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Nov 19, 2026

Agent prompt: track this deadline — IRS FIRE e-file system retires (last filing day Nov 19)

Anyone who e-files Forms 1099 or other information returns through the IRS FIRE system themselves.

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Key dates

Plain-English summary

The IRS is retiring FIRE (Filing Information Returns Electronically), the system many filers use to e-file Forms 1099 and other information returns. The IRS lists three dates: November 1, 2026 is the last day to file test returns through the FIRE test system, November 9, 2026 is the last day to make changes to IR Applications for TCCs, and November 19, 2026 at 3 p.m. ET is the last day to file information returns through FIRE. The IRS says existing applicants can update their applications through Nov. 9, 2026, after which they become read-only. The IRS says IRIS (Information Returns Intake System) will be the only electronic filing system for information returns after January 1, 2027, including prior-year returns and corrections. The IRS says current FIRE users must complete a separate IRIS Application for TCC to file in IRIS. If a payroll provider or accountant files for you, this may already be handled. Ask them.

Source

IRS: Filing Information Returns Electronically (FIRE) · IRS news release: Information return e-file system transitioning to a new platform · IRS: E-file information returns with IRIS

Checked Oct 12, 2026.

Copy-paste prompt for any AI agent

I run a small business. The IRS says the FIRE system for e-filing Forms 1099 and other information returns takes its last filings on November 19, 2026 at 3 p.m. ET, and IRIS is the only e-file system after January 1, 2027. Please help me check where we stand:
1. Make a checklist: Who files our 1099s and other information returns (me, a payroll provider, an accountant, software)? Which system do they use (FIRE, IRIS, or a provider)?
2. If we file through FIRE ourselves, list what is still open: any 2026 corrections or late returns, and whether we have an IRIS Application for TCC started.
3. Give me a short message I can send my payroll provider or accountant asking whether they are ready to file our tax year 2026 returns through IRIS.
4. Remind me to read the IRS FIRE and IRIS pages for the current dates and steps.
5. Set up reminders for November 2, 2026 (before the November 9 TCC change cutoff) and November 12, 2026 (before the November 19 last FIRE filing day). (These reminder dates are my choice, not the IRS's.)
Do not file anything and do not change settings. Do not ask me for passwords, Social Security numbers, EINs or TCCs, and do not log in to any account. Only list what I should check and I will decide.
When you state any deadline or date, quote the exact line from the IRS's own pages that states it. If you cannot find that line, say "no deadline line found" instead of guessing.

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Not advice

General guidance, not legal, tax or IT advice. Check the IRS's own pages and ask your tax professional for your situation. Not affiliated with the IRS. Names are used only to describe compatibility.