Unpacking Track1099 Sync Issues After Avalara Update

As an avid Track1099 user, I was as concerned as anyone else would be when Avalara acquired Track1099 in 2021. I have used Track1099 since 2013 to electronically send 1099s to my clients’ vendors. In addition, I started using Track W-9 in 2023 to send out electronic requests for W-9 forms, and it works delightfully well!

Note: The rest of this article will describe my experience this year using Track1099 with QuickBooks Online (QBO). I cannot speak to how well Track1099 works, or does not work, with other general ledger programs.

Along with many users, I was surprised and downhearted when I went to send out 1099s on January 2, 2026, and discovered Avalara had made changes to Track1099, which essentially broke it.

What changed in early January 2026

Let’s take a step back in time. When the 1099-NEC was introduced in 2020, Track1099 addressed this by requiring a double sync from QBO. In other words, QuickBooks users would map their 1099 accounts in QuickBooks, then run the Track1099 sync once for 1099-NEC forms. They’d then run the sync a second time for 1099-MISC forms. This double-sync took mere minutes and provided valuable data.

I say this because I always run the QuickBooks Expenses by Vendor report along with the QuickBooks 1099 report. I throw the numbers into Excel columns, then add a third column for the Track1099 import results. I compare all three columns to ensure they match and research any discrepancies. When the columns don’t match, the discrepancy is often related to vendor billable expenses versus fees for services.

Why the dual sync mattered

This year, Avalara made some programming changes in an attempt to remove the double sync process, and that appears to be what broke the program.

For client after client, after I mapped the 1099 accounts in QBO and performed a single sync to Track1099, the majority of 1099 accounts mapped in QuickBooks would not sync over to Track1099. To account for this scenario, Track1099 provided a button to “Show All Accounts” so that the user could manually map 1099 accounts to 1099-NEC, 1099-MISC, or other 1099 form types.

Support replies and a false fix

When I submitted support tickets asking why I needed to re-map accounts in Track1099, when I had just mapped them in QBO, the support reps replied with canned responses and links to How-To FAQs. I pushed back and insisted that the tool was broken. I kept submitting tickets and getting back canned responses.

Finally, on January 8, I got a message from Avalara that said, “Great news—the import issue that was blocking some recipients and vendors from uploading through the QuickBooks Online integration has been resolved. The fix has been tested and deployed, so you can go ahead and use the QBO integration as usual.”

This was encouraging, so I tried the tool again, but encountered the same problems. I kept bird-dogging Track1099, and per their request, submitted a step-by-step written account of every click I made, and resulting screenshots showing how I needed to map accounts in Track1099 that were already mapped in QBO.

The rollback

Finally, when I logged in to Track1099 on the morning of January 13, I discovered Avalara had reverted back to last year’s version of the tool, with the dual sync option replaced. It looks like this:

I joyously completed a 1099 filing in no time at all, without having to waste time re-mapping accounts in Track1099, which I had just mapped in QBO.

Lessons to be learned

I know from reading social media posts that I was not the only person in the U.S. encountering these issues, but I felt like I was the only person complaining loudly about them.

I hope Avalara has learned a few lessons from this, such as:

• Don’t mess with a tool that is basically used just one month out of the year unless you are absolutely sure the changes work
• Don’t release a broken tool in the month users need to use it
• Improve your testing on live data before releasing a tool
• Consider using real-live users to test your software, instead of internal engineers
• Admit it when your tools aren’t working and apologize to your users
• Celebrate by announcing publicly when your broken tools are fixed
• Respect your users and listen to their feedback

I’m glad that Avalara fixed the tool they broke, but I’m disappointed that it was broken in the first place, during the one month of the year we rely upon Track1099 the most.

Editor’s Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed by the author are solely their own and do not reflect the views of The Woodard Report, Woodard Events, LLC, or any affiliated organizations. The content is provided for informational purposes and should not be interpreted as an official position of any Woodard entity.