This is the eighth edition of the Private
Pension Plan Bulletin. The tabulations presented in this report contain
final numbers based on 1995 Form 5500 filings. Reports for 1995 plan years were
filed by plans for fiscal years ending anywhere from December 31, 1995 to
December 30, 1996. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) processed 1995 filings
from August 1996 through July 1998.
Form 5500 reports are filed annually with the IRS. Plans
covering 100 or more participants must file a Form 5500 every year containing
extensive financial, participant, and actuarial data. Plans covering fewer than
100 participants are required to file a less detailed report (known as a Form
5500 C/R).
The universe for this Bulletin consists of all
private pension plans for which a Form 5500 or Form 5500 C/R has been filed
with the IRS in accordance with Title I of the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Such plans may be defined benefit or defined
contribution plans. They generally cover private wage and salary employees and
are sponsored either by employers or jointly by employers and unions.
The IRS processes the reports and provides computerized
edited files to the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits
Administration. To produce this report, data on all plans covering 100 or more
participants is combined with a 5 percent sample of small plan filers. This
combined file is subjected to additional editing and weighted to represent the
universe of private pension plans covering two or more participants.
Key findings from the 1995 filings are summarized in the
Highlights on pages 2 and 3. The tabulations are organized into five
sections. Section A contains summary data on plans, participants, assets,
income and expenses. Section B contains more detailed data on plans and
participants, showing distributions by different size measures. Section C
contains balance sheets and income statements for the major types of private
pension plans. Section D contains detailed data on defined contribution plans.
Section E contains historical data from 1975 to 1995. The organization of this
Bulletin is similar to the previous edition with the exception of
additional figures in Sections B, C and E, and additional tables in Section E
on aggregate rates of return of ESOPs and 401(k) type plans.
This publication was prepared by Richard Hinz, Helen
Lawrence, David McCarthy, Deloris Penic-Stevens and Daniel Beller of the Office
of Policy and Research. The editors wish to acknowledge Steve Donahue and
Phyllis Fernandez for valuable technical support. Although this Bulletin
is not copyrighted, proper acknowledgment would be appreciated. The recommended
citation is:
| United States Department of Labor, Pension and
Welfare Benefits Administration. Abstract of 1995 Form 5500 Annual Reports.
Private Pension Plan Bulletin No. 8, Spring 1999. Washington, DC: United
States Government Printing Office, 1999. |
