Revision of Annual Information Return/Reports

Published date29 December 2021
Citation86 FR 73976
Record Number2021-27764
SectionRules and Regulations
CourtEmployee Benefits Security Administration
Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 247 (Wednesday, December 29, 2021)
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 29, 2021)]
                [Rules and Regulations]
                [Pages 73976-73984]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2021-27764]
                [[Page 73976]]
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                DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
                Employee Benefits Security Administration
                29 CFR Part 2520
                RIN 1210-AB97
                Revision of Annual Information Return/Reports
                AGENCY: Employee Benefits Security Administration, Labor.
                ACTION: Final forms revisions.
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                SUMMARY: This document contains final revisions to the instructions for
                the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan and Form
                5500-SF Short Form Annual Return/Report of Small Employee Benefit Plan
                effective for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2021. These
                final revisions to the instructions were included in a broader proposal
                of form and instruction changes published on September 15, 2021. The
                limited number of instruction changes in this document implement annual
                reporting changes for multiple-employer plans (including pooled
                employer plans) that result from statutory provisions in section 101 of
                the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019
                (SECURE Act). The other changes to the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report
                included in the September 2021 proposal will be the subject of one or
                more separate and later final notices.
                DATES: The final instruction revisions in this document are effective
                for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2021. The Form 5500
                Annual Return/Report for the 2021 plan year generally is not required
                to be filed until seven months after the end of the 2021 plan year,
                e.g., July 2022 for calendar year plans, and a 2\1/2\-month extension
                is available.
                FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janet Song or Florence Novellino,
                Office of Regulations and Interpretations, Employee Benefits Security
                Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, (202) 693-8500, (this is not
                a toll-free number).
                 Customer service information: Individuals interested in obtaining
                information from the DOL concerning Title I of Employee Retirement
                Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) may call the EBSA Toll-Free Hotline
                at 1-866-444-EBSA (3272) or visit the DOL's website (www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa).
                SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
                I. Background
                 Titles I and IV of Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
                (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code (Code), generally require pension
                and other employee benefit plans to file annual returns/reports
                concerning, among other things, the financial condition and operations
                of the plans. Filing a Form 5500 Annual Return/Report of Employee
                Benefit Plan (Form 5500) or, if eligible, a Form 5500-SF Short Form
                Annual Return/Report of Small Employee Benefit Plan (Form 5500-SF),
                together with any required schedules and attachments (together ``the
                Form 5500 Annual Return/Report''),\1\ in accordance with their
                instructions, generally satisfies these annual reporting requirements.
                ERISA section 103 broadly sets out annual financial reporting
                requirements for employee benefit plans under Title I of ERISA. The
                Form 5500 Annual Return/Report for Title I purposes is promulgated
                pursuant to DOL regulations under the ERISA provisions authorizing
                limited exemptions and simplified reporting and disclosure for welfare
                plans under ERISA section 104(a)(3), simplified annual reports under
                ERISA section 104(a)(2)(A) for pension plans that cover fewer than 100
                participants, and alternative methods of compliance for all pension
                plans under ERISA section 110. The Form 5500 Annual Return/Report, and
                related instructions and regulations, are also promulgated under the
                DOL's general regulatory authority in ERISA sections 109 and 505.
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                 \1\ References to the ``Form 5500 Annual Return/Report'' may
                include, depending on the context, the Form 5500, the Form 5500-SF,
                and the Form 5500-EZ, Annual Return of One Participant (Owners and
                Their Spouses) Retirement Plan. The Form 5500-EZ is a return that is
                required only to satisfy the Code. Form 5500-EZ filers are not
                subject to Title I of ERISA.
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                 The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of
                2019 (SECURE Act), included various provisions designed to improve the
                private employer-based retirement system that either directly changed
                or necessitated changes to the annual reporting requirements under
                ERISA and the Code.\2\ On September 15, 2021, the DOL, the Internal
                Revenue Service (IRS), and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
                (PBGC) (collectively ``the Agencies'') published a notice of proposed
                forms revisions (NPFR) to amend the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report to
                implement the SECURE Act and related reporting changes with a limited
                number of proposed forms revisions beginning with the 2021 reporting
                year; with most of the proposed revisions not applying until the 2022
                reporting year. 86 FR 51488 (Sept. 15, 2021). The DOL simultaneously
                published a proposed rulemaking (NPRM) required to implement the
                proposed forms revisions. 86 FR 51284 (Sept. 15, 2021). The Agencies
                received 114 comments on the NPFR and NPRM. The comments, which were
                all posted on the Department's website, generally focus on the proposed
                changes for the 2022 plan year forms. This document is limited to the
                changes for the 2021 plan year forms. Specifically, the reporting
                changes are revisions to the instructions that: (1) Implement the
                SECURE Act amendment to ERISA section 103(g) by requiring multiple
                employer defined contribution pension plans to include aggregate
                account balance information by employer on their existing Form 5500
                attachment on participating employer information; and (2) noting that a
                pooled employer plan is a multiple employer plan that files a single
                Form 5500 Annual Return/Report, and requiring such plans to indicate in
                an attachment to their Form 5500 (i) whether the plan's pooled plan
                provider complied with the Form PR registration requirements for pooled
                plan providers; and (ii) if the answer is yes, to provide the AckID
                number for the pooled plan provider's latest Form PR filing.\3\
                Although not a change to the instructions, in response to comments
                raising the issue, this document also advises filers that the
                Department is continuing the current requirement that welfare plans
                that file a Form 5500 must include participating employer information
                notwithstanding that the SECURE Act amended ERISA section 103(g) to
                limit that specific section to retirement plans. No changes to the
                DOL's implementing regulations are required for these instruction
                changes. The Agencies intend to address the other changes to the Form
                5500 and related regulations proposed in the September 2021 NPFR and
                NPRM in one or more other separate and later Notices of Adoption of
                Final Forms Revisions and Notices of Final Rulemaking. The instruction
                changes
                [[Page 73977]]
                being added beginning with the 2021 reporting year are discussed below.
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                 \2\ The SECURE Act was enacted on December 20, 2019, as Division
                O of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (Pub. L. 116-
                94).
                 \3\ These requirements for pooled employer plans are limited to
                the Form 5500 because the Form 5500-SF instructions provide,
                consistent with the proposal, that pooled employer plans are not
                eligible to file the Form-SF. The proposal would also have required
                that all multiple employer plans file the Form 5500 regardless of
                whether they would otherwise be eligible to file the Form 5500-SF.
