Saw this on Dreamstime:
http://www.dreamstime.com/thread_16187
"Payments our agency makes to our contributors relate to amounts we due with respect to a sale of a product, versus the provision of a service. As consequence, we will not be sending a 1099 for any amounts we paid during the calendar year 2008. It is your obligation to report all payments, including the ones made by our agency, to all appropriate tax authorities or your tax preparer in case you have one."

I don't know what "amounts we due" means, but it surprised me that Getty feels we should get 1099s listing our royalties, but DT doesn't.  You'd think this stuff would be easy for everyone to act along the same lines.

a 1099 for any amounts we paid during the calendar year 2008.

Is that a typo?  Maybe they meant calendar year 2009???

Ah, I missed the date, and didn't get all the way to the bottom.  Thanks.  I guess it was easy

... it surprised me that Getty feels we should get 1099s listing our royalties, but DT doesn't.  You'd think this stuff would be easy for everyone to act along the same lines.

Is Istock sending out 1099s this year, or is this just for royalties made on the Getty site itself?

Quote from: sjlocke on January 21, 2010, 14:52

... it surprised me that Getty feels we should get 1099s listing our royalties, but DT doesn't.  You'd think this stuff would be easy for everyone to act along the same lines.

Is Istock sending out 1099s this year, or is this just for royalties made on the Getty site itself?

Sorry, I meant Getty "proper".

I'd prefer they didn't send them. They just screw with my own accounting. I'm definitely not waiting around for them to show up in the mail to do my taxes.

Ha ha, you want them to break the law, and risk a $250,000 fine, because of your personal accounting? 

They must be mailed by Jan. 31st, by law, so anyone who gets one should see it soon.

Also the interpretation varies, as I worked for a group once that paid people $600 a year and never filed 1099s. The contractors (as that's the term that's important since that's what we are, hired independent contractors) said, please pay us $599 so you don't have to file a 1099. The accountant for that particular group said it only applies for payments over $600. Some places feel that it's at exactly $600. I don't know. How often does someone make $600.00 on the nose?

There are also some business that file for less. They don't have to, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone just sends them out to everyone. In which case, it's nice to know that the IRS has been notified that they paid you $3.60 last year, and you need to claim it.

U.S. tax law requires businesses to submit a Form 1099 for every contractor paid at least $600 for services during a year. This requirement usually does not apply to corporations receiving payments.  No filing is required for payees who receive less than $600 from the payer during the applicable year.

Easy enough isn't it? 

Don't you wish all the agencies just did this instead of requiring expensive numbers, forms and things that they don't really need?

Quote from: sjlocke on January 21, 2010, 14:52

... it surprised me that Getty feels we should get 1099s listing our royalties, but DT doesn't.  You'd think this stuff would be easy for everyone to act along the same lines.

Is Istock sending out 1099s this year, or is this just for royalties made on the Getty site itself?

Sean - Just opened up my spam folder in the email and DT is bugging me for a W9. So I'll send it and see what they do.

Lisa - I had emailed iStock last year about a 1099 or something similar - they said they didn't send those out, but would send me something like a "statement of earnings" if I requested. Getty of course is another animal.

I'm sure things will evolve further as the US IRS looks to grasp more revenue from new sources. Micro just wasn't on the IRS radar until fairly recently, just like blogging revenue and stuff like that.