New Jersey › Construction › 1,000 to 4,999 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
IBEW Local 351 Surety Plan
Sponsored by IBEW Local 351 Surety Fund Trustees, West Trenton, NJ
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. Form 5500 contains no individual account balances. Look up the original filing at EFAST2.
IBEW Local 351 Surety Plan is a defined contribution plan sponsored by IBEW Local 351 Surety Fund Trustees of West Trenton, New Jersey. For the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024 it reported 2,688 participants, 2,075 of them active, and net assets of $676M. It is a multiemployer plan, maintained under collective bargaining agreements with more than one employer.
Net assets came to $251,508 per participant, well above the $50,295 median for defined contribution plans with 1,000 to 4,999 participants and well above the $54,962 median for defined contribution plans in construction. The figure is an average across everyone in the plan, including former employees with small balances; Form 5500 holds no individual account data.
The employer contributed $33.5M during the year, or $16,165 per active participant against a same-size median of $2,045; participants contributed —. Benefits paid out totalled $53.0M.
Schedule C lists 7 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $1.3M: $473 per participant, well above the same-size median of $82.08. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $553K. Schedule C does not capture every cost: fees netted from fund returns and fees the employer pays directly are outside it.
Across the filings on record, net assets went from $213M in 2009 to $676M in 2024 (up 217%), and participants from 2,278 to 2,688 (up 18%).
The independent accountant's opinion on the financial statements was unmodified (unqualified).
Compared with similar plans
| Measure | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DC plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $251,508 | $50,295 | $54,962 | $53,102 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $16,165 | $2,045 | $2,728 | $2,175 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $473 | $82.08 | $162 | $123 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.19% | 0.17% | 0.33% | 0.26% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $206 | $82.20 | $166 | $116 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined contribution plans with 100 or more participants: 1,000 to 4,999 participants (10,207 plans), construction (4,204) and all US plans (63,460). Fee medians cover plans that report an amount.
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Schedule C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2,688 | $676M | $251,508 | $33.5M | — | $1.3M |
| 2023 | 2,634 | $601M | $228,294 | $33.3M | — | $1.2M |
| 2022 | 2,806 | $519M | $185,107 | $30.6M | — | $1.4M |
| 2021 | 2,818 | $605M | $214,761 | $27.7M | — | $1.6M |
| 2020 | 2,779 | $539M | $193,798 | $32.6M | — | $504K |
| 2019 | 2,658 | $465M | $175,096 | $30.5M | — | $674K |
| 2018 | 3,017 | $409M | $135,440 | $33.1M | — | $880K |
| 2017 | 2,668 | $405M | $151,804 | $26.6M | — | $765K |
| 2016 | 2,766 | $358M | $129,601 | $27.5M | — | $705K |
| 2015 | 2,688 | $336M | $125,082 | $26.5M | — | $673K |
| 2014 | 2,532 | $326M | $128,559 | $20.9M | — | $363K |
| 2013 | 2,671 | $314M | $117,566 | $22.8M | — | $398K |
| 2012 | 2,884 | $277M | $95,881 | $21.7M | — | $412K |
| 2011 | 2,501 | $250M | $100,050 | $24.4M | — | $445K |
| 2010 | 2,334 | $234M | $100,352 | $17.6M | — | $369K |
| 2009 | 2,278 | $213M | $93,515 | $13.9M | — | $299K |
Years in which the plan filed the full Form 5500 with 100 or more participants, from 2009. Plan year is the year in which the plan year began.
Statement for the year
- Net assets, beginning of year$601,325,882
- Employer contributions$33,542,226
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$33,542,226
- Total income, including investment results$128,251,977
- Benefits paid$52,970,680
- Administrative expenses$552,926
- Total expenses$53,523,606
- Net income$74,728,371
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$676,054,253
Participants
- Active participants2,075
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits309
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits259
- Participants with account balances2,610
- Total participants, end of year2,688
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| IBEW Local 351 Surety Plan | Other fees | $766,862 | $0 |
| I.E. Shaffer & Co. | Contract Administrator | $341,311 | $0 |
| Empower Annuity Insurance Company | Recordkeeping fees | $48,000 | $0 |
| Gerson & Assoc CPAS and Advisors PC | Accounting (including auditing) | $38,500 | $0 |
| Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC | Investment advisory (plan); Investment management | $30,000 | $0 |
| Obrien Belland & Bushinsky | Legal | $28,732 | $0 |
| MSPC Certified Public Accountants | Accounting (including auditing) | $18,476 | $0 |
Schedule C, Part I line 2: providers that received $5,000 or more, with the form's own service codes. Individuals named on Schedule C (plan employees, individual trustees) are never shown and their compensation is excluded. Eligible indirect compensation disclosed by formula carries no dollar amount. See how to read Schedule C fees.