                The Department is not adopting that change for all MEPs in the 2021
                forms but intends to address that proposed change in a separate and
                later Notice.
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                II. 2021 Form 5500 Annual Return/Report Changes for MEPs and Pooled
                Empoyer Plans
                 SECURE Act section 101 amended ERISA section 3(2) and added ERISA
                sections 3(43) and 3(44) to allow for a new type of ERISA-covered
                multiple employer pension plan (MEP) for plan years beginning on or
                after January 1, 2021--a defined contribution pension plan called a
                ``pooled employer plan'' operated by a ``pooled plan provider.'' Pooled
                employer plans allow multiple unrelated employers to participate
                without the need for any common interest among the participating
                employers (other than having adopted the plan). Under section 3(2) of
                ERISA, as amended by the SECURE Act, a pooled employer plan is treated
                for purposes of ERISA as a single plan that is a multiple employer
                plan. New section 3(44) of ERISA establishes requirements for pooled
                plan providers, including a requirement to register with the DOL before
                beginning operations as a pooled plan provider. A parallel requirement
                to file a registration statement with the Secretary of Treasury is in
                section 413(e)(3)(A)(ii) of the Code. On November 16, 2020, the DOL
                published a notice of final rulemaking establishing the registration
                requirement for pooled plan providers. 85 FR 72934 (Nov. 16, 2020). The
                Treasury Department and the IRS have advised that filing the Form PR
                with the DOL will satisfy the requirement to register with the
                Secretary of the Treasury. The instructions to the Form PR (Pooled Plan
                Provider Registration) (Form PR) advised registrants to use the same
                identifying information on the Forms 5500 Annual Return/Report filed by
                the pooled employer plans, particularly name; EIN for the pooled plan
                provider; any identified affiliates providing services; trustees; and
                plan name and number for each pooled employer plan.
                 Section 101 of the SECURE Act also amended ERISA section 103(g),
                effective for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2021. Section
                103(g) was added to ERISA by the Cooperative and Small Employer Charity
                Pension Flexibility Act (CSEC Act) in 2014.\4\ Prior to the SECURE Act
                amendment, section 103(g) required multiple employer plans to include
                with their annual reports ``a list of participating employers'' and,
                with respect to each participating employer, ``a good faith estimate of
                the percentage of total contributions made by such participating
                employer during the plan year.'' In response to the CSEC Act, the Form
                5500 instructions for 2014 and later were amended to provide for all
                multiple employer plans to include the section 103(g) information as a
                nonstandard attachment.\5\ SECURE Act section 101(d) amended ERISA
                section 103(g) by providing that annual reports for ``any plan to which
                [ERISA] section 210(a) applies (including a pooled employer plan)''
                also must include two additional pieces of information: (1) The
                aggregate account balances attributable to each employer in the plan
                (determined as the sum of the account balances of the employees of such
                employer and the beneficiaries of such employees), and (2) with respect
                to a pooled employer plan, identifying information for the person
                designated under the terms of the plan as the pooled plan provider.
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                 \4\ Public Law 113-97 (Apr. 7, 2014).
                 \5\ 79 FR 66617 (Nov. 10, 2014).
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                 As discussed in the NPFR, the statutory establishment of pooled
                employer plans as a type of multiple employer plan under Title I of
                ERISA requires some adjustments to the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report
                to acknowledge the existence of this new type of plan and to confirm
                that pooled employer plans must file a Form 5500 Annual Return/Report
                in accordance with the requirements that apply to other MEPs that file
                the Form 5500. The adjustments to accommodate pooled employer plan
                reporting on the Form 5500 were presented in the NPFR largely in the
                form of a new proposed Schedule MEP and its instructions that would be
                a required part of the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report for various types
                of MEPs, including pooled employer plans. As proposed, however, the
                Schedule MEP would not be effective until plan years beginning on or
                after January 1, 2022, but under the SECURE Act, pooled employer plans
                could begin operating for plan years beginning on or after January 1,
                2021. In order to implement core elements of the SECURE Act section
                101(d) reporting requirements on a timely basis, the NPFR included
                proposed amendments to the instructions for the 2021 Form 5500 and Form
                5500-SF, specifically for the multiple-employer plan check box that is
                currently on Part I, line A of the Form 5500 and Form 5500-SF. Upon
                review of the public comments, the Department continues to believe that
                amending those instructions is an efficient and appropriate way to
                provide for the reporting of ERISA section 103(g) information for the
                2021 reporting year.
                 Specifically, the instructions to the 2021 Form 5500 \6\ for Part
                I, Line A (the multiple-employer plan checkbox) are being amended to
                note that (1) a pooled employer plan operated by a pooled plan provider
                that meets the definition under ERISA section 3(43) is a multiple
                employer plan, and (2) like other ERISA-covered pension MEPs, a single
                Form 5500 Annual Return/Report is required to be filed for a pooled
                employer plan.\7\ The 2021 instructions to the Form 5500 and Form 5500-
                SF for the multiple-employer plan check box are being further amended
                to require MEPs to include a new data element on the currently required
                2021 non-standard attachment, specifically the ``Aggregate Account
                Balances Attributable to Participating Employer'' (element 4). The
                instructions to the multiple-employer plan check box currently provide
                that the Annual Return/Report filed for a multiple-employer plan (MEPs
                and multiple employer welfare plans) must include a non-standard
                attachment that identifies the participating employers in the plan by
                name and employer identification number (EIN) and include for each
                participating employer an estimate of
                [[Page 73978]]
                the percentage of total contributions for the plan year made by each
                employer.\8\
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                 \6\ As noted above, pooled employer plans are not eligible to
                file the Form 5500-SF so the instructions describing the pooled
                employer plan's status as a MEP are not being added to the Form
                5500-SF instructions.
                 \7\ A commenter presenting itself as representing accounting
                industry interests asked for clarification regarding audit
                requirements for pooled employer plans. To some extent, however, the
                comment incorrectly assumed that a pooled employer plan operates as
                an aggregation of many plans, rather than as a single ERISA-covered
                plan. For example, the commenter asked ``If a pooled employer plan
                is comprised of hundreds of plans, will each plan be required to be
                audited annually?'' The commenter also asked ``If the DOL permits
                rotation of audit procedures for plans participating in a pooled
                employer plan, how will that be determined?'' The commenter also
                asked ``Will the DOL provide guidance for the auditor if there are
                one or more plans within the pooled employer plan that are not
                compliant with the plan document or with ERISA?'' A pooled employer
                plan, like other MEPs, is a single plan covering the employees of
                multiple employers. It is not comprised of multiple separate plans,
                as would be true of the proposed new direct filing entity the
                ``DCG.'' The Department notes that nothing in the SECURE Act changed
                the ERISA independent qualified public accountant (IQPA) audit
                requirements as they apply to pooled employer plans. Rather, under
                ERISA, pooled employer plans are subject to the Form 5500 Annual
                Return/Report requirements that apply generally to employee pension
                benefit plans, including the audit requirements under ERISA that
                apply to employee pension benefit plans generally. As such, the
                audit must be performed in accordance with Generally Accepted
                Auditing Standards (GAAS), which are established by the accounting
                industry not the Department. How GAAS applies to pooled employer
                plans, including any differences in audit procedures that may be
                required under GAAS, are issues that are beyond the scope of these
                forms revisions.
