§1021. Duty of disclosure and reporting

(a) Summary plan description and information to be furnished to participants and beneficiaries

The administrator of each employee benefit plan shall cause to be furnished in accordance with section 1024(b) of this title to each participant covered under the plan and to each beneficiary who is receiving benefits under the plan-

(1) a summary plan description described in section 1022(a)(1) ¹ of this title; and

(2) the information described in sections 1024(b)(3) and 1025(a) and (c) of this title.

(b) Reports to be filed with Secretary of Labor

The administrator shall, in accordance with section 1024(a) of this title, file with the Secretary-

(1) the annual report containing the information required by section 1023 of this title; and

(2) terminal and supplementary reports as required by subsection (c) of this section.

(c) Terminal and supplementary reports

(1) Each administrator of an employee pension benefit plan which is winding up its affairs (without regard to the number of participants remaining in the plan) shall, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary, file such terminal reports as the Secretary may consider necessary. A copy of such report shall also be filed with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

(2) The Secretary may require terminal reports to be filed with regard to any employee welfare benefit plan which is winding up its affairs in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Secretary.

(3) The Secretary may require that a plan described in paragraph (1) or (2) file a supplementary or terminal report with the annual report in the year such plan is terminated and that a copy of such supplementary or terminal report in the case of a plan described in paragraph (1) be also filed with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

(d) Notice of failure to meet minimum funding standards

(1) In general

If an employer maintaining a plan other than a multiemployer plan fails to make a required installment or other payment required to meet the minimum funding standard under section 1082 of this title to a plan before the 60th day following the due date for such installment or other payment, the employer shall notify each participant and beneficiary (including an alternate payee as defined in section 1056(d)(3)(K) of this title) of such plan of such failure. Such notice shall be made at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may prescribe.

(2) Subsection not to apply if waiver pending

This subsection shall not apply to any failure if the employer has filed a waiver request under section 1083 of this title with respect to the plan year to which the required installment relates, except that if the waiver request is denied, notice under paragraph (1) shall be provided within 60 days after the date of such denial.

(3) Definitions

For purposes of this subsection, the terms "required installment" and "due date" have the same meanings given such terms by section 1082(e) of this title.

(e) Notice of transfer of excess pension assets to health benefits accounts

(1) Notice to participants

Not later than 60 days before the date of a qualified transfer by an employee pension benefit plan of excess pension assets to a health benefits account, the administrator of the plan shall notify (in such manner as the Secretary may prescribe) each participant and beneficiary under the plan of such transfer. Such notice shall include information with respect to the amount of excess pension assets, the portion to be transferred, the amount of health benefits liabilities expected to be provided with the assets transferred, and the amount of pension benefits of the participant which will be nonforfeitable immediately after the transfer.

(2) Notice to Secretaries, administrator, and employee organizations

(A) In general

Not later than 60 days before the date of any qualified transfer by an employee pension benefit plan of excess pension assets to a health benefits account, the employer maintaining the plan from which the transfer is made shall provide the Secretary, the Secretary of the Treasury, the administrator, and each employee organization representing participants in the plan a written notice of such transfer. A copy of any such notice shall be available for inspection in the principal office of the administrator.

(B) Information relating to transfer

Such notice shall identify the plan from which the transfer is made, the amount of the transfer, a detailed accounting of assets projected to be held by the plan immediately before and immediately after the transfer, and the current liabilities under the plan at the time of the transfer.

(C) Authority for additional reporting requirements

The Secretary may prescribe such additional reporting requirements as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

(3) Definitions

For purposes of paragraph (1), any term used in such paragraph which is also used in section 420 of title 26 (as in effect on December 17, 1999) shall have the same meaning as when used in such section.

(f) Repealed. Pub. L. 105–200, title IV, §401(h)(1)(A), July 16, 1998, 112 Stat. 668

(g) Reporting by certain arrangements

The Secretary may, by regulation, require multiple employer welfare arrangements providing benefits consisting of medical care (within the meaning of section 1191b(a)(2) of this title) which are not group health plans to report, not more frequently than annually, in such form and such manner as the Secretary may require for the purpose of determining the extent to which the requirements of part 7 are being carried out in connection with such benefits.

