5500 extension

[pmacduff]

We have a client that changed their plan year from fiscal to calendar in 2008. Of course there was a short plan year filing in 2008.

This year when we did the 5500 extension request back in July no one checked the dating in the RGF software and consequently the extension had the wrong plan year ending on it. (The old plan year end date which would have been 04/30/2010). The extension did, however, have the correct requested extended date of 10/15/2010.

The client received a notice from the IRS that the extension was denied. The notice stated that it was received after the filing deadline?? [i'm not sure why that is because if it truly was a 04/30/2010 plan year ending it is well within the timeframe, wrong dates and all - probably a standard form notice] The notice had a phone number (with a 30+ minute wait) and then an address if the client preferred to write. We had the client send a letter back with a copy of the corrected extension, explanation of the plan year change and asked them to please approve.

We have already filed the 2009 5500 online.

Has anyone else had this happen? Do you know what the odds are that the IRS will approve the extension? They did receive it timely and it had the correct extension request date, just an incorrect plan year ending date.

Thoughts?