The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced a two-month extension of the comment period on the Form 5500 Modernization Proposals. The DOL, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) published a Notice of Proposed Revision of Annual Information Return/Reports in the Federal Register on July 21, 2016. The DOL also published a separate, but related Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the same day.
The forms revisions and regulatory amendments were proposed as part of a project to expand Form 5500 annual return/reports filed by employee benefit plans. Large plans (100 or more participants) would be required to file a great deal more information than is currently required. Small plans that are fully insured, unfunded or a combination are currently exempt from filing, but would be required to file under the proposed rules.
A range of stakeholder groups asked for an extension of time to submit comments given the scope and significance of the proposed forms revisions and regulatory amendments. The DOL, IRS and PBGC decided to extend the public comment period on the proposed forms revisions and regulatory amendments from the original October 4, 2016, deadline to the new December 5, 2016, deadline.
The DOL, IRS and PBGC decided to extend the public comment period on the proposed forms revisions and regulatory amendments from the original October 4, 2016, deadline to the new December 5, 2016, deadline.
The proposed regulations can be found here.
To facilitate the receipt and processing of written comment letters on the proposed regulation, the DOL encourages interested persons to submit their comments electronically. You may submit comments, identified by RIN 1210-AB63, by any of the following methods:
- Federal eRulemaking Portal: Follow instructions for submitting comments.
- Email: e-ORI@dol.gov. Include RIN 1210-AB63 in the subject line of the message.
- Mail: Office of Regulations and Interpretations, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Attn: RIN 1210-AB63; Annual Reporting and Disclosure, Room N-5655, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210.
- Hand Delivery/Courier: Office of Regulations and Interpretations, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Attn: RIN 1210-AB63; Annual Reporting and Disclosure, Room N-5655, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210.
- Instructions: All comments received must include the agency name and Regulatory Identifier Number (“RIN”) for this rulemaking (RIN 1210-AB63). Persons submitting comments electronically are encouraged not to submit paper copies. All comments received will be made available to the public, posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov and http://www.dol.gov/ebsa, and made available for public inspection at the Public Disclosure Room, N-1513, Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210, including any personal information provided.
