Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plandefined benefit pension plan: employer contributions, fees and assets
2024Form 5500 for plan year 2024
The filing shows $1,552 of employer contributions for each active participant in the plan year that ended 28 Dec 2025. Form 5500 does not state the match formula.
- Sponsor
- Lee Enterprises, Incorporated, Davenport, IA
- EIN and plan number
- 42-0823980, plan 003
- Plan type
- defined benefit pension. Single-employer plan
- Plan year
- to
- Filing received
What this filing shows
At the end of the plan year that ended 28 Dec 2025, the plan had 1,800 participants.
Net assets were $184,075,319 at the end of that plan year.
Employer contributions were $1,552 for each active participant in that plan year.
By participants, it was number 9 of 51 defined benefit plans with 100 or more participants and a filing address in Iowa.
By net assets, it was number 9 of 50.
Its net assets rose by 1.3% from plan year 2023 to 2024.
Net assets of the 1,590 defined benefit plans with 1,000 to 4,999 participants in plan year 2023 that filed for both years rose by 1.2%.
Its employer contributions for each active participant were $1,552 in plan year 2024.
The median of defined benefit plans with 1,000 to 4,999 participants was $10,473.
Form 5500 does not state the match formula.
What Form 5500 does not show
- The match formula. The form gives the total of the employer contributions for a plan year.
- Fund expense ratios. The fees on the form are the administrative expenses of the plan and the Schedule C compensation.
- The account of a person. The form gives totals for the plan.
While applicable plans are required to file a Form 5500 or Form 5500-SF annually, multiple filings may exist for a plan’s single form year if a plan amends their original filing or if a duplicate filing was erroneously submitted.
The dataset listed as “Latest” includes only the latest filing received for a plan with a filing status of “FILING_RECEIVED”.
EBSA wrote these sentences. Copied from Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 Datasets Guide on .
In plain words: this page shows the latest filing on record for each plan. A plan can amend a filing, and an amended filing replaces the earlier one at the next update. Source of the figures: the Form 5500 datasets, filings received through . The Department of Labor received this filing on .
Contributions
Position among plans of the same type and size. The group: 1,564 defined benefit plans with 1,000 to 4,999 participants, plan year 2024.
- Employer contributionsPlan year that ended 28 Dec 2025. Cash from employers, Schedule H line 2a(1)(A)
- $273,104
- Active participants28 Dec 2025
- 176
- Employer contributions for each active participant
- $1,552
The plan is at the 11th percentile of the group. The quartiles of the group are $4,592, $10,473 and $18,774. Among plans of the same sector, the plan is at the 17th percentile.
- Participant contributionsPlan year that ended 28 Dec 2025
- no figure
- Rollovers and other contributions
- no figure
- Participant contributions for each active participant
- no figure
- Total contributionsPlan year that ended 28 Dec 2025. Schedule H line 2a(3)
- $273,104
A percentile gives a position in the group. It does not grade the plan. Groups: plans with 1,000 to 4,999 participants, Information sector.
Fees that the filing shows
The fees on this page are the administrative expenses of the plan and the Schedule C compensation. Fund expense ratios are not in Form 5500.
- Actuarial fees
- $723,016
- Other administrative expenses
- $251,319
- Recordkeeping fees
- $183,477
- Trustee and custodial fees
- $76,426
- Legal fees
- $70,839
- Investment advisory and management fees
- $4,505
- Administrative expenses, Schedule HPlan year that ended 28 Dec 2025
- $1,309,582
The plan is at the 69th percentile of the group. The quartiles of the group are $314, $513 and $819. Among plans of the same sector, the plan is at the 53rd percentile.
- Direct compensation
- $1,061,263
- Indirect compensation
- $0
- Schedule C compensation to organisationsPlan year that ended 28 Dec 2025
- $1,061,263
The plan is at the 83rd percentile of the group. The quartiles of the group are $196, $325 and $502. Among plans of the same sector, the plan is at the 80th percentile.
The group for a fee line has only the plans that report an amount. Guide: how to read Schedule C fees
Assets and participants
- Net assets at the start of the plan year
- $181,636,643
- Total income, with the result of the investments
- $18,315,186
- Benefits paid
- $14,566,928
- Total expenses
- $15,876,510
- Net income
- $2,438,676
- Net transfers
- $0
- Net assets, 28 Dec 2025
- $184,075,319
- Active participants
- 176
- Retired or separated, with benefits now
- 956
- Retired or separated, with benefits later
- 532
- Participants, 28 Dec 2025
- 1,800
The plan is at the 58th percentile of the group. The quartiles of the group are $52,877, $87,371 and $135,922. Among plans of the same sector, the plan is at the 65th percentile.
Net assets for each participant is an average of the plan. Form 5500 has no account balance of a person.
Plan years on file
| Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Schedule C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1,800 | $184M | $273K | no figure | $1.1M |
| 2023 | 1,869 | $182M | no figure | no figure | $1.1M |
| 2022 | 1,948 | $193M | no figure | no figure | $1.6M |
| 2021 | 2,502 | $211M | $112K | no figure | $1.5M |
Assets by Schedule H category, 28 Dec 2025
- Master trust investment accounts
- $184M 100.0%
The form shows the type of the investment vehicle. It does not list the funds of the plan.
