Colorado › Professional, scientific and technical services › 100 to 249 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
Mountain States Employers Council, Inc. Thrift Plan & Trust
Sponsored by DBA Employers Council, Denver, CO
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.
Mountain States Employers Council, Inc. Thrift Plan & Trust is a 401(k) plan sponsored by DBA Employers Council of Denver, Colorado. For the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024 it reported 231 participants, 162 of them active, and net assets of $20.1M.
Net assets came to $86,950 per participant, well above the $60,185 median for defined contribution plans with 100 to 249 participants and above 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 $635K during the year, or $3,919 per active participant against a same-size median of $2,447; participants contributed $823K and $483K arrived as rollovers and other contributions. Benefits paid out totalled $5.1M.
Schedule C lists 3 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $27K: $116 per participant, well below the same-size median of $194. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $18K. 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 $15.6M in 2009 to $20.1M in 2024 (up 29%), and participants from 190 to 231 (up 22%).
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 DC plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $86,950 | $60,185 | $73,951 | $53,102 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $3,919 | $2,447 | $3,219 | $2,175 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $116 | $194 | $148 | $123 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.13% | 0.32% | 0.22% | 0.26% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $77.57 | $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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 231 | $20.1M | $86,952 | $635K | $823K | $27K |
| 2023 | 206 | $20.8M | $100,801 | $491K | $701K | $23K |
| 2022 | 234 | $20.3M | $86,667 | $489K | $724K | $26K |
| 2021 | 226 | $29.7M | $131,296 | $513K | $756K | $26K |
| 2020 | 240 | $28.1M | $117,054 | $477K | $772K | $27K |
| 2019 | 255 | $30.0M | $117,698 | $595K | $919K | $33K |
| 2018 | 242 | $25.6M | $105,674 | $612K | $936K | $16K |
| 2017 | 224 | $26.8M | $119,580 | $645K | $960K | $16K |
| 2016 | 222 | $23.9M | $107,617 | $581K | $947K | $16K |
| 2015 | 203 | $21.8M | $107,320 | $545K | $898K | $6,000 |
| 2014 | 197 | $21.3M | $108,127 | $455K | $778K | $23K |
| 2013 | 208 | $20.9M | $100,365 | $467K | $688K | $21K |
| 2012 | 202 | $17.5M | $86,515 | $441K | $654K | $13K |
| 2011 | 199 | $16.3M | $82,070 | $453K | $666K | $11K |
| 2010 | 195 | $17.6M | $90,277 | $423K | $622K | $0 |
| 2009 | 190 | $15.6M | $82,189 | $451K | $674K | $0 |
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$20,765,373
- Employer contributions$634,848
- Participant contributions$822,867
- Rollovers and other contributions$483,249
- Total contributions$1,940,964
- Total income, including investment results$4,422,883
- Benefits paid$5,084,787
- Administrative expenses$17,918
- Total expenses$5,102,705
- Net income−$679,822
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$20,085,551
Participants
- Active participants162
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits8
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits59
- Participants with account balances167
- Total participants, end of year231
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milliman, Inc. | Recordkeeping and information management; Consulting (pension); Copying and duplicating; Participant communication | $17,918 | $0 |
| Charles Schwab Trust Bank | Custodial (securities); Trustee (directed) | $0 | $8,901 |
| Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. | Custodial (other than securities); Trustee (directed) | $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
- Recordkeeping fees$17,918
- Total administrative expenses$17,918
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)$11.6M · 58.0%
- Common/collective trusts$7.9M · 39.3%
- Cash (interest and non-interest bearing)$336K · 1.7%
- Participant loans$153K · 0.8%
- Receivables$57K · 0.3%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)Yes
- Accounting firmEide Bailly LLP
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateYes, $118,827
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $500,000
- 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
2EProfit-sharing plan2JCode section 401(k) feature2KCode section 401(m) arrangement2GTotal participant-directed account plan2FERISA section 404(c) plan2TTotal or partial participant-directed account plan with a default investment account
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 541600: Management, Scientific, & Technical Consulting Services.
Other plans of DBA Employers Council
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain States Employers Council, Inc. Pension Plan and Trust | 381 | $38.4M |
Similar plans in Colorado
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Sanborn Map Company, Inc. 401(k) Plan | The Sanborn Map Company, Inc. | 231 | $14.6M | $63,061 |
| The Marketing Practice 401(k) Plan | The Marketing Practice | 231 | $8.4M | $36,387 |
| Intero Digital 401(k) Plan | Intero Digital 401(k) Trust | 233 | $9.3M | $39,824 |
| Defense Unicorns, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Defense Unicorns, Inc. | 227 | $10.6M | $46,632 |
| Felsburg, Holt & Ullevig, Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan | Felsburg, Holt & Ullevig, Inc. | 235 | $31.7M | $134,851 |
| Zap Engineering & Construction Services, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Zap Engineering & Construction Services, Inc. | 225 | $15.5M | $68,914 |
Defined contribution plans in professional, scientific and technical services closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Mountain States Employers Council, Inc. Thrift Plan & Trust?
231 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 162 were active employees, with net assets of $20,085,551. 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 DBA Employers Council contribute per participant?
The filing reports $634,848 in employer contributions for the year, which is $3,919 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 $26,819 in compensation to service provider organisations, $116 per participant or 0.13% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $194 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $17,918. 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 DBA Employers Council. Recordkeeping or administration: Milliman, Inc.. Trustee or custodian: Charles Schwab Trust Bank and Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.. The financial statements were audited by Eide Bailly 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 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 9 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 84-0172643, plan 002, received 9 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.