In Announcement 2014-41, the IRS extended to June 30, 2015, the deadline to submit on-cycle applications for opinion and advisory letters for defined benefit mass submitter lead and specimen plans, word-for-word identical plans, master and prototype minor modifier placeholder applications, and defined benefit nonmass submitted lead and specimen plans for the plans’ second six-year remedial amendment cycle.

Under Rev. Proc. 2007-44 and Rev. Proc. 2011-49, as modified by Announcement 2014-4, the submission period for these applications was scheduled to expire on Feb. 2, 2014.

The IRS also stated in Announcement 2014-41 that it expects to modify Rev. Proc. 2011-49 to expand the preapproved program to include defined benefit plans with cash balance features and defined contribution plans with employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) features.