Where to get Form 1096?

You can prepare Form 1096 on PDFLiner, but the IRS accepts on paper only the official red scannable Form 1096 or a substitute printed to the specifications in Publication 1179: do not print and file a downloaded copy, or a penalty may apply. Order the scannable form for the tax year you are reporting free at IRS.gov/orderforms (prior-year forms by phone, 800-829-3676). For eligible information returns, e-filing is generally required when you must file 10 or more information returns in a calendar year, counted in aggregate, unless an approved waiver or applicable exemption permits paper filing. Form 5498-QA for 2025 must be filed on paper.

Form 1096 is due with the paper returns it transmits. For 2025 information returns, the standard deadlines were March 2, 2026; February 2, 2026 for Forms 1099-NEC; and June 1, 2026 for the 5498 series. Check the return's instructions for exceptions, including the special filing rule for Form 1099-SB when notice of a transfer to a foreign person arrives late. Recipient copies of most information returns are due by January 31 of the following year (February 2, 2026 for 2025 forms); Forms 1099-B, 1099-DA, 1099-S and some 1099-MISC are due February 17, 2026, and other forms (the 5498 series, 1099-LS, 1099-SB) have their own dates.

How to file a corrected 1096?

A previously filed Form 1096 itself does not need correcting. When a correction is required for an error in amounts or recipient details on a paper-filed federal information return, follow the IRS paper-correction charts, prepare the required corrected return or returns and a new Form 1096, and mail the package to the IRS Submission Processing Center specified in the form's instructions. Furnish corrected statements to the affected recipients too. An error in the payer's name or TIN uses the letter procedure in Part F of the IRS general instructions; an error only in state or local information is handled with that authority. Corrections normally follow the original returns' e-filing requirement, but an approved waiver or applicable exemption may permit paper filing.

What are the components of Form 1096?

File 1096 contains: the filer's name, address and contact person; the EIN or SSN, the total number of forms, federal income tax withheld and the total amount reported; one box (box 6) for the type of form transmitted; signature, title and date.

How do I print a 1096?

To print tax form 1096 you should fill it out and then click the Done button and choose the Print option. Use the printout for your records or to copy the figures onto the official scannable form; the IRS does not accept the printout itself.

IRS Form 1096 (2025): Annual Summary and Transmittal of U.S. Information Returns

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What is IRS Form 1096 (2025)?

Form 1096, Annual Summary and Transmittal of U.S. Information Returns, is the cover sheet for information returns (Forms 1097, 1098, 1099, 3921, 3922, 5498 and W-2G) that you file with the IRS on paper. You send one Form 1096 with each type of form, giving your name, TIN, the number of forms and the totals reported. You do not use it when you e-file, and it is never sent to recipients.

What I need the IRS 1096 (2025) for?

Anyone who files the covered information returns on paper needs Form 1096 as the transmittal. For example:

Businesses that paid contractors and file Forms 1099-NEC on paper;
Lenders and educational institutions filing Forms 1098 and 1098-T;
Brokers, banks and insurers filing Forms 1099-B, 1099-INT and 1099-R;
Casinos and other payers of gambling winnings filing Forms W-2G.

Filers required to submit 10 or more information returns in a calendar year, counted in aggregate, generally must e-file. An approved waiver or an applicable religious exemption permits paper filing. Form 1096 accompanies the covered paper returns; it is not used for electronic filing. For most returns due in 2026 the late-filing penalty is $60 per return if you file within 30 days of the due date, $130 if you file by August 1, and $340 after that (at least $680 for intentional disregard); Forms 1099-SA, 1099-Q, 1099-QA and the 5498 series carry $50 per return instead. Check each return's deadline on the official website.

Organizations that work with 1096 file

Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service.

Relevant to IRS 1096 Documents:

Related to blank 1096 Resources

How to Fill Out a 1096 Form IRS?

Step 1:Open the fillable 1096 by clicking "Fill Out Form" button.

Step 2: Provide the following information:

Company: name, address, phone, the person who can be contacted;
SSN or EIN number must be included;
Box 3: Enter the count of completed returns included with this Form 1096, excluding blank or voided returns and Form 1096 itself; do not count pages.
Box 4: Enter the combined federal income tax withheld on the returns in this submission.
Box 5: Follow the IRS instructions for the form type in this submission and total only the designated boxes. Leave it empty for Forms 1098-T, 1099-A and 1099-G.
Box 6: Mark exactly one form type. Prepare a separate Form 1096 for each different type of return.

Step 3: Once you completed the file, click "Done" button to save the document.

Form Versions

2024 Fillable Form 1096 for 2024 tax year Fill Out Form

2022 Fillable Form 1096 for 2022 tax year Fill Out Form

2021 Fillable Form 1096 for 2021 tax year Fill Out Form

2020 Fillable Form 1096 for 2020 tax year Fill Out Form

FAQ: Let's Go Through Form 1096 Popular Questions

Where to get Form 1096?

You can prepare Form 1096 on PDFLiner, but the IRS accepts on paper only the official red scannable Form 1096 or a substitute printed to the specifications in Publication 1179: do not print and file a downloaded copy, or a penalty may apply. Order the scannable form for the tax year you are reporting free at IRS.gov/orderforms (prior-year forms by phone, 800-829-3676). For eligible information returns, e-filing is generally required when you must file 10 or more information returns in a calendar year, counted in aggregate, unless an approved waiver or applicable exemption permits paper filing. Form 5498-QA for 2025 must be filed on paper.
When is 1096 due?

Form 1096 is due with the paper returns it transmits. For 2025 information returns, the standard deadlines were March 2, 2026; February 2, 2026 for Forms 1099-NEC; and June 1, 2026 for the 5498 series. Check the return's instructions for exceptions, including the special filing rule for Form 1099-SB when notice of a transfer to a foreign person arrives late. Recipient copies of most information returns are due by January 31 of the following year (February 2, 2026 for 2025 forms); Forms 1099-B, 1099-DA, 1099-S and some 1099-MISC are due February 17, 2026, and other forms (the 5498 series, 1099-LS, 1099-SB) have their own dates.
How to file a corrected 1096?

A previously filed Form 1096 itself does not need correcting. When a correction is required for an error in amounts or recipient details on a paper-filed federal information return, follow the IRS paper-correction charts, prepare the required corrected return or returns and a new Form 1096, and mail the package to the IRS Submission Processing Center specified in the form's instructions. Furnish corrected statements to the affected recipients too. An error in the payer's name or TIN uses the letter procedure in Part F of the IRS general instructions; an error only in state or local information is handled with that authority. Corrections normally follow the original returns' e-filing requirement, but an approved waiver or applicable exemption may permit paper filing.
What are the components of Form 1096?
File 1096 contains:
1. the filer's name, address and contact person;
2. the EIN or SSN, the total number of forms, federal income tax withheld and the total amount reported;
3. one box (box 6) for the type of form transmitted;
4. signature, title and date.
How do I print a 1096?

To print tax form 1096 you should fill it out and then click the Done button and choose the Print option. Use the printout for your records or to copy the figures onto the official scannable form; the IRS does not accept the printout itself.

IRS 1096 Form (2025)