Automatic extension of time to file Form 5500 employee benefit plan returns

Plain-English summary

This is an internal IRS Chief Counsel email passing along an answer from the Procedures and Administration office about a project a colleague was working on. The specific question and the office's full answer are redacted in the public release. What remains is the legal backbone the answer relied on: the rules for getting more time to file the Form 5500 series, the annual return/report that administrators and sponsors of employee benefit plans (such as pension and profit-sharing plans) must file. The email quotes Treasury Regulation § 1.6081-11, which grants an automatic extension to file the Form 5500 until the 15th day of the third month after the normal due date, provided the plan administrator or sponsor files a complete Form 5558 (Application for Extension of Time To File Certain Employee Plan Returns) with the IRS on or before the original due date. Because the operative facts and conclusion are redacted, the document is useful mainly as a plain restatement of how the automatic Form 5500 filing extension works.

Ruling snapshot

• Question: (Redacted) A question about a project, referred to the
  Procedures and Administration office, concerning the extension of time to file Form 5500 series returns.
• Outcome: Advice given (informal Chief Counsel email relaying a P&A
  response)
• Key authorities: Treas. Reg. § 1.6081-11(a), (b); Form 5500 series;
  Form 5558

Full text (IRS public release)

ID:        CCA_2022072112111044                            Third Party Communication: None

UILC:      401.00-00                                       Date of Communication: Not Applicable

Number: 202240018
Release Date: 10/7/2022
From: ---------------
Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2022 12:11:10 PM
To: -------------------------------------------
Cc: ------------------
Bcc:
Subject: ---------------------------------


----------------------,

You recently asked us to reach out to our Procedures and Administration office (P&A)
with a question involving a project you are working on. The question we presented to
P&A along with the response we received (with a small edit, for clarity) are below.

Question Presented: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Response: ------------------------------------------------------------------:
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Treasury regulation § 1.6081-11(a) provides that an administrator or sponsor of an
employee benefit plan required to file a return under the provisions of chapter 61 or the
regulations under that chapter on Form 5500 (series), "Annual Return/Report of
Employee Benefit Plan," will be allowed an automatic extension of time to file the return
until the 15th day of the third month following the date prescribed for filing the return if
the administrator or sponsor files an application under this section in accordance with
paragraph (b) of this section.
Treasury regulation § 1.6081-11(b) provides that to satisfy this paragraph (b), an
administrator or sponsor must—(1) Submit a complete application on Form 5558,
"Application for Extension of Time To File Certain Employee Plan Returns," or in any
other manner as may be prescribed by the Commissioner; and (2) File the application
with the Internal Revenue Service office designated in the application's instructions on
or before the date prescribed for filing the information return.
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Thanks. Let us know if you have any questions.

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