This guide is intended to provide assistance in using the Online M-1 Filing system. The guide addresses only those functions and links related to M-1 form processing, which are:

Note: In order to minimize download times, these instructions are text only.

Login [top]
The initial screen that appears in the Form M-1 system is the Login screen. An exiting user must enter the Account ID and password (the password is case sensitive) that was entered in the User Profile as part of the New User process. Upon a successful Login, the user is taken to the User Home page.

New Users must click on the ‘New User’ link to set up their account information prior to logging in. This page is also used if the Password or Account ID is lost (by clicking on the ‘Forgot Password’ link).

New User [top]
The New User link takes the user to the New MEWA User page that requests a Digital Signature. The Digital Signature is the special authorization code that was requested by the user and provided by EBSA in order to access the M-1 system. Refer to the Form M-1 FAQS link for information on obtaining a Digital Signature.

Once a valid digital signature is entered, the user is taken to the New MEWA User Profile page. On the Profile page, the user must enter certain identifying information and create their Account ID and Password (required fields of entry are identified with an asterisk).

Special note should be given to the “E-mail” field because this is the e-mail address that will be used by the Form M-1 system to confirm the that a filing has been submitted to EBSA. The information entered in the Account ID and Password fields is required to login to the system after successful completion of the New User process. Please note that the password is case sensitive. Also, while the password can later be changed (refer to the Change Password process), the Account ID is a permanent ID and cannot be modified.

Upon successful completion of the New User process, the user is taken to a confirmation page that displays the User’s digital signature and Account ID. At this point the user is a valid Form M-1 system user and can Login to the system (Refer to the Login process). The user profile information entered here can be edited as necessary after logging in to the system (refer to the Edit Profile process).

Instructions [top]
This link takes the user to the official DOL/EBSA instructions for completing and filing the M-1 form, and is a document in PDF format. This requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader (which can be downloaded for free from many websites [www.adobe.com]).

User Guide [top]
This document is the User Guide.

Paper Filing [top]
This link takes the user to a page that provides information on filing a paper based M-1 form.

Form M-1 FAQ [top]
This link takes the user to a page that contains many of the frequently asked questions regarding the Form M-1 Online Filing system.

Contact EBSA [top]
This takes the user to a general EBSA page that provides information on EBSA office locations, phone numbers, etc. It is not specific to the M-1 filing process.

User Home [top]
This takes the user to the MEWA Home Page from which the user can create new filings, view existing filings, edit partially completed filings, etc.

Logout [top]
This logs the current user out of the Form M-1 system

New Filing [top]
This creates a new blank Form M-1 form for the user to complete.

Existing Filings [top]
This takes the user to the User Home Page where the existing filings are listed.

Edit Profile [top]
This takes the user to a page that allows the user to modify the identifying information entered as part of the New User process.

Change Password [top]
This allows the user to change their password. The existing password must be entered followed by the new password (which must be entered twice for verification).

Feedback [top]
This function allows the user to send an email to EBSA regarding feedback and comments about the Form M-1 site. This is not an online help function and no return emails will be generated.

Detailed Form M-1 Processing [top]
The online M-1 form is presented to the user in a similar likeness to the hardcopy form. The user simply enters or selects the appropriate data for the form.

The User Home Page is the starting point for processing the M-1 form. To create a new filing the user clicks on the ‘New Filing’ menu option. Existing filings are listed on this page also (including filings that have been submitted and also partial filings that have been saved but not yet submitted). For filings that have been saved but not yet submitted, the user may view, edit, or delete the filing by clicking on the appropriate icon next to the listed filing. If the filing has been submitted the only available option is to view the filing (it can not be edited or deleted).

View Filing [top]
Selecting this option for a filing takes the user to a page that displays the M-1 form and the data that was entered for the filing.

Copy Filing [top]
Selecting this option will create a new filing record containing the same information as the original. This can be useful when successive filings contain much of the same data as a previous year's filing.

New Filing [top]
Selecting this option from the User Home Page takes the user to the first of four pages that contain the On-line version of the M-1 form.

Page one of the On-line M-1 form is used to record the Part I section of the M-1 form (Annual Report Identification Information). Page two contains the Part II section of the M-1 form (MEWA or ECE Identification Information). Page three contains the Part III section of the M-1 form (Registration Information). Page four contains the Part IV section of the M-1 form (Information for Compliance with Part 7 of ERISA).

Using and navigating through these pages is accomplished by clicking one of the button icons at the bottom of each page. The ‘Clear’ button removes any previously entered data on the current page and sets everything back to blank. The ‘Save’ button actually saves the data entered and redisplays the page with the data that was saved. The ‘Continue’ button saves the data entered on the page and takes the user to the next page. The back button takes the user to the previous page (but does not save any data that may have been entered or changed).

Various edit checks are performed when the user clicks the ‘Save’ or ‘Continue’ button. If there are any errors, the page is redisplayed and an error message/indicator is displayed beside the field(s) in error.

Edit Filing [top]
An M-1 form that has been partially completed and saved can be edited by clicking on the ‘Edit’ icon next to the filing’s listing on the User Home Page. The Edit Filing process works exactly like the New Filing Process in terms of features and navigation. A filing that has been submitted to EBSA cannot be edited.

Delete Filing [top]
To delete a filing, the user simply clicks on the ‘Delete’ icon next to the filing’s listing on the User Home Page. A filing that has been submitted to EBSA cannot be deleted.

Entering an "Employer Identification Number" or "EIN" [top]
When completing your online filing, you must insert your EIN. Do not insert your social security number. If you do not have an EIN, navigate to the IRS website at: https://sa.www4.irs.gov/sa_vign/newFormSS4.do and complete the online Form SS-4 to obtain an EIN. You may then use your new EIN to complete your filing.
Uploading Attachments and Submitting the M-1 form to EBSA [top]
Clicking the ‘Continue’ button on page four of the M-1 form (Information for Compliance with Part 7 of ERISA) takes the user to a page that is used to upload any attachments to the M-1 filing and also to actually submit a filing to EBSA.

To upload attachments, the user simply clicks on the Browse key and selects the file to upload. After the file has been selected, the user must click on the ‘Upload’ key to actually perform the upload. The uploaded file is then displayed in a list on the screen. The user repeats the process until all attachments have been uploaded.

To submit the file to EBSA, the user checks the ‘Submit’ box and clicks ‘Finish’ or ‘Save’. When the filing is actually submitted to EBSA from this screen, another page is displayed that provides a confirmation number for the filing and indicates that a ‘receipt’ has been sent to the email address as shown in the User Profile.