1099-MISC Income vs Other Income Types

Form 1099-MISC reports payments made by businesses to report certain types of compensation, such as rents, prizes, awards, and healthcare payments. There are also specific types of payments to an attorney or physician that are reportable on a 1099-MISC and some rarely used tracking for specific industries such as commercial fishing boats. Historically, this form has been used in the past to report all non-employee compensation. Still, the current regulations require the use of the 1099-NEC for general-purpose reporting of these payments and have re-focused the use of the 1099-MISC. 

In short, for most taxpayers the 1099-MISC will be used for payments of rents and awards and in some limited cases payments to an attorney only as most of the non-employee income was moved to the 1099-NEC in the 2020 tax year. 

What’s the difference between self-employment income and other income? 

Category	Self-Employment Income	Other Income
Nature of Income	Income earned as an independent worker, e.g., contractor, consultant, freelancer	Income from sources like prizes, awards, lawsuit settlements, etc.
Reported on	1099-NEC (Box 1), 1099-K (Box 1a), or as cash, check, or credit card sales transactions	1099-MISC (Box 3)
Reporting Form	This may require completion of Schedule C	Report on Line 8 of Schedule 1 of Form 1040
Expense Deductions	Allows deductions for related business expenses	N/A (deductions may vary depending on the nature of other income)
Taxation	Subject to self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare)	Taxation varies based on the specific type of other income

Other Incomes (Boxes 1-14 of Form 1099-MISC) 

Here are some common types of payments that are documented on Form 1099-MISC: 

• Rental Income: Landlords receive a 1099-MISC from tenants or property management companies to report rent paid during the year. 
• Prizes and Awards: Large cash payments, including casino winnings, are reported using a 1099-MISC. 
• Legal Settlements: Payments like legal settlements are also recorded on a 1099-MISC. 
• Certain Reimbursements: For contractors who are regularly reimbursed for purchases made on behalf of clients (like supplies), these payments, not subject to self-employment tax, may be reported on Form 1099-MISC. 

Box	Description
Box 1	Payments received for rental activities
Box 2	Payments received as royalties
Box 3	Miscellaneous income not categorized elsewhere
Box 4	Federal income tax withheld
Box 5	Proceeds from fishing boat activities
Box 6	Payments for medical and healthcare services
Box 7	Direct sales totaling $5,000 or more of consumer products to a recipient for resale (Check this box if applicable)
Box 8	Substitute payments in lieu of dividends or interest
Box 9	Proceeds from crop insurance
Box 10	Gross payments made to an attorney
Box 11	Fish purchased for resale
Box 12	Deferrals under Section 409A
Box 13	FATCA Filing Requirement
Box 14	Excess payments related to employment contracts
Box 15	Nonqualified deferred compensation
Box 16	State tax withheld
Box 17	Payer’s state tax identification number
Box 18	State income

What’s changed on the new 1099-MISC? 

Certain thresholds trigger the need for reporting on the 1099-MISC form: 

Royalties (Box 2) or Broker Payments (Box 8): 

• $10 or more in royalties (Box 2). 
• $10 or more in broker payments in lieu of dividends or tax-exempt interest (Box 8). 

Various Income Categories (Box 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, and 14): 

• $600 or more in: 
• Rent (Box 1). 
• Prizes and awards (Box 3). 
• Other income payments (Box 3). 
• Cash paid from a notional principal contract (Box 3). 
• Fishing boat proceeds (Box 5). 
• Medical and health care payments (Box 6). 
• Crop insurance proceeds (Box 9). 
• Payments to an attorney (Box 10). 
• Section 409A deferrals (Box 12). 
• Nonqualified deferred compensation (Box 14). 

Meeting or exceeding these thresholds necessitates reporting on the respective boxes of the 1099-MISC form. 

How to eFile 1099-MISC with Tax1099 for TY 2023? 

1. Provide Federal Tax Information 

2. Add State Tax Information 

3. Review and Validate Form 1099-MISC Data 

4. Submit your 1099-MISC Form to the IRS 

5. Send Recipient Copy via Email or Download as PDF