Employer · plans filed under one EIN
Brown-Forman Corporation
Louisville, KY · Manufacturing
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances.
Brown-Forman Corporation, based in Louisville, Kentucky, sponsors 6 retirement plans with 100 or more participants: 2 defined contribution and 4 defined benefit. Together they reported 7,314 participant records and $1.27B in net assets.
The largest is Brown-Forman Corporation Salaried Employees Retirement Plan, a cash balance pension plan with 2,908 participants. A person can be counted in more than one plan, so the participant total is a count of records rather than of people.
Employer contributions across the plans were $20.1M and participant contributions $25.0M in the latest plan years; benefits paid were $126M. Schedule C compensation reported to service provider organisations totalled $1.0M.
Combined net assets moved from $629M in 2009 to $1.27B in 2024 (up 101%). Plan mergers and spin-offs show up here as steps in the series.
Plans
| Plan | Kind | Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer / active | Sch. C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown-Forman Corporation Salaried Employees Retirement Plan | cash balance pension plan | 2024 | 2,908 | $478M | $164,320 | $3,964 | $590K |
| Brown-Forman Corporation Savings Plan | 401(k) plan | 2024 | 2,709 | $649M | $239,406 | $5,902 | $170K |
| Brown-Forman Corporation Hourly Employees Retirement Plan | defined benefit pension plan | 2024 | 779 | $50.9M | $65,302 | $4,205 | $94K |
| Brown-Forman Corporation Savings Plan for Collectively Bargained Employee | 401(k) plan | 2024 | 421 | $35.9M | $85,230 | $2,418 | $28K |
| Brown-Forman Corporation Retirement Plan | cash balance pension plan | 2024 | 316 | $35.0M | $110,868 | — | $75K |
| Brown-Forman Corporation Pension Plan for Hourly Employees | defined benefit pension plan | 2024 | 181 | $17.2M | $95,186 | — | $46K |
| US median, plan year 2024: DC plans $53,102 per participant, $2,175 employer contribution per active participant; DB plans $86,221 and $10,244. | |||||||
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Plans | Participant records | Net assets | Employer contributions | Participant contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 6 | 7,314 | $1.27B | $20.1M | $25.0M |
| 2023 | 6 | 7,696 | $1.28B | $21.7M | $25.6M |
| 2022 | 6 | 7,721 | $1.31B | $23.4M | $25.1M |
| 2021 | 6 | 7,581 | $1.63B | $17.9M | $23.7M |
| 2020 | 6 | 7,570 | $1.55B | $22.2M | $22.2M |
| 2019 | 6 | 7,740 | $1.43B | $27.2M | $21.4M |
| 2018 | 6 | 7,621 | $1.25B | $26.9M | $20.6M |
| 2017 | 6 | 7,483 | $1.40B | $131M | $19.1M |
| 2016 | 6 | 7,532 | $1.11B | $41.2M | $18.4M |
| 2015 | 6 | 7,585 | $1.08B | $36.9M | $18.2M |
| 2014 | 6 | 7,480 | $1.09B | $30.1M | $16.8M |
| 2013 | 6 | 7,488 | $1.04B | $19.8M | $16.2M |
| 2012 | 6 | 7,602 | $932M | $38.9M | $14.8M |
| 2011 | 6 | 7,554 | $818M | $49.3M | $14.6M |
| 2010 | 6 | 7,407 | $777M | $81.3M | $14.0M |
| 2009 | 6 | 7,547 | $629M | $43.7M | $13.6M |
History of the plans listed above, in the years each filed the full Form 5500 with 100 or more participants. Plans that have since terminated are not included.
Service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Plans | Compensation reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aon Consulting Inc. | Actuarial | 4 | $615,177 |
| Cherry Bekaert Advisory LLC | Accounting (including auditing) | 4 | $125,295 |
| Empower Advisory Group, LLC | Investment management; Investment advisory (participants) | 2 | $118,156 |
| Empower Annuity Insurance Company O | Participant loan processing; Recordkeeping and information management | 2 | $79,488 |
| Crowe LLP | Accounting (including auditing) | 4 | $64,680 |
Organisations paid $5,000 or more by any of these plans, from Schedule C. Individuals are not shown.
Questions and answers
How many retirement plans does Brown-Forman Corporation have?
6 plans with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500 under its employer identification number for the latest plan years: Brown-Forman Corporation Salaried Employees Retirement Plan, Brown-Forman Corporation Savings Plan, Brown-Forman Corporation Hourly Employees Retirement Plan and Brown-Forman Corporation Savings Plan for Collectively Bargained Employee and others. Smaller plans and plans filed under a subsidiary's number are not grouped here.
How much does Brown-Forman Corporation contribute to its plans?
$20,131,684 in employer contributions across these plans in their latest plan years, about $4,673 per active participant record. Form 5500 reports totals and not the match or accrual formula.
Who provides services to these plans?
Schedule C filings name Aon Consulting Inc., Cherry Bekaert Advisory LLC, Empower Advisory Group, LLC and Empower Annuity Insurance Company O and others. Only organisations paid $5,000 or more by a plan are listed on Schedule C.
Where does this come from?
Form 5500 annual reports filed with the Department of Labor's EFAST2 system, from the EBSA research files, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. Figures are as filed and may be amended.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. Plans are grouped by the sponsor's employer identification number exactly as filed; a company that files under several EINs appears as several employers. See the methodology and corrections.