Kentucky › Manufacturing › 1,000 to 4,999 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
Brown-Forman Corporation Salaried Employees Retirement Plan
Sponsored by Brown-Forman Corporation, Louisville, KY
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 2024, Brown-Forman Corporation Salaried Employees Retirement Plan covered 2,908 participants and held $478M in net assets. The plan is a cash balance pension plan sponsored by Brown-Forman Corporation of Louisville, Kentucky.
Net assets came to $164,320 per participant, well above the $87,935 median for defined benefit plans with 1,000 to 4,999 participants and well above 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.
Employer contributions were $4.9M for the year ($3,964 per active participant) and benefits paid were $30.9M. 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 3 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $590K: $203 per participant, well below the same-size median of $325. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $942K. 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 $299M in 2009 to $478M in 2024 (up 60%), and participants from 3,294 to 2,908 (down 12%).
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 | $164,320 | $87,935 | $67,961 | $86,221 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $3,964 | $10,593 | $6,915 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $203 | $325 | $299 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.12% | 0.41% | 0.47% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $324 | $513 | $498 | $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), 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 | 2,908 | $478M | $164,320 | $4.9M | — | $590K |
| 2023 | 2,933 | $499M | $170,186 | $5.5M | — | $577K |
| 2022 | 2,921 | $560M | $191,560 | $10.0M | — | $552K |
| 2021 | 2,939 | $705M | $240,034 | $1.7M | — | $642K |
| 2020 | 2,963 | $701M | $236,490 | $5.7M | — | $499K |
| 2019 | 2,942 | $663M | $225,332 | $11.1M | — | $329K |
| 2018 | 2,883 | $601M | $208,515 | $10.5M | — | $474K |
| 2017 | 2,906 | $678M | $233,350 | $112M | — | $396K |
| 2016 | 2,909 | $521M | $178,985 | $27.0M | — | $385K |
| 2015 | 2,919 | $500M | $171,261 | $23.5M | — | $399K |
| 2014 | 2,879 | $520M | $180,701 | $18.0M | — | $349K |
| 2013 | 2,873 | $496M | $172,540 | $9.0M | — | $693K |
| 2012 | 2,970 | $474M | $159,431 | $25.5M | — | $563K |
| 2011 | 3,305 | $421M | $127,312 | $35.5M | — | $345K |
| 2010 | 3,308 | $385M | $116,290 | $63.5M | — | $396K |
| 2009 | 3,294 | $299M | $90,773 | $33.8M | — | $323K |
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$499,156,474
- Employer contributions$4,900,000
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$4,900,000
- Total income, including investment results$10,525,079
- Benefits paid$30,895,806
- Administrative expenses$942,042
- Total expenses$31,837,848
- Net income−$21,312,769
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$477,843,705
Participants
- Active participants1,236
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits986
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits538
- Total participants, end of year2,908
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aon Consulting Inc. | Actuarial | $467,153 | $0 |
| Cherry Bekaert Advisory LLC | Accounting (including auditing) | $103,266 | $0 |
| Crowe LLP | Accounting (including auditing) | $19,635 | $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
- Actuarial fees$467,153
- Other administrative expenses$351,988
- Contract administrator fees$103,266
- IQPA audit fees$19,635
- Total administrative expenses$942,042
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$473M · 99.0%
- Receivables$4.9M · 1.0%
- Corporate stocks$815 · 0.0%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)No
- Accounting firmCrowe LLP
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $20,000,000
- 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
1ABenefits are primarily pay related1CCash balance or similar plan3HPlan 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 312140: Distilleries.
Other plans of Brown-Forman Corporation
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| Brown-Forman Corporation Savings Plan | 2,709 | $649M |
| Brown-Forman Corporation Hourly Employees Retirement Plan | 779 | $50.9M |
| Brown-Forman Corporation Savings Plan for Collectively Bargained Employee | 421 | $35.9M |
| Brown-Forman Corporation Retirement Plan | 316 | $35.0M |
| Brown-Forman Corporation Pension Plan for Hourly Employees | 181 | $17.2M |
Similar plans in Kentucky
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashland Hercules Pension Plan | Valvoline LLC | 3,845 | $924M | $240,336 |
| Lexmark Retirement Growth Account Plan | Lexmark International, Inc. | 2,529 | $313M | $123,851 |
| Ashland Hercules Pension Plan II | Valvoline LLC | 8,156 | $441M | $54,120 |
| Commonwealth Rolled Products, Inc. Hourly Employees Pension Plan | Commonwealth Rolled Products, Inc. | 1,990 | $117M | $58,831 |
| Prysmian Pension Plan | Prysmian Cables and Sys USA, LLC | 1,718 | $76.0M | $44,258 |
| Logan Aluminum Pension Plan | Logan Aluminum Inc. | 1,246 | $287M | $230,500 |
Defined benefit plans in manufacturing closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Brown-Forman Corporation Salaried Employees Retirement Plan?
2,908 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 1,236 were active employees, with net assets of $477,843,705. 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 Brown-Forman Corporation contribute per participant?
The filing reports $4,900,000 in employer contributions for the year, which is $3,964 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 $590,054 in compensation to service provider organisations, $203 per participant or 0.12% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $325 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $942,042. 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 Brown-Forman Corporation. The financial statements were audited by Crowe 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. 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 13 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 61-0143150, plan 002, received 13 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.