the question on the tax return is Did you receive any distributions from a retirement plan after 2021. shouldn't this already be on there when i entered the 1099R?

If you are entering information related to claiming the Saver's Credit, then the question is being asked to be sure that you qualify to claim the credit.  If you have already entered a Form 1099-R as part of your return, then that distribution may meet an exception to distributions that would disqualify you for the Saver's Credit.  Therefore, the question would be asking about prior year distributions.

Not all distributions reported on Form 1099-R would disqualify you from claiming the Saver's Credit.  For example, a rollover from one retirement plan to another is reported on Form 1099-R but it is not a disqualifying distribution for the Saver's Credit.

If you are seeing this question in another part of your return and still have a question, please tell us where it is being asked.