Curious how small employers are adapting to the IRS’s 10-return e-file mandate that applies to 2024 filings, since the threshold aggregates across W-2s, 1099s, and ACA forms. From a policy lens, the goal is efficiency, but in practice it pushes tool choices — are you using IRIS/FIRE with SSA BSO and AIR, or moving to a single vendor to handle TIN matching and acknowledgments? General information only; consult a qualified attorney for specific compliance questions.
If you’ve got any ACA, I’d lean to one vendor — AIR onboarding is the time sink — otherwise IRIS for 1099s (https://www.irs.gov/filing/information-returns-intake-system-iris) + SSA BSO for W-2s is fine and free, with TIN matching via e-Services (fewer portals = fewer sticky notes). Concrete step: tally your 2024 counts across W-2/1099/ACA now and pick one pipeline before Jan 31; tiny caveat, Form 8508 exists but approvals are rare — anyone seeing vendors that also handle state 1099-NEC so you don’t double-file?
Quick step: tally last year’s W-2s, 1099s, 1095s, and any 94x returns — the “10-return rule” aggregates across types, so it sneaks up like socks in a dryer. If you’ve got state 1099 reporting, a single vendor that handles AIR and the Combined Federal/State Filing program (https://www.irs.gov/e-file-providers/combined-federal-state-filing) saves you from juggling IRIS + BSO + state portals; IRIS doesn’t forward to states yet. @sophieV2021 do you have a vendor that does TIN matching and ACA acks without a heavy onboarding?
We moved to a single vendor after our first season because 1099‑NEC state filing and AIR acks ate the time we saved with IRIS/FIRE, though IRIS is fine if there’s no ACA and only a few 1099s. Quick win: run a bulk TIN match on contractors now to prevent CP2100s later; @phillips_ray81, seen any vendor that auto‑routes NEC to non‑CF/SF states?