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Yes, but it's usually the recipient copies that go by mail while the agency filing goes electronically. The W-9 is the one you mail most: you request a signed W-9 from every new US vendor before paying them. Recipient copies of 1099s, T4s, and T5s are routinely mailed too. Honest rule: paper for the human; electronic for the filing.
This is general information, not legal advice.
| Form | What it is | What usually goes by mail |
|---|---|---|
| W-9 (US) | Vendor gives you their tax ID before you pay them. | Almost always exchanged on paper or as a signed scan: you request it from the vendor, they send it back. |
| 1099-NEC / 1099-MISC (US) | You report payments to contractors and vendors. | Recipient copies are routinely mailed to each payee; the IRS filing is electronic through their FIRE system or a filing service. |
| T4 (Canada) | Employer reports employee earnings. | Employee copies are commonly mailed (or handed out); the CRA filing is electronic. |
| T5 (Canada) | Reports investment income to the recipient. | Recipient copies are commonly mailed; the CRA filing is electronic. |
| 1042-S (US) | Payments to foreign persons. | Recipient copies go by mail; IRS filing electronic. |
Notice the pattern: the agency side has moved electronic, but the recipient copy (the one a real person needs to read and file) is still frequently paper. People lose email attachments; they file paper slips in a drawer. That's the honest case for mailing them.
Deadlines shift every year: January/February for most US information returns, late February/early March for Canadian slips, and the exact dates move with weekends and rule changes. Don't trust a blog post (including this one) for the current year's date: check the IRS or CRA page for the tax year you're filing before you send anything. What doesn't change is the logic: mail recipient copies early enough that they arrive with time to spare, because "it was in the mail" is not an accepted excuse for missing a filing deadline.
Yes, with one caveat: LetterAgent prints the letter single-sided on 8.5×11in paper in a standard double-window envelope: fine for W-9 requests and cover letters, and fine for recipient copies you prepare yourself. Keep the recipient's name and address in the first lines so it shows through the address window. For anything where you need proof the form reached the recipient (a W-9 request you're documenting, or a 1099 you need to show you delivered), add the registered option (US Certified Mail or Canada Registered Mail), which gives you tracking and proof of delivery.
One more non-obvious point: the IRS and CRA both still accept paper-filed information returns for small filers in some cases, but the thresholds keep shrinking: check the current year's rules for whether you're required to e-file. The direction of travel is clear: paper for the person, electronic for the agency.
Ready to mail it? Send your letter with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and it's printed and mailed.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
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