If you are like many Americans with connections to Israel, the moment the IRS announces that the filing season is officially open, the instinct is simple. File now to get it done! Either because you want your refund, or because you want to be done with taxes. You are the best type of clients! Organized, with it, and ready to go! 

The IRS officially opened the 2026 filing season on January 26. It has begun accepting and processing 2025 tax returns. But here is the part that catches many people off guard every single year. Just because the IRS is open does not mean you have what you need to file.

For those Americans connected to Israel, especially, the early part of tax season is less about filing quickly and more about waiting for the right documents to show up. Most delays are not caused by the IRS at all. They are caused by the simple reality that many of the most common tax forms are not legally required to be issued until weeks after the filing season opens.

Don’t worry, though, we have got you covered.

Below is a practical guide to the most common forms Americans in Israel are waiting for, what each form represents, and when you can realistically expect to see them.  We start with the more common U.S. tax forms and then jump to the Israeli forms.  The list is not exhaustive, but if you read it through, you may want to take a nap .

Key Takeaways

• • The IRS opening does not mean you have everything needed to file your tax return.

• • Many U.S. and Israeli tax forms are not issued until weeks or months into the filing season.

• • Filing too early often leads to corrections and amendments.

• • For Americans living in Israel, planning and timing matter more than speed.

U.S. Form W-2 If you have U.S. wages.

This is the annual wage statement from a U.S. employer. It reports salary, federal withholding, Social Security, and Medicare taxes.

If you worked for a U.S. employer during the year, this form is non-negotiable for filing your return.

Expected availability: Late January. Employers are required to issue W-2s by January 31, so many people receive them in the last week of January or the first few days of February.

U.S. Form 1099-NEC for self-employed and contract workers

This form reports non-employee compensation. Think consulting, freelance work, or independent contractor income from U.S. sources.

If you did any U.S. consulting work while living in Israel, this form often replaces what used to appear on a 1099-MISC.

There is a lot to know about living in Israel and working remotely as a contractor. If you need help structuring your tax situation better, get in touch.

Expected availability: Late January. The deadline to issue 1099-NEC forms is January 31, so these usually arrive around the same time as W-2s. 

It is also important to note that if you have any consultants for your own business in the U.S., the timeline for issuing these forms may be ticking away quickly.  Get in touch if you need help issuing Form 1099’s.

U.S. Form 1099-INT for interest-only investments

This reports interest income from U.S. banks or financial institutions. Savings accounts, CDs, and some brokerage cash accounts all fall into this category.

Expected availability: Late January to early February. Standalone bank accounts usually issue these by January 31, while brokerage accounts may include them in a consolidated statement later. See “consolidated statement” down below.

U.S. Form 1099-DIV for dividend-only investments

This form reports dividends and capital gain distributions from U.S. stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds.

This is where many early filers get burned. Dividend classifications often change after year-end, and brokers intentionally wait to avoid issuing multiple corrected forms.

Expected availability: Early to mid-February. Many brokers release these as part of a consolidated statement closer to February 15.

U.S. Consolidated 1099 Statements

Most U.S. brokerages no longer send separate 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, and 1099-B forms. Instead, they issue a single consolidated tax statement that covers everything.

The advantage is convenience. The downside is timing.

Expected availability: Mid-February, and sometimes later if you hold more complex investments. Corrected versions in March are common.  Therefore, it is often wise to wait until March to file if you have complex investment accounts.

U.S. Schedule K-1 from Partnerships

If you invested in a U.S. partnership, private fund, or LLC taxed as a partnership, you will receive a Schedule K-1. This is the single most common reason Americans file extensions.

Effectively, a partnership has to file its own tax return to provide Form K-1 to its investors.  This slows the process significantly, since they may have complex situations that require an extension to be filed.  While most people praise the tax benefits a partnership can provide, they often don’t discuss the delays it causes in estimated income calculations and tax filings.

Expected availability: March at the earliest. Many partnerships file extensions, which pushes K-1s into early to mid-September.

U.S. Form 1099-R for retirement distributions

This is the form issued when money is withdrawn from a retirement account. That includes traditional IRAs, Roth IRA distributions, 401(k)s, pensions, and annuities.

