Should a 1099 list both the owner's name and the business's name?

Q. We have a payment to a sole proprietor. The W-9 listed the owner's name and the business name. The invoice listed their business name at the top but asked us to make the check payable in the owner's name. Does it matter if the 1099 lists both the owner's name and their business name, or should the 1099 only list the name on the check (i.e. the owner's name)?

A.

(Answered by IOFM's third-party tax experts)

The personal name of the sole proprietor is the recipient Name to report on the Form 1099.  You may also show the business name, but the personal name must be first on  the 1099.  Reportable Names on Forms 1099 are determined by the actual fact situation of how a business is organized or structured for tax purposes (not determined by what name you put on a check). 

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