by Laura Pokrzywa
Good news for procrastinators! The deadline for filing this year’s EEO-1 Survey has been extended by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The new, improved deadline is Friday, June 1, 2018, pushed back from the March 31st deadline originally required for 2017 surveys. But don’t feel like you have to wait. The survey is open now and you can file at any time.
If you find yourself asking, “What is an EEO-1 and should I be doing something about it?” we can help.
What is an EEO-1 Survey?
Since 1966, employers with federal contracts or with 100 or more employees have been required to report the number of workers they have in specific job categories, breaking the numbers down by ethnicity, race and sex. These statistics have been reported to the EEOC as part of the annual Employer Information Reports (EEO-1) filed by covered employers. The EEOC provides data collected via the EEO-1 reports to the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) at the Department of Labor.
Who has to file?
Generally, a private employer will have to file if they have 100 or more employees. (Please note: this does NOT include state and local governments, primary and secondary school systems, institutions of higher education, Indian tribes and tax-exempt private membership clubs other than labor organizations). However, an employer with less than 100 employees may be required to file if the company is owned or affiliated with another company, or there is centralized ownership, control or management (such as central control of personnel policies and labor relations) so that the group legally constitutes a single enterprise, and the entire enterprise employs a total of 100 or more employees.
In addition, filing is required for all federal contractors (private employers), who have 50 or more employees and meet one of the following requirements:
- are prime contractors or first-tier subcontractors, and have a contract, subcontract, or purchase order amounting to $50,000 or more; or
- serve as a depository of Government funds in any amount, or
- is a financial institution which is an issuing and paying agent for U.S. Savings Bonds and Notes.
The only exception for such federal contractors is if they are exempt as provided for by 41 CFR 60-1.5.
Yikes! I need help!
If you’ve been putting off filling out the report because you aren’t sure where to begin, the EEOC has provided detailed guidance and instructions for completing your survey in their guidebook called “How to File an EEO-1 Report”. If you still need help, you can send your questions about EEO-1 filing directly to the EEOC via their technical support email .
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