FIRE to IRIS Migration: How TaxBandits Makes the IRS Transition Seamless

reading time: 20 minute(s)

The IRS has set the date: FIRE stops accepting information return submissions after November 19, 2026, at 3 p.m. ET. Tax year 2025 returns are the last ones eligible for the old system. Starting January 1, 2027, every information return (current year, prior year, or correction) has to go through IRIS instead.

If you file 1099-series returns through FIRE today, you’re probably not wondering whether IRIS is an improvement. You’re wondering how much re-plumbing it’s going to cost you: new file formats, new enrollment steps, new processes to learn, all under a deadline.

The short version: with TaxBandits, that work is already done on the back end. In this article we’ll run through what that actually looks like, step by step.

Quick Context: What IRIS Is and What It Covers

IRIS (the Information Returns Intake System) is the platform the IRS built to replace FIRE entirely. It currently covers:

• The 1099 and 1098 series
• Form 1042-S
• Form W-2G
• Form 1097-BTC
• The 5498 series
• Forms 3921 and 3922

The remaining FIRE form families, including Forms 8027, 8596, and 8955-SSA, are scheduled to arrive on IRIS before the 2027 filing season. IRIS does not handle W-2 or 941 filings; those continue through their own separate systems, so this transition doesn’t touch your payroll reporting.

IRIS also asks more of filers than FIRE ever did: stricter data validation, pre-transmission error checking, and a per-record status that FIRE’s file-level system never gave you. That last part matters more than it sounds; more on it below.

FIRE to IRIS: What Actually Changes

Every row in that table is a change you’d otherwise have to absorb alone: you’d build a new file format, learn a new correction workflow, and figure out how to interpret and act on a new status. That work, not the deadline itself, is the real cost of the transition.

Whatever Your Starting Point, There’s a Path

Your current provider isn’t IRIS-ready. You don’t have to wait on someone else’s roadmap. TaxBandits has been IRIS-authorized and actively filing on the platform since 2024. The runway is shorter than it looks, though: the IRS is no longer accepting new IR Applications for TCCs, since FIRE is being retired. November 1, 2026 is the last day to file test information returns through the FIRE Trading Partner Test System, and November 9, 2026 is the last day to make changes to existing IR Applications for TCCs. After that, they become read-only.

You’re filing on FIRE today. You keep the workflow you already know. This is a migration of process, not a rebuild from zero.

You file on behalf of clients. Moving ten clients or a hundred shouldn’t multiply the work. Returns and corrections across all of them run from one platform.

You’re still paper filing. If you’re crossing the e-file threshold and moving to IRIS at the same time, you can handle both transitions in a single move instead of two separate projects.

How TaxBandits Handles It, Step by Step

Step 1: Bring in your data, however you have it

You don’t need to reformat or clean up anything before you upload. You have options:

• FIRE file upload (coming soon): if you still have data in FIRE’s flat-file format, the system will convert it automatically after upload.
• CSV import: upload your existing spreadsheet as is.
• Accounting integrations: connections with Xero, FreshBooks, Zoho Books, and QuickBooks let data flow in without manual entry.

The XML conversion that IRIS requires happens on our side, not yours.

Step 2: Catch the errors IRIS won’t let slide

This is the real risk of the transition: data that FIRE used to wave through can now stop a filing outright, because IRIS validates far more aggressively.

• TIN Matching runs upfront, so a mismatch surfaces before it becomes a penalty.
• Field-level validation checks every required field against IRS rules.
• Smart Review flags missing information and inconsistencies before anything gets transmitted.

Step 3: File directly to the IRS, with no setup on your end

Transmission goes straight to the IRS under TaxBandits’ own IRIS authorization, which means no TCC application, no IRS enrollment, and no approval wait on your part. It’s the single biggest piece of work the transition eliminates for you. (The IRS asks filers to allow up to 45 business days, roughly nine weeks, to process an IRIS TCC application.)

Once filed, you get real-time status tracking across all three possible outcomes: Accepted, Rejected, or Accepted with Errors.

Step 4: If something needs fixing, that’s on us

We call this the Bandit Commitment:

• No-cost corrections when 1099 returns come back Accepted with Errors.
• Automated W-9 requests sent to recipients, since most Accepted-with-Errors issues trace back to a TIN mismatch.
• Retransmission help for any return that comes back Rejected.
• IRS notice assistance if a notice shows up later.

Federal Only: What IRIS Doesn’t Cover

IRIS handles the IRS side of your filing and nothing more. State requirements still vary, and some states require a separate filing entirely. That requirement doesn’t go away just because the federal system changed.

TaxBandits covers both ends: Combined Federal/State Filing for states that participate in the program, and direct state filing where CF/SF isn’t accepted. You manage one process instead of tracking two submissions on two different timelines.

FAQ

When exactly does FIRE shut down, and which tax year is the cutoff? FIRE stops accepting submissions after November 19, 2026, at 3 p.m. ET. Tax year 2025 is the last year eligible for FIRE; tax year 2026 returns, filed starting in early 2027, must go through IRIS.

What happens if I don’t switch in time? You won’t be able to file electronically at all until you do. For anyone required to e-file, that risks IRS penalties that scale with how late the return is filed.

Can I still file prior-year returns after FIRE retires? Yes, but through IRIS, not FIRE. From January 1, 2027, IRIS handles current-year filings, prior-year filings, and corrections alike. One limit to know: IRIS accepts returns for tax year 2022 forward, so anything older than that has no electronic path once FIRE closes.

Do I need to apply for my own IRIS TCC? Not through TaxBandits. We file under our own IRIS authorization, so you skip the TCC application and the approval wait entirely.

What happens to filings I already submitted through FIRE? Returns already accepted through FIRE stay valid. The transition only affects filings and corrections made after the cutover.

What does “Accepted with Errors” mean? Is my return filed or not? It means the IRS accepted the return but flagged an issue, usually a TIN mismatch or a similar data problem. FIRE’s file-level Good/Bad statuses didn’t give you a per-record middle ground; IRIS does. With TaxBandits, corrections on these are handled at no additional cost.

The Deadline Is a Scheduling Decision

The platform work is already finished. What’s left is deciding when to move your data over. The sooner that happens, the more runway you have before the November cutoff.

TaxBandits is an IRS-authorized e-file provider, IRIS-ready since 2024, with a 99.3% IRS acceptance rate and SOC 2 compliance.

Request a demo or start your FIRE-to-IRIS switch