EEOC extends EEO-1 filing deadline

The agency extended the deadline after receiving a flood of requests from employers for technical assistance.

The EEOC has added additional full-time staff to address the backlog of emails from employers requesting technical assistance with their EEO-1 forms. (Photo: Shutterstock)

At the request of employers needing technical assistance, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has extended the filing deadline for the Employer Information Report EEO-1 from March 31 to June 1.

“Be on the lookout for an eBlast sent to the EEO-1 company contact introducing the new EEO-1 survey application,” the agency has posted on its 2017 EEO-1 Survey web page. “It is not spam and any questions should be directed to 1-877-392-4647.”

An EEOC spokesperson told HRDive that the agency extended the deadline because it had received a flood of requests from employers for technical assistance in a short period of time, which slowed agency response time.

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“As a result, we received a number of inquiries from filers requesting additional time to file their 2017 EEO-1 Reports,” the commission said in an email to HRDive. “In response to these requests we made the decision on Friday, April 20 to extend the filling deadline for the EEO-1 Survey to Friday, June 1.”

The spokesperson added that the agency has added additional full-time staff to address the backlog of emails from employers requesting technical assistance.

“The EEO-1 had a tumultuous year, with EEOC adopting new compensation reporting requirements during the Obama administration, only to have the new White House’s Office of Management and Budget block them Aug. 29, 2017, just ahead of the snapshot window for the report,” HRDive writes. “The move was a huge reprieve for employers, but they’re not completely out of the woods just yet.”

The agency plans to replace the requirements in some way, an EEOC commissioner said in September 2017, and the individuals nominated to fill the commission’s two vacant seats have voiced support for the compensation data collection. However, they have yet to be confirmed and so the timeline to replace the requirements is still up in the air.

“Several experts have suggested that employers may want to use this time to cull pay data anyway,” HRDive writes. “First, you need to know whether you can pull that data if the requirements come back, they said. In addition, having that info sets you up to do an internal pay audit, helping you head off any potential pay discrimination claims by making any necessary adjustments.”