The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has extended the 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 filing deadline one last time to Monday, October 25, 2021.
As previously reported, the EEOC in July pushed back the original July deadline to August 23 due to the high number of EEO-1 reporting support requests, resulting in delayed responses to employers. Now, the EEOC cites the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on business operations for the latest extension, noting that the October deadline is now the final deadline — no additional changes to the filing deadline will be made.
For those filers who have contacted the EEO-1 Component 1 Help Desk and are awaiting a response, the EEOC asks for your patience as the Filer Support Team works through these requests. It will ensure that all filers will be able to file and that no one will be excluded.
The EEOC also asks that filers only contact the EEO-1 Component 1 Help Desk once regarding the same issue. Filers making multiple contacts for the same issue via phone, email and online inquiry — and/or from different email addresses with the same employer — are increasing the number of requests into the help desk, which results in further delays.
As a reminder, all employers with 100 or more employees (and federal government contractors with 50 or more employees) are obligated to report their EEO-1 Component 1 data, which includes information on the racial/ethnic and gender composition of an employer’s workforce by specific job categories. Because the EEOC didn’t collect the EEO-1 in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is collecting both the 2019 and 2020 data this year.
For the latest filing updates and additional information, visit the EEO-1 Component 1 website. Employers can request assistance and find helpful resources, including fact sheets and FAQs, by visiting the Filer Support Center.
Even though the deadline has been extended, employers shouldn’t wait to the file their reports — the EEOC encourages eligible employers to file as soon as possible. Causing additional delays in certifying filings this year is the fact that a company’s 2019 filing must be reviewed and approved before its 2020 data can be filed because the 2019 filing populates data for the 2020 report, so employers should plan accordingly.
Katie Culliton, Editor, CalChamber
CalChamber members can read more about EEO Reporting Requirements in the HR Library. Not a member? See how CalChamber can help you.