Administrative expenses on Schedule H
- Contract administrator fees$341,311
- Investment advisory and management fees$78,000
- IQPA audit fees$56,976
- Other administrative expenses$47,907
- Legal fees$28,732
- Total administrative expenses$552,926
Investment structure
Assets at year end by Schedule H category. The form shows the kind of vehicle holding the money, not the funds on the menu.
- Registered investment companies (mutual funds)$267M · 39.5%
- Insurance company general account$216M · 32.0%
- Pooled separate accounts$185M · 27.3%
- Cash (interest and non-interest bearing)$4.7M · 0.7%
- Receivables$3.6M · 0.5%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)No
- Accounting firmGerson & Assoc CPAS and Advisors PC
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $500,000
- Blackout period during the yearNo
These are the plan administrator's own answers on Schedule H, Part IV. A reported late transmittal is the filer's disclosure of a timing lapse, usually corrected through the Department of Labor's voluntary program; the amount is the total involved, not a loss.
Plan characteristics
2FERISA section 404(c) plan2GTotal participant-directed account plan
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 238210: Electrical Contractors.
Similar plans in New Jersey
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refrigeration, A/c & Service Div. (Ua-Nj) Annuity Plan | Refrigeration, A/c & Service Div. (Ua-Nj) Annuity Fund | 2,730 | $418M | $152,995 |
| Laborers' International Union of North America Local Union No. 616 DC Retirement Plan | Liuna 616 DC Retirement Plan | 2,636 | $12.4M | $4,696 |
| Hovnanian Savings and Investment Retirement Plan | Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. | 3,080 | $439M | $142,471 |
| U a Local 322 Annuity Fund | United Association Local 322 Annuity Fund | 2,531 | $149M | $58,675 |
| Joint Annuity Fund Local 164 IBEW | Joint Annuity Fund Local 164 IBEW | 3,793 | $925M | $243,908 |
| One Diversified, LLC 401(k) Plan | One Diversified, LLC | 2,422 | $128M | $52,914 |
Defined contribution plans in construction closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is IBEW Local 351 Surety Plan?
2,688 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 2,075 were active employees, with net assets of $676,054,253. Among defined contribution plans that places it in the 1,000 to 4,999 participants band, which held 10,207 plans in plan year 2024.
What does IBEW Local 351 Surety Fund Trustees contribute per participant?
The filing reports $33,542,226 in employer contributions for the year, which is $16,165 per active participant; the median for plans of the same type and size was $2,045 in plan year 2024. Form 5500 reports the total only. It does not state the match formula, and the per-participant figure is an average, not any one person's contribution.
What fees does the plan pay and how do they compare?
Schedule C reports $1,271,881 in compensation to service provider organisations, $473 per participant or 0.19% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $82.08 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $552,926. Investment costs deducted inside mutual funds and other pooled vehicles are not itemised on Form 5500, so these figures are a floor rather than a full cost.
Who runs the plan?
The sponsor is IBEW Local 351 Surety Fund Trustees. Recordkeeping or administration: I.E. Shaffer & Co. and Empower Annuity Insurance Company. Investment advisory or management: Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. The financial statements were audited by Gerson & Assoc CPAS and Advisors PC. Form 5500 also names the plan administrator's signer and other individuals; this site publishes organisations only.
Was the audit opinion unqualified?
The filing reports an unmodified (unqualified) opinion. Unmodified (formerly "unqualified") is the standard clean opinion.
How current is this, and does it show my balance?
This is the Form 5500 for the plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024, received by the Department of Labor on 19 Sep 2025. Filings are due seven months after the plan year ends, or nine and a half with an extension, so the public record always runs a year or more behind. It contains plan-level totals only: no individual balances, contributions or names of participants exist in the data.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files (Form 5500, Schedule H, Schedule C) for plan years 2009 to 2025, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. This page shows the latest filing on record for EIN 22-3431479, plan 002, received 19 Sep 2025; an amended filing replaces it at the next build. Medians and percentiles are computed by this site; see the methodology. Report an error through corrections.