The IRS is retiring FIRE. We'll file through IRIS for you.
The IRS shuts down FIRE on November 19, 2026 at 3 p.m. ET. After that, every information return goes through IRIS. Upload your data to our secure portal, check it, and we file it for you. You don't need your own TCC or ID.me account.
No TCC. No ID.me.
No XML work.
You upload your data, check it in the portal and approve the forms. We take care of the rest.
You send the data. We do the filing.
Four steps, and nothing goes to the IRS until you approve it.
Upload securely
Send your Excel or CSV data through our secure client portal.
Validate in the portal
Run validation right in the portal and fix any errors before filing.
Review your PDFs
Check the recipient copies before anything is transmitted.
We e-file through IRIS
Once you approve, we transmit the filing and send you confirmation.
FIRE to IRIS, answered
The things people ask us most about the switch.
When does the IRS shut down FIRE?
The last day to file information returns through FIRE is November 19, 2026 at 3 p.m. ET. The IRS set two earlier cutoffs too:
- November 1, 2026: last day for FIRE test submissions
- November 9, 2026: last day to change a FIRE TCC application
Starting in 2027, every form FIRE supported moves to IRIS. Read the IRS announcement or our guide to IRS IRIS.
What is IRIS?
IRIS is the Information Returns Intake System, the IRS platform that replaces FIRE for 1099s and other information returns. It has two ways in: the free IRIS Taxpayer Portal for smaller filers, and the Application to Application (A2A) channel for software and high-volume filing.
More in What is IRS IRIS? and What is the A2A channel?
What's the difference between FIRE and IRIS?
FIRE took a fixed-width text file laid out in IRS Publication 1220. IRIS uses XML with stricter validation, and names and addresses are broken into separate fields. Returns that don't meet the rules get flagged instead of slipping through.
For high-volume filers, the A2A channel means files have to be built to the IRS XML schema and pass IRS checks before they're accepted. That's the part we handle.
Does my FIRE TCC work in IRIS?
No. FIRE and IRIS use separate Transmitter Control Codes, so filing on your own means applying for a new IRIS TCC, verifying identity through ID.me and, for A2A, passing IRS testing.
When you file through us, you skip all of that. We transmit under our own IRIS credentials. See how our IRIS filing service works.
Do I need my own IRIS TCC or ID.me account?
Not when you use our filing service. We transmit through the IRIS A2A channel using our approved transmitter credentials, so you skip the TCC application, ID.me setup, software testing and XML work.
Can't we just use the free IRIS Taxpayer Portal?
If you only file a handful of forms, the portal can work. It gets slow at volume. You upload one CSV at a time, each upload has a record limit and has to be reviewed before it's submitted, and big batches have to be split into many separate uploads.
Our A2A connection doesn't have that cap, so large and multi-payer filings go through in one pass. Details on IRIS portal record limits.
Can we still file on paper instead?
Probably not. If you file 10 or more information returns in a year, counting all form types together, the IRS requires you to e-file them. See the end of paper filing.
How do we check our data before it's filed?
You upload your Excel or CSV file to our secure client portal and run validation right there. It flags errors so you can fix them before anything is filed. Then you review the PDF recipient copies. Nothing goes to the IRS until you approve it.
Can you handle corrections and prior-year filings?
Yes. We handle original filings, corrections and prior-year returns. Once FIRE shuts down, corrections to returns you originally filed through FIRE have to go through IRIS too, and we can take care of those.
See originals, corrections and prior years in IRIS and our 1099 corrections service.
How will we know the IRS accepted our filing?
Once your filing is transmitted, the IRS returns a status for it and we send you confirmation. See when you receive filing status.
Can you print and mail the recipient copies?
Yes. Recipient mailing is available as an add-on, so your payees get their copies without you printing and stuffing envelopes. Read about printing and mailing Copy B.
Do you support bulk filings and TIN matching?
Yes. We handle large-volume filings and multiple payers, and outsourcing clients can add bulk TIN matching to catch name and TIN mismatches before they turn into IRS notices. It works best when you collect W-9s, well before filing. See TIN matching.
Is our data secure?
Yes. 1099FIRE is SOC 2 Type 2 audited, and your data moves through our secure client portal instead of email. See our security page for details.
Why outsource IRIS filing instead of doing it ourselves?
Filing through IRIS on your own means a new TCC, ID.me, XML formatting, testing and IRS transmission know-how. Outsourcing takes that off your team. You upload the data, check it in the portal and approve the forms. We handle the filing.
Compare the options in outsourcing 1099 filing vs. software.
More answers in our compliance resources.