Service providers on Schedule C
| Organisation | Services in the filing | Direct compensation | Indirect compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aon Consulting | Actuarial; Consulting (general) | $726,016 | $0 |
| State Street | Custodial (other than securities); Trustee (bank, trust company, or similar financial institution); Investment management; Other services | $264,408 | $0 |
| Groom Law Group | Legal | $70,839 | $0 |
Schedule C lists a provider only when the plan paid it $5,000 or more. The site does not show persons that Schedule C names.
Other answers in the filing
- Opinion of the accountantSchedule H line 3a
- Unmodified
- Accountant performed an ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C) auditSchedule H line 3b
- Yes
- Accounting firmSchedule H line 3c
- Cohnreznick LLP
- Failure to transmit participant contributionsSchedule H line 4a
- No
- Fidelity bondSchedule H line 4d
- Yes, $500,000
- Blackout period in the plan yearSchedule H line 4m
- No
- 1ABenefits are primarily pay related
Plan characteristics codes of line 8a, with the labels of the Form 5500 instructions. Business code 511110: Newspaper Publishers.
The plan administrator gives these answers on Schedule H. The site shows the answers as filed. It draws no conclusion from them.
Line 3a. The attached opinion of an independent qualified public accountant for this plan is (see instructions):
The form has four choices: unmodified, qualified, disclaimer and adverse. Glossary
Line 4a. Was there a failure to transmit to the plan any participant contributions within the time period described in 29 CFR 2510.3-102? Continue to answer “Yes” for any prior year failures until fully corrected. (See instructions and DOL’s Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program.)
A “Yes” answer carries an amount. The line does not say why a transfer was late. Glossary
Form text copied from Department of Labor, Schedule H (Form 5500), editions 2024 and 2025 on .
Other plans of Lee Enterprises, Incorporated
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| Lee Enterprises, Inc. Employees Retirement Account Plan | 5,081 | $445M |
Plans of similar size in the same industry
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants |
|---|---|---|
| Newspaper and Mail Deliverers' Publishers' Pension Fund | Board of Trustees of Newspaper and Mail Deliverers' Publishers' Pensio | 2,314 |
| Media Guild Retirement Plan | Media Guild Retirement Plan | 1,790 |
| Guild-Times Adjustable Pension Plan | Board of Trustees of the Guild-Times Adjustable Pension Fund | 2,461 |
| The Seattle Times Pension Plan | Seattle Times Company | 1,464 |
| News Corp. Pension Plan | NC Transaction, Inc. | 2,583 |
| Amended and Restated Blethen Maine Newspapers, Inc. Pension Plan | Seattle Times Company | 1,299 |
| The San Diego Union-Tribune LLC Retirement Plan | The San Diego Union-Tribune LLC | 2,640 |
| Star Tribune Retirement Plan O | Star Tribune Media Company LLC | 978 |
| MG Advantage Retirement Plan | Nexstar Media Inc. | 3,595 |
| Paxton Media Group, LLC Retirement Plan | Paxton Media Group, LLC | 956 |
Official channels
- Form 5500 Filing Search, U.S. Department of Labor, EFAST2
The search of the Department of Labor for filed Form 5500 reports.
To find this plan there, look for: EIN 42-0823980Plan number 003
- EBSA publication about retirement plans, for participants, U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration
The publication explains how a retirement plan works.
The links open the sites of the Department of Labor in a new tab. The site confirmed the links on .
Cite this page
My Plan Facts. "Lee Enterprises, Incorporated Pension Plan." https://myplanfacts.com/plan/420823980-003-lee-enterprises-incorporated-pension-plan/. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 datasets, filings received through 24 Oct 2026.
Embed the figures
Where this page gets its figures
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 datasets (Form 5500, Schedule H, Schedule C), plan years 2009 to 2025. The datasets are in the public domain. This page shows the latest filing on record for EIN 42-0823980, plan 003. An amended filing replaces it at the next update. The site calculates the figures for each participant, the quartiles and the percentiles. How the figures are made. Report an error.
Questions
Does the filing show the employer match?
No. Form 5500 does not state the match formula. The filing shows total employer contributions of $273,104 for the plan year that ended 28 Dec 2025.
What fees does the filing show?
The plan reported $1,309,582 of administrative expenses for the plan year that ended 28 Dec 2025. Schedule C shows $1,061,263 of compensation to service providers. Fund expense ratios are not in Form 5500.
Which organisations give services to the plan?
Schedule C of the filing names 3 organisations. The table of service providers on this page gives the names, the services and the amounts. Schedule C lists a provider only when the plan paid it $5,000 or more.
How old are these figures?
The figures are for the plan year from 29 Dec 2024 to 28 Dec 2025. The Department of Labor received the filing on 15 Oct 2026. A filing is due by the last day of the 7th month after the plan year ends. An extension allows up to 9.5 months after the plan year ends.