(h) Simple retirement accounts

(1) No employer reports

Except as provided in this subsection, no report shall be required under this section by an employer maintaining a qualified salary reduction arrangement under section 408(p) of title 26.

(2) Summary description

The trustee of any simple retirement account established pursuant to a qualified salary reduction arrangement under section 408(p) of title 26 shall provide to the employer maintaining the arrangement each year a description containing the following information:

(A) The name and address of the employer and the trustee.

(B) The requirements for eligibility for participation.

(C) The benefits provided with respect to the arrangement.

(D) The time and method of making elections with respect to the arrangement.

(E) The procedures for, and effects of, withdrawals (including rollovers) from the arrangement.

(3) Employee notification

The employer shall notify each employee immediately before the period for which an election described in section 408(p)(5)(C) of title 26 may be made of the employee's opportunity to make such election. Such notice shall include a copy of the description described in paragraph (2).

(h) ² Cross reference

For regulations relating to coordination of reports to the Secretaries of Labor and the Treasury, see section 1204 of this title.

( Pub. L. 93–406, title I, §101, Sept. 2, 1974, 88 Stat. 840 ; Pub. L. 100–203, title IX, §9304(d), Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1330–348 ; Pub. L. 101–239, title VII, §§7881(b)(5)(A), 7894(b)(2), Dec. 19, 1989, 103 Stat. 2438 , 2448; Pub. L. 101–508, title XII, §12012(d)(1), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1388–572 ; Pub. L. 103–66, title IV, §4301(b)(1), Aug. 10, 1993, 107 Stat. 375 ; Pub. L. 103–465, title VII, §731(c)(4)(A), Dec. 8, 1994, 108 Stat. 5004 ; Pub. L. 104–188, title I, §1421(d)(1), Aug. 20, 1996, 110 Stat. 1799 ; Pub. L. 104–191, title I, §101(e)(1), Aug. 21, 1996, 110 Stat. 1952 ; Pub. L. 104–204, title VI, §603(b)(3)(B), Sept. 26, 1996, 110 Stat. 2938 ; Pub. L. 105–34, title XV, §1503(a), Aug. 5, 1997, 111 Stat. 1061 ; Pub. L. 105–200, title IV, §401(h)(1)(A), July 16, 1998, 112 Stat. 668 ; Pub. L. 106–170, title V, §535(a)(2)(A), Dec. 17, 1999, 113 Stat. 1934 .)

References in Text

Section 1022(a)(1) of this title, referred to in subsec. (a)(1), was redesignated section 1022(a) of this title by Pub. L. 105–34, title XV, §1503(b)(1)(B), Aug. 5, 1997, 111 Stat. 1061 .

Amendments

1999-Subsec. (e)(3). Pub. L. 106–170 substituted "December 17, 1999" for "January 1, 1995".

1998-Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 105–200 struck out subsec. (f) relating to information necessary to comply with Medicare and Medicaid Coverage Data Bank requirements.

1997-Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 105–34 redesignated pars. (4) and (5) as (1) and (2), respectively, and struck out former pars. (1) to (3), which read as follows:

"(1) the summary plan description described in section 1022(a)(1) of this title;

"(2) a plan description containing the matter required in section 1022(b) of this title;

"(3) modifications and changes referred to in section 1022(a)(2) of this title;".

1996-Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 104–204 made technical amendment to reference in original act which appears in text as reference to section 1191b of this title.

Pub. L. 104–191, §101(e)(1)(B), added subsec. (g). Former subsec. (g) redesignated (h).

Pub. L. 104–188 added subsec. (g). Former subsec. (g) redesignated (h).

Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 104–191, §101(e)(1)(A), redesignated subsec. (g), relating to simple retirement accounts, as (h).

Pub. L. 104–188, §1421(d)(1), redesignated subsec. (g), relating to cross references, as (h).

1994-Subsec. (e)(3). Pub. L. 103–465 substituted "1995" for "1991".

1993-Subsecs. (f), (g). Pub. L. 103–66 added subsec. (f) and redesignated former subsec. (f) as (g).

1990-Subsecs. (e), (f). Pub. L. 101–508 added subsec. (e) and redesignated former subsec. (e) as (f).

1989-Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 101–239, §7894(b)(2), substituted "sections" for "section".

Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 101–239, §7881(b)(5)(A), substituted "an employer maintaining a plan" for "an employer of a plan".

