On which form are earnings of an independent contractor reported to the IRS?

The earnings of an independent contractor are reported to the IRS using Form 1099-MISC. This form is specifically designed to report payments made to non-employees, including independent contractors, for services rendered. When a business pays an independent contractor $600 or more in a calendar year, it must issue a 1099-MISC to document those payments and provide a copy to the contractor for their tax filings.

The use of Form W-2 is reserved for employees and reports wages and withholdings for income tax, Social Security, and Medicare, which does not apply to independent contractors. Form W-4 relates to the withholding allowances an employee claims for income tax purposes when they are starting a job, which is also not applicable to independent contractors. Schedule C is a form used by sole proprietors to report income and expenses from their businesses on their tax returns, but it's not the form that businesses use to report payments made to independent contractors to the IRS. Hence, Form 1099-MISC is the correct choice for reporting the earnings of independent contractors.