Up until the teens (2010+), the IRS did not require plan administrators to preserve this information - so you had to (although I agree that this was not widely known).
However, the fact that you have a government pension may work to your advantage, given every bureaucracy's inclination to keep records.
In cases where the plan administrator knows the basis of your plan, the 1099-R is often printed with the taxable amount in box 2a...so, did last year's 1099-R have an amount in box 2a? In the 1099-R interview, at some point, you may be asked did you use the amount in box 2a as the taxable amount last year?
This does lead to my next question - why didn't you get asked these questions last year? Can you dig up your last several returns and see what happened?
**Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post
**Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer"
