Georgia › Utilities › 25,000 or more participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
The Southern Company Pension Plan
Sponsored by Southern Company Services, Inc., Atlanta, GA
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.
Southern Company Services, Inc. of Atlanta, Georgia sponsors The Southern Company Pension Plan, a defined benefit pension plan. Its Form 5500 for the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024 shows 58,166 participants (26,369 active) and $15.0B in net assets.
Net assets came to $257,844 per participant, well above the $88,040 median for defined benefit plans with 25,000 or more participants and well above the $187,668 median for defined benefit plans in utilities. The figure is an average across everyone in the plan, including former employees with small balances; Form 5500 holds no individual account data.
Schedule C lists 15 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $65.5M: $1,126 per participant, well above the same-size median of $143. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $79.1M. 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 $5.83B in 2009 to $15.0B in 2024 (up 157%), and participants from 48,406 to 58,166 (up 20%).
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 | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DB plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $257,844 | $88,040 | $187,668 | $86,221 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | — | $6,524 | $12,900 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $1,126 | $143 | $468 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.44% | 0.26% | 0.27% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $1,359 | $306 | $804 | $527 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined benefit plans with 100 or more participants: 25,000 or more participants (215 plans), utilities (175) 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 | 58,166 | $15.0B | $257,844 | — | — | $65.5M |
| 2023 | 57,548 | $15.1B | $262,266 | — | — | $69.7M |
| 2022 | 56,804 | $14.6B | $256,899 | — | — | $79.9M |
| 2021 | 56,617 | $17.8B | $315,005 | — | — | $76.3M |
| 2020 | 56,737 | $16.0B | $281,292 | — | — | $58.2M |
| 2019 | 56,304 | $14.4B | $256,221 | $1.14B | — | $62.6M |
| 2018 | 56,096 | $12.0B | $213,287 | — | — | $57.8M |
| 2017 | 49,630 | $13.3B | $268,699 | — | — | $49.3M |
| 2016 | 50,310 | $10.9B | $216,799 | $900M | — | $45.2M |
| 2015 | 49,511 | $9.53B | $192,571 | — | — | $47.2M |
| 2014 | 50,648 | $10.0B | $197,561 | $500M | — | $42.9M |
| 2013 | 50,172 | $9.05B | $180,390 | — | — | $36.4M |
| 2012 | 49,726 | $8.21B | $165,191 | $445M | — | $38.0M |
| 2011 | 48,872 | $7.03B | $143,854 | — | — | $30.1M |
| 2010 | 48,417 | $7.05B | $145,684 | $620M | — | $29.3M |
| 2009 | 48,406 | $5.83B | $120,401 | — | — | $54.6M |
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$15,092,898,707
- Employer contributions—
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$0
- Total income, including investment results$660,015,849
- Benefits paid$676,097,909
- Administrative expenses$79,073,082
- Total expenses$755,170,991
- Net income−$95,155,142
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$14,997,743,565
Participants
- Active participants26,369
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits22,432
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits4,891
- Total participants, end of year58,166
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alight Solutions LLC | Recordkeeping and information management | $2,966,401 | $0 |
| JP Morgan Investment Management Inc. | Investment management; Investment advisory (plan) | $2,873,570 | $0 |
| Mondrian Investment Partners | Investment management | $2,660,662 | $0 |
| Aberdeen Investments Inc. | Investment management | $2,428,669 | $0 |
| Invesco Advisers, Inc. | Investment management | $2,334,816 | $0 |
| Pacific Investment Mgmt,inc (Pimco) | Investment management | $2,084,567 | $0 |
| Morgan Stanley Prime Property | Investment management | $2,012,641 | $0 |
| Southern Company Services | Plan Administrator | $1,775,218 | $0 |
| T. Rowe Price Associates Inc. | Investment management | $1,734,510 | $0 |
| Prudential Prisa | Investment management | $1,624,390 | $0 |
| Driehaus Capital Management LLC | Investment management | $1,580,201 | $0 |
| Hig Growth & Buyouts Equity FD III | Investment management | $1,575,328 | $0 |
Schedule C, Part I line 2: providers that received $5,000 or more, with the form's own service codes. 3 smaller rows are not shown. 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$57,779,978
- Other administrative expenses$16,012,810
- Recordkeeping fees$2,966,401
- Other trustee fees and expenses$1,220,704
- Actuarial fees$659,769
- Legal fees$206,430
- IQPA audit fees$164,976
- Contract administrator fees$62,014
- Total administrative expenses$79,073,082
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.
- Corporate stocks$4.51B · 29.5%
- Partnership/joint venture interests$2.27B · 14.8%
- Common/collective trusts$2.00B · 13.0%
- Registered investment companies (mutual funds)$1.89B · 12.4%
- Corporate debt instruments$1.78B · 11.6%
- U.S. Government securities$1.74B · 11.3%
- Real estate$325M · 2.1%
- Cash (interest and non-interest bearing)$301M · 2.0%
- Receivables$234M · 1.5%
- Pooled separate accounts$181M · 1.2%
- Other investments$86.1M · 0.6%
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, $50,000,000
- 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 related1DFloor-offset plan1ECode section 401(h) arrangement3HPlan sponsor(s) is (are) a member(s) of a controlled group3FPlan sponsor(s) received services of leased employees
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 221100: Electric Power Generation, Transmission & Distribution.
Other plans of Southern Company Services, Inc.
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| The Southern Company Employee Savings Plan | 35,609 | $9.30B |
Similar plans in Georgia
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walton Electric Membership Corporation Pension Plan | Walton Electric Membership Corp. | 144 | $58.9M | $409,293 |
Defined benefit plans in utilities closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is The Southern Company Pension Plan?
58,166 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 26,369 were active employees, with net assets of $14,997,743,565. Among defined benefit plans that places it in the 25,000 or more participants band, which held 215 plans in plan year 2024.
What does Southern Company Services, Inc. contribute per participant?
This filing has no Schedule H financial statement, so employer contributions are not reported here.
What fees does the plan pay and how do they compare?
Schedule C reports $65,481,248 in compensation to service provider organisations, $1,126 per participant or 0.44% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $143 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $79,073,082. 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 Southern Company Services, Inc.. Recordkeeping or administration: Alight Solutions LLC and Southern Company Services. Investment advisory or management: JP Morgan Investment Management Inc., Mondrian Investment Partners and Aberdeen Investments Inc.. 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 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 63-0274273, 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.