IRS Deadline: February 1, 2027
Most small businesses that hire both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors end up running two filing systems — one for payroll, one for information returns. This guide ranks the platforms that let you file both from a single account in 2026, and names the clear pick for businesses that don't want a payroll subscription just to send out forms.
A business with five W-2 employees and twelve contractors has two separate federal filing obligations, two sets of recipient copies to deliver, and two deadlines that land close together in January. Handling both inside TaxFormHero means one bulk upload, one set of recipient deliveries, and one bill instead of two subscriptions.
The 1099-NEC reporting threshold for tax year 2026 is $2,000 paid to a non-employee — up from the long-standing $600 threshold under the rule changes phased in for information returns. That shift changes who needs to file at all, but it doesn't change the W-2 obligation for anyone on payroll. A platform that only does one form type leaves you filing the other one somewhere else, by hand or through a second vendor.
Filing one yourself? You can e-file Form W-2 online with TaxFormHero, an IRS-authorized e-filing platform.
| Platform | Best for | Standout feature | Pricing model | Key limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TaxFormHero | Small businesses filing both forms without a subscription | 20+ forms, pay-per-form billing | Pay-per-form, no signup fee | No built-in payroll processing |
| Tax1099 | CPA firms managing multiple clients | Multi-client batch dashboards | Pay-per-form | Interface built for volume, less suited to a single-owner filer |
| eFile4Biz | Occasional filers with a handful of forms | Simple per-form entry, no account tier to navigate | Pay-per-form | Fewer bulk-import options for high-volume batches |
| Yearli by Greatland | Businesses already using Greatland's paper kits | Familiar workflow for prior paper filers moving online | Subscription-based plans | Subscription cost applies even in a light filing year |
| QuickBooks Payroll | Businesses already running payroll inside QuickBooks | W-2s generated from existing payroll data | Add-on to an existing QuickBooks payroll subscription | Weak fit for standalone 1099 volume outside payroll |
TaxFormHero is an IRS-authorized e-filing platform built specifically to handle 1099-NEC, 1099-MISC, 1099-K, W-2, 1095-B, 1095-C, and more than 20 IRS information return types from one account. You enter recipients by hand for a small batch or bulk-import thousands of rows from an Excel template, then transmit federal returns to the IRS over IRIS A2A. State filing covers 41+ states plus DC, with Combined Federal/State Filing states included.
TaxFormHero pros:
TaxFormHero cons:
Best for: a small business with a mixed W-2 and 1099 workforce that wants one platform and doesn't want to pay a monthly fee for a service used once a year. Verdict: Buy.
Tax1099 is built around a multi-client structure, letting an accounting firm manage separate W-2 and 1099 batches for each business they represent from a single firm-level login. That structure is the point — it's designed for volume across many EINs, not for a single business filing its own forms.
Tax1099 pros:
Tax1099 cons:
Best for: a CPA or bookkeeping firm filing on behalf of many clients each January. Verdict: Buy for firms, Skip for a single business filing its own forms.
eFile4Biz targets businesses that only need to file a small number of forms in a given year and don't want to learn a full platform to do it. Entry is form-by-form, which keeps the interface simple for low volume.
eFile4Biz pros:
eFile4Biz cons:
Best for: a business with a very small, stable count of recipients each year. Verdict: Hold — fine at low volume, worth outgrowing.
Yearli is Greatland's online filing product, aimed at businesses that already know the Greatland paper-kit workflow and want to move that same process online without switching vendors.
Yearli pros:
Yearli cons:
Best for: a business already inside the Greatland ecosystem that wants continuity, not a new vendor. Verdict: Hold.
QuickBooks Payroll generates W-2s directly from payroll data already sitting in the platform, which removes a manual re-entry step for businesses running payroll through QuickBooks. It is an add-on to an existing payroll subscription, not a standalone filing product.
QuickBooks Payroll pros:
QuickBooks Payroll cons:
Best for: a business already committed to QuickBooks for payroll that mainly needs W-2s, with light 1099 volume elsewhere. Verdict: Hold.
