As an employee benefit plan sponsor, you are required to complete a variety of ERISA compliance tasks throughout the year. Your third-party administrator may be engaged to handle some of the tasks for the plan. Here are the 2021 plan year deadlines for some of the most common ERISA compliance tasks:
| Send Form 1099-R to plan participants who received distributions in 2020 |
2/1/21 |
| File Form 1099-R with the IRS to report distributions made in 2020 (if not filing electronically) |
3/1/21 |
| File Form 1099-R with the IRS to report distributions made in 2020 (if filing electronically) |
3/31/21 |
| Process corrective distributions for IRC Section 402(g) and ADP/ACP excesses without 10% excise tax |
4/15/21 |
| Process corrective distributions for failed ADP/ACP test from plan with EACA without 10% excise tax | 6/30/21 |
| File Form 5500 and Form 8955-SSA (without extension) or Form 5558 to request a two-and-one-half month extension |
7/31/21 |
| File Form 5530 to report and pay excise taxes on prohibited transactions and excess 401(k) plan contributions in 2020 | 7/31/21 |
| Distribute Summary Annual Report (SAR) to plan participants (without Form 5500 extension) | 9/30/21 |
| File Form 5500 and Form 8955-SSA (with extension) |
10/15/21 |
| Send 2022 annual 401(k) safe harbor, automatic contribution arrangement, and qualified default investment alternative (QDIA) notices |
12/1/21 |
| Distribute Summary Annual Report (SAR) to plan participants (with Form 5500 extension) |
12/15/21 |
| Complete amendment to convert existing 401(k) plan design to safe harbor design or remove safe harbor status for 2022 plan year |
12/31/21 |