Where the particular regulation calls for their application, the rules in this subpart C of part 4000 tell you how we will determine the date you send us a filing and the date you provide an issuance to someone other than us (such as a participant). These rules do not cover payments to third parties. In addition, they do not cover filings with us that are not made under our regulations, such as procurement filings, litigation filings, and applications for employment with us. In some cases, the PBGC regulations tell you to comply with requirements that are found somewhere other than in the PBGC's own regulations (e.g., requirements under the Internal Revenue Code (Title 26, USC)). In meeting those requirements, you should follow any applicable rules under those requirements for determining the filing and issuance date. (Subpart A tells you what filing methods you may use for filings with us. Subpart B tells you what methods you may use to issue a notice or otherwise provide information to any person other than us. Subpart D tells you how to compute various periods of time. Subpart E tells you how to maintain required records in electronic form.)

You need to know two definitions from § 4001.2 of this chapter: PBGC and person. You also need to know the following definitions:

Business day means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday, or Federal holiday. We means the PBGC.

You means the person filing with us or the person providing the issuance to a third party.

(a) Filed or issued when sent. Generally, we treat your submission as filed, or your issuance as provided, on the date you send it, if you meet certain requirements. The requirements depend upon the method you use to send your submission or issuance (see §§ 4000.24 through 4000.29). (Certain filings are always treated as filed when received, as explained in paragraph (b)(2) of this section.) A submission made through our Web site is considered to have been sent when you perform the last act necessary to indicate that your submission is filed and cannot be further edited or withdrawn.

(b) Filed or issued when received—(1) In general. If you do not meet the requirements for your submission or issuance to be treated as filed or issued when sent (see §§ 4000.24 through 4000.32), we treat it as filed or issued on the date received in a permitted format at the proper address.

(2) Certain filings always treated as filed when received. We treat the following submissions as filed on the date we receive your submission, no matter what method you use:

(i) Applications for benefits. An application for benefits or related submission (unless the instructions for the applicable forms provide for an earlier date);

(ii) Advance notice of reportable events. Information required under subpart C of part 4043 of this chapter, dealing with advance notice of reportable events;

(iii) Form 200 filings. Information required under subpart D of part 4043 of this chapter, dealing with notice of certain missed minimum funding contributions; and

(iv) Requests for approval of multiemployer plan amendments. A request for approval of an amendment filed with the PBGC pursuant to part 4220 of this chapter.

(3) Determining our receipt date for your filing. If we receive your submission at the correct address by 5 p.m. (our time) on a business day, we treat it as received on that date. If we receive your submission at the correct address after 5 p.m. on a business day, or anytime on a weekend or Federal holiday, we treat it as received on the next business day. For example, if you send your fax or e-mail of a Form 200 filing to us in Washington, DC, on Friday, March 15, from California at 3 p.m. (Pacific standard time), and we receive it immediately at 6 p.m. (our time), we treat it as received on Monday, March 18. A submission made through our Web site is considered to have been received when we receive an electronic signal that you have performed the last act necessary to indicate that your submission is filed and cannot be further edited or withdrawn.

(a) In general. Your filing or issuance date is the date you mail your submission or issuance using the U.S. Postal Service if you meet the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section, and you mail it by the last scheduled collection of the day. If you mail it later than that, or if there is no scheduled collection that day, your filing or issuance date is the date of the next scheduled collection. If you do not meet the requirements of paragraph (b), your filing or issuance date is the date of receipt at the proper address.

(b) Requirements for “send date.” Your submission or issuance must meet the applicable postal requirements, be properly addressed, and you must use First-Class Mail (or a U.S. Postal Service mail class that is at least the equivalent of First-Class Mail, such as Priority Mail or Express Mail). However, if you are filing an advance notice of reportable event or a Form 200 (notice of certain missed contributions), see § 4000.23(b); these filings are always treated as filed when received.

(c) Presumptions. We make the following presumptions—

(1) U.S. Postal Service postmark. If you meet the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section and your submission or issuance has a legible U.S. Postal Service postmark, we presume that the postmark date is the filing or issuance date. However, you may prove an earlier date under paragraph (a) of this section.

(2) Private meter postmark. If you meet the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section and your submission or issuance has a legible postmark made by a private postage meter (but no legible U.S. Postal Service postmark) and arrives at the proper address by the time reasonably expected, we presume that the metered postmark date is your filing or issuance date. However, you may prove an earlier date under paragraph (a) of this section.

(d) Examples. (1) You mail your issuance using the U.S. Postal Service and meet the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section. You deposit your issuance in a mailbox at 4 p.m. on Friday, March 15 and the next scheduled collection at that mailbox is 5 p.m. that day. Your issuance date is March 15. If on the other hand you deposit it at 6 p.m. and the next collection at that mailbox is not until Monday, March 18, your issuance date is March 18.

(2) You mail your submission using the U.S. Postal Service and meet the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section. You deposit your submission in the mailbox at 4 p.m. on Friday, March 15, and the next scheduled collection at that mailbox is 5 p.m. that day. If your submission does not show a March 15 postmark, then you may prove to us that you mailed your submission by the last scheduled collection on March 15.

If you send your submission or issuance using the postal service of a foreign country, your filing or issuance date is the date of receipt at the proper address.

