September 30 is the deadline to file the EEO-1 Report, formally known as the Employer Information Report EEO-1. The Reports are filed with the EEOC’s EEO-1 Joint Reporting Committee, and they are used, according to the EEOC, to support civil rights enforcement and to analyze employment patterns, such as the representation of female and minority workers within companies, industries or regions.

Who must file?

Employers with federal government contracts of $50,000 or more and 50 or more employees. Also, employers who do not have a federal government contract but have 100 or more employees. In other words:

What if my company is a first-time filer?

If your company is filing for the first time, you need to register your company, which can be done by going here: https://egov.eeoc.gov/eeo1/register.jsp. Once registered you will receive a Login ID and Password.

What if my 2013 password won’t work?

Passwords have been reset since the 2013 filing period. By now you should have received a notification letter providing your new password. If you need to request your login information, start by sending an email to E1.lostloginpassword@EEOC.gov.

Can I access/amend filings for previous years?

No. The EEOC does not provide any access whatsoever to filings for previous years.

When must Reports be filed? September 30.

Some issues that often come up with EEO-1 Reports include telecommuters (employees who work from home), company locations outside of the United States, and temporary employees. Company locations outside of the United States, i.e., the 50 states and the District of Columbia, must be excluded from any Reports. Temporary employees are also excluded from any Reports. As for telecommuters, they must be included in any Reports, and for multi-location employers, telecommuters must be included in the Report for the location to which they report.

Also, when it comes to identifying an employee’s ethnicity, the EEOC continues to prefer self-identification and encourages employers to provide employees the opportunity to self-identify their own ethnicity. If an employee refuses to do so, the EEOC suggests that then (and only then) employers use employment records or visual observation.

And finally, according to the EEOC’s website, you can request an extension of time to submit your EEO-1 Reports. To request an extension, send an email to the following address before September 30: e1.extensions@eeoc.gov. You must include in the email the company name, company number, address and the contact information for the person responsible for the report. As a practical tip, you should also propose in the email a revised deadline.