What documentation should be kept to support a Form 5500 filing?

June 16, 2025June 16, 2026

Short answer: Form 5500 is filed electronically, but employers should retain the supporting documents (SPD/Wrap, carrier contracts, Schedule A forms, participant counts, and filing confirmations) for at least six years after the filing date in case of a DOL audit.

While Form 5500 is filed electronically, employers are expected to maintain supporting documents in case of a Department of Labor (DOL) audit or information request.

Key documents to retain:

Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs) and Wrap documents
Insurance certificates and carrier contracts
Schedule A forms from insurance carriers
Payroll records showing participant counts and premium contributions
Plan year documentation and Plan Number assignments
Form 5500 submission confirmations
Records of participant communications, such as SPD distribution logs

How long to keep records:

It’s recommended to keep these records for at least 6 years after the filing date, which aligns with DOL’s statute of limitations for audits and enforcement.

Staying organized and retaining all supporting documents helps demonstrate compliance and can significantly reduce risk in the event of an audit.

Sources

U.S. Department of Labor / EBSA, Form 5500 (reporting and filing): dol.gov Form 5500
ERISA §107 (records-retention requirement, six years).

Content history
Originally published: June 16, 2025
Last reviewed: June 16, 2026

Compliance Form 5500

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About Waivers and Declinations

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About MPRAs

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About ICHRAs

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About QSEHRAs

A Qualified Small Employer HRA (QSEHRA) lets small employers without a group plan reimburse employees for individual coverage. These FAQs explain QSEHRA rules and limits.

About Reference-Based Pricing

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About Level-Funding

A level-funded plan is a form of self-funding packaged to feel like a fully insured plan, with a fixed monthly cost and a possible year-end refund. These FAQs explain how it works.

About Self-Funding

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About Medicare Part D Notice

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About Ancillary Benefits

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About EPOs

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About Metal Tiers

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About Cost Drivers

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About Provider Networks

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About Prior Authorization

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About Claims & Appeals

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About Broker Compensation

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About Dental Insurance

Dental plans are structured differently from medical coverage, with tiered benefits and annual maximums. These FAQs explain how dental insurance works and what to watch for.

About Vision Insurance

Vision insurance covers a routine eye exam and an allowance for glasses or contacts. These FAQs explain what vision plans cover and what they don't.

About Life Insurance

Group term life and AD&D coverage provide a benefit to an employee's beneficiary. These FAQs explain how group life insurance works and how it differs from AD&D.

About Disability Insurance

Disability insurance replaces part of your income when illness or injury keeps you from working. These FAQs explain short-term and long-term disability coverage.

About Plan Offering

Deciding what plans to offer is one of an employer's core benefits decisions. These FAQs cover plan menus, base-and-buy-up designs, and matching options to a workforce.

About Premium Tiering and Plan Design

How premiums are tiered and plans are designed shapes employee cost and choice. These FAQs explain premium tiers and plan-design strategy.

About Employer Contributions

How much an employer pays toward premiums affects affordability and participation. These FAQs cover contribution requirements, strategies, and carrier rules.

About Open Enrollment Periods (OEPs)

Open enrollment is the once-a-year window to enroll in or change your coverage. These FAQs explain how open enrollment works for employer plans.

About Waiting Periods

A waiting period is the time duration employees must wait before their coverage becomes effective. Under the ACA, the maximum new-hire waiting period is 90 days from the date of full-time employment. However, small employers might be able to add a one-month orientaion period or a cumulative hours requirement prior to the beginning of the waiting period. And companies with variable-hour employees can impose a one-year initial measurement period during which time they determine full- or part-time employee status.

About Stop-Loss

Stop-loss insurance protects a self-funded employer from catastrophic claims. These FAQs explain specific and aggregate stop-loss and how they work.

About Captives & MEWAs

Group captives and Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements (MEWAs) let employers pool risk to fund benefits. These FAQs explain how each works and the trade-offs involved.

About Cost Containment

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About Premium Tax Credits

Premium Tax Credits are available in the individual health insurance market, offering financial assistance to individuals and families to help lower the cost of health insurance premiums. For small employers, it's important to know that the group health plan they offer, if affordable, could block employees (and potentially their family members if the employer contributes to dependent premiums) from receiving a premium tax credit.

