If your W-2 or 1099 hasn't shown up yet, here's exactly when your employer or client was legally required to send it. Form W-2 and Form 1099-NEC (used for nonemployee/freelance compensation) normally have to reach you by January 31 — but since January 31, 2026 fell on a Saturday, the actual deadline shifted to February 2, 2026. * That same February 2 date applies to both giving you your copy and filing the form with the Social Security Administration or IRS, regardless of whether the filer submits on paper or electronically — there's no extra grace period for paper filers on these two specific forms. * Most other information returns — 1099-MISC, 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, 1098, and a few others — follow a different, more forgiving deadline. Recipients still had to get their copy by January 31, 2026, but the filer's deadline for submitting to the IRS is later: February 28, 2026 for paper filings, or March 31, 2026 for electronic filing. * A couple of specific forms run on their own separate timeline: Form 1099-B (brokerage transactions) and Form 1099-S (real estate transactions) had to reach recipients by February 17, 2026 instead of the standard January date. * One structural change worth knowing: most employers and payers are now required to e-file if they're submitting 10 or more information returns total across all form types combined, a much lower threshold than in past years, which is why nearly everyone receiving these forms should expect them to arrive electronically or by mail close to the same date rather than staggered.