                 \8\ The instruction further provides that unfunded, fully
                insured, or combination unfunded/insured multiple employer welfare
                plans that are exempt under 29 CFR 2520.104-44 from filing financial
                statements with their annual report must attach a list of
                participating employers, but do not have to include an estimated
                amount of contributions from each employer.
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                 Some commenters asked that the Department interpret the SECURE
                Act's requirement to report employer-level aggregate account balances
                as applying only to defined contribution MEPs. The commenters noted
                that neither the operative language of the SECURE ACT nor its
                legislative history support applying this requirement to defined
                benefit pension plans that do not maintain ``account balances'' for
                each employee. Two of these commenters noted that this requirement is
                particularly inappropriate for defined benefit MEPs established before
                1989 that determine their minimum funding requirements as if all
                participants were employed by a single employer and, therefore, did not
                elect ``employer-by-employer'' treatment under the Technical and
                Miscellaneous Revenue Act of 1988 (TAMRA). One of the commenters also
                noted that participants already receive annual funding notices on their
                defined benefit pension plan, so reporting of an artificial ``account
                balance'' could give the false impression that, in these MEPs, specific
                assets are set aside to provide benefits for employees of each employer
                when, in fact, all of the assets of a defined benefit MEP (like any
                other defined benefit pension plan) are available to pay all of the
                benefits of all of the participants in that MEP, regardless of where
                the participants are employed.
                 The Department agrees that the SECURE Act's requirement to report
                employer-level aggregate account balances should not apply to defined
                benefit pension MEPs. The SECURE Act expressly states that the
                aggregate account balances attributable to each employer in the plan is
                to be determined ``as the sum of the account balances of the employees
                of such employer (and the beneficiaries of such employees).'' Although
                the SECURE Act amended ERISA section 103(g) to provide that it applies
                to plans subject to ERISA section 210(a), and there may be a relatively
                small number of defined benefit MEPs that are subject to ERISA section
                210(a), in the Department's view, it would not be a reasonable reading
                of the statutory text to conclude that Congress intended by the
                reference to ERISA section 210(a) to mandate that aggregate account
                balance information be reported by defined benefit plans that do not
                maintain account balances for covered participants. Accordingly, the
                final instructions for the 2021 reporting year provide that only
                defined contribution MEPs must report the new SECURE Act required
                employer-level aggregate account balances.
                 One commenter requested clarification of the requirement to report
                the ``Percentage of Total Contributions for the Plan Year'' (element 3
                for the 2021 non-standard attachment). Specifically, the commenter
                asked whether the total of all participating employers must equal 100
                percent, and whether it will cause red flags with the DOL/IRS if it
                does not. They also asked whether filers should round the percentage
                entry for each employer to decimal places, and if so, how many. The
                Department read these commenter's questions as primarily directed at
                issues that may arise when in the context of a standardized Schedule
                MEP structure for reporting this information. The Agencies will take
                into account such questions in designing the form and developing
                appropriate instructions and edit tests. For the 2021 reporting year,
                as noted above, the instructions will continue to allow filers to use a
                non-standard attachment to report the required information. The
                Department also notes that this is not a new reporting requirement. It
                has been part of the Form 5500 since it was added in 2014 in response
                to the CSEC Act addition of section 103(g) to Title I of ERISA.
                Nonetheless, for the 2021 reporting year, it would be acceptable for
                filers to round to the nearest whole number similar to rounding
                conventions that apply to the Form 5500 financial statements and
                schedules. To the extent the filer's concern is whether rounding could
                result in the total reported percentage either slightly above or
                slightly below 100 percent, the filer can indicate that on the non-
                standard attachment as part of its filing.
                 A commenter asked for guidance on the asset values that should be
                used for the ``Aggregate Account Balances Attributable to Participating
                Employer'' (element 4 for the 2021 non-standard attachment) and, in
                particular, whether the end of year net value may be used based on the
                values reported on the Schedules H and I. The SECURE Act expressly
                states that the aggregate account balances information should be
                determined as the sum of the account balances of the employees of such
                employer and the beneficiaries of such employees. In the Department's
                view, an end of year valuation is an appropriate reporting requirement
                as it will provide the most up to date value for the plan year covered
                by the Form 5500 report. The final instructions include directions to
                that effect. Further, rounding to the nearest dollar, as with the
                financial reporting on other parts of the Form 5500 and schedules,
                would be appropriate. The final instructions have been revised to
                provide this clarification as well.\9\
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                 \9\ The Department understands from some comments on the
                proposal that, depending on the treatment of receivables and
                forfeitures by the plan, the sum of the account balances of the
                employees of each employer and the beneficiaries of such employees
                may not match the net asset value reported on Schedule H or I. The
                Department believes that the aggregate account balance information
                should be calculated and reported in accordance with the statutory
                direction in the SECURE Act. Filers can add an explanatory statement
                to the extent they wish to explain any difference between that sum
                and other total asset values reported on the Form 5500.
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                 With respect to the additional ERISA section 103(g) information
                regarding pooled employer plans that must be included for the 2021
                reporting year, the Department had proposed that the substance of the
                proposed Schedule MEP changes would apply to the 2021 reporting year
                requirements except that the information could be filed as a non-
                standard attachment. The Department received comments opposing or
                expressing concern about some elements of the proposed Schedule MEP.
                Since the Department intends to address those comments and resolve the
                Schedule MEP content requirement in a later final rule, the Department
                agrees that it would be premature to impose the requirements wholesale
                to the 2021 Form 5500 Annual Return/Reports. Rather, for the 2021
                reporting year, in addition to the participating employer information
                required for all MEPs, pooled employer plans only will be required to
                indicate, on a non-standard attachment, whether they are in compliance
                with the Form PR registration requirements and provide the AckID number
                for their latest Form PR filing.\10\
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                 \10\ AckID is the acknowledgement code generated by the system
                in response to a completed filing for the most recent Form PR
                submitted. The instructions to the Form PR advise the pooled plan
                provider that it must keep, under ERISA section 107, the electronic
                receipt for the Form PR filing as part of the records of the pooled
                employer plans operated by the pooled plan provider.
