You can file Form 5500-EZ electronically through ERISA Filing Acceptance System (EFAST2).
In general, ERISA does not cover plans established or maintained by governmental entities, churches for their employees, or plans which are maintained solely to comply with applicable workers compensation, unemployment or disability laws.
ERISA also does not cover plans maintained outside the United States primarily for the benefit of nonresident aliens or unfunded excess benefit plans.
An ERISA fidelity bond is a type of insurance that protects the plan against losses caused by acts of fraud or dishonesty. Fraud or dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, larceny, theft, embezzlement, forgery, misappropriation, wrongful abstraction, wrongful conversion, willful misapplication, and other acts.
ERISA plan is not subject to annual 5500 reporting. ERISA plan with over 100 participants does not require an annual audit. ERISA plan is not subject to the strict ERISA fiduciary standards, but it is subject to state law and other standards.
Check Your Plan Documents: Review your Summary Plan Description (SPD) or other documents. ERISA plans must provide an SPD that clearly states they are an ERISA plan. Look at Employer Contributions: If your employer contributes to the plan or matches your contributions, it's likely an ERISA plan.
Accounts Covered by ERISA Common types of employer-sponsored retirement accounts that fall under ERISA include 401(k) plans, pensions, deferred-compensation plans, and profit-sharing plans. ERISA does not cover retirement plans set up and administered by government entities and churches, such as many 403(b) plans.
About the Form 5500 Any administrator or sponsor of an employee benefit plan subject to ERISA must file information about each benefit plan every year (pursuant to Code section 6058 and ERISA sections 104 and 4065).
Look at Employer Contributions: If your employer contributes to the plan or matches your contributions, it's likely an ERISA plan. Consider Your Employer: If you work for a private company, your plan is more likely to be ERISA. Government and church employees typically have non-ERISA plans.
Key Agencies Enforcing and Interpreting ERISA Law The key players are the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), a division of the Department of Labor, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), a federally chartered corporation.