Small businesses that have failed to timely file certain required retirement plan returns have until Tuesday, June 2 to take advantage of a special IRS penalty relief program.

Launched June 2, 2014, the one-year temporary pilot program is designed to help small businesses with retirement plans that may have been unaware of the reporting requirements that apply to these plans. Normally, plan administrators and sponsors of these plans who fail to file required annual returns, usually Form 5500-EZ, can face stiff penalties–up to $15,000 per return.

By filing late returns by June 2, eligible filers can avoid these penalties. So far, about 6,000 delinquent returns have been filed under this program. Read More

On Thursday, May 22nd The Internal Revenue Service (hereinafter the “Service”) announced that it will begin a one-year pilot program in June to help small businesses with retirement plans that owe penalties for not filing reporting documents.

By filing current and prior year forms during this pilot program, small businesses can avoid penalties. The Service issued Rev. Proc. 2104-32 earlier this month describing the scope and application of the program. The Service indicated that it is also reaching out to certain small businesses that maintain retirement plans that may have been unaware that they had a filing requirement. The Service estimates that the new program will bring a significant number of small business owners into compliance with the reporting requirements. Read More