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                 Some commenters complained that pooled employer plans should not be
                required to provide the AckID number, claiming that this requirement
                was unnecessary because the Department already has the Form PR and
                issued the AckID number. Some commenters suggested that asking any
                questions about the pooled plan provider was duplicative of the Form PR
                and that the ``AckID'' could be found by a separate
                [[Page 73979]]
                internet search. A few commenters also argued that pooled employer
                plans should not be subject to special reporting standard and that
                subjecting pooled employer plans to heightened scrutiny, when other
                plans treated as single plans are not, is arbitrary and unsupported by
                statute. A commenter further argued that the question regarding whether
                the pooled plan provider is currently in compliance with the Form PR
                (Pooled Plan Provider Registration Statement) requirements is ambiguous
                and unclear, given the lack of guidance and pending agency rulemakings
                (e.g., IRS' one bad apple guidance).
                 The Department disagrees with the commenters opposing the
                collection of information regarding the Form PR. In the preamble to the
                final regulation establishing the Form PR, the DOL specifically noted
                that it would add new questions on the Form 5500 that would ask whether
                a pooled plan provider filed its registration statement with the
                Secretary, including any required updates, and to report the electronic
                confirmation number provided to the pooled plan provider at the time
                that the registration was received. Further, as explained in the
                preamble to the proposal to add this information collection item for
                pooled employer plans, the questions related to the Form PR are
                intended to provide the Department, the Treasury Department, the IRS,
                participating employers, and other stakeholders with information that
                would allow them to connect the Form PR registration with the Form 5500
                for all pooled employer plans operated by the registrant. 85 FR 72934,
                72946 (Nov. 16, 2020). In fact, one commenter representing retirees and
                plan participants specifically indicated its support for requesting the
                ``AckID'' to help workers and retirees keep track of their assets and
                the plan, especially with the anticipated limited involvement of their
                employer in the design of pooled employer plans. Also, as discussed
                above, SECURE Act section 101(d) specifically requires the annual
                report of pooled employer plans to include identifying information for
                the person designated under the terms of the plan as the pooled plan
                provider. Thus, the requirement is neither arbitrary nor unsupported by
                the statute. The AckID requirement is also similar to the questions
                currently on the Form 5500 that require multiple employer group health
                plans to report about their compliance with registration and reporting
                requirements on the Form M- 1 (Report for Multiple Employer Welfare
                Arrangements (MEWAs) and Certain Entities Claiming Exception (ECEs)).
                The Department also does not agree that the filing requirements are
                ambiguous, that there is a lack of guidance regarding the filing
                requirement, or that it is unfair to require pooled employer plans to
                report on the registration status of their pooled plan providers.
                Unlike other ERISA-covered multiple employer plans, the SECURE Act
                expressly sets forth roles and responsibilities for pooled plan
                providers. One of those clear requirements is that the pooled plan
                provider must register with the Department and with the IRS. The Form
                PR was adopted after public notice and comment to implement a specific
                registration requirement added to ERISA by the SECURE Act. The Form PR
                also includes instructions for completing the form, which also were
                developed as part of the notice and comment rulemaking process. The
                Form 5500 is signed by the plan administrator stating that the
                administrator has reviewed the filing and that ``to the best of my
                knowledge and belief, it is true, correct, and complete.'' In the case
                of a pooled employer plan, the pooled plan provider is the
                administrator. Pooled plan providers should be able to say whether they
                believe the Form PR filing requirements have been met. In the
                Department's view, it does not impose any meaningful burden on the
                pooled plan provider acting as the plan administrator to acknowledge on
                the plan's Form 5500 annual report that it believes to the best of the
                pooled plan provider's knowledge and belief that it has fulfilled its
                statutory registration obligation. Further, the DOL continues to
                believe that linking the Form PR filed by a pooled plan provider to the
                Forms 5500 is a reasonable method to help make sure that workers,
                retirees, and the agencies charged with oversight have the information
                they need to be sure that the Form PR information is consistent and up
                to date. For example, having the AckID number on the plan's Form 5500
                will assist plan participants and participating employers in finding
                the relevant Form PR on the Department's website. The requirement to
                report Form PR compliance information on the Form 5500 will also help
                the Department ensure compliance with those registration requirements.
                While there is no explicit civil penalty for failing to file a Form PR,
                there is a civil penalty for failing to file a complete and accurate
                Form 5500. See ERISA section 502(c)(2); 29 CFR 2560.502(c)(2) and the
                Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990.
                 Finally, with respect to the requirement that multiple employer
                welfare plans file the participating employer information as a non-
                standard attachment to the 2021 Form 5500 Annual Return/Report, one
                commenter representing retirees and plan participants specifically
                indicated its support for continuing to require multiple employer
                welfare plans to provide participating employer information. Two
                commenters argued to the contrary that the DOL could no longer ask
                multiple employer welfare plans to report any participating employer
                information because Congress, by amending ERISA section 103(g) to add a
                reference to plans subject to ERISA section 210(a), was explicitly
                saying that welfare plans should no longer report such information. One
                of the commenters noted that DOL had cited ERISA section 103(c)(2) as
                separate authority for DOL to require welfare plans to report such
                information, but argued that section 103(c)(2) was not applicable
                because the DOL is not establishing this reporting requirement to
                obtain ``the name and address of each fiduciary'' but rather to
                reinstate a reporting requirement that was repealed by the SECURE Act.
