How our data is built
Every record on Form5500Lookup starts with a Form 5500 filing submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor. Those filings are public, but they aren’t ready to use as published. Plans refile and amend, companies are named many different ways, and some figures are simply wrong. We clean it up before anything reaches you.
One record per plan
When an employer amends a filing or files for a new year, we update that plan's record instead of adding another one. You never see the same plan, or the same commission, twice.
Numbers that make sense
Filings sometimes contain obvious errors, like commissions reported in the trillions of dollars. We leave those figures out rather than pass them along.
Renewal dates
Filings say when a policy year ends, not when the plan renews. We turn that into a renewal date, so you know when to reach out.
Plans that belong in a renewal list
Renewal lists cover insured health and welfare plans. Retirement plans are left out.
One name for each carrier and agency
The same carrier or agency is often written several ways across filings. We combine them so a book of business isn't scattered across spellings.
How current this is
A Form 5500 is due seven months after the plan year ends, or nine and a half months with an extension. About half of a year's filings arrive by the first deadline and nine in ten by the extended one. A few keep arriving for a year or more after that. The Department of Labor publishes its files once a month, and we load each new release the week it appears, so our copy is never older than the government's. Every record here shows the plan year it covers and the day the filing was received.
If something looks wrong
If a record looks wrong, request a correction. We never charge to change or remove a listing. Our Data & Sourcing page covers sources and limitations.
Source: U.S. DOL EFAST2 Form 5500