U.S. Labor Department Extends Annual Reports Deadline After Hurricane Rita Hits Louisiana and Texas

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) today announced an extension of the deadline for filing Form 5500 and Form 5500-EZ annual report/returns for employee benefits plans due to property damage and destruction from Hurricane Rita in Louisiana and Texas.

President Bush has declared a major disaster in five parishes in Louisiana and nine counties in Texas due to the damage caused by the hurricane. The extension applies to plan administrators, employers and other entities located in the areas directly affected, as identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The extension also applies to firms located outside the affected areas who are unable to obtain the necessary information from service providers, banks or insurance companies whose operations were directly affected by the hurricane.

If the President declares additional counties eligible for federal assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, this extension will also apply to them.

Under this relief, Form 5500 series filings required to be filed between September 23, 2005, and February 28, 2006, are granted an extension until February 28, 2006. Plan filers entitled to an extension of relief should check Part I, Box D, on the Form 5500 or Part 1 on Form 5500-EZ and attach a statement to the form in accordance with the instructions.

Additionally, the filing deadline announced by the department on September 20, 2005, for the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina has been extended to February 28, 2006.

The agencies – EBSA, Internal Revenue Service and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation -- realize that, due to this natural disaster, there may be instances when full compliance may not be possible. The guiding principle must be to ensure that appropriate efforts are made to act reasonably, prudently and in the interest of the workers and their families, who rely on their health, pension and other benefits for their physical and economic well-being.

For more information about disaster relief, contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency at 1.800.621.3362 or 202.621.FEMA or the Internal Revenue Service at www.irs.gov under “Disaster Area Tax Relief.” Filers who have additional questions may contact EBSA’s EFAST Help Line at 1.866.463.3278.

U.S. Department of Labor news releases are accessible on the Department's Newsroom page. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format upon request (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office. Please specify which news release when placing your request at 202.693.7765 or TTY 202.693.7755. The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to providing America's employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit the Department's Compliance Assistance page.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.