                 Although the DOL agrees that ERISA section 103(g) technically is
                not applicable to welfare plans as a result of the SECURE Act
                amendment, the DOL does not agree the SECURE Act amendment precludes
                its continued collection of participating employer information on the
                Form 5500 from multiple employer welfare plans.\11\ Rather, DOL
                continues to believes that the addition of the reference to ERISA
                section 210(a) was meant to emphasize that defined contribution MEPs,
                including association retirement plans, professional employer
                organization plans (PEOs), and the newly created pooled employer plan,
                are required to comply with the participating employer reporting
                requirements. The DOL does not believe that the amendment was intended
                to preclude the Department from relying on other annual reporting
                authorities to collect participating employer information about
                multiple employer welfare arrangements (MEWAs). In the DOL's view,
                receiving participating employer information from MEWAs, including
                multiple employer welfare plans, is important for oversight
                [[Page 73980]]
                of such arrangements by the Department and monitoring such arrangements
                by employers and plan participants and beneficiaries. This transparency
                about participating employers is supported by congressional findings in
                ERISA section 2 (Congressional Findings and Declaration of Policy),
                which provides, in relevant part, that ``[i]t is hereby declared to be
                in the policy of this Act to protect interstate commerce and the
                interests of participants in employee benefit plans and their
                beneficiaries, by requiring the disclosure and reporting to
                participants and beneficiaries of financial and other information with
                respect thereto. . . .'' In addition, the Committee Report on ERISA
                provided that ``[t]he Subcommittee intended that Congress provide for
                greater legislative protection for beneficiaries of pension plans
                through detailed public disclosure of the administration and operation
                of private pension plans.'' S. Rep. 93-127 (Apr. 18, 1973).
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                 \11\ This final rule does not address comments on the proposal
                in the NPFR to move the participating employer questions to the Form
                M-1 for MEWA plans and arrangements that provide medical benefits.
                As noted above, the proposals relating to changes for the 2022
                reporting year will be addressed in a later, separate Federal
                Register notice.
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                 DOL is also continuing to rely on ERISA section 103(c)(2) and its
                general regulatory authority under ERISA section 505 as authority for
                requiring multiple employer welfare plans to continue reporting the
                participating employer information for the 2021 plan year filing.\12\
                As discussed in the NPFR, in the DOL's view, each participating
                employer is acting as a fiduciary with respect to its decision to join
                the MEWA and provide ERISA-covered benefits through a MEWA, and has
                ongoing fiduciary obligations to monitor the plan and confirm that
                continued participation in the plan is prudent and in the best
                interests of its employees who are covered participants in the
                plan.\13\ Nothing in ERISA section 103(c)(2) precludes the Department
                from relying on that authority to collect information about a
                particular class or group of fiduciaries as opposed to requiring the
                identification of all plan fiduciaries in general. See also ERISA
                section 104(a)(3) (authority to exempt welfare benefit plans from all
                or part of Title I reporting and disclosure requirements). With respect
                to its general regulatory authority under ERISA section 505, the
                Department explained in the preamble to the proposal that the
                participating employer information has proven useful to the DOL for its
                oversight functions for both MEPs and those MEWAs that file the Form
                5500, regardless of the types of benefits provided by the MEWA. 86 FR
                at 51498. This reporting requirement is also relevant to the
                Department's enforcement of the criminal penalties added by the
                Affordable Care Act under ERISA section 519 for any person who
                knowingly submits false statements or false representations of fact in
                connection with a MEWA's financial condition (including a plan MEWA),
                the benefits it provides, or its regulatory status as a MEWA. In light
                of the fact that participating employers in a MEWA would likely be the
                recipients of such false statements or representations, having data
                regarding the participating employers in a MEWA plan would be useful in
                policing whether such false statements or representations are being
                made to participating employers.
                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 \12\ ERISA section 103(c)(2) states that the administrator shall
                furnish as a part of a plan's annual report ``(2) The name and
                address of each fiduciary.'' ERISA section 505 provides the
                Department with general authority, subject to certain limits not
                relevant here, to ``prescribe such regulations as he finds necessary
                or appropriate to carry out the provisions of this subchapter.''
                 \13\ See also Advisory Opinion 2007-06A (Aug. 16, 2007)
                (``decisions regarding the method through which benefits are to be
                paid under an employee welfare benefit plan, including the selection
                of an insurer and the negotiation of the terms of any contractual
                arrangement obligating the plan, are matters that generally are
                subject to the fiduciary responsibility provisions of Title I of
                ERISA''.); Information Letter to Diana Ceresi (Feb. 2, 1998) (``when
                the selection of a health care provider involves the disposition of
                employee benefit plan assets, such selection is an exercise of
                authority or control with respect to the management and disposition
                of the plan's assets within the meaning of section 3(21) of ERISA,
                and thus constitutes a fiduciary act . . .''); Advisory Opinion
                2018-01A (Nov. 5, 2018) (In the context of a pension plan rollover
                service provider, not covered by Title 1 of ERISA, ``When plan
                sponsors or other responsible fiduciaries choose to have a plan
                participate in the RCH Program, they are acting in a fiduciary
                capacity, and would be subject to the general fiduciary standards
                and prohibited transaction provisions of ERISA in selecting and
                monitoring the RCH Program.'')
                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Two commenters argued that reporting of employer names and EINs
                (and the health plan to which they are linked) on a publicly available
                document exposes plan participants and beneficiaries and their
                employers to potential cybersecurity fraud. They also argued that the
                list of participating employers and contribution percentage information
                is proprietary information and contended that making the information
                publicly available would negatively impact businesses and their
                employees. The commenters did not offer empirical evidence or other
                data to support their assertions about consequences to plan
                participants and beneficiaries or the participating employers'
                businesses. This reporting requirement has been in place since the 2014
                plan year and the Department is not aware of any such consequences
                resulting from the disclosure requirement. In fact, the more powerful
                argument here is likely that employers have the freedom to choose to
                change plans or plan service providers, are undoubtedly receiving
                marketing solicitations about these matters now, and that transparency
                about which employers participate in a plan MEWA may well generate
                competitive pressures to offer better services at lower fees.
                 The DOL also has addressed similar arguments on several prior
                occasions in the context of the ERISA section 103(g) requirement for
                multiple employer plans to include participating employer information
                as part of the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report. For example, in a 2019
                Field Assistance Bulletin, the DOL noted that it had received and
                considered similar objections in connection with the Paperwork
                Reduction Act (PRA) notice associated with the publication of the
                interim final rule on ERISA section 103(g) that implemented the CSEC
                Act requirement. See Proposed Extension of Information Collection
                Request Submitted for Public Comment; Revisions to Annual Return/
                Report--Multiple-Employer Plans, 79 FR 66741 (Nov. 10, 2014) (available
                at www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2014-11-10/pdf/2014-26499.pdf). The
                DOL also pointed out, in its 2016 Federal Register notice regarding
                proposed modernization of the Form 5500, that DOL addressed this issue
                when it explained its decision at that time not to propose changes to
                the ERISA section 103(g) reporting requirements. See Form 5500
                Improvement and Modernization Proposal--Proposed Revision of Annual
                Information Return/Reports, 81 FR 47534, 47564-47565 (July 21, 2016)
                (available at www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2016-07-21/pdf/2016-14893.pdf). In the SECURE Act itself Congress reaffirmed and in fact
                expanded the requirements for reporting participating employer
                information on the Form 5500. The Department does not believe that a
                different conclusion regarding these arguments is warranted just
                because they are now being presented separately for welfare plans.
