If you received pension benefit payments from Colorado PERA in 2023, we will mail year-end tax information on IRS Form 1099-R by January 31, 2024. You will need this form to file your income tax return.

More helpful information, including a video and an overview of 1099 information, is available here.

1—Gross distribution

Total dollar amount of benefits paid to you by PERA in 2023.

2a—Taxable amount

The total amount of your taxable benefits you received from PERA in the tax year noted. If you do not have any previously taxed contributions, your entire benefit amount is taxable.

2b—Taxable amount not determined/Total distribution

If you have an “X” in the “Taxable amount not determined” box and box 2a is blank, you will need to determine the taxable portion of your annual benefit.

3—Capital gain (included in box 2a)

Reports a dollar amount if you were born before January 2, 1936.

4—Federal income tax withheld

Federal income tax withheld from your benefit in the tax year noted.

5—Employee contributions/Designated Roth contributions or insurance premiums

The nontaxable amount of benefits you received in the tax year noted (the difference between box 1 and box 2a). Do not report this amount on your tax returns. This number does not refer to the premiums you paid to PERA for health care or life insurance. If you need the amount of your insurance premiums, refer to your year-end benefit check or EFT statement.

If you have previously taxed contributions in your PERA account, PERA uses a cost-recovery method recognized by the IRS to amortize the nontaxable dollar amount each year and reports it in box 5.

If box 5 is blank and there is an “X” in box 2b “Taxable amount not determined,” you must determine the nontaxable portion of your annual benefit.

In cases where the benefit recipient passed away during the reporting year and no future monthly benefits are payable, box 5 may also include the balance of any previously taxed contributions not recovered through the cost-recovery method.

7—Distribution code(s)

Identifies the type of benefit being paid; please refer to your 1099-R for descriptions.

9b—Total employee contributions

The total tax-paid contributions in the PERA member account at the time of retirement (will only print for the first year of retirement).

14—State tax withheld

Colorado state income tax withheld from your benefit. (PERA only withholds state taxes for Colorado.)

15—State/Payer's state no.

Colorado PERA's identification number as assigned by the State of Colorado and is listed on all forms as "CO/21-97092." This number is used by the State to identify PERA. It does not refer to which state the income is taxable in, nor does it refer to which state withholding taxes were deducted.

Account number

Your PERA-assigned account number that appears on correspondence including your benefit statement or benefit check.

PAST 1099-Rs

To print past 1099-Rs, log in to your PERA account on copera.org by clicking the green “Member/Login Registration” button and entering your User ID and password. If you haven’t set up your online user profile, click “Register as a new user” and follow the prompts.