Save Your Spot
DATE
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
TIME
11:00 AM PT / 2:00 PM ET
DURATION
60 Minutes
The IRS is permanently retiring FIRE on November 19, 2026. Discover the 4 critical changes coming to year-end filing and the operational steps your AP team must take today.
On November 19, 2026, the IRS is permanently retiring the 40-year-old FIRE system. For Tax Year 2026, all electronic information return filing transitions to the Information Returns Intake System (IRIS).
This is more than a platform swap—it is a fundamental technical shift from fixed-width flat files (Pub 1220) to XML schemas with transmission-time validations. Under IRIS, formatting errors and TIN/Name mismatches trigger immediate file rejections at transmission rather than post-filing notices.
With only 11% of AP teams reporting complete readiness for IRIS, waiting until January creates a severe risk of filing bottlenecks, IRS B-notices, and penalties. Join Avalara’s resident 1099 product expert Gordon Walsh and Senior Revenue Marketing Manager Ben Clementz as they unpack exactly what is changing, why it matters to high-volume filers, and how to bulletproof your year-end filing strategy.
What We’ll Discuss
- The FIRE-to-IRIS Transition: The November 19 retirement of FIRE and mandatory migration to XML schema data structures. Why transmission-time validation eliminates your January margin of error.
- Revised Form W-9 & Continuous Data Hygiene: Updated Form W-9 requirements and stricter TIN matching protocols. Why running digital W-9 collection and real-time TIN validation now prevents massive January rejections.
- Filing Threshold Shifts: Evolving federal e-filing thresholds and expanded 1099 reporting mandates. How lower thresholds dramatically increase the volume of forms your team must e-file.
- State Reporting in Flux: Discrepancies between IRS Combined Federal/State Filing (CF/SF) and independent state direct-filing mandates. How to maintain multi-state reporting compliance without adding manual overhead.
- Practical AP Preparation Checklist: A clear roadmap for ERP data extraction, handling complex multi-entity datasets, and e-filing natively through IRIS without needing your own IRS Transmitter Control Code (TCC).
Who Should Attend: Accounts Payable Managers & AP Directors, Corporate Controllers & VPs of Finance, Tax Directors & Enterprise Compliance Officers, Finance Operations & ERP Systems Leaders
Featured Speakers
Gordon Walsh
Senior Product Solution Consultant, Avalara 1099 & W-9
Gordon specializes in 1099/W-9 regulatory changes, year-end information returns automation, and ERP reporting integration.
Ben Clementz
Senior Revenue Marketing Manager, Avalara 1099 & W-9 | Host
Ben leads revenue marketing for Avalara 1099 & W-9, sharing content to help businesses improve their 1099 compliance processes.
