How property managers request a 1099-NEC from applicants
By Arthur Teboul, DokuTrak · Published
In short
Ask applicants who work as independent contractors for every 1099-NEC they received for the most recent tax year, one per client who paid them. Together the forms show a year of contract income. Many managers ask for them alongside the tax return or recent bank statements, because a 1099-NEC shows gross pay before business expenses.
Why property managers need a 1099-NEC
Gig workers and contractors get no W-2, so the 1099-NEC is the third-party record of what each client paid them. Adding the forms up gives you gross contract income for the year. Because expenses are not deducted, they work best next to the 1040 or bank statements, which show what the applicant actually kept to pay rent.
What exactly to ask for
Copy B of each 1099-NEC for the most recent tax year, from every business that paid the applicant. Payers must send them by January 31. Ask for a short list of clients so you can match forms against it, plus the 1040 if the applicant has already filed.
What to check when it arrives
- The recipient name on each form matches the applicant.
- The tax year is the most recent, and there is a form for each client on the list.
- Box 1 totals are consistent with the deposits on the applicant’s bank statements.
Email to send your client
Replace the bracketed parts. The same text fits in the message of a DokuTrak request (up to 1,000 characters).
Subject: Your 1099-NEC forms for the rental application
Hi [Client name],
Thank you for your application. Because you work as a contractor, I need the 1099-NEC forms you received for last year, one from each client who paid you.
A PDF downloaded from the payer or a clear scan of the paper form both work. If it is easier, add a short list of your clients so I can check I have them all.
Could you send them by [date]? If a client has not sent your form, tell me and we can use your bank statements or tax return in the meantime.
Thank you, [Your name]
Ask once. DokuTrak does the chasing.
- Your client uploads from one link, with no account and no password.
- Reminders go out on a schedule, by default 2, 5, 10 and 14 days after the request, until the file arrives.
- With AI review switched on in your workspace (it is off by default), each upload gets a first pass that flags a file that is not a 1099-NEC, an unreadable or blurry scan or a copy where one of these is missing or cut off: the recipient’s name, the recipient’s TIN. It says so when it is not sure.
- You accept every file or mark it for re-upload, and your client gets the note by email. The AI never accepts a file.