What You Need To Know Before The Deadline
Form 5500 season is upon us, which means many businesses are scrambling to determine their filing deadline and figure out what information needs to be submitted to their retirement plan administrator to avoid hefty fines.
What is Form 5500?
Form 5500 reports a retirement plan’s provisions, financial status, and participant count to the IRS and DOL. It ensures ERISA compliance and satisfies annual reporting requirements for retirement plans.
Who Must File?
If your business offers a 401(k) plan, you're likely required to file Form 5500 each year.
When Is It Due?
The deadline is generally July 31st, unless your plan doesn’t follow the calendar year—in that case, it’s due the last day of the seventh month after the plan year ends.
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline?
Missing the filing deadline can be costly:
- IRS penalty: $250 per day, up to $150,000
- DOL penalty: $2,670 per day, with no cap
Don’t think you can meet the deadline? File for the extension with Form 5588.
How LRS Can Help
At Leading Retirement Solutions, we handle Form 5500 preparation for our clients, well ahead of schedule. We keep you on track so you can avoid last-minute stress and unnecessary fines. If you’ve missed past filings, we can help you take corrective action to reduce or eliminate penalties.
Want a Simpler Solution?
We understand that Form 5500 can be time-consuming. That’s why LRS offers:
- Employer Plans (PEPs) and Multiple Employer Plans (MEPs): We understand the complexity of the Form 5500. That’s why we offer PEP and MEP options that eliminate the need for individual businesses to file Form 5500. Contact us to learn about you options.
Need a Copy of Your Prior Year’s Form 5500?
Start by checking with the third-party administrator (TPA) or your investment provider for your plan, this will typically be the easiest route. If that’s not an option, you can access prior year Form 5500 filings through the Department of Labor’s website.
The DOL’s search engine identifies filings received by EFAST2. However, be aware that only the latest filing for any single plan year will be provided in the Form 5500 Series Search: as of January 1, 2025 EFAST released the 2024 Form 5500, 5500-SF, and 5500-EZ for filing of annual returns/reports.
We understand this can be a complex process. We are here to help you. Contact us through our chat (Pinned at the bottom right), email (info@leadingretirement.com), or call us at 206-430-5084.
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