                Although, as noted above, after the SECURE Act amendment the specific
                reporting requirement in ERISA section 103(g) technically is not
                applicable to welfare plans, the Department does not view the SECURE
                Act amendment as an acknowledgement that the cybersecurity and
                confidential information arguments being pressed by these commenters
                somehow now has merit with respect to just welfare plans
                notwithstanding the fact that multiple employer welfare plans have been
                required to file the participating employer information since the 2014
                reporting year. The Department also continues to be of the
                [[Page 73981]]
                view that an employer's sponsorship or participation in an ERISA-
                covered plan is not confidential information.\14\ Employers that
                sponsor single employer plans are identified on the plan's Form 5500,
                and we do not see the identity of a sponsoring employer in a multiple
                employer plan as somehow different for annual reporting and disclosure
                purposes. Similarly, the purported cybersecurity issues noted by the
                comments (e.g., ``spoofing'' of either the MEWA itself, or the MEWA's
                health insurer, in order to generate a phishing attack) are not
                different for an employer (including small employers) identified on a
                single-employer Form 5500 compared to a participating employer
                identified on a multiple employer Form 5500. In the Department's view,
                Form 5500 reporting of participating employer information is just as
                important for multiple employer welfare plans as retirement plans
                because it provides important information for oversight of such
                arrangements by the Department and monitoring such arrangements by
                employers and plan participants and beneficiaries. Accordingly,
                multiple employer welfare plans will continue to be required to file
                the participating employer information as a non-standard attachment to
                the 2021 Form 5500 Annual Return/Report, as they have been required to
                do since the 2014 plan year filing.
                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 \14\ Prior guidance issued by the Department has generally
                rejected allegations of possible harm due to disclosure of reporting
                information in favor of the policy reasons in favor of public
                disclosure. See, e.g., Aug. 14, 1994, letter to David Mintz (noting
                ERISA policy of public disclosure and rejecting concerns raised that
                the Form 5500 series is available to organizations that compile and
                sell to the public a directory of employee benefit plan
                information); April 7, 1978, letter to Congressman Harley O.
                Staggers (concluding nothing in section 110 supported changing the
                requirement, in response to claims that because personal financial
                information possibly could be calculated from 103(b)(3)(B)
                requirement for plans to include in their annual report a statement
                of receipts and disbursements during the preceding twelve-month
                period aggregated by general sources and applications, and thus
                should be treated as confidential information); July 23, 1981,
                letter to Mr. T.C. Heyward, Jr. (contested information did not fit
                within 106(b) exception from public disclosure and nothing in
                section 110 warranted omission from the annual report required
                information on distribution of benefits and payments directly to
                participants or their beneficiaries and total annual contribution of
                the sponsoring organization on the grounds that the information
                constitutes an invasion of privacy).
                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                III. Regulatory Impact Analysis
                1. Executive Order 12866
                 This Final Rule does not constitute a ``significant regulatory
                action'' for purposes of Executive Order 12866. The changes are minor
                additions to existing reporting requirements that in large part merely
                adopt requirements set forth in statutory amendments to the annual
                reporting requirements that apply under ERISA and the Code. Therefore,
                this action has not been reviewed by OMB pursuant to the Executive
                Order. Pursuant to the Congressional Review Act, OMB has determined
                that this final rule is not a ``major rule,'' as defined by 5 U.S.C.
                804(2).
                2. Paperwork Reduction Act
                 In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA 95) (44
                U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), the Department solicited comments concerning the
                information collection request (ICR) included in the revision of the
                Form 5500 Annual Return/Report. At the same time, the Department also
                submitted an information collection request (ICR) to the Office of
                Management and Budget (OMB), in accordance with 44 U.S.C. 3507(d).
                 The Department did not received comments that specifically
                addressed the paperwork burden analysis of the information collection
                requirement contained in the proposed rule.
                 In connection with publication of this final rule, the Department
                is submitting an ICR to OMB requesting a revision of the collection of
                information under OMB Control Number 1210-0110 reflecting the
                instruction changes being finalized in this document. The Department
                will notify the public when OMB approves the ICR.
                 A copy of the ICR may be obtained by contacting the PRA addressee
                shown below or at www.RegInfo.gov. PRA ADDRESSEE: Address requests for
                copies of the ICRs to James Butikofer, Office of Research and Analysis,
                U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration,
                200 Constitution Avenue NW, Room N-5655, Washington, DC 20210.
                Telephone: (202) 693-8410; Fax: (202) 219-4745; Email:
                [email protected]. These are not toll-free numbers. ICRs submitted to
                OMB also are available at http://www.RegInfo.gov.
                 The burden analysis is based on data from the 2019 Form 5500
                filings (the latest year for which complete data are available). The
                burden analysis includes the burden of the current information
                collection and adjusts it for changes made by the final rule.
                 Burden estimates take into account the changes in plan counts due
                to the creation of pooled employer plans, with an increase in multiple-
                employer plans and a small decrease in single employer plans,
                reflecting some single employer plans moving to pooled employer plans.
                The agencies estimated that there are 4,538 defined contribution
                multiple-employer pension plans and that 75 pooled employer plans will
                be formed.
                 Reporting the information about participating employers required by
                the changes being finalized in this document should not be burdensome
                for defined contribution multiple-employer plan administrators as
                current requirements under ERISA already require them to maintain a
                list of participating employers and records of the contributions made
                by each employer. Although likely an overestimate of the actual time
                required, to ensure that we are not underestimating the potential
                burden, the Department is using an estimate of on average 30 minutes to
                comply with the new question for defined contribution MEPs regarding
                aggregate account balances on the currently required attachment to the
                Form 5500 Annual Return/Report containing the list of participating
                employers, their EINs, and their percentage of total plan
                contributions. The Department estimates that the anticipated 75 pooled
                employer plans would take an additional five minutes to indicate
                whether they are in compliance with the Form PR registration
                requirements and provide the AckID number for their latest Form PR
                filing.
