North Carolina › Professional, scientific and technical services › 100 to 249 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2025 to 31 Dec 2025
Cline Design Employee Stock Ownership Plan
Sponsored by Cline Design Associates, P.A., Raleigh, NC
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 31 Dec 2025, Cline Design Employee Stock Ownership Plan covered 134 participants and held $1.1M in net assets. The plan is an employee stock ownership plan sponsored by Cline Design Associates, P.A. of Raleigh, North Carolina.
Net assets came to $6,964 per participant in plan year 2024, well below the $60,185 median for defined contribution plans with 100 to 249 participants and well below the $73,951 median for defined contribution plans in professional, scientific and technical services. The figure is an average across everyone in the plan, including former employees with small balances; Form 5500 holds no individual account data.
The employer contributed $380K during the year, or $3,842 per active participant against a same-size median of $2,447; participants contributed —. Benefits paid out totalled $35K.
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 $540.
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, plan year 2024 | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DC plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $6,964 | $60,185 | $73,951 | $53,102 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $3,274 | $2,447 | $3,219 | $2,175 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | — | $194 | $148 | $123 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | — | 0.32% | 0.22% | 0.26% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $1,411 | $176 | $140 | $116 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined contribution plans with 100 or more participants: 100 to 249 participants (21,996 plans), professional, scientific and technical services (9,776) and all US plans (63,460). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 134 | $1.1M | $7,978 | $380K | — | $0 |
| 2024 | 122 | $850K | $6,967 | $347K | — | $0 |
| 2023 | 123 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022 | 116 | — | — | — | — | — |
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$849,664
- Employer contributions$380,327
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$380,327
- Total income, including investment results$419,975
- Benefits paid$35,255
- Administrative expenses$540
- Total expenses$201,124
- Net income$218,851
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$1,068,515
Participants
- Active participants99
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits2
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits32
- Participants with account balances112
- Total participants, end of year134
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$540
- Total administrative expenses$540
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.
- Employer securities$5.1M · 100.0%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)Yes
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $600,000
- 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
2IStock bonus2PLeveraged ESOP
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 541310: Architectural Services.
Other plans of Cline Design Associates, P.A.
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| Cline Design Associates PA 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan and Trust | 167 | $12.5M |
Similar plans in North Carolina
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ska Consulting Engineers, Inc. Thrift Savings Plan | Ska Consulting Engineers, Inc. | 136 | $29.5M | $216,950 |
| Tradecentric, LLC 401(k) Plan | Tradecentric, LLC | 133 | $6.1M | $45,585 |
| Bowe Systec North America 401(k) | Bowe Systec North America | 136 | $12.5M | $91,911 |
| L.E. Wooten & Company Profit Sharing Savings Plan | L.E. Wooten & Company DBA the Wooten Company | 132 | $20.2M | $153,017 |
| Tax Management Assoc. Inc. 401(k) & PS Plan | Tax Management Associates, Inc. | 138 | $9.1M | $65,679 |
| Rei Engineers, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan | Rei Engineers, Inc. | 128 | — | — |
Defined contribution plans in professional, scientific and technical services closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Cline Design Employee Stock Ownership Plan?
134 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2025, of whom 99 were active employees, with net assets of $1,068,515. Among defined contribution plans that places it in the 100 to 249 participants band, which held 21,996 plans in plan year 2024.
What does Cline Design Associates, P.A. contribute per participant?
The filing reports $380,327 in employer contributions for the year, which is $3,842 per active participant; the median for plans of the same type and size was $2,447 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 no provider compensation for the year. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $540. 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 Cline Design Associates, 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 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 2025 to 31 Dec 2025, received by the Department of Labor on 24 Jul 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 56-1664790, plan 002, received 24 Jul 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.