The 1099 Threshold Tripled. Your W-9 Discipline Shouldn’t Change

Payments made on or after January 1, 2026 don’t trigger a 1099-NEC or 1099-MISC until a vendor crosses $2,000 for the year, but you won’t know who cleared it until the year is over.

Stop collecting W-9s because “most of them won’t hit it anyway,” and you’ll spend next January chasing tax ID numbers from contractors who have already moved on — or eating backup withholding you never owed.

The reporting threshold changed; the rule that you collect a W-9 before you cut the first check did not.
Fewer forms to file is only a win if your vendor file is clean enough to prove which ones you didn’t have to file.

Let’s nail down the process together—drop a comment or message to connect!