On March 22, 2022, the IRS announced it will temporarily stop sending written notices to certain entities that fall behind on filing obligations related to Forms 5500, 990 and others. The IRS usually mails these notices to tax-exempt or governmental entities in case of a delinquent return.
IRS Backlog
The IRS is currently experiencing a backlog of over several million unprocessed returns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This backlog involves returns filed by both individuals and entities. According to the agency, the suspension of notices will help avoid confusion when a filing is still in process.
Duration of Notice Suspension
The IRS indicated that it would continue to assess its inventory of pending returns to determine the appropriate time to resume mailing the suspended notices. Meanwhile, some taxpayers and tax professionals may still receive the notices over the next several weeks.
Affected Notices
The suspension applies to the following 10 notices:
- Reminder Notice About Your Form 5500-EZ or 5500-SF Filing Requirement
- Form 940 Not Required—Federal, State, and Local Government Agencies
- First Taxpayer Delinquency Investigation Notice—Forms 990/990EZ/990N, 990PF, 990T, 5227, 1120-POL, and 990/990EZ
- First Delinquency Notice—Forms 5500 and 5500-SF
- Second Delinquency Notice—Form 5500
Entities affected by the suspension should ensure their procedures for timely filing returns do not rely on any of these notices.
For a copy of this notice, click here: NEW – IRS Suspends Notices to Filers of Forms 5500, 990 and Others