Create Form 1096 Online Check your totals before you file

Fill in the 1096 transmittal and watch every entry land on the official layout as you type. Keep the PDF as your record or worksheet; paper filing itself needs the IRS’s red, scannable form.

View the form on IRS.gov

How to fill it out: Instructions on the form

Filer

Use the same name and address as in the filer box of the returns you’re sending.

Filer’s address

Contact person Optional

Someone the IRS can reach with questions about this filing.

Taxpayer identification number

Enter one number only: box 1 or box 2, not both.

Sole proprietors and businesses with an EIN use box 1. Individuals not in a trade or business, and sole proprietors without an EIN, use their SSN in box 2. It must match the TIN on the returns you’re sending.

Your TIN stays on this device. The PDF is created in your browser, and nothing you type is uploaded or saved.

Returns you’re sending

Use one Form 1096 for each type of form. Count only the forms in this group.

The number of correctly completed forms, not pages. Don’t count blank or voided forms, or the 1096 itself.

Sign and date

On the official red form, you sign under penalties of perjury that the returns are true, correct, and complete.

Signature

0 of 5 required

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Form 1096, explained

Form 1096, Annual Summary and Transmittal of U.S. Information Returns, is the cover sheet that goes on top of paper information returns mailed to the IRS. It names the filer, says which type of form is enclosed, and gives the number of forms, the federal income tax withheld, and the total amount reported.

You need one only when you mail paper Copies A of Forms 1097, 1098, 1099, 3921, 3922, 5498, or W-2G, with a separate 1096 for each type of form. Returns e-filed through the IRS’s IRIS portal don’t need it, and if you file 10 or more information returns in total during the year you have to e-file. For paper filing, the IRS processes only its official red Form 1096 by machine, so a version printed from a website, including this one, can’t be filed.

Getting your Form 1096 done in minutes

Enter the filer’s name and address exactly as they appear on the returns you’re sending, plus an optional contact person, and your EIN or SSN. Pick the form type for box 6, then add the number of forms, the federal income tax withheld, and the total amount reported. The generator tells you which boxes of the chosen form to add up for box 5.

Your entries appear on the form layout as you type, so you can check them against your records, save a PDF for your files, or copy them onto the red form you ordered from the IRS. Working on the returns too? Browse all tax form generators.

What you might ask about Form 1096

Can I mail the Form 1096 I make here?

No. The IRS reads paper Forms 1096 by machine and accepts only the official red, scannable version; a copy printed from a website, even IRS.gov, isn’t accepted and may lead to a penalty. Order the official forms free at IRS.gov/OrderForms, or e-file instead. Use this version to prepare and check your figures and keep a record.

Do I need Form 1096 if I e-file?

No. Form 1096 only transmits paper returns. Starting with 2026 returns filed in 2027, the IRS takes e-filed information returns through IRIS only, and no 1096 goes with them. If you file 10 or more information returns in total during the year, e-filing is required.

When is Form 1096 due?

It’s due with the returns it transmits: by January 31 with Forms 1099-NEC, February 1 with Form 1099-LPS, February 28 with Forms 1097, 1098, 1099, 3921, 3922, or W-2G, and May 31 with Forms 5498. A date that falls on a weekend or legal holiday moves to the next business day.

Where do I mail Form 1096?

To an IRS address in Austin, Kansas City, or Ogden, depending on the state of your principal business or legal residence; the list is printed on the form. Filers outside the United States use the Austin address. Send the returns flat, not folded, and don’t staple them to the 1096.

What goes in box 5?

The total of specific boxes from the forms you’re sending, for example boxes 1 and 3 of Form 1099-NEC or boxes 1 and 6 of Form 1098. No entry is needed for Forms 1098-T, 1099-A, or 1099-G. Pick a form type in step 3 and the generator shows the boxes to add up.

Can one Form 1096 cover different kinds of returns?

No. Group your returns by form number and send each group with its own Form 1096, for example one for your 1099-NEC forms and another for your 1099-MISC forms. Originals and corrections of the same type can go under one 1096.

Should I enter my EIN or my SSN?

One of them, never both. Sole proprietors and everyone else with an EIN enter it in box 1. Individuals who aren’t in a trade or business, and sole proprietors without an EIN, enter their SSN in box 2. Use the same number that’s on the returns you’re sending.

Is my information safe?

Yes. The PDF is generated in your browser, and nothing you type, including your EIN or SSN, is uploaded to or saved by forms.app. Nothing is stored after you close the page, so download your copy first.

Does it cost anything?

No. The Form 1096 generator is free to use as often as you like, and you don’t need an account.