1987-Subsecs. (d), (e). Pub. L. 100–203 added subsec. (d) and redesignated former subsec. (d) as (e).

Effective Date of 1999 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 106–170 applicable to qualified transfers occurring after Dec. 17, 1999, see section 535(c)(1) of Pub. L. 106–170, set out as a note under section 420 of Title 26, Internal Revenue Code.

Effective Date of 1998 Amendment

Pub. L. 105–200, title IV, §401(h)(1)(B), July 16, 1998, 112 Stat. 668 , provided that: "The amendment made by subparagraph (A) [amending this section] shall take effect as if included in the enactment of the Act entitled 'An Act to repeal the Medicare and Medicaid Coverage Data Bank', approved October 2, 1996 (Public Law 104–226; 110 Stat. 3033)."

Effective Date of 1996 Amendments

Amendment by Pub. L. 104–204 applicable with respect to group health plans for plan years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 1998, see section 603(c) of Pub. L. 104–204 set out as a note under section 1003 of this title.

Amendment of Pub. L. 104–191 applicable with respect to group health plans for plan years beginning after June 30, 1997, except as otherwise provided, see section 101(g) of Pub. L. 104–191, set out as an Effective Date note under section 1181 of this title.

Amendment by Pub. L. 104–188 applicable to taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 1996, see section 1421(e) of Pub. L. 104–188, set out as a note under section 72 of Title 26, Internal Revenue Code.

Effective Date of 1993 Amendment

Section 4301(d) of Pub. L. 103–66 provided that:

"(1) In general.-The amendments made by this section [enacting section 1169 of this title and amending this section and sections 1132 and 1144 of this title] shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act [Aug. 10, 1993].

"(2) Plan amendments not required until january 1, 1994.-Any amendment to a plan required to be made by an amendment made by this section shall not be required to be made before the first plan year beginning on or after January 1, 1994, if-

"(A) during the period after the date before the date of the enactment of this Act and before such first plan year, the plan is operated in accordance with the requirements of the amendments made by this section, and

"(B) such plan amendment applies retroactively to the period after the date before the date of the enactment of this Act and before such first plan year.

A plan shall not be treated as failing to be operated in accordance with the provisions of the plan merely because it operates in accordance with this paragraph."

Effective Date of 1990 Amendment

Section 12012(e) of Pub. L. 101–508 provided that: "The amendments made by this section [amending this section and sections 1082, 1103, 1108, and 1132 of this title] shall apply to qualified transfers under section 420 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 [26 U.S.C. 420] made after the date of the enactment of this Act [Nov. 5, 1990]."

Effective Date of 1989 Amendment

Amendment by section 7881(b)(5)(A) of Pub. L. 101–239 effective, except as otherwise provided, as if included in the provision of the Pension Protection Act, Pub. L. 100–203, §§9302–9346, to which such amendment relates, see section 7882 of Pub. L. 101–239, set out as a note under section 401 of Title 26, Internal Revenue Code.

Amendment by section 7894(b)(2) of Pub. L. 101–239 effective, except as otherwise provided, as if originally included in the provision of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, Pub. L. 93–406, to which such amendment relates, see section 7894(i) of Pub. L. 101–239, set out as a note under section 1002 of this title.

Effective Date of 1987 Amendment

Section 9304(d) of Pub. L. 100–203, as amended by Pub. L. 101–239, title VII, §7881(b)(5)(C), Dec. 19, 1989, 103 Stat. 2438 , provided that the amendment made by that section is effective with respect to plan years beginning after Dec. 31, 1987.

Regulations

Secretary authorized, effective Sept. 2, 1974, to promulgate regulations wherever provisions of this subchapter call for the promulgation of regulations, see section 1031 of this title.

Plan Amendments Not Required Until January 1, 1998

For provisions directing that if any amendments made by subtitle D [§§1401–1465] of title I of Pub. L. 104–188 require an amendment to any plan or annuity contract, such amendment shall not be required to be made before the first day of the first plan year beginning on or after Jan. 1, 1998, see section 1465 of Pub. L. 104–188, set out as a note under section 401 of Title 26, Internal Revenue Code.

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in sections 1104, 1132 of this title.

¹ See References in Text note below.

² So in original. Probably should be "(i)".