Plan characteristics codes
Line 8a of Form 5500 describes a pension plan with a string of two-character codes. A typical 401(k) plan reads 2E 2F 2G 2J 2K 2T 3D: a profit-sharing plan with a 401(k) feature and employer match, participant-directed, with a default investment, on a pre-approved document. Plan pages on this site decode each code with the label below, taken from the official instructions.
Defined benefit features (1x)
Any 1x code makes the plan a defined benefit plan for peer comparison on this site.
| Code | Label |
|---|---|
| 1A | Benefits are primarily pay related |
| 1B | Benefits are primarily flat dollar (includes dollars per year of service) |
| 1C | Cash balance or similar plan |
| 1D | Floor-offset plan |
| 1E | Code section 401(h) arrangement |
| 1F | Code section 414(k) arrangement |
| 1H | Plan covered by PBGC that was terminated and closed out for PBGC purposes |
| 1I | Frozen plan |
Defined contribution features (2x)
| Code | Label |
|---|---|
| 2A | Age/service weighted or new comparability or similar plan |
| 2B | Target benefit plan |
| 2C | Money purchase (other than target benefit) plan |
| 2D | Offset plan |
| 2E | Profit-sharing plan |
| 2F | ERISA section 404(c) plan |
| 2G | Total participant-directed account plan |
| 2H | Partial participant-directed account plan |
| 2I | Stock bonus |
| 2J | Code section 401(k) feature |
| 2K | Code section 401(m) arrangement |
| 2L | Code section 403(b)(1) arrangement (annuity contracts) |
| 2M | Code section 403(b)(7) accounts (custodial accounts for regulated investment company stock) |
| 2N | Code section 408 accounts and annuities |
| 2O | ESOP other than a leveraged ESOP |
| 2P | Leveraged ESOP |
| 2Q | The employer maintaining this ESOP is an S corporation |
| 2R | Participant-directed brokerage accounts provided as an investment option under the plan |
| 2S | 401(k) plan or 403(b) plan that provides for automatic enrollment |
| 2T | Total or partial participant-directed account plan with a default investment account |
| 2U | Multiple-employer pension plan that is an Association Retirement Plan |
| 2V | Multiple-employer pension plan that is a Professional Employer Organization Plan (PEO Plan) |
| 2W | Multiple-employer pension plan that is a pooled employer plan |
| 2X | Multiple-employer defined contribution pension plan not under codes 2U, 2V or 2W |
| 2Y | Pension-linked emergency savings account |
Other pension features (3x)
| Code | Label |
|---|---|
| 3B | Plan covering self-employed individuals |
| 3C | Plan not intended to be qualified |
| 3D | Pre-approved pension plan |
| 3F | Plan sponsor(s) received services of leased employees |
| 3H | Plan sponsor(s) is (are) a member(s) of a controlled group |
| 3I | Plan requiring that all or part of employer contributions be invested and held in employer securities |
| 3J | U.S.-based plan that covers residents of Puerto Rico and is qualified under both codes |
Codes beginning with 4 describe welfare benefits (health, life, disability) and do not appear on this site. A few codes used on older forms are no longer in the instructions; they are shown by code only.