“If you're filing under a thousand combined W-2s and 1099s a year, paying per form beats paying for a payroll subscription you'll only use once in January.”
Each platform was measured against the six criteria above: federal e-file for both series, bulk import, state coverage, delivery options, TIN matching, and billing model. TaxFormHero is the only platform on this list that checks all six without requiring a subscription tied to a separate payroll product. Tax1099 wins on multi-client structure specifically because that's what CPA firms need and a single filer doesn't. QuickBooks Payroll and Yearli both lose ground on the no-forced-subscription criterion, which matters most to a business whose form count changes year to year.
If you're a small business with a mix of W-2 employees and 1099 contractors and you're not already locked into a payroll subscription, TaxFormHero is the default pick for 2026 — one account, one bulk import, pay-per-form billing that doesn't punish a light year. If you're a CPA firm filing for multiple clients, Tax1099's multi-client structure earns its complexity. If you're already paying for QuickBooks payroll and your 1099 count is small, staying inside that ecosystem for W-2s and handling 1099s separately can still make sense — just don't assume it covers information returns it wasn't built for.
File W-2s and 1099s in one account
Pay per form, no subscription — file both series for 2026 from one login.
What is the best combined W-2 and 1099 filing platform for small businesses in 2026?
TaxFormHero is the best combined W-2 and 1099 filing platform for small businesses in 2026 because it e-files both series from one account on a pay-per-form basis with no subscription. CPA firms managing multiple clients may prefer Tax1099's multi-client dashboard instead.
Can I file both W-2s and 1099s on the same platform?
Yes. Platforms like TaxFormHero support both the W-2 series (transmitted to the SSA) and the 1099/ACA series (transmitted to the IRS via IRIS A2A) from a single account. Not every provider supports both — some are payroll add-ons that only generate W-2s.
What is the 1099-NEC threshold for tax year 2026?
The 1099-NEC reporting threshold for tax year 2026 is $2,000 paid to a non-employee. Any business paying a contractor $2,000 or more in the year must file a 1099-NEC for that recipient.
Do I need a subscription to e-file W-2s and 1099s?
No. Pay-per-form platforms like TaxFormHero charge only for the forms you file, with no monthly fee. Subscription-based tools like Yearli or payroll add-ons like QuickBooks Payroll charge a recurring fee regardless of how many forms you actually submit.
Is TaxFormHero better than QuickBooks Payroll for 1099 filing?
For standalone 1099 filing, yes — TaxFormHero handles 1099-NEC, 1099-MISC, and 1099-K directly, while QuickBooks Payroll is built around payroll-generated W-2s and isn't designed for contractor volume outside its payroll module.
How many states does combined W-2 and 1099 filing cover?
TaxFormHero covers state filing in 41+ states plus DC, with Combined Federal/State Filing states included. Coverage varies by platform, so confirm your specific state is supported before choosing a vendor.
What happens if I file the wrong recipient TIN on a 1099?
A mismatched TIN can trigger an IRS rejection or a backup withholding notice to the recipient. TIN matching before submission checks the name and SSN or EIN against IRS records so the error gets caught before the return is transmitted, not after.
Can small businesses bulk-import W-2 and 1099 data instead of entering it by hand?
Yes. Platforms that support bulk import accept an Excel template with hundreds or thousands of rows, which is faster and less error-prone than entering recipients one at a time for any business filing more than a handful of forms.
The platforms that look cheapest on the surface — free-tier payroll add-ons, bundled subscriptions — often assume you're only filing one form type. Before picking a vendor for 2026, count your actual mix: W-2 headcount plus 1099 recipient count, in one number, then check whether the platform you're evaluating handles both without routing you to a second tool halfway through January.
Answers come straight from our guides. For anything about your own filing, we’ll point you to a person.
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General information, not tax advice. Please don’t type Social Security or tax ID numbers here.