Illinois › Manufacturing › 1,000 to 4,999 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Dec 2024 to 30 Nov 2025
Acco Brands Corporation Pension Plan
Sponsored by Acco Brands Corporation, Lake Zurich, IL
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.
Acco Brands Corporation Pension Plan is a defined benefit pension plan sponsored by Acco Brands Corporation of Lake Zurich, Illinois. For the plan year ending 30 Nov 2025 it reported 3,388 participants, 243 of them active, and net assets of $153M.
Net assets came to $45,157 per participant, well below the $87,371 median for defined benefit plans with 1,000 to 4,999 participants and well below the $68,040 median for defined benefit plans in manufacturing. The figure is an average across everyone in the plan, including former employees with small balances; Form 5500 holds no individual account data.
Employer contributions were $1.9M for the year ($7,793 per active participant) and benefits paid were $12.0M. In a defined benefit plan the employer's contribution follows funding rules rather than a match formula, so it can swing widely from year to year.
Schedule C lists 5 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $930K: $274 per participant, below the same-size median of $324. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $1.5M. 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 $2.3M in 2012 to $153M in 2024 (up 6688%), and participants from 800 to 3,388 (up 324%).
The independent accountant's opinion on the financial statements was unmodified (unqualified), from an audit whose scope was limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C) to exclude investment information certified by a bank or insurer.
Compared with similar plans
| Measure | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DB plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $45,157 | $87,371 | $68,040 | $86,073 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $7,793 | $10,551 | $6,912 | $10,170 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $274 | $324 | $305 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.61% | 0.41% | 0.48% | 0.43% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $434 | $513 | $499 | $526 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined benefit plans with 100 or more participants: 1,000 to 4,999 participants (1,558 plans), manufacturing (1,556) and all US plans (5,366). 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 | 3,388 | $153M | $45,157 | $1.9M | — | $930K |
| 2023 | 3,534 | $151M | $42,803 | — | — | $786K |
| 2022 | 3,630 | $142M | $39,129 | $3.0M | — | $724K |
| 2021 | 3,683 | $147M | $39,876 | $2.5M | — | $925K |
| 2020 | 4,286 | $185M | $43,174 | $5.8M | — | $878K |
| 2019 | 4,417 | $169M | $38,307 | $8.7M | — | $797K |
| 2018 | 4,545 | $156M | $34,365 | $4.7M | — | $0 |
| 2017 | 764 | $13.2M | $17,313 | $1.1M | — | $0 |
| 2016 | 790 | $10.0M | $12,630 | $2.6M | — | $0 |
| 2015 | 771 | $7.1M | $9,241 | $1.2M | — | $0 |
| 2014 | 774 | $6.8M | $8,850 | $1.9M | — | $0 |
| 2013 | 784 | $4.9M | $6,218 | $2.7M | — | $0 |
| 2012 | 800 | $2.3M | $2,818 | $2.3M | — | $0 |
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$151,265,424
- Employer contributions$1,893,618
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$1,893,618
- Total income, including investment results$15,167,877
- Benefits paid$11,970,744
- Administrative expenses$1,469,868
- Total expenses$13,440,612
- Net income$1,727,265
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$152,992,689
Participants
- Active participants243
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits1,958
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits956
- Total participants, end of year3,388
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aon Consulting | Actuarial | $631,290 | $0 |
| Northern Trust Company | Trustee (bank, trust company, or similar financial institution) | $128,073 | $0 |
| Capital Strategies Investment Group | Consulting (general) | $99,643 | $0 |
| Crowe LLP | Accounting (including auditing) | $36,908 | $0 |
| SageView Advisory Group, LLC | Investment advisory (plan) | $33,723 | $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
- Actuarial fees$631,290
- Other administrative expenses$539,559
- Trustee and custodial fees$128,073
- Contract administrator fees$99,643
- IQPA audit fees$36,908
- Investment advisory and management fees$34,395
- Total administrative expenses$1,469,868
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)$134M · 87.6%
- Common/collective trusts$18.6M · 12.1%
- Receivables$354K · 0.2%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)Yes
- Accounting firmCrowe LLP
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $10,000,000
- Blackout period during the year—
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
1ABenefits are primarily pay related1IFrozen plan3FPlan sponsor(s) received services of leased employees3HPlan sponsor(s) is (are) a member(s) of a controlled group
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 339900: Other Miscellaneous Mfg.
Other plans of Acco Brands Corporation
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| Acco Brands Corporation 401(k) Plan | 2,292 | $392M |
Similar plans in Illinois
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keystone Employees' Retirement Plan | Keystone Consolidated Industries | 3,438 | $369M | $107,201 |
| Tate & Lyle Salaried Pension Plan | Tate & Lyle Americas, Inc. | 3,340 | $389M | $116,371 |
| Dover Corporation Pension Plan | Dover Corporation | 3,735 | $372M | $99,589 |
| Legacy Allergan, Inc. Pension Plan | Allergan, Inc. | 3,331 | $618M | $185,479 |
| Msi Pension Plan II | Motorola Solutions, Inc. | 4,191 | $87.7M | $20,926 |
| Schneider Electric USA, Inc. Coordinated Bargaining Employees' Pension Plan | Schneider Electric Holdings, Inc. | 3,285 | $230M | $69,883 |
Defined benefit plans in manufacturing closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Acco Brands Corporation Pension Plan?
3,388 participants at the end of the plan year ending 30 Nov 2025, of whom 243 were active employees, with net assets of $152,992,689. Among defined benefit plans that places it in the 1,000 to 4,999 participants band, which held 1,558 plans in plan year 2024.
What does Acco Brands Corporation contribute per participant?
The filing reports $1,893,618 in employer contributions for the year, which is $7,793 per active participant; the median for plans of the same type and size was $10,551 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 $929,637 in compensation to service provider organisations, $274 per participant or 0.61% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $324 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $1,469,868. 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 Acco Brands Corporation. Investment advisory or management: SageView Advisory Group, LLC. Trustee or custodian: Northern Trust Company. The financial statements were audited by Crowe LLP. 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 from a limited-scope audit, in which the accountant did not audit investment information certified by a bank or insurance company. 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 Dec 2024 to 30 Nov 2025, received by the Department of Labor on 15 Sep 2026. 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 Sep 2026. This page shows the latest filing on record for EIN 36-2704017, plan 010, received 15 Sep 2026; 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.