District of Columbia › Other services › 1,000 to 4,999 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
Afscme Employees Pension Plan
Sponsored by American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Washington, DC
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.
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees of Washington, District of Columbia sponsors Afscme Employees Pension Plan, a defined benefit pension plan. Its Form 5500 for the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024 shows 4,659 participants (1,741 active) and $1.64B in net assets. It is a multiple-employer plan covering the employees of more than one employer.
Net assets came to $350,946 per participant, well above the $87,935 median for defined benefit plans with 1,000 to 4,999 participants and well above the $110,377 median for defined benefit plans in other services. 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 $36.9M for the year ($21,219 per active participant) and benefits paid were $87.9M. 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 12 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $3.4M: $738 per participant, well above the same-size median of $325. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $4.0M. 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 $793M in 2009 to $1.64B in 2024 (up 106%), and participants from 3,589 to 4,659 (up 30%).
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 | $350,946 | $87,935 | $110,377 | $86,221 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $21,219 | $10,593 | $13,001 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $738 | $325 | $486 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.21% | 0.41% | 0.44% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $854 | $513 | $662 | $527 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined benefit plans with 100 or more participants: 1,000 to 4,999 participants (1,540 plans), other services (226) 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 | 4,659 | $1.64B | $350,946 | $36.9M | $10.8M | $3.4M |
| 2023 | 4,558 | $1.62B | $354,704 | $37.1M | $10.2M | $4.1M |
| 2022 | 4,593 | $1.44B | $313,962 | $31.9M | $10.0M | $3.3M |
| 2021 | 4,478 | $1.72B | $384,703 | $26.7M | $10.1M | $3.5M |
| 2020 | 4,461 | $1.56B | $349,308 | $16.9M | $9.8M | $3.3M |
| 2019 | 4,322 | $1.44B | $333,353 | $28.7M | $9.5M | $3.3M |
| 2018 | 4,300 | $1.26B | $293,379 | $21.9M | $9.5M | $3.1M |
| 2017 | 4,218 | $1.36B | $321,260 | $22.3M | $9.4M | $2.7M |
| 2016 | 4,087 | $1.23B | $301,416 | $22.2M | $9.2M | $2.7M |
| 2015 | 4,034 | $1.16B | $288,341 | $34.3M | $8.7M | $3.0M |
| 2014 | 3,979 | $1.18B | $296,144 | $16.9M | $7.2M | $4.5M |
| 2013 | 3,805 | $1.11B | $292,800 | $14.8M | $5.8M | $4.6M |
| 2012 | 3,826 | $958M | $250,358 | $14.7M | $5.8M | $4.0M |
| 2011 | 3,798 | $888M | $233,733 | $14.4M | $5.7M | $3.8M |
| 2010 | 3,757 | $877M | $233,429 | $13.5M | $5.4M | $3.6M |
| 2009 | 3,589 | $793M | $220,958 | $12.8M | $5.2M | $3.3M |
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$1,616,742,138
- Employer contributions$36,942,453
- Participant contributions$10,825,801
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$47,768,254
- Total income, including investment results$110,200,488
- Benefits paid$87,903,945
- Administrative expenses$3,979,946
- Total expenses$91,883,891
- Net income$18,316,597
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$1,635,058,735
Participants
- Active participants1,741
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits1,984
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits686
- Total participants, end of year4,659
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nisa | Investment management | $1,135,827 | $0 |
| Afscme | Contract Administrator | $583,379 | $0 |
| Mercer (US) LLC | Actuarial | $482,687 | $0 |
| Newton Investment Management North | Investment management | $437,346 | $0 |
| State Street Bank & Trust Company | Custodial (securities); Trustee (directed) | $368,300 | $0 |
| Mercer Investment LLC | Investment advisory (plan) | $121,364 | $0 |
| State Street Global Advisors | Custodial (securities) | $98,250 | $0 |
| Withumsmith+brown PC | Accounting (including auditing) | $77,426 | $0 |
| Pension Benefit Information, LLC | Other services | $60,000 | $0 |
| Rhumbline Advisors | Investment management | $37,127 | $0 |
| Bredhoff & Kaiser PLLC | Legal | $26,800 | $0 |
| Institutional Shareholders Services | Consulting (general) | $9,126 | $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$1,843,965
- Other administrative expenses$597,389
- Salaries and allowances$583,379
- Actuarial fees$482,687
- Trustee and custodial fees$368,300
- IQPA audit fees$77,426
- Legal fees$26,800
- Total administrative expenses$3,979,946
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.
- Common/collective trusts$822M · 50.1%
- Corporate debt instruments$640M · 39.1%
- Other investments$86.0M · 5.2%
- Cash (interest and non-interest bearing)$52.4M · 3.2%
- Receivables$35.8M · 2.2%
- U.S. Government securities$3.2M · 0.2%
- Corporate stocks$31K · 0.0%
- Buildings and other property used in plan operation$5,200 · 0.0%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)No
- Accounting firmWithumsmith+brown PC
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $500,000
- 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 related
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 813930: Labor Unions and Similar Labor Organizations.
Other plans of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| Afscme Employees Salary Savings Plan | 1,561 | $205M |
Similar plans in District of Columbia
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aarp Employees' Pension Plan | Aarp | 5,813 | $1.57B | $270,431 |
| Pension Plan for Employees of the Service Employee Int'l Union | Service Employees Intl Union | 4,654 | $371M | $79,631 |
| The General Pension Plan of the International Union of Operating Engineers | Pension BD of the General Pension Plan of the Int'l Union of Operating | 6,844 | $1.21B | $176,457 |
| AFL-CIO Staff Retirement Plan | AFL-CIO Staff Retirement Plan Congress of Industrial Organizations | 4,555 | $775M | $170,105 |
| UFCW Intl Union Pension Plan for Employees | Executive Committee of the U.F.C.W Intl Union | 7,935 | $1.15B | $145,411 |
| Employees' Retirement Plan of the National Education Association | The National Education Association | 2,972 | $901M | $303,217 |
Defined benefit plans in other services closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Afscme Employees Pension Plan?
4,659 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 1,741 were active employees, with net assets of $1,635,058,735. Among defined benefit plans that places it in the 1,000 to 4,999 participants band, which held 1,540 plans in plan year 2024.
What does American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees contribute per participant?
The filing reports $36,942,453 in employer contributions for the year, which is $21,219 per active participant; the median for plans of the same type and size was $10,593 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 $3,437,632 in compensation to service provider organisations, $738 per participant or 0.21% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $325 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $3,979,946. 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 American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Recordkeeping or administration: Afscme. Investment advisory or management: Nisa, Newton Investment Management North and Mercer Investment LLC. Trustee or custodian: State Street Bank & Trust Company and State Street Global Advisors. The financial statements were audited by Withumsmith+brown 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 15 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 53-0237789, plan 001, received 15 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.