest Statement

Student loan interest received in the course of your trade or business.

$600 or more

February 28

January 31

1098-T

Tuition Payments Statement

Qualified tuition and related expenses, reimbursements or refunds, and scholarships or grants (optional).

See instructions

February 28

January 31

1099-A

Acquisition or Abandonment of Secured Property

Information about the acquisition or abandonment of property that is security for a debt for which you are lender.

All amounts

February 28

(To borrower) January 31

1099-B

Proceeds from Broker and Barter Exchange Transactions

Sales or redemptions of securities, futures transactions, commodities, and barter exchange transactions.

All amounts

February 28

January 31

1099-C

Cancellation of Debt

Cancellation of a debt owed to a financial institution, the Federal government, a credit union, RTC, FDIC, NCUA, a military department, the U.S. Postal Service, the Postal Rate Commission, or any organization having a significant trade or business of lending money.

$600 or more

February 28

January 31

1099-Div

Dividends and Distributions

Distributions, such as dividends, captial gain distributions, or nontaxable distributions, that were paid on stock, and liquidation distributions.

$10 or more, except $600 or more for liquidations

February 28

January 31

1099-G

Certain Government and Qualified State Tuition Program Payments

Unemployment compensation, state and local income tax refunds, agricultural payments, taxable grants, and earnings from a qualified state tuition program (QSTP).

Any amount for a QSTP; $10 or more for refunds and unemployment; $600 or more for all others.

February 28

January 31

1099-INT

Interest Income

Interest Income.

$10 or more ($600 or more in some cases)

February 28

January 31

1099-LTC

Long Term Care and Accelerated Death Benefits

Payments under a long term care insurance contract and accelerated death benefits paid under a life insurance contract or by a viatical settlement provider.

All amounts

February 28

January 31

1099-MISC

Miscellaneous Income (Also, use this form to report the occurrence of direct sales of $5000 or more of consumer goods for resale.)

Rent or royalty payments; prizes or awards that are not for services, such as winnings on TV or radio shows.

$600 or more, except $10 or more for royalities

February 28

January 31

Payments to crew-members by owners or operators of fishing boats including payments of proceed from sale of catch.

All amounts

Payments to a physician, physician's corporation, or other supplier of health or medical services. Issued mainly by medical assistance programs or health and accident insurance plans.

$600 or more

Payments for services performed for a trade or business by people not treated as its employees. Example: fees to subcontractors or directors, and golden parachute payments.

$600 or more

Fish purchases paid in cash for resale.

$600 or more

Substitute dividend and tax-exempt interest payments reportable by brokers

$10 or more

Crop Insurance proceeds

$600 or more

Gross Proceeds paid to attorneys

All amounts

1099-MSA

Distributions From an MSA or Medicare+Choice MSA

Distributions from a medical savings account (MSA) or Medicare+Choice MSA

All amounts

February 28

January 31

1099-OID

Original Issue Discount

Original Issue Discount

$10 or more

February 28

January 31

1099-PATR

Taxable Distributions Received From Cooperatives

Distributions from cooperatives to their patrons.

$10 or more

February 28

January 31

1099-R

Distributions From Pensions, Annuities, Retirement or profit-sharing Plans, IRAs, Insurance Contracts, Etc.

Distributions from retirement or profit-sharing plans, any IRA, or insurance contracts, and IRA recharacterizations.

$10 or more

February 28

January 31

1099-S

Proceeds From Real Estate Transactions

Gross proceeds from the sale or exchange of real estate

Generally, $600 or more

February 28

January 31

4789

Currency Transaction Report

Each deposit withdrawal, exchange or currency, or other payment or transfer by, through, or to financial institutions (other than casinos)

Over $10,000

15 days after date of transaction

 

5471

Information Return of U.S. Persons With Respect To Certain Foreign Corporations

U.S. Persons who are officers, directors, or shareholders in certain foreign corporations report information required by sections 6035, 6038, and 6046 and to compute income from controlled foreign corporations under sections 951-964.

See form instructions

Due date of income tax return

None

5472

Information Return of a 25% Foreign-Owned U.S. Corporation or a Foreign Corporation Engaged in a U.S. Trade or Business

Transactions between a 25% foreign-owned domestic corporation or a foreign corporation engaged in a trade or business in the United States and a related party as required by sections 6038A and 6038C.

See form instructions

Due date of income tax return

None

5498

IRA Contribution Information

Contributions (including rollover contributions) to any Individual retirement arrangement (IRA) including SEP, SIMPLE, Roth IRA, and Ed IRA; Roth conversions; IRA recharacterizations; and the fair market value of the account.

All amounts

May 31

(To Participant) For value of account and for education IRA contributions, January 31; for all other contributions, May 31

5498-MSA

MSA or Medicare+Choice MSA Information

Contributions to a medical savings account (MSA) and the fair market value of an MSA or Medicare+Choice MSA.

All amounts

May 31

(To Participant) May 31

8027

Employer's Annual Information Return of Tip Income and Allocated Tips

Receipts from large food or beverage operations, tips reported by employees, and allocated tips

See separate instructions

Last day of February

Allocated tips are shown on Form W-2, due January 31

8300

Report of Cash Payments Over $10,000 Received in a Trade or Business

Payments in cash (including certain monetary instruments) or foreign currency received in one transaction, or two or more related transactions, in the course of a trade or business. Does not apply to banks and financial institutions filing Form 4789, and casinos that are required to report such transactions of Form 8362, Currency Transaction Report by Casinos, or, generally, to transactions outside the United States.

Over $10,000

15 days after date of transaction

(To Payer) January 31

8308

Report of a Sale or Exchange of Certain Partnership Interests

Sale or exchange of a partnership interest involving unrealized receivables or inventory items.

(Transaction only)

Generally attach to Form 1065 or 1065-B

(To Transferor and Transferee) January 31

W-2G

Certain Gambling Winnings

Gambling winnings from horse racing, dog racing, jai alai, lotteries, keno, bingo, slot machings, sweepstakes, wagering pools, etc.

Generally, $600 or more; $1,200 or more from bingo or slot machines; $1,500 or more from keno

February 28

January 31

926

Return by a U.S. Transferor of Property to a Foreign Corporation

Transfers of property to a foreign corporation and to report information under section 6038B.

See form instructions

Attach to tax return

None

W-2

Wage and Tax Statement

Wages, tips, other compensation; social security, Medicare, withheld income taxes; and advance earned income credit (EIC) payments. Include bonuses, vacation allowances, severance pay, certain moving expense payments, some kinds of travel allowances, and third-party payments of sick pay.

See separate Instructions

To SSA
Last day of February

January 31

TD F 90-22.1

Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts

Financial interest in or signature or other authority over a foreign bank account, securities account, or other financial account.

Over $10,000

To Treasury Dept.
June 30

None

 


Page Last Reviewed or Updated: March 06, 2009