Plans must meet minimum ERISA requirements The Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration currently oversees ERISA. Your retirement plan administrator should be able to tell you whether or not your retirement plan qualifies for ERISA.
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).
Check out your old W-2 tax forms; the forms will list the employer you had a retirement plan with that year. Use the information on your old W-2 to contact your plan sponsor, or old employer, directly to get your account information.
Employers offering an employee welfare benefit plan, such as health insurance or a retirement plan, are subject to the provisions of the the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
Contact your regional EBSA office to file a complaint or an appeal after exhausting your insurance appeals process. You can also find ERISA information through the U.S. Department of Labor online at .dol/ebsa.
The employer maintaining the plan or the plan administrator of a Pension or Welfare benefit plan covered by ERISA. File Form 5500 to report information on the qualification of the plan, its financial condition, investments and the operations of the plan.
ERISA is administered in part by the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Labor. The law establishes requirements and guidelines for employers and benefit plan managers, trustees and certain other service providers.
Many types of employee pension and health plans, including employer-sponsored health care, fall under ERISA. All private employers and employee organizations, such as unions, that offer health plans to employees have to follow ERISA. Only churches and government groups are exempt.
The formal plan name, plan number and plan year must also be included in the employee welfare benefit plan's Summary Plan Description (SPD). Each employee welfare benefit plan must have a primary name. If a plan has a secondary name that it is often referenced by, that information must also be included in the SPD.
One of the best ways to find lost retirement accounts is to contact your former employers. If you're unsure where to direct your call, try the Human Resources or Accounting departments. They should be able to check their plan records and confirm whether you've ever participated.