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Did you receive any IRS Forms 1099 that you think are wrong? Maybe someone actually paid you $1,000, but reported that they paid you $10,000? The 1099 rules are complex and voluminous, and mistakes happen. But how should you handle it? And what if you think someone intentionally misreported? There’s no easy answer. Some reporting rules (for example, to lawyers and their clients) call for duplicate reporting that can make it seem as if $1,000 was really $2,000.

But more generally, incorrect Forms 1099 are not uncommon. At a minimum, one can read the 1099 regulations broadly, erring on the side of reporting. When in doubt, issue a Form 1099, many say. A few observers may even think of issuing IRS Forms 1099 in a kind of punitive way, to turn the tax tables on someone. If you receive a Form 1099 you think is wrong, you can ask the payor to correct it. They can destroy the incorrect one if they have not already sent it to the IRS. If it's too late, they can issue a corrected form.