Last reviewed: September 2026.
The 1099 Value Add is a letter that tells clients which tax forms to expect, which accounts they cover, and which estimated tax payments were made. It is called 1099 Letter on the household's Value Adds tab and 1099 in Settings.
This article explains every section of the letter, where each value comes from, and what you can change.
What Is the 1099 Value Add?
Requires the Pro plan. The 1099 Value Add is off by default for every firm.
To turn it on, go to Settings › Value Adds, switch on the toggle on the 1099 card, and click Save Changes. Only admins can change these settings. On the Free plan the toggle switches back off and an upgrade window opens.
The letter:
Lists the accounts that may produce a tax form, with the expected form.
Lists the estimated tax payments made during the tax year.
Prints your firm's salutation, intro, reminders, and closing text.
SurgeTK builds it from household, account, and transaction data. It rebuilds the live letter every time you open it.
1. Header and Branding
Logo
Pulled from the company logo saved under Settings › Firm Info.
If no logo is saved, the letter prints without one.
Branding color
Uses the Firm Branding Color from Settings › Firm Info.
The default is a dark gray.
It colors the dots between the footer items and the letter's accent lines.
Report title
Default title: "1099 Report".
Change it under Settings › Value Adds › 1099 › Show Settings › Title. The field's placeholder says "1099 Summary", but the default that prints is "1099 Report". A blank title prints "1099 Report".
Variables do not work in the title.
Admins can also rename it in place: turn on Annotations on the letter page and open the marker on the title.
2. Reported "As-Of" Date
The header prints "Reported as of" followed by a date in M/D/YYYY format, for example "2/4/2026".
It is the latest As Of Date found on any account in the household. Closed accounts count too.
If no account has an As Of Date, today's date is used.
You cannot type this date on the letter. To change it, update the As Of Date on the accounts.
3. Tax Year
The tax year decides which withdrawals and estimated tax payments appear, and what {{taxYear}} prints.
Auto (default)
Before April 15: the previous year.
On or after April 15: the current year.
Example: on January 7, 2026 the tax year is 2025. On April 20, 2026 it is 2026.
Manual
Go to Settings › Value Adds › 1099 › Show Settings › Tax Year. The options are Auto (uses April 15 cutoff) and Manual.
Choose Manual and type the year in Manual Year, then click Save Changes.
If Manual Year is blank, the Auto rule is used.
4. Client and Advisor Information
Client name line
Built from the clients in the household. Each client's age prints as a small superscript. A client with no date of birth shows "--".
One client: "Last, First".
Two clients with the same last name: "Last, First1 & First2".
Two clients with different last names: "Last1, First1 & Last2, First2".
Three or more clients: "Last, First +2 more".
Deceased clients are left out when at least one living client exists.
Advisors
Lead advisor names do not print in the header. They appear in the footer disclaimer, and wherever you use {{advisorName}}.
If the household has no lead advisor, the disclaimer prints "NO ADVISORS ASSIGNED" in red.
5. Salutation
The salutation opens the letter, above the intro.
Default: "{{householdName}}," which prints the clients' names in a conversational form, for example "Jane & John Smith,". Two clients with different last names print "Jane Smith & John Jones,". Deceased clients are left out when a living client exists.
Edit it under Settings › Value Adds › 1099 › Show Settings › Salutation. The help text reads: "Opens the letter, above the intro. Leave blank to omit it."
A blank salutation is omitted. If the household has no client names, the line is hidden.
6. Variables
You can place these variables in the Salutation, Intro, Tax Season Reminders, and Closing Remarks. They do not work in the Title or the Disclaimer, even though the Disclaimer field says "(supports variables)".
Variable | Prints |
| Your firm name. |
| The tax year, for example 2025. |
| The total of the Estimated Tax Payments table as a plain number with no dollar sign, for example 18,480. Type the $ sign yourself in front of it. With no payments it prints 0. |
| The household's lead advisors as First Last, separated by commas. |
| The clients' names in conversational form, for example Jane & John Smith. |
Variable names are case-sensitive.
{{TaxYear}}does not work.Spaces inside the braces are allowed.
{{ taxYear }}works.Values print in bold. A variable with no value prints nothing.
