PBGC Pension Insurance: We've got you covered.
Congress set up PBGC to insure the defined-benefit pensions of working Americans. Defined-benefit plans are traditional pensions that pay a certain amount each month after you retire. We don't insure 401k's, IRA's, profit-sharing plans, health benefits, or other types of retirement benefits.
PBGC insures the pension plans of more than 23,000 companies. We don't insure the pensions of government employees (federal, state, or local).
If you have a pension from a private-sector job, you are probably one of the 44 million Americans covered by PBGC insurance protection.
We say "probably" because Congress made exceptions for certain types of employers. Your pension benefit may not be insured if:
- You work for a religious institution (including hospitals and schools with religious affiliation).
- You work for a small professional practice (a doctor, lawyer or other professional with fewer than 25 employees).
- You're a business owner, and the pension plan covers only you and your business partners.
Otherwise, we've got you covered.
Find Your Pension Plan
PBGC insures two types of defined-benefit plans in two separate insurance programs.
Single-employer plans are pensions that employers set up only for people who work for their company. PBGC insures about 34 million people in single-employer plans. Search for your insured single-employer plan.
Multiemployer plans cover workers of more than one employer, usually companies in the same industry, such as construction, trucking or coal mining. PBGC insures about 10 million people in multiemployer plans. The list of plans we insure is on our Open Government page.
To learn more about PBGC and your pension insurance, see these resources:
