The 1099-NEC covers nonemployee compensation: what a business pays a contractor, freelancer or other unincorporated service provider. Its reporting threshold changed under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and the change is dated by payment, not by tax return.
The year split
Payments made through December 31, 2025 use the old threshold: a form is required at $600 or more paid to one payee in the year. Payments made after December 31, 2025 use the new threshold: $2,000 or more. The same contractor can therefore need a form for 2025 and not for 2026 on identical pay, which is exactly what happens in the checker example: $1,900 paid in 2025 requires a 1099-NEC; $1,900 paid in 2026 does not.
After 2026
The $2,000 figure is inflation-adjusted for years after 2026, so check the current year’s instructions for the exact amount rather than assuming $2,000 forever.
What did not move
The rise does not cover every box on the sibling form. On Form 1099-MISC, royalties are still reportable at $10 or more, gross proceeds paid to an attorney at $600 or more, and direct sales of consumer products for resale at $5,000 or more, in every year. A form is also required at any amount if backup withholding was applied to the payment.
The question behind the question
Most people asking about this threshold are really asking whether the income counts if no form arrives. It does: the threshold decides whether the payer must file a form, not whether the payee has income. The threshold checker covers NEC and MISC by year and category.