News Archive

"[1] Not filing when a filing is required ... [2] Inaccurate or inconsistent participant counts ... [3] Missing or incomplete Schedule A ... [4] Misapplying Schedule C requirements ... [5] Filing late without using an extension ... [6] Incorrect plan characteristic codes."  MORE >>

"This time of year typically brings key filings such as Form 5500 for calendar-year plans, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) fee payments, Summary Annual Report (SAR) distributions, and medical loss ratio (MLR) rebate considerations, among others. Staying ahead of these requirements is critical to avoiding potential penalties and maintaining compliance with applicable federal laws." [Includes both standard Federal deadlines, and select state and local deadlines.]  MORE >>

"The U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce on May 21 advanced a series of bills prohibiting pharmacy benefit managers from providing kickbacks or referral fees to intermediaries [HR 7895], requiring hospitals to adopt accurate billing practices [HR 8684], and extending the deadline for plans to file Form 5500 disclosures [HR 7362]. The bills, each affecting plans governed by [ERISA], may now receive consideration from the full House of Representatives."  MORE >>

"The Education and Workforce Committee passed [bills on May 21 which would] ... increase health care transparency, lower prescription drug costs, and strengthen retirement security.... [1] Form 5500 Filing Simplification Act [HR 7362] ... cuts unnecessary paperwork for retirement and employee benefit plans by simplifying federal reporting requirements and updating filing rules. [2] PBM Kickback Prohibition Act [HR 7895] cracks down on PBM kickbacks and helps ensure health plan design decisions are made in the best interest of patients and employers -- not corporate middlemen. [3] Transparency in Billing Act of 2026 [HR 8684] ... increases transparency for workers and families by requiring hospitals to bill honestly about where services are being provided."  MORE >>

"[T]he Form 5500 Filing Simplification Act [HR 7362] was introduced on February 4, 2026. Among other proposed changes, the legislation would extend the Form 5500 filing deadline by nearly three months. For calendar-year plans, the deadline would move from July 31 to October 15."  MORE >>

"[I]ndividuals and businesses affected by Super Typhoon Sinlaku in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands that began on April 11, 2026 ... now have until Nov. 2, 2026, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.... [I]ndividuals and households affected by Super Typhoon Sinlaku that reside or have a business in the Northern Islands, Rota, Saipan and Tinian qualify for tax relief."  MORE >>

"Every year, thousands of Applicable Large Employers (ALEs) across the country hand off their ACA reporting obligations to a payroll vendor, a benefits administrator, or a general-purpose HR technology platform and trust that the job is being done correctly.... [T]he accuracy of the Forms 1094-C and 1095-C matters enormously ... This article is for employers who want to understand what accurate ACA reporting actually looks like -- and for the brokers and advisors who serve them. Because the stakes are too high to leave this to chance."  MORE >>

"[I]ndividuals and businesses in Mississippi affected by the severe winter storm that began on Jan. 23, 2026 ... now have until June 8, 2026, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.... [I]ndividuals and households that reside or have a business in [all 82 counties of] Mississippi qualify for tax relief."  MORE >>

Fillable PDF; created Mar. 12, 2026.  MORE >>

Rev. Dec. 2026. "You can electronically file Form 8868 to request up to a 6-month extension of time to file any of the forms listed below[.]"  MORE >>

"This alert highlights key filing, notice, contribution, and reporting obligations commonly applicable during the April-June timeframe, including ERISA plan filings, health plan reporting, and HSA-related actions."  MORE >>

"The IRS Employee Plans has digitalized Form 15315 to allow you to electronically report the actuarial certification of a multiemployer defined benefit plan's funding status. No additional attachments or letters should be submitted with your Form 15315 submission."  MORE >>

"In most cases, a small plan can claim a waiver of the audit requirement, but it depends on: the type of assets the plan holds, including the owners’ participant accounts; whether a regulated financial institution has custody of the plan’s assets; whether the full value of any non-qualifying plan assets is 100% covered by a fidelity bond; and whether additional disclosures about the assets and the fidelity bond are distributed to participants in the Summary Annual Report."  MORE >>

"The [DOL] and [PBGC] still have not published inflation-adjusted civil monetary penalties for employee benefit plans for 2026.... [T]he 2026 penalties are supposed to be calculated by multiplying the 2025 penalty amounts by the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U) from October 2024 through October 2025. However, due to the government shutdown, the [BLS] never released CPI-U figures for October 2025. This has left the agencies without a multiplier to apply to their 2025 penalties."  MORE >>

"This 2026 calendar outlines key ERISA deadlines for calendar-year-end [defined contribution] and defined benefit plans, including required filings, participant notices, funding obligations and operational tasks. All dates reflect statutory deadlines and IRS and DOL weekend rules."  MORE >>

"If you have an employee benefit plan for which an annual report should have been filed, but which was not, the DOL DFVC Program provides an improved way to find relief from both DOL and IRS penalties. It is simple to use! It does not require a prescription. The medicine almost tastes good. It sounds almost too good to be true."  MORE >>

"Starting with plan years that begin in 2026, all premium payments must be made electronically, either through pay.gov or by electronic funds transfer (EFT) such as ACH or Fedwire.... If you choose to mail your [Form 5558] please note that postmarks may not accurately reflect the date the U.S. Postal Service accepts your mail.... Four new codes were added [to Form 5500] for DB plans[.]"  MORE >>

10 pages. "Form 5500-EZ is used by one-participant plans and foreign plans that are not subject to the requirements of section 104(a) of [ERISA]." [Also available: 2025 IRS Form 5500-EZ (fillable PDF)]  MORE >>

"[I]ndividuals and businesses in the State of Louisiana affected by severe winter ice storms that began on Jan. 22, 2026 ... now have until March 31, 2026, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments."  MORE >>

Summarizes recent guidance relating to retirement plans (Notice 2026-13 and Notice 2026-09) as well as the updated user fees provided in Rev. Proc. 2026-4.  MORE >>

"In this article [the authors] explain why postmarks matter to retirement plans, clarifications in the final rule, and what plan administrative changes may be needed to ensure mail is timely postmarked, and [they] list the operational items plan sponsors and their advisors may need to review and potentially adjust going forward."  MORE >>

"HR 7362, the Form 5500 Filing Simplification Act ... would extend the deadline for filing the form by almost three months.... This effectively would mean that the deadline for calendar-year plans to file the Form 5500 would be Oct. 15, not the current July 31."  MORE >>

"[I]ndividuals and businesses in the State of Montana affected by severe storms and flooding that began on Dec. 10, 2025 ... now have until May 1, 2026, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.... [I]ndividuals and households that reside or have a business in the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Lincoln, and Sanders counties qualify for tax relief."  MORE >>

"The penalty for failing to file a Form M-1 is almost as severe as the penalty for failing to file a Form 5500, at a rate of $1,992 per day in penalty fees.... MEWAs and Entities Claiming Exception required to file Form M-1 are now eligible to correct late filings under [DFVCP].... For self-insured plans, many states also have filing and approval requirements as well as requirements to keep a reserve with the state's Department of Insurance."  MORE >>

"In FY 2025, EBSA closed 878 civil investigations. Of those, 556 investigations (63 percent) produced monetary results for plans or other corrective action, for a total of $714.4 million recovered.... In FY 2025, [EBSA] obtained 297 non-monetary civil corrections, including: [1] removing 15 fiduciaries, [2] barring 24 individuals from serving as fiduciaries, [3] appointing 18 fiduciaries, [4] improving missing participant procedures for 49 plans, and [5] implementing 61 global corrections across multiple ERISA-covered health plans."  MORE >>