Illinois › Manufacturing › 5,000 to 24,999 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
Packaging Corporation of America Hourly Pension Plan
Sponsored by Packaging Corporation of America, Lake Forest, 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.
Packaging Corporation of America Hourly Pension Plan is a defined benefit pension plan sponsored by Packaging Corporation of America of Lake Forest, Illinois. For the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024 it reported 7,436 participants, 2,774 of them active, and net assets of $352M.
Net assets came to $47,288 per participant, well below the $87,623 median for defined benefit plans with 5,000 to 24,999 participants and well below the $67,961 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.
The filing reports no service provider compensation on Schedule C. That is common where fees are paid by the employer or taken from investment returns, neither of which appears there. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $788K.
Across the filings on record, net assets went from $85.5M in 2009 to $352M in 2024 (up 311%), and participants from 7,057 to 7,436 (up 5%).
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 | $47,288 | $87,623 | $67,961 | $86,221 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | — | $9,468 | $6,915 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | — | $232 | $299 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | — | 0.30% | 0.47% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $106 | $396 | $498 | $527 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined benefit plans with 100 or more participants: 5,000 to 24,999 participants (651 plans), manufacturing (1,532) and all US plans (5,308). 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 | 7,436 | $352M | $47,288 | — | — | $0 |
| 2023 | 7,619 | $371M | $48,659 | — | — | $0 |
| 2022 | 7,702 | $350M | $45,409 | $25.0M | — | $0 |
| 2021 | 7,830 | $442M | $56,475 | $30.0M | — | $0 |
| 2020 | 7,947 | $398M | $50,024 | $30.0M | — | $0 |
| 2019 | 7,693 | $329M | $42,773 | $34.6M | — | $0 |
| 2018 | 8,040 | $258M | $32,116 | $29.1M | — | $0 |
| 2017 | 8,279 | $253M | $30,544 | $11.3M | — | $0 |
| 2016 | 8,241 | $221M | $26,866 | $28.2M | — | $0 |
| 2015 | 7,868 | $196M | $24,867 | $26.4M | — | $0 |
| 2014 | 8,113 | $176M | $21,673 | — | — | $0 |
| 2013 | 8,374 | $174M | $20,800 | — | — | $0 |
| 2012 | 7,949 | $165M | $20,786 | $19.0M | — | $0 |
| 2011 | 8,017 | $136M | $16,947 | $29.4M | — | $0 |
| 2010 | 7,271 | $109M | $15,005 | $16.7M | — | $0 |
| 2009 | 7,057 | $85.5M | $12,116 | $7.5M | — | $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$370,736,334
- Employer contributions—
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$0
- Total income, including investment results−$3,107,519
- Benefits paid$15,204,556
- Administrative expenses$787,688
- Total expenses$15,992,244
- Net income−$19,099,763
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$351,636,571
Participants
- Active participants2,774
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits2,163
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits2,116
- Total participants, end of year7,436
Fees and service providers
No service provider organisations are listed on Schedule C for this plan year.
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
- Other administrative expenses$764,267
- Trustee and custodial fees$23,421
- Total administrative expenses$787,688
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.
- Master trust investment accounts$352M · 100.0%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)Yes
- Accounting firmGrant Thornton LLP
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $15,000,000
- 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
1BBenefits are primarily flat dollar (includes dollars per year of service)3FPlan 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 322100: Pulp, Paper, & Paperboard Mills.
Other plans of Packaging Corporation of America
Similar plans in Illinois
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Motors, LLC Hourly Employees Pension Plan No. 2 | International Motors, LLC | 7,644 | $119M | $15,631 |
| Retirement Plan for Great Dane LLC | Great Dane LLC | 6,290 | $298M | $47,358 |
| Usg Corporation Retirement Plan | Usg Corporation | 9,208 | $612M | $66,456 |
| Mondelez Global LLC Retirement Plan | Mondelez Global LLC | 5,433 | $912M | $167,793 |
| Cleveland-Cliffs Steel LLC Pension Plan | Cleveland-Cliffs Steel LLC | 10,492 | $2.00B | $190,441 |
| Compensation at Retirement Plan | The Boler Company | 5,145 | $293M | $57,029 |
Defined benefit plans in manufacturing closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Packaging Corporation of America Hourly Pension Plan?
7,436 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 2,774 were active employees, with net assets of $351,636,571. Among defined benefit plans that places it in the 5,000 to 24,999 participants band, which held 651 plans in plan year 2024.
What does Packaging Corporation of America contribute per participant?
This filing has no Schedule H financial statement, so employer contributions are not reported here.
What fees does the plan pay and how do they compare?
Schedule C reports no provider compensation for the year. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $787,688. 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 Packaging Corporation of America. The financial statements were audited by Grant Thornton 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 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024, received by the Department of Labor on 8 Oct 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 36-4277050, plan 003, received 8 Oct 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.