Maryland › Construction › 100 to 249 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 May 2024 to 30 Apr 2025
Retirement Plan of the Plumbers & Steamfitters Local No 489
Sponsored by Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 489 Pension Trust Fund Trustees, Cumberland, MD
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.
In the plan year ending 30 Apr 2025, Retirement Plan of the Plumbers & Steamfitters Local No 489 covered 238 participants and held $27.9M in net assets. The plan is a defined benefit pension plan sponsored by Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 489 Pension Trust Fund Trustees of Cumberland, Maryland. It is a multiemployer plan, maintained under collective bargaining agreements with more than one employer.
Net assets came to $117,038 per participant, well above the $80,635 median for defined benefit plans with 100 to 249 participants and above the $100,593 median for defined benefit 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.
Employer contributions were $1.5M for the year ($13,394 per active participant) and benefits paid were $2.0M. 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 7 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $378K: $1,587 per participant, well above the same-size median of $451. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $400K. 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 $13.6M in 2009 to $27.9M in 2024 (up 104%), and participants from 247 to 238 (down 4%).
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 DB plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $117,038 | $80,635 | $100,593 | $86,221 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $13,394 | $9,975 | $13,292 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $1,587 | $451 | $443 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 1.4% | 0.52% | 0.46% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $1,679 | $582 | $596 | $527 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined benefit plans with 100 or more participants: 100 to 249 participants (1,156 plans), construction (655) 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 | 238 | $27.9M | $117,038 | $1.5M | — | $378K |
| 2023 | 233 | $27.1M | $116,202 | $1.4M | — | $349K |
| 2022 | 234 | $24.4M | $104,385 | $1.5M | — | $328K |
| 2021 | 236 | $24.5M | $103,682 | $1.4M | — | $355K |
| 2020 | 235 | $26.4M | $112,187 | $1.4M | — | $325K |
| 2019 | 240 | $19.6M | $81,833 | $1.7M | — | $255K |
| 2018 | 231 | $20.8M | $89,831 | $1.5M | — | $297K |
| 2017 | 215 | $19.8M | $91,958 | $1.5M | — | $288K |
| 2016 | 209 | $18.0M | $86,014 | $1.3M | — | $246K |
| 2015 | 204 | $17.1M | $83,877 | $859K | — | $256K |
| 2014 | 212 | $19.9M | $93,792 | $1.2M | — | $255K |
| 2013 | 216 | $18.8M | $87,139 | $1.1M | — | $223K |
| 2012 | 224 | $17.2M | $77,004 | $989K | — | $202K |
| 2011 | 230 | $16.1M | $70,204 | $912K | — | $194K |
| 2010 | 237 | $16.0M | $67,612 | $1.2M | — | $179K |
| 2009 | 247 | $13.6M | $55,154 | $870K | — | $193K |
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$27,075,256
- Employer contributions$1,526,860
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$1,526,860
- Total income, including investment results$3,149,087
- Benefits paid$1,969,598
- Administrative expenses$399,646
- Total expenses$2,369,244
- Net income$779,843
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$27,855,099
Participants
- Active participants114
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits70
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits54
- Total participants, end of year238
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC | Custodial (securities); Investment advisory (plan); Securities brokerage; Other services | $272,022 | $0 |
| Frank Gordon Gerwig & Associates | Plan Administrator | $42,350 | $0 |
| Turnbull, Hoover & Kahl PA | Accounting (including auditing) | $29,750 | $0 |
| CBIZ Benefits and Insurance Service | Actuarial | $18,575 | $0 |
| Beins, Axelrod P.C. | Legal | $15,040 | $0 |
| KKR Funds | Other services | $0 | $0 |
| GQG Partners | Other services | $0 | $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
- Investment advisory and management fees$272,022
- Contract administrator fees$42,350
- IQPA audit fees$29,750
- Actuarial fees$22,825
- Other administrative expenses$17,659
- Legal fees$15,040
- Total administrative expenses$399,646
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)$15.1M · 54.3%
- Corporate stocks$10.4M · 37.5%
- Corporate debt instruments$947K · 3.4%
- Cash (interest and non-interest bearing)$693K · 2.5%
- Real estate$340K · 1.2%
- U.S. Government securities$299K · 1.1%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)No
- Accounting firmTurnbull, Hoover, & Kahl, P.A.
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $150,000
- 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
1BBenefits are primarily flat dollar (includes dollars per year of service)
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 238220: Plumbing, Heating, & Air-Conditioning Contractors.
Similar plans in Maryland
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stone and Marble Masons of Metropolitan Washington D.C. Pension Fund | Board of Trustees, Stone & Marble Masons Pension Fund | 493 | $73.4M | $148,968 |
| Ironworkers 568 Retirement Plan | The Board of Trustees of the Ironworkers 568 Retirement Plan | 166 | $10.8M | $65,199 |
| Bricklayers & Allied Craftsmen Local 1 of MD, Va & DC Baltimore Chapter Pension Fund | Bricklayers & Allied Craftsmen Local 1 of MD, Va & DC Balt Chapter Pen | 619 | $46.6M | $75,302 |
| Washington DC Cement Masons' Pension Fund | Board of Trustees, Washington DC Cement Masons' Pension Trust Fund | 737 | $26.5M | $35,916 |
| Marble, Tile, and Terrazzo Workers Pension Fund | Board of Trustees of the Marble,tile and Terrazzo | 759 | $36.7M | $48,315 |
| Pension Fund Local 96-IBEW | Board of Trustees-Pension Fund Local 96-IBEW | 823 | $68.7M | $83,459 |
Defined benefit plans in construction closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Retirement Plan of the Plumbers & Steamfitters Local No 489?
238 participants at the end of the plan year ending 30 Apr 2025, of whom 114 were active employees, with net assets of $27,855,099. Among defined benefit plans that places it in the 100 to 249 participants band, which held 1,156 plans in plan year 2024.
What does Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 489 Pension Trust Fund Trustees contribute per participant?
The filing reports $1,526,860 in employer contributions for the year, which is $13,394 per active participant; the median for plans of the same type and size was $9,975 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 $377,737 in compensation to service provider organisations, $1,587 per participant or 1.4% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $451 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $399,646. 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 Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 489 Pension Trust Fund Trustees. Recordkeeping or administration: Frank Gordon Gerwig & Associates. Investment advisory or management: Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC. Trustee or custodian: Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC. The financial statements were audited by Turnbull, Hoover, & Kahl, P.A.. 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 May 2024 to 30 Apr 2025, received by the Department of Labor on 9 Feb 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 Aug 2026. This page shows the latest filing on record for EIN 52-0580681, plan 001, received 9 Feb 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.