                 The Agencies' burden estimation methodology excludes certain
                activities from the calculation of ``burden.'' If the activity is
                performed for any reason other than compliance with the applicable
                federal tax administration system or the Title I annual reporting
                requirements, it was not counted as part of the paperwork burden. For
                example, most businesses or financial entities maintain, in the
                ordinary course of business, detailed accounts of assets and
                liabilities, and income and expenses for the purposes of operating the
                business or entity. These recordkeeping activities were not included in
                the calculation of burden because prudent business or financial
                entities normally have that information available for reasons other
                than federal tax or Title I annual reporting. Only time for gathering
                and processing information associated with the tax return/annual
                reporting systems, and learning about the law, was included. In
                addition, an activity is counted as a burden only once if performed for
                both tax and Title I purposes. The Agencies also have designed the
                instruction package for the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report so that
                filers generally will be able to complete the Form 5500 Annual Return/
                Report by reading the instructions without needing to refer to the
                statutes or regulations. The Agencies, therefore, have considered in
                their PRA
                [[Page 73982]]
                calculations the burden of reading the instructions and find there is
                no recordkeeping burden attributable to the Form 5500 Annual Return/
                Report.
                 This PRA calculation does not include any burden related to Form M-
                1 changes related to reporting of participating employer information by
                plans and non-plan MEWAs that are required to file the Form M-1 because
                those changes are not included in this document. Rather, for the 2021
                Form 5500 reporting year, plan MEWAs, including those that offer or
                provide coverage for medical care, will continue to be required to
                provide participating employer information as a nonstandard attachment
                to the 2021 Form 5500 Annual Return/Report in substantially the same
                manner as has been required since the 2014 forms.
                 Note that to reflect OMB's preference that burden incurred by
                service providers be reported as hour burden instead of cost burden,
                burden that has historically been included as cost burden has been
                included here as hour burden. This change led to an increase in
                reported hour burden and an offsetting decrease in cost burden.
                 A summary of paperwork burden estimates follows. As noted above,
                these estimates include the burden of the overall Form 5500 information
                collection and makes adjustments for the final instructions revisions
                included in this document.
                 Type of Review: Revision of existing collection.
                 Title: Annual Information Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan.
                 Affected Public: Individuals or households; Private Sector--
                Business or other for-profit; Not-for-profit institutions.
                 Forms: Form 5500 and Schedules.
                 Total Respondents: 840,923.
                 Total Responses: 840,923.
                 Frequency of Response: Annually.
                 Estimated Total Burden Hours: 3,031,649.
                 Estimated Total Annualized Costs: $0.
                 The aggregate hour burden for the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report
                (including schedules and short form) is estimated to be 4.5 million
                hours annually shared between the DOL, IRS, and the PBGC. The hour
                burden reflects filing activities carried out directly by filers.
                 Presented below is a chart showing the total hour and cost burden
                of the revised Form 5500 Annual Return/Report allocated to the DOL,
                including the changes to the DOL burden by these 2021 SECURE Act
                revisions.
                ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                
                ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 DOL hours
                ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Pension........................... Large Plans......... 895,570
                 Small Plans......... 931,031
                Welfare........................... Large Plans......... 1,064,998
                 Small Plans......... 64,616
                 Total......................... Large Plans......... 1,960,568
                 Small Plans......... 995,647
                ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 DFEs................................................ 70,103
                 January 2013 Revision............................... 646
                 2014 CSEC Revision.................................. 2,371
                 2021 SECURE Act Revision............................ 2,313
                 -------------------------------------
                 Total........................................... 3,031,649
                ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                3. Regulatory Flexibility Act
                 The Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) \15\ imposes certain
                requirements with respect to federal rules that are subject to the
                notice and comment requirements of section 553(b) of the Administrative
                Procedure Act \16\ and are likely to have a significant economic impact
                on a substantial number of small entities. Unless the head of an agency
                certifies that a final rule is not likely to have a significant
                economic impact on a substantial number of small entities, section 604
                of the RFA requires the agency to present a final regulatory
                flexibility analysis of the final rule.\17\
                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 \15\ 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq. (1980).
                 \16\ 5 U.S.C. 551 et seq. (1946).
                 \17\ 5 U.S.C. 604 (1980).
                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 The Department prepared an Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis
                at the proposed rule stage. However, this final rule is focused only on
                a subset of the requirements proposed. The Department certifies that
                this final rule will not have a significant impact on a substantial
                number of small entities. Therefore, the Department has not prepared a
                Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis.
                4. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
                 Title II of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 requires each
                federal agency to prepare a written statement assessing the effects of
                any federal mandate in a proposed or final agency rule that may result
                in an expenditure of $100 million or more (adjusted annually for
                inflation with the base year 1995) in any one year by State, local, and
                tribal governments, in the aggregate, or by the private sector.\18\ For
                purposes of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, as well as Executive
                Order 12875,\19\ this final rule does not include any federal mandate
                that the DOL expects would result in such expenditures by State, local,
                or tribal governments, or the private sector.
                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 \18\ 2 U.S.C. 1501 et seq. (1995).
                 \19\ Enhancing the Intergovernmental Partnership, 58 FR 58093
                (Oct. 28, 1993).
                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                5. Federalism Statement
                 Executive Order 13132 outlines fundamental principles of
                federalism, and requires the adherence to specific criteria by federal
                agencies in the process of their formulation and implementation of
                policies that have ``substantial direct effects'' on the States, the
                relationship between the national government and States, or on the
                distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of
                government.\20\ Federal agencies promulgating regulations that have
                federalism implications must consult with State and local officials and
                describe the extent of their consultation and the nature of the
                concerns of State and local officials in the preamble to the final
                rule.
                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 \20\ Federalism, supra note 6.
                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 In the DOL's view, this final rule would not have federalism
                implications because they would not have direct effects on the States,
                on the relationship between the national government and the States, or
                on the distribution of
                [[Page 73983]]
                power and responsibilities among various levels of government. This
                final rule does not have federalism implications because they would
                have no substantial direct effect on the States, on the relationship
                between the national government and the States, or on the distribution
                of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government.
                Section 514 of ERISA provides, with certain exceptions specifically
                enumerated, that the provisions of Titles I and IV of ERISA supersede
                any and all laws of the States as they relate to any employee benefit
                plan covered under ERISA. The requirements implemented in these rules
                do not alter the fundamental provisions of the statute with respect to
                employee benefit plans, and as such would have no implications for the
                States or the relationship or distribution of power between the
                national government and the States.
