Defined benefit plans need annual funding notice paperwork extension, yawn
Published Date: 8/19/2026
Notice
Summary
The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting this Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)-sponsored information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). Public comments on the ICR are invited.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Multiemployer Insolvency Details Required
If a multiemployer pension plan is in "critical and declining" status (projected to become insolvent within 15 years, or 20 years if a special rule applies), the annual funding notice must include the projected date of insolvency, a clear statement that insolvency may result in benefit reductions, and a statement describing whether the plan sponsor has taken legally permitted actions to prevent insolvency.
Annual Funding Notice Must Be Sent
If you are a participant, beneficiary, labor organization, an employer obligated to contribute, or the PBGC, plan administrators must furnish a defined benefit plan annual funding notice each year to those groups. Large plans must furnish the notice by the 120th day after the plan year ends; small plans may furnish the notice on or before the Form 5500 due date (with extensions).
MAP-21 Interest Rate Stabilization Noted
For single-employer defined benefit plans, the notice reiterates that MAP-21 (effective for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2012) provides funding interest rate stabilization by limiting generally required interest rates to a corridor above or below a 25-year average when calculating contributions.
Compliance Burden and Estimated Costs
DOL estimates this information collection will affect the private sector with 30,451 respondents, 49,816,936 total responses, a total annual time burden of 96,489 hours, and total annual other costs of $5,458,724; DOL seeks Paperwork Reduction Act authorization for three (3) years and cites OMB Control Number 1210-0126.
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Key Dates
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Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2026-16891, Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Summary Plan Description Requirements Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as Amended
The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting this Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)-sponsored information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). Public comments on the ICR are invited.
Next: 2026-16893, Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Radiation Sampling and Exposure Records
The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting this Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA)-sponsored information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). Public comments on the ICR are invited.