Should I file an identity theft claim w/ the IRS if there was a 1099-MISC Tax form on my transcript I do not recognize?

[RachelW33]

Yes, I would recommend filing an identity theft claim if you find a 1099-MISC on your transcript for income you never earned.  It could be a situation where someone used your Social Security number to obtain employment or receive fraudulent payments.  

To do so, file IRS Form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit) to alert the IRS that the document is fraudulent. 

For additional resources, please see: 

• IRS: Identity Theft Central
• TurboTax: What to do if you suspect tax-related identity theft

[Opus 17]

There are a number of other steps you might want to take including checking your credit reports and securing your credit so someone can't apply for credit in your name.

https://www.identitytheft.gov/

[mesquitebean]

Here's something to check that may or may not provide any additional clue to the unrecognized 1099-MISC:

The Payer's name and address on the transcript are usually truncated.   Since you have the transcript, I'll assume you also have an online IRS account (if that's how you got the transcript.)   In that IRS account you can go to a section called "Information return documents" and choose the correct tax year.   Then you can see mock-ups of the 1099-MISC and other information returns documents that the IRS has received to date so far, which should show the full name and address of the Payer.    It may or may not ring a bell, but it's something to look at.

NOTE:   The IRS started posting those information return documents 2-3 years ago.   They trickle in over several months, so for 2025 you may see some "missing" for now.   For my own tax year 2025, only about a third are already showing up at this point in time in my IRS account.