House Dems want to know why retirees aren’t getting physical tax documents from OPM

Updated at 8:27 a.m. ET March 4

With tax season in full swing, House Democrats are pressing the Office of Personnel Management for answers about reports that federal retirees and annuitants aren’t receiving paper copies of tax documents needed to file their returns.

In the March 2 letter to OPM Director Scott Kupor, nine House members — led by Reps. James Walkinshaw, D-Va., and Frank Pallone, D-N.J. — inquired why some retirees still haven’t received physical copies of their 1099-R forms.

“Each year, OPM states that it will mail physical Form 1099-R documents to any annuitant who does not have an email address on file after January 31,” the letter said. “Despite this policy, we have heard from numerous constituents who still have not received their Form 1099-R or annuity statements, even after waiting well beyond the maximum two-week delivery window communicated by your staff.”

Form 1099-R covers annual distributions from a variety of retirement plans, including pensions, individual retirement arrangements, survivor income benefit plans, insurance contracts and others. 

OPM’s Retirement Services Online portal will provide digital copies to retirees and annuitants with a Login.gov account or an email address. For those without either, the agency typically sends paper forms out by Jan. 31.

But according to some, neither has been happening this year, and when retirees or annuitants try to reach out to OPM, they can’t get an answer.

John Hatton, staff vice president for policy and programs at the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, told Government Executive that his organization has been "inundated" with calls from retirees who had not received a physical 1099-R form or had difficulty acquiring one online.

"We're hearing from a lot of members who don't know how to get their form, and they can't call OPM because it's almost impossible to get through on the phone," he said. "We've told people to start calling at 7:40 a.m. and keep calling for 30 minutes, and you might get through . . . And even if they did get through, [OPM] don't let you switch to mail delivery via the phone — you need to create an account just to switch it." 

OPM’s inspector general recently cited customer service at its Retirement Services office as a top management challenge for fiscal 2026 due contributing factors such as a lack of resources, the loss of 100 retirement personnel from the deferred resignation program and the office’s own retirements and hiring action cancellations. 

"OPM has made 1099 forms available digitally with one-click access, and users no longer need a PIN to sign in," said OPM spokesperson McLaurine Pinover in a email. "Anyone without a Retirement Services Online account was mailed a paper copy, and some deliveries may have been delayed by recent winter storms in the DC and Northeast region. We are advising recipients to allow about 10 days for mail delivery."

The nine House members requested that OPM provide statistics on the current status of 1099-Rs to be mailed, information on average call and wait times to the Office of Retirement Services’ help line, any information on customer service satisfaction data and metrics for success and how the agency plans to address the customer service issues.

Erich Wagner contributed to this report. The story was updated to include a comment from OPM.