7. Intro Text
Field: Settings › Value Adds › 1099 › Show Settings › Intro (top paragraph).
Default: "Here’s a list of your accounts with {{firmName}} and the tax forms you may receive for your {{taxYear}} return. Please note we may not have tax details for every account."
A blank intro prints nothing.
8. Accounts Table
The heading reads "Accounts:". The table lists the household's 1099-reportable accounts.
Column | What prints |
Account | Four asterisks and the last 4 characters of the account number, for example ****1234. Letters count as characters. |
Type | The Account Type. If it is "Other" or blank, the raw type from your import or CRM. |
Owner | The single owner's first name. "Joint" when the account has two or more owners. Blank when it has none. |
Custodian | The account's Custodian. An account with no custodian prints "UnknownCustodian". |
Form | The expected form. See section 10. |
Notes | The account's 1099 Notes field: open the account › Tax & RMD › 1099 Reporting › 1099 Notes. The field can also be imported as the "1099 Notes" column of the account import. A Roth IRA with no withdrawals and no note prints "none". |
When no account qualifies, the table prints "No investable accounts found."
9. Which Accounts Are Included
Account type | On the letter? |
Taxable accounts: brokerage, individual, joint, tenants in common, community property, transfer on death (TOD), custodial, UTMA, UGMA, corporate, partnership, LLC, sole proprietorship, trust, estate, conservatorship, guardianship, municipal | Yes, Form 1099 |
IRAs of every kind: traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, rollover, inherited, beneficiary, QCD | Yes. Form 1099-R, except a Roth IRA (see section 10) |
Employer plans: retirement plan, 401(a), 401(k), 403(b), 457(b), pension, profit sharing, Keogh | Yes, Form 1099-R |
Annuities and RILAs | Yes, Form 1099-R |
Certificates of deposit (CD) | Yes, Form 1099 |
Accounts typed "Other" | Yes, with "--" in the Form column |
Checking, savings, and money market | No. They are hidden from the table. |
Cash | No |
HSA, 529, Coverdell or ESA, donor-advised fund, FSA, charitable lead trust, endowment, foundation | No |
Types with no rule, for example "TSP" or "Mutual Fund" | No. Use the Exclusions tab or the 1099 Form dropdown to bring the account in. |
Closed accounts: an account closed during the tax year stays on the letter. An account closed before January 1 of the tax year is dropped. A closed account with no Date Closed is dropped.
$0 accounts stay. An empty account can still owe forms for the year's activity.
The Exclusions tab wins. Open the account › Exclusions › set 1099 Letter to Always include or Always exclude. The tab shows the reason for the current decision, for example "Appears in the 1099 letter", "Account type is not 1099-reportable", "Checking/savings/money market accounts are not shown in the 1099 letter", or "Closed during 2025 — forms were still issued for that year".
10. How the Form Column Is Determined
Three rules apply, in this priority order.
1. A manual choice on the account
Open the account › Tax & RMD › 1099 Reporting › 1099 Form. The dropdown offers Default (Auto-determined), None, and 20 specific forms such as 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, 1099-B, 1099-R, 5498, and 1099-SA. A specific form prints as chosen. None prints "---".
2. The Roth IRA rule
When no manual form is chosen, a Roth IRA prints "1099-R" if SurgeTK finds a withdrawal, and "---" if not. A withdrawal is found when either is true:
The account has a systematic withdrawal with an amount above $0. Any current systematic withdrawal counts, whatever its date.
The account has a one-time transaction of type Withdrawal dated from January 25 of the tax year through January 24 of the next year.
3. The default by account type
Account type | Form |
Brokerage, individual, joint, trust, estate, custodial, entity, municipal, and CD | 1099 |
Any IRA other than a Roth IRA, including inherited, rollover, and QCD | 1099-R |
401(a), 401(k), 403(b), 457(b), pension, profit sharing, Keogh, retirement plan | 1099-R |
Annuity, RILA | 1099-R |
"Other", and any type SurgeTK cannot classify | "--" (two dashes) |
Two different dashes: "--" means SurgeTK could not decide a form. "---" means None was chosen, or a Roth IRA had no withdrawals.
11. Estimated Tax Payments Table
Heading: the tax year followed by "Estimated Tax Payments:", for example "2025 Estimated Tax Payments:".