                IV. Final Revisions to the Form 5500 and Form 5500-SF Instructions for
                the 2021 Reporting Year
                 To implement the SECURE Act section 101 changes, the current
                instructions including the graphic, in the Form 5500 and Form 5500-SF
                instructions, as applicable, for Part I, Line A ``Box for Multiple
                Employer Plan'' and graphic entitled ``Multiple-Employer Plan
                Participating Employer Information,'' are replaced with instructions
                below and two separate graphics. The second graphic, which will appear
                only in the Form 5500 instructions shows information pooled employer
                plans must provide in addition to the participating employer
                information. It may be attached as part of the ``Multiple-Employer Plan
                Participating Employer Information'' attachment or as a separate
                attachment entitled ``Pooled Employer Plan Information.''
                 Line A--Box for Multiple-Employer Plan. Check this box if the [Form
                5500 or Form 5500-SF] is being filed for a multiple-employer plan. A
                multiple-employer plan is a plan that is maintained by more than one
                employer and is not one of the plans already described. A multiple-
                employer plan can be collectively bargained and collectively funded,
                but if covered by PBGC termination insurance, must have properly
                elected before September 27, 1981, not to be treated as a multiemployer
                plan under Code section 414(f)(5) or ERISA sections 3(37)(E) and
                4001(a)(3), and have not revoked that election or made an election to
                be treated as a multiemployer plan under Code section 414(f)(6) or
                ERISA section 3(37)(G). A single [Insert either Form 5500 or Form 5500-
                SF] Annual Return/Report is filed for the multiple-employer plan;
                participating employers do not file individually for this type of plan.
                [Following sentence is for Form 5500 Instructions only] A pooled
                employer plan as defined in ERISA section 3(44) operated by a ``pooled
                plan provider'' that meets the definition under ERISA section 3(43) is
                a multiple-employer plan.\21\
                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 \21\ Pooled employer plans are not eligible to file the Form
                5500-SF so the instructions describing the pooled employer plan's
                status as a MEP are not being added to the Form 5500-SF
                instructions.
                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Note. Do not check this box if all of the employers maintaining the
                plan are members of the same controlled group or affiliated service
                group under Code sections 414(b), (c), or (m).
                 Participating Employer Information. [Insert for Form 5500 ``Except
                as provided below, multiple-employer pension plans and multiple-
                employer welfare plans required to file a Form 5500'' or Insert for
                Form 5500-SF ``Eligible multiple-employer pension plans that file a
                Form 5500-SF''] must include an attachment using the format below. The
                attachment must be properly identified at the top with the label
                ``Multiple-Employer Plan Participating Employer Information,'' and the
                name of the plan, EIN, and plan number (PN) as found on the plan's
                [Insert Form 5500 or Form 5500-SF]. Complete as many entries as needed
                to report the required information for all participating employers in
                the plan.
                 All multiple-employer pension plans must complete elements
                1-3 of the ``Multiple-Employer Plan Participating Employer
                Information'' attachment. For element 3, enter a good faith estimate of
                each employer's percentage of the total contributions (including
                employer and participant contributions) made by all participating
                employers during the year. The percentage may be rounded to be nearest
                whole percentage. To the extent the rounding results in the total
                reported percentage being either slightly above or slightly below 100
                percent, the filer can indicate that on the attachment. Any employer
                who was obligated to make contributions to the plan for the plan year,
                made contributions to the plan for the plan year, or whose employees
                were covered under the plan is a ``participating employer'' for this
                purpose. If a participating employer made no contributions, enter ``-0-
                '' in element 3.
                 Multiple-employer pension plans that are defined
                contribution plans must also complete element 4 of the ``Multiple-
                Employer Plan Participating Employer Information'' attachment to report
                the aggregate account balances for each participating employer
                determined as the sum of the account balances of the employees of such
                employer (and the beneficiaries of such employees). For element 4, the
                aggregate account balance attributable to each employer is the sum of
                the account balances of the employees of such employer and their
                beneficiaries at the end of the year. Consistent with the information
                on the schedules of assets for the plan as a whole, use the end of year
                valuation to calculate the amount of assets by employer. The amounts
                can be rounded to the nearest dollar, consistent with other asset
                reporting on the forms and schedules.
                 [For Form 5500 Instructions Only] Multiple-employer
                welfare plans that are unfunded, fully insured, or a combination of
                unfunded/insured and exempt under 29 CFR 2520.104-44 from the
                obligation to file financial statements with their annual report are
                required to complete elements 1 and 2 only of the ``Multiple-Employer
                Plan Participating Employer Information'' attachment.\22\
                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 \22\ This paragraph only applies to multiple employer welfare
                plans that file the Form 5500, and thus is not needed in the Form
                5500-SF instructions.
                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 [For Form 5500 Instructions Only] Multiple-employer
                pension plans that are pooled employer plans must also complete the
                ``Pooled Employer Plan Information'' attachment. The attachment may be
                attached as part of the ``Multiple-Employer Plan Participating Employer
                Information'' attachment or as a separate attachment entitled ``Pooled
                Employer Plan Information.'' For element 1b, AckID is the
                acknowledgement code generated by the system in response to a completed
                Form PR submitted. The instructions to the Form PR advise the pooled
                plan provider that it must keep, under ERISA section 107, the
                electronic receipt for the Form PR filing as part of the records of the
                pooled employer plans operated by the pooled plan provider.\23\
                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 \23\ As noted above, because pooled employer plans are not
                eligible to file the Form 5500-SF, this language describing the
                pooled employer plan attachment is only being added to the Form 5500
                instructions.
                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                [[Page 73984]]
                [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR29DE21.000
                 The following revisions are being made to the Form 5500-SF
                instructions:
                 In the first paragraph of the ``General Instruction''
                section, add a seventh bulleted paragraph that reads ``Not be a pooled
                employer plan. See ERISA section 3(43).''
                 In the ``General Instruction'' section, under the heading
                ``Who May File Form 5500-SF,'' add a new paragraph number 7 before the
                Note that reads: ``7. The plan is not a pooled employer plan. See ERISA
                section 3(43).''
                 In the ``Specific Line-By-Line Instructions (Form 5500-
                SF)'' in instructions for Part II, Line 6, add a new paragraph number 7
                that reads: ``7. The plan is not a pooled employer plan. See ERISA
                section 3(43).''
                Statutory Authority
                 Accordingly, pursuant to the authority in sections 101, 103, 104,
                109, 110, the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report and the Form 5500-SF Short
                Form Annual Return/Report are amended as set forth herein.
                 Signed at Washington, DC, this 17th day of December, 2021.
                Ali Khawar,
                Acting Assistant Secretary, Employee Benefits Security Administration,
                U.S. Department of Labor.
                [FR Doc. 2021-27764 Filed 12-28-21; 8:45 am]
                BILLING CODE 4510-29-C
                

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