Regulators Unveil PPA Changes to Form 5500
In a news release, the US Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) said that the proposals would implement changes to the annual reporting and pension funding requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and Internal Revenue Code enacted as part of the Pension Protection Act (PPA).
The proposals also supplement a more general
revision of the 2008 Form 5500
proposed by the agencies in July
2006
. The supplemental proposal would replace the
Schedule B (Actuarial Information) filed by defined
benefit pension plans with separate actuarial schedules
for multiemployer plans and single employer plans.
According to the announcement, the supplemental proposal
also would add questions to the Schedule R (Retirement
Plan Information) to collect new information on defined
benefit pension plans required under the PPA.
Finally, the supplemental proposal would establish the
Form 5500-SF, which was part of the agencies’ July
2006 proposal, as the simplified report required by PPA
for plans with fewer than 25 participants.
In the past, pension and welfare benefit plans required to file an annual return/report regarding their financial condition, investments and operations each year generally satisfied that requirement by filing the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan and any required attachments.
The public is encouraged to submit comments on the proposed supplemental form revisions electronically by e-mail to e-ori@dol.gov or through the federal e-rulemaking portal at www.regulations.gov . Comments may also be submitted on paper to the Office of Regulations and Interpretation, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Room N-5669, U. S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210, Attn: Supplemental Forms Revisions.
General information about the Form 5500 is here .