Source: one-time transactions of type Estimated Tax Payment. Add them on the account › Transactions tab › Add Transaction › Type "Estimated Tax Payment", with an Amount and a Date.
Window: payments dated from January 25 of the tax year through January 24 of the next year.
Payments from every account in the household count, including checking and savings accounts that are hidden from the Accounts table.
Columns: Account (the account type and the last 4 characters of the account number, for example "Checking - 1234"), Date (for example "April 15, 2025"), and Payment. A bold Total row ends the table.
When there are no payments in the window, the whole section is hidden.
12. Tax Season Reminders
Field: Tax Season Reminders (one per line). Each line becomes a bullet.
The heading "Tax Season Reminders" always prints, even when the list is empty.
The six default bullets:
"You may remember that we helped you make an Estimated Tax Payment of ${{estTaxPayments}} in {{taxYear}}. Estimated taxes are quarterly payments based on your income for the year—usually required when taxes aren’t automatically withheld."
"Companies must make all 1099 forms available by February 16th."
"You may receive multiple forms at different times (for example, IRA, joint, or brokerage accounts)."
"Many companies now post 1099s online instead of mailing paper copies."
"Some issuers correct 1099s in March, so it’s a good idea to wait until late March or early April before filing your return to avoid needing amendments later."
"If you have an IRA, you’ll also receive a Form 5498. This form is not typically needed to complete your tax return."
Check the first bullet. For a household with no estimated tax payments recorded, it prints "$0", because {{estTaxPayments}} prints 0. If your firm does not record estimated tax payments in SurgeTK, delete or rewrite that line.
13. Closing Remarks
Field: Closing Remarks.
Default: "This report is for informational purposes only. Please rely on official tax documents directly from your investment companies and work with a licensed tax professional." followed by a blank line, then "Sincerely," and {{advisorName}} on its own line.
A blank closing prints nothing.
14. Firm-Level Configuration
All settings live under Settings › Value Adds › 1099. Click Show Settings to open the fields, then Save Changes. Only admins can save.
Setting | What it does | Default |
The toggle on the card | Turns the 1099 Value Add on or off for the whole firm. Requires the Pro plan. | Off |
Title | The title at the top of the letter. No variables. | "1099 Report" |
Tax Year and Manual Year | "Auto (uses April 15 cutoff)" or "Manual" with a typed year. | Auto |
Salutation | The greeting above the intro. Blank omits it. | "{{householdName}}," |
Intro (top paragraph) | The opening paragraph. Supports variables. | See section 7 |
Tax Season Reminders (one per line) | The bullet list. Supports variables. | The six bullets in section 12 |
Closing Remarks | The closing paragraph and signature. Supports variables. | See section 13 |
Disclaimer | Custom text inside the footer disclaimer. No variables. | "THIS 1099 REPORT IS NOT COMPLETE WITHOUT ALL THE ACCOMPANYING DISCLAIMERS!..." |
Blank fields: if you clear the intro, reminders, closing, or disclaimer and save, the letter prints nothing for that part. The settings page then shows the default text in the field again, and the next Save Changes stores the default.
Admins can also edit the title, disclaimer, salutation, intro, reminders, and closing in place from the letter page with Annotations. Those edits are firm-wide too.
15. Footer and Disclaimer
Footer
The footer prints the firm Address, Phone Number, and Firm Website URL from Settings › Firm Info. Blank fields are skipped. A small dot in the branding color separates the items.
Disclaimer
The disclaimer has three parts, all printed in upper case: "Generated for the clients of" followed by the household's lead advisor names, then your 1099 Disclaimer text, then "Value Add copyright SurgeTK, All rights reserved."
Two or more advisors are joined with "and".
If the household has no lead advisor, the disclaimer prints "NO ADVISORS ASSIGNED" in red.
In Summary
Automatic. Accounts, forms, and estimated payments come from the household's data and the tax year.
Rules-based. The Form column follows a manual choice first, then the Roth IRA rule, then the account type.
Firm-customizable. Salutation, intro, reminders, closing, title, and disclaimer are set in Settings, with five variables.
If an account is missing, check its type, its close date, and its Exclusions tab. If the form looks wrong, set the 1099 Form on the account.