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Form 5500 deadline calculator

Calculate the ordinary raw due date, the adjusted filing date, and supported extension paths for Form 5500, Form 5500-SF, Form 5500-EZ, and Form 8955-SSA. The calculator separates date math from filing responsibility and professional confirmation.

Open calculatorCheck filing path first

Calculate filing dates

Use date and filing-path facts only. Do not enter names, EINs, emails, balances, participant records, or account numbers.

Use the year in which the plan year ends.

Select the path your administrator expects, or use the screener first.

Leap days and month lengths are validated.

Select the path your administrator expects, or use the screener first.

Select the path your administrator expects, or use the screener first.

2 deadline results calculated locally.

Result

Raw and adjusted filing dates

The raw statutory date, formula candidate, cap, selected earlier raw date, and adjusted filing date are kept separate. Weekend and District of Columbia legal-holiday adjustments are applied locally.

  1. Form 5500 ordinary due date

    applies
    Adjusted date:
    July 31, 2026
    Raw date:
    2026-07-31
    Formula:
    Last day of the seventh calendar month after the plan year ends; move Saturday, Sunday, or District of Columbia legal holiday to the next business day.

    Assumptions

    • Plan year ends 2025-12-31.
    • Filing path selected: Form 5500.

    Next action: Use this as the unextended filing date unless a supported extension applies.

  2. Form 5500 Form 5558 extended due date

    applies
    Adjusted date:
    October 15, 2026
    Raw date:
    2026-10-15
    Formula:
    Timely Form 5558 extension runs to no later than the 15th day of the third month after the normal due date, commonly described as up to 2½ months.

    Assumptions

    • Assumes Form 5558 is properly completed and filed on or before the normal due date.
    • Form 5500-series extension modeled for the selected return/report.

    Next action: Keep proof of timely Form 5558 filing and confirm accepted filing mechanics for the current plan year.

Primary IRS, DOL, official form-instruction, IRS Form 7004, and IRS Publication 509 sources checked Aug. 13, 2026. This calculator provides educational date arithmetic, not legal, tax, fiduciary, investment, filing, reminder, or penalty advice.

Direct answer

Most Form 5500-series filings are due on the last day of the seventh calendar month after the plan year ends. A calendar-year plan ending December 31 therefore has a raw ordinary due date of July 31 of the following year. If that date is a Saturday, Sunday, or District of Columbia legal holiday, the filing date moves to the next business day. [1] [2] [4]

A timely Form 5558 generally extends the covered Form 5500-series return/report or Form 8955-SSA to no later than the 15th day of the third month after the normal due date. [3] The employer federal income-tax-return extension route is narrower and should be used only after confirming the official requirements. [2]

How to use the calculator

  • Enter the plan year-end date exactly as shown in the plan records.
  • Select the filing path. If the path is unknown, use the Form 5500 Requirement Screener first.
  • Select only an extension status that has actually happened or is being planned.
  • For employer-return extension inputs, confirm the employer tax year, federal return type, and whether the federal extension was granted.
  • Read every assumption and unresolved fact before treating a date as a filing target.

Definitions the calculator uses

Raw date means the statutory or instruction-based date before weekend and legal-holiday adjustment. Adjusted date means the date after applying the Saturday, Sunday, and District of Columbia legal-holiday rule. Form 5558 is the employee-plan extension application identified by the IRS for Form 5500, Form 5500-SF, Form 5500-EZ, and Form 8955-SSA. [3]

Form 8955-SSA is modeled separately because it is a stand-alone IRS filing even though its due-date pattern and Form 5558 extension availability generally align with the Form 5500-series timing. [5]

Examples

  • A plan year ending December 31, 2025 has an ordinary raw due date of July 31, 2026. A timely Form 5558 extension produces October 15, 2026.
  • A plan year ending February 29, 2024 has an ordinary raw due date of September 30, 2024. The leap day is valid because 2024 is a leap year.
  • A plan year ending September 30, 2025 has a raw ordinary due date of April 30, 2026. If a calculated date lands on an observed District of Columbia holiday, the adjusted date moves forward.

Extension paths compared

No extension

Use the adjusted ordinary due date. This tool does not model relief for late or missed filings.

Form 5558

Modeled only when filed on or before the normal due date. The current form covers Form 5500, 5500-SF, 5500-EZ, and 8955-SSA. [3]

Employer return extension

Modeled as conditional because the plan year, employer tax year, federal extension, record retention, no-stacking rule, and 9½-month cap must be confirmed. [2]

Limitations and privacy

This page is educational. It is not legal, tax, fiduciary, investment, filing, penalty, valuation, or reminder advice. It does not decide whether a return is required, prepare a filing, submit Form 5558, request an extension, or determine delinquent-filer options.

The calculator intentionally excludes PBGC, Form M-1, DFE, payroll, tax-payment, penalty, and state deadlines. Inputs stay in the browser during the session; the tool uses no network request, no storage, no cookies, and no query-string data.

Sources and verification

Authored for 401kROBS by Dennis Shirshikov. Published 2026-08-13. Last reviewed 2026-08-13. Material date rules were checked against primary IRS, DOL, official form-instruction, and IRS Publication 509 sources on Aug. 13, 2026.

  1. IRS Form 5500 Corner

    IRS states Form 5500-series and Form 8955-SSA due dates and notes Form 5558 availability. Checked Aug. 13, 2026.

  2. DOL Form 5500 instructions

    DOL instructions support seventh-month due dates, Form 5558, automatic employer-return extension requirements, record retention, and no stacking. Checked Aug. 13, 2026.

  3. IRS Form 5558

    Form 5558 instructions identify covered forms, timely filing, and the 15th day of the third month after normal due date extension limit. Checked Aug. 13, 2026.

  4. IRS Publication 509

    Publication 509 supports Saturday, Sunday, and District of Columbia legal-holiday adjustment principles. Checked Aug. 13, 2026.

  5. IRS Form 8955-SSA instructions

    IRS instructions explain that Form 8955-SSA is a stand-alone IRS filing with the seventh-month due date and Form 5558 extension availability. Checked Aug. 13, 2026.

  6. IRS Form 5500-EZ instructions

    IRS instructions cover Form 5500-EZ due date, next-business-day rule, and electronic or paper filing implications. Checked Aug. 13, 2026.