U S Government Accountability Office

Private Sector Pensions U S Government Accountability Office

" GAO has reported that millions of U. S. workers lack access to employer-sponsored pension plans and that some small businesses, which offered plans at lower rates than large businesses, may be deterred by the cost of plan administration. MEPs, a type of pension plan maintained by more than one employer, have been supported as an option that could expand coverage by lowering administrative costs. For this report, GAO examined (1) the characteristics of private-sector MEPs, (2) the advantages and disadvantages of MEPs and how their perceived advantages are used to market them, and (3) how IRS and Labor regulate MEPs. GAO interviewed MEP sponsors, pension experts, officials at the Department of Labor (Labor), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), and analyzed the primary source of pension data reported to the government-the Form 5500. "