1099-MISC Forms for Freelancing Dummies

Form 1099-MISC

You'd think that someone who regularly raked in a pile of cash for freelance work would be somewhat familiar with the ins and outs of the IRS forms for self-employment income and, especially, the infamous IRS form 1099-MISC. After all, that's the official record of a freelancer's pay, as many of our staffers know. Given that eHowian Rebecca Mecomber claims to be a "professional blogger and writer," she should probably be more familiar with 1099s and "How to Print a 1099 Miscellaneous Form" than her post seems to suggest... (see the post at BizFluent.com)¹

We said that because Mecomber opens her instructions by (mis)informing her readers that

"Taxpayers use Form 1099-MISC to report miscellaneous income of $600 or more for non-employee service income. For example, a freelance web designer may submit Form 1099-MISC for payments received for his services..."

...which isn't quite correct. In fact, most of what Mecomber said is simply wrong: taxpayers don't use a 1099-MISC for anything! Companies and individuals who pay non-employees file this form with the IRS; recipients do not: they merely keep their copy for their records. Oh, and the $600 amount? you should know that individuals are liable for taxes on every penny they earn; the $600 cutoff is the minimum for reporting by the payer, not the payee. Whatever... Rebecca goes on to demonstrate her inability to understand the 1099-MISC form and its instructions when she tells her readers to, "Open Form 1099-MISC at the Internal Revenue Service website,"

...and print it from your browser. Of course if she had actually read the instructions, she would have learned that payers can't do that. They have to order official forms from the IRS or an authorized vendor, as using the online version may result in a fine. Oops, Rebecca...

Of course, it's highly likely that the OQ wanted to know how to print a filled-in 1099-MISC that had been emailed to him or made available on a website. Some people are as tech-savvy as Mecomber is tax-savvy, we guess. By overlooking this probability, Mecomber failed her readers (not to mention misinformed them) and qualified herself for her fourth Dumbass of the Day award.

¹ The original has been deleted by Leaf Group, but can still be accessed using the Wayback machine at archive.org. Its URL was   ehow.com/how_7844599_print-1099-miscellaneous-form.html

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