Table of Contents

Accepted with Errors – How to Find (and fix) Information Form Errors (IRIS, 1099)

JD Updated by JD

IRIS Help Phone Number: 866-937-4130, if needed

The two primary sources of error information found on IRIS Portal website are:

  • IRIS View Acknowledgement page – Viewed by clicking, “Accepted with Errors” link, and
  • IRIS Acknowledgement (a Downloaded JSON file, which is difficult to read)

Procedure:

  1. At the end of successfully submitting your Information Return(s) on IRIS will be, “Your Form(s) Have Been Submitted” screen.
    From that screen
    OR,
    From the IRIS DASHBOARD, choose View Submitted Forms
    Example once open:
  2. On the View Submitted Forms screen under “Transmission Status” column, your status may initially be “Received by the IRS”, but usually changes quickly to either “Accepted” or “Accepted with Errors”.
    “Accepted with Errors” is considered accepted on the date e-filed (but the IRS expects “every effort” to be made to CORRECT these Information Forms (more below)). While it’s encouraged that this be done “as soon as possible” – these 1099 corrections are not “due” on January 31st (or February 2nd).
    Click on “Accepted with Errors”:
  3. That will bring you to the View Acknowledgement page:
    Take note of each error description and the Receipt ID or Record ID it is associated with. (You may want to save this page utilizing a screenshot (or Print it by selecting all the text, and using Ctrl+P on your keyboard to access printing).
    Further down we will describe particular errors and their possible remedies.
  4. HOW TO DETERMINE WHICH INFORMATION FORM A RECORD ID BELONGS TO
    Although the View Acknowledgement page shows your Record ID and its error description, it does not identify which FORM it is on (e.g., which 1099-NEC?)
    There are two ways you can determine the specific form:
    1. Use your back button to return to the View Submitted Forms page (or access through the Dashboard).
    Click the Submission ID itself.
    The next webpage will show all the Record ID’s that belong to that submission. You can then visually scan the page to find the RECORD ID. Clicking on the erroneous Record ID will open up the Form itself. There you can see all its information.
    Form contents will first show the PAYER information, and then the RECIPIENT Information fields:
    Note that the first 7 Recipient fields should be your primary focus if there is a Name/TIN IRIS Error of 014 or 015 (more below). You might choose to use Ctrl+P to access your printer to print out the form contents.
    1. The second method for determining which Form is associated with the Record ID (which was flagged as an error by IRIS) is to Download and read your Acknowledgement File. On the View Submitted Forms page, click on the Download link under the Acknowledgement column (next to the pertinent submission that has “Accepted with Errors” as submission status:
      This download will be a JSON file which is rather difficult to read. It is recommended that you open its contents in Microsoft Word (it can also be opened in WordPad). From Word it is recommended that you select all its contents, and then under HOME toolbar, increase the FONT size:
      It will still be a challenge to read as it will list each Record ID in the entire submission as a continual flow of text – But LOOK FOR recognizable RECIPIENT NAMES in its contents. If you focus on that, you’ll notice it shows the RECORD ID just before the Recipient Name, followed by the reason for its error. Only the Name(s) with ERRORS will be reflected in the contents.
  5. SOLUTIONS FOR SPECIFIC ERRORS
    Refocusing on specific errors from the View Acknowledgement page:
    1. Using the errors example above, notice how the first error level is “Submission”. This particular error is about having more than one 1099 (of the same type) going to the same Recipient in your batch.
      Details
      IRIS requires differing ACCOUNT NUMBERS to be entered on those 1099’s. They also must be numeric for IRIS to recognize them. Although IRIS is calling this a “Submission Level Error”, it actually needs to be corrected on the Form(s) themselves. You’ll need to go inside your Information Form contents on Iris (continue reading instructions). Change or add account numbers so that they are 1) numeric and 2) differ one from another (if the Recipient is the same)
      Details
      Note: if you have a great number of forms, and no practical way to know which IRIS “Record ID’s” (forms) contain these errors, you might consider calling IRIS: 866-937-4130. (IRIS may inform you that optionally they can just add the amounts together for that Recipient, which is what you probably intended anyways).
    2. Notice that the other errors above are at the “Record” level. IRIS assigns each 1099 a Record ID. Non-matching of NAME on the 1099 with its TIN (in the IRS computer), generates these COMMON errors. Most often these will be either Error 014 (regarding Social Security number and name) or Error 015 (regarding FEIN and name).
      Note: This extensive match checking by IRIS started with 2025 1099’s.
      There can be a variety of reasons a name doesn’t match its TIN. The Recipient may have entered a wrong ID number on their W-9, or a transcription error may have occurred when typing into payroll system. It could be a misspelled or incomplete name.
      But the most common reason has to do with name and TIN formatting on the 1099, which can easily be fixed.
      SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER
      When a Social Security number is furnished on a 1099 in payroll system, it must be in SS security format AND the First name, middle Initial and Last name CHECKBOX must be check-marked. Example:
      That formatting is required for an Individual using SS number. Optionally, they can add a DBA business name on the SECOND line of Name area.
      If you did not utilize the checkbox above in your Payroll System 1099, then IRIS won’t consider the first line of the name to be an Individual name.
      FIX
      If such a Record is labelled as an error in IRIS, then upon opening the Form contents, if you see the personal name listed as a “Recipient Business or Entity Name”, you will proceed to mark the form for Correction (continue reading instructions), and move name from Business Name field to the First, Middle and Last Name fields instead.
      Note: if the Recipient only furnished you the DBA name, you will not be able to correct this form without retrieving their legal personal name that is associated with their Social Security number.
      But often, a worker may have provided an incorrect SS number; in which case, you just have to do your best to track down an accurate number (keeping records of attempts you make is recommended).
      FEIN
      If the Recipient has furnished a FEIN number, it is common to think a business name should be listed on the first name line. However, this is generally not true in the case of a Sole Proprietorship.
      If the Recipient is a Sole Proprietor, their Legal Name as an Individual usually needs to be listed first on the 1099 in Payroll System, even if a FEIN is used instead of a Social Security number. Their DBA can then be entered on the 2
      Name line, as follows:
      Note that there are cases where the Sole Proprietor doesn’t include their Middle Initial – or cases where the IRS has listed a business name only (even for a Sole Proprietor).
      But in most cases, when a contractor fills out a W-9, they’re simply not aware that their Individual Name is the first thing associated with their FEIN number (rather than their DBA). What’s especially helpful is if the Recipient can locate their original IRS Assignment of FEIN number letter (or a copy of their SS-4 application).
      FIX
      If such a Record is labelled as an error in IRIS, then upon opening Form contents, look closely at both lines of its “Recipient Business or Entity Name”. Usually, Line 1 should be the personal name and Line 2 the DBA. When you select that Form/Record ID for Correction, correct those as needed.
      Note also that in some cases, a Sole Proprietor may have changed their name since the FEIN number was assigned – but have not updated that yet with the IRS.
  6. TO CORRECT:
    After looking at Form contents for each Record ID that was listed as having an error, determine which ones you are ready to make corrections on.
    Return to the View Submitted Forms page. You will next proceed to click the CHECK BOX next to the submission that contains at least one form you’re ready to correct.
    To proceed, please see this next Help Article on the Correction Process: 1099 E-Filing: Submitting IRIS CSV Portal corrections

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