Extended Due Date for Single-Employer DB Contributions

The IRS clarified today in IRS Notice 2020-82 that contributions to single-employer defined benefit plans due January 1, 2021, under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act are considered timely if they are made no later than Monday, January 4, 2021.

The CARES Act delayed both the annual and quarterly minimum funding contributions for single-employer defined benefit plans to January 1, 2021. While plan sponsors appreciated this delay, this raised a concern, as January 1, 2021, is a federal holiday falling on a Friday. While tax deadlines falling on a federal holiday generally are considered performed timely if they are performed on the next day that isn’t a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, it was unclear if this extension to January 1, 2021, would be considered performed timely if completed on January 4, 2021.