ERISA Filing Acceptance System (EFAST)
EFAST is a system, built and operated by NCS Pearson in Lawrence, Kansas, under contract to the Department of Labor, to process Form 5500 series returns. EFAST replaced IRS pipeline processing of the 1999 plan year returns in July 2000 and all plan year returns in July 2001. EFAST-processed returns posted to the EPMF and can be identified by DLN File Location Codes 56, 62, 72, 84, 86, 91, 92 and 93. Effective January 2010, ERISA Filing Acceptance System II (EFAST2), an all-electronic system, began receiving and displaying Forms 5500 and 5500-SF Annual Returns/Reports. The Form 5500-SF (Short Form) can be used by small plans (generally fewer than 100 participants) that meet certain other conditions, or may be filed in lieu of a Form 5500-EZ. All Plan Year 2009 and later Form 5500 and Form 5500-SF Annual Return/Reports, as well as late and amended Annual Return/Reports for Plan years before 2008, must be submitted electronically through EFAST 2. All filings that are received by the EFAST2 electronic filing system will be posted on the Department of Labor’s web site within 90 days of receipt to satisfy the Pension Protection Act requirement that the Department of Labor display certain information, including actuarial information (Schedule(s) MB or SB), contained in the plan’s annual report.