What catches many people by surprise is that this form is not limited to what feels like spendable income. It can also appear for transactions such as Roth conversions, rollovers, even when no tax is due, and certain internal retirement account adjustments. Even when the transaction is non-taxable, the form still must be reported correctly.

If you have U.S. pensions, then I highly recommend reading U.S. pension tax for U.S. citizens in Israel.

Expected availability: Late January to early February. 

U.S. Form SSA-1099 for those receiving Social Security benefits

If you receive U.S. Social Security while living in Israel, you do not receive a W-2. Instead, you receive a Social Security Benefit Statement that summarizes the benefits paid during the year.

U.S. citizens living in Israel can be exempt from both U.S. and Israeli taxes on Social Security benefits.  It is one of the best U.S. tax perks of retiring in Israel.  That doesn’t mean you don’t need to receive this document to report the income as tax-exempt on your U.S. tax return properly.

Expected availability: January. Social Security issues these forms in early January, with delivery typically completed by January 31.

Israeli Form 106 for those employed in Israel

This is the Israeli equivalent of a Form W-2. It summarizes Israeli salary and tax withholding for the year.

Even though it is an Israeli form, it is critical for U.S. reporting because U.S. citizens living and working abroad need to report their worldwide income.

Expected availability: March through early May. Employers are legally required to issue it by March 31, but historically, they can come out as late as May.

Israeli Form 867 for those with investment accounts in Israel

This is the Israeli investment income summary issued by Israeli banks and investment accounts. It reports interest, dividends, capital gains, and Israeli tax withheld.

If you have Israeli investment accounts, this form is essential for U.S. tax reporting.  Additional documents may be necessary if you are investing in passive foreign investment companies (PFICs).  If you don’t know what a PFIC is, I highly suggest reading Passive Foreign Investment Companies: What are they, and why are they a bad investment?

Expected availability: Mid-to-late March.

Ishur Yitrot from Israeli Banks

This is a year-end balance confirmation issued by Israeli banks. It shows your account balances as of December 31 across checking, savings, and sometimes foreign currency sub-accounts.

This document does not calculate tax, but it plays a major role in U.S. compliance. It is commonly used for FBAR and FATCA reporting and serves as proof that accounts actually existed and what their values were at year’s-end.

Expected availability: January through February. Most banks allow you to generate it on demand through online banking, even before any tax forms are released.

End-of-Year Israeli Pension Documents

These are the annual summaries issued by Israeli pension funds, provident funds, and insurance-based retirement plans. They outline contributions, balances, and annual investment growth.

Like the Ishur Yitrot, this document does not calculate tax, but it plays a major role in U.S. compliance. It is commonly used for FBAR and FATCA reporting and serves as proof that accounts actually existed and what their values were at year-end.

Expected availability: March through April.

Israeli Company Financial Statements

If you own or are involved in an Israeli company, the company financials are often the final missing puzzle piece.

These statements drive Israeli corporate filings, but they also feed directly into U.S. reporting for anyone required to file foreign company disclosures. Timing here is rarely fast and rarely aligned with U.S. deadlines.  If you need to file U.S. tax returns and include these company financials, I advise you to press your Israeli accountant to finalize them as early as possible, while keeping U.S. tax rules in mind.  This is an area where your U.S. and Israeli tax situations should have close coordination and planning around the best course of action.

Expected availability: Spring through late summer. Many companies file extensions, so finalized financials often arrive well after the U.S. filing season has started.

What Action to Take Now

The IRS opening on January 26 does not mean your return should be filed on January 26.

For Americans living in Israel, January and early February are about gathering documents, not racing to submit. Filing too early often leads to amended returns later, especially when brokerage statements are corrected, or K-1s arrive months after the fact.

In many cases, the smartest move is planning what documents you need and then setting up a calendar of when each is expected using the information above.  This way, you can plan your filing as early as possible and make sure that any estimates or extensions necessary get filed in the meantime.

If you want a tax team that helps you plan out your tax return and coordinates with your Israeli accountant to give you the most optimized tax plan forward, then contact us.