(a) In general. Your filing or issuance date is the date you deposit your submission or issuance with the commercial delivery service if you meet the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section, and you deposit it by the last scheduled collection of the day for the type of delivery you use (such as two-day delivery or overnight delivery). If you deposit it later than that, or if there is no scheduled collection that day, your filing or issuance date is the date of the next scheduled collection. If you do not meet the requirements of paragraph (b), your filing or issuance date is the date of receipt at the proper address. However, if you are filing an advance notice of reportable event or a Form 200 (notice of certain missed contributions), see § 4000.23(b); these filings are always treated as filed when received.

(b) Requirements for “send date.” Your submission or issuance must meet the applicable requirements of the commercial delivery service, be properly addressed, and—

(1) Delivery within two days. It must be reasonable to expect your submission or issuance will arrive at the proper address by 5 p.m. on the second business day after the next scheduled collection; or

(2) Designated delivery service. You must use a “designated delivery service” under section 7502(f) of the Internal Revenue Code (Title 26, USC). Our Web site, http://www.pbgc.gov, lists those designated delivery services. You should make sure that both the provider and the particular type of delivery (such as two-day delivery) are designated.

(c) Example. You send your submission by commercial delivery service using two-day delivery. In addition, you meet the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section. Suppose that the deadline for two-day delivery at the place you make your deposit is 8 p.m. on Friday, March 15. If you deposit your submission by that the deadline, your filing date is March 15. If, instead, you deposit it after the 8 p.m. deadline and the next collection at that site for two-day delivery is on Monday, March 18, your filing date is March 18.

Your filing or issuance date is the date of receipt of your hand-delivered submission or issuance at the proper address. A hand-delivered issuance need not be delivered while the intended recipient is physically present. For example, unless you have reason to believe that the intended recipient will not receive the notice within a reasonable amount of time, a notice is deemed to be received when you place it in the intended recipient's office mailbox. Our Web site, http://www.pbgc.gov, and the instructions to our forms, identify the proper addresses for filings with us.

(a) In general. Your filing or issuance date is the date you electronically transmit your submission or issuance to the proper address if you meet the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section. Note that we always treat an advance notice of reportable event and a Form 200 (notice of certain missed contributions) as filed when received. A submission made through our Web site is considered to have been transmitted when you perform the last act necessary to indicate that your submission is filed and cannot be further edited or withdrawn. You do not have to address electronic submissions made through our Web site. We are responsible for ensuring that such submissions go to the proper place.

(1) Filings. For electronic filings, if you fail to meet the requirements of paragraph (b)(1) or (b)(3) of this section, we may treat your submission as invalid.

(2) Issuances. For electronic issuances, we may treat your issuance as invalid if—

(i) You fail to meet the requirements (“using measures reasonably calculated to ensure actual receipt”) of § 4000.13(a), or

(ii) You fail to meet the contact information requirements of paragraph (b)(3) of this section.

(b) Requirements. To get the filing date under paragraph (a) of this section, you must meet the requirements of paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(3). To get the issuance date under paragraph (a), you must meet the requirement of paragraphs (b)(2) and (b)(3).

(1) Technical requirements for filings. For filings, your electronic submission must comply with any technical requirements for that type of submission (our Web site, http://www.pbgc.gov, identifies the technical requirements for each type of filing).

(2) Technical requirements for issuances. For issuances, you must comply with the safe-harbor method under § 4000.14.

(3) Identify contact person. For an e-mail submission or issuance with an attachment, you must include, in the body of your e-mail, the name and telephone number of the person to contact if we or the intended recipient needs you to resubmit your filing or issuance.

(c) Failure to meet address requirement. If you send your electronic submission or issuance to the wrong address (but you meet the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section), your filing or issuance date is the date of receipt at the proper address.

(a) Request to resubmit—(1) Filing. We may ask you to resubmit all or a portion of your filing for technical reasons (for example, because we are unable to open an attachment to your e-mail). In that case, your submission (or portion) is invalid. However, if you comply with the request or otherwise resolve the problem (e.g., by providing advice that allows us to open the attachment to your e-mail) by the date we specify, your filing date for the submission (or portion) that we asked you to resubmit is the date you filed your original submission. If you comply with our request late, your submission (or portion) will be treated as filed on the date of your resubmission.

(2) Issuance. The intended recipient may, for good reason (of a technical nature), ask you to resend all or a portion of your issuance (for example, because of a technical problem in opening an attachment to your e-mail). In that case, your issuance (or portion) is invalid. However, if you comply with the request or otherwise resolve the problem (e.g., by providing advice that the recipient uses to open the attachment to your e-mail), within a reasonable time, your issuance date for the issuance (or portion) that the intended recipient asked you to resend is the date you provided your original issuance. If you comply with the request late, your issuance (or portion) will be treated as provided on the date of your reissuance.

(b) Reason to believe submission or issuance not received or defective. If you have reason to believe that we have not received your submission (or have received it in a form that is not useable), or that the intended recipient has not received your issuance (or has received it in a form that is not useable), you must promptly resend your submission or issuance to get your original filing or issuance date. However, we may require evidence to support your original filing or issuance date. If you are not prompt, or you do not provide us with any evidence we may require to support your original filing or issuance date, your filing or issuance date is the filing or issuance date of your resubmission or reissuance.

The PBGC will not treat your issuance as untimely based on your failure to provide the issuance to a participant or beneficiary in a timely manner if—

(a) The failure resulted from administrative error;

(b) The failure involved only a de minimis percentage of intended recipients; and

(c) You resend the issuance to the intended recipient promptly after discovering the error.

We retain the discretion to waive any requirement under this part, at any time, if warranted by the facts and circumstances.