About Prescription Drugs

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About Telehealth

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About HSAs

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About Contribution Strategies and Cost Controls

How an employer structures its premium contributions affects both cost and participation. These FAQs cover contribution strategies and tools for controlling benefit costs.

About Participation

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About Mental Health Parity

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About Preventive Care

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About PCORI Fee

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About Gag Clause Attestation

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About RxDC Reporting

RxDC reporting is an annual submission of prescription-drug and spending data required of group health plans. These FAQs explain the requirement and deadline.

About Employer Reporting

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About Section 125 Testing

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About State Continuation

Sometimes referred to as "mini COBRA" or "state COBRA," State Continuation laws provide similar rights to continue health coverage as COBRA, but are state-specific and often apply to employers not subject to federal COBRA, typically smaller businesses. State Continuation normally applies only to fully-insured employers, so level-funded plans might not have a continuation option. In many states, employers subject to state continuation laws have notice requirements similar to COBRA and may want to outsource the compliance reponsibilities to a third-party administrator (TPA).

About COBRA

COBRA gives employees and their families who lose health benefits the right to choose to continue group health benefits under certain circumstances. COBRA applies to groups with 20 or more employees in the preceding calendar year, but counting employees can be tricky since part-timers count as a fraction of a full-time employee. COBRA has a number of notice requirements along with fines for non-compliance, so some small employers choose to outsource their COBRA administration responsibilities to a Third-Party Administrator (TPA).

About Form 5500

Form 5500 is the annual report many employee benefit plans must file with the Department of Labor. These FAQs explain who must file, deadlines, penalties, and what documentation is required.

About SBCs

SBCs are standardized documents that clearly outline the benefits and coverage of health insurance plans. They are designed to help consumers understand and compare different health plans. For small group agents, SBCs are important tools for explaining plan details and assisting employers and employees in making informed health insurance decisions. Employers are required to provide eligible employees with an SBC for each plan offered at initial enrollment and at renewal time each year.

About SPDs

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About DCAs

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About ERISA

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About Re-hire Rules

The ACA's break-in-service rules decide whether a rehired worker is treated as a new hire or a continuing employee. These FAQs explain the rehire and reinstatement rules.

About Part-Timers

Whether part-time employees are eligible for benefits depends on plan terms and ACA rules. These FAQs explain how part-time and variable-hour employees are treated.

About Eligibility Classes

Employers define which employees are eligible for benefits, often by class such as full-time or part-time. These FAQs explain eligibility classes and how they're applied.

About ALEs

An Applicable Large Employer (ALE) is generally one with 50 or more full-time-equivalent employees, which makes it subject to the ACA employer mandate. These FAQs explain how ALE status is determined and what it requires.

About ACA Affordability Rules

Under the ACA's employer mandate, applicable large employers must offer coverage that is 'affordable' or face penalties. These FAQs explain how affordability is calculated, the safe harbors employers can use, and the 2026 thresholds.

About Safe Harbors

ACA affordability safe harbors let employers measure affordability against W-2 wages, rate of pay, or the federal poverty line. These FAQs explain each safe harbor.

About POPs

Premium Only Plans (POPs) are simple Section 125 plans that allow employees to pay their share of health insurance premiums with pre-tax dollars. These FAQs explain how POPs work, who can participate, and what employers need to do to stay compliant with IRS rules.

About FSAs

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) let employees set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for eligible healthcare or dependent care expenses. Explore these FAQs to better understand how FSAs work, what expenses are covered, how much you can contribute, and how to avoid common pitfalls like forfeiting unused funds.

About HRAs

Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) are employer-funded accounts that reimburse employees for eligible healthcare expenses. Explore these FAQs to learn how HRAs work, what expenses can be reimbursed, how they differ from FSAs and HSAs, and how plan design affects flexibility and rollover options.

About MERPs

Medical Expense Reimbursement Plans (MERPs) are a type of Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) that allow employers to self-fund a portion of employees’ out-of-pocket medical costs, often to offset high deductibles. These FAQs explain how MERPs work, when to use them, and how they can be paired with traditional or high-deductible group health plans.

About Dependents and Domestic Partners

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