Due to the tragic events currently facing our nation, the U.S. Department of Labor has announced an extension of the deadline for filing Form 5500 and Form 5500-EZ.

The extension for filing the employee benefit forms applies to plan administrators, employers, and other entities located in the five boroughs of New York City or in Arlington County, Virginia, the areas designated as national disaster areas. The extension also applies to filers located outside these national disaster areas who are unable to obtain the information necessary for filing their returns due to their service providers, banks, or insurance companies having operations directly affected by the disasters.

For those affected by this ruling, the information returns that were originally due between September 11, 2001, and November 30, 2001, will be allowed an additional six months plus 120 days for a filing deadline. Information returns that are on extension with a due date between September 11, 2001, and November 30, 2001 have an additional 120 days added to the extended due date.

Any other filers who have difficulty in meeting filing deadlines because of disruption of transportation and delivery of documents by mail or private delivery service resulting from the disasters, and who do not otherwise qualify for the extensions described above, will have until November 15, 2001 to make their Form 5500 and 5500-EZ filings. These extensions cannot be extended further by filing a Form 5558.

Filers entitled to the extension relief described in this announcement should check Part 1, Box D, on the Form 5500, or Part I, Box B on the Form 5500-EZ, and attach a statement labeled "SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 TERRORIST ATTACK" that explains the basis for the extension being claimed.

Any filers with additional questions may contact the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration Help Desk at 1-866-463-3278.