{"id":"acct-1099-vendor-list-cleanup-table","audience":"small-business","category":"finance-work","track":"finance","technique":"constraints","level":"intermediate","title":"Clean up a vendor list before 1099 season without tax advice","free":false,"task":"You're tidying the vendor list before your tax preparer reviews 1099s, and you must not make tax calls yourself. Write a prompt for a table with columns Vendor | Issue | Next step, one row per vendor, where Next step is exactly Request W-9, Merge duplicate, Ask tax preparer or No action. Don't say who needs a 1099 or mention dollar thresholds. End with the line \"Our tax preparer makes all 1099 decisions.\" Under 200 words.","materialLabel":"Vendor list export (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"Vendor list export - Lumen Yoga Studio, 2026 year to date (from the bookkeeping app)\n\nVendor | W-9 on file | Tax ID (last 4) | Paid 2026 | Notes\nJavier Ortiz Plumbing LLC | Yes | 4471 | $8,200 | \nJ. Ortiz Plumbing | No | 4471 | $1,900 | same address as Javier Ortiz Plumbing LLC\nBright Path Cleaning | No | none | $5,400 | weekly cleaning\nMarisol Chen | Yes | 2093 | $12,000 | bookkeeping contractor\nCopperline Office Supply Inc. | Yes, C corporation box checked | 7710 | $3,100 | \nDev Patel Photography | No | none | $450 | paid through PayPal\nKeystone Legal Group | Yes | 5528 | $6,500 | lease review\n\nNote from the owner: \"My friend says anyone under $600 is fine and lawyers always get one. Can you just tell me who to send forms to?\"","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":200}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Names the columns","patterns":["vendor \\| issue","columns","table"]},{"label":"Gives next-step labels","patterns":["request w-?9","merge duplicate","ask tax preparer"]},{"label":"Blocks tax advice","patterns":["no tax","don'?t (say|decide|tell)","threshold","tax preparer"]},{"label":"Checks for duplicates","patterns":["duplicate","tax id","same address"]},{"label":"Gives the last line","patterns":["last line","makes all 1099 decisions"]}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Giving tax answers","why":"Asked about 1099s, the AI states thresholds and tells you who gets a form.","fix":"Say: \"No tax conclusions or dollar thresholds. Reporting questions are Ask tax preparer.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Repeating the friend's rule","why":"The AI picks up the owner's secondhand rule and treats it as fact.","fix":"Add: \"Ignore secondhand tax rules in the notes.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Missing the duplicate","why":"The AI treats J. Ortiz and Javier Ortiz as two vendors.","fix":"Ask: \"Check for duplicates by tax ID and address.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Free-form next steps","why":"The AI writes long advice per vendor instead of a step you can act on.","fix":"Give the labels: \"Next step is exactly Request W-9, Merge duplicate, Ask tax preparer or No action.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"Vendor reviews come with intros and caveats that blow the limit.","fix":"Say: \"Issue under 8 words. Output only the table and the last line.\"","checks":["maxWords"]}],"hint":"The owner wants tax answers, and the AI will give them. Keep it to list hygiene: fixed labels, duplicates and missing W-9s, and send every reporting question to the preparer.","rubricLabels":["Is a table with columns Vendor | Issue | Next step, one row per vendor (7 rows), and every Next step is exactly one of Request W-9, Merge duplicate, Ask tax preparer or No action","Both Ortiz rows (same tax ID ending 4471) are Merge duplicate, and Bright Path Cleaning and Dev Patel Photography are Request W-9","Never says which vendors do or don't need a 1099 and mentions no dollar threshold (such as $600 or $2,000), and the last line is exactly \"Our tax preparer makes all 1099 decisions.\""]}