New IRS Filing Deadlines For W2 and 1099 Government Copies

Posted by Kim Chen on July 10th, 2016

Written by Jane Compagnone
Beginning in 2017, the IRS has changed the deadlines for submission of government copies of W2 and 1099 forms to January 31st.
This means that you will not only be required to provide W-2 forms to your employees by January 31st, but you must also file W-2 forms and their W-3 transmittal with the Social Security Administration on that same January 31st deadline. If you file electronically, the due date is also January 31, 2017.
You also must issue your 1099-Misc forms to your contractors, and file 1099-Misc forms along with the 1096 transmittal form, to the IRS, by January 31st as well.
Waiting until February 28th to file the government copies of either form set is no longer an option.
As a result of this shortened deadline period between year-end and the filing date, it is extremely important that you implement procedures to insure you are obtaining all the necessary information, and tracking all the appropriate expenditures. Make certain that all of your 1099-Misc contractors have completed and signed form W-9 with their current identification and filing information. Verify the filing status of your employees, and confirm their mailing addresses prior to the end of the year.