1099-R - Forms 1099-R (tax reporting for your pension payments, similar to the W-2 you received as an active employee) for the tax year 2019 will be mailed no later than January 31, 2020. (All 1099R’s will be mailed on the same date, but they may arrive at your address at different times. The post office will be delivering millions of these forms at about the same time, so there is a possibility your form might be delayed in the mail.)
If you have not received your form by February 15, 2020, please call the ERS office to request a replacement. Please note that these forms are produced and mailed offsite; therefore, they will not be available on a walk-in basis. Requests will be processed in the order received.
1099-R forms may be returned to our office if we do not have your current mailing address – including seasonal moves. As we mentioned in several previous newsletters, ERS cannot take address changes over the phone. A change of address form is available on our website or you may change your address through Member Self Service. In addition, you may call our office and request a change of address form or simply take a standard-sized sheet of paper and provide the new information by mailing it in. Be sure to include your printed name and signature.
If you are a recent retiree and you received a GPS lump-sum bonus during 2019 and elected to rollover all or part of your GPS lump sum bonus, you will receive a separate 1099-R for your GPS lump sum bonus rollover. If you elected to receive all or part of the GPS lump sum bonus in cash, the payment you received in cash will be included with the 1099-R containing your monthly annuity payments.
If you receive multiple benefits from the ERS (e.g., your own benefit as well as a survivorship benefit from the account of your deceased spouse), you will receive a separate 1099-R for each benefit you received in 2019.
If you receive a Duty Disability benefit from the ERS, you will not receive a 1099-R because this benefit is not taxable or reportable to the IRS.
If you owe additional income tax this year or are getting a large refund, you might want to adjust the amount of your tax withholdings. You may download the tax withholding form from our website at: www.cmers.com under “Forms” – “Other” – “Tax Withholding Form.” If you do not have internet access, you may contact the ERS office, and we will mail you the required form.
The ERS staff is not allowed to give tax advice or answer tax questions. We cannot recommend how much you should have withheld or tell you if you need to file a tax return. Please consult the applicable IRS instructions or a tax professional. There are taxpayer assistance programs, often at no cost, through organizations such as AARP and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA).