California › Utilities › 25,000 or more participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
Pacific Gas and Electric Company Retirement Plan
Sponsored by Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Oakland, CA
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.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company Retirement Plan is a cash balance pension plan sponsored by Pacific Gas and Electric Company of Oakland, California. For the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024 it reported 58,892 participants, 28,573 of them active, and net assets of $17.5B.
Net assets came to $297,823 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.
Employer contributions were $327M for the year ($11,444 per active participant) and benefits paid were $949M. 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 15 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $29.5M: $502 per participant, well above the same-size median of $143. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $35.1M. 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 $9.36B in 2009 to $17.5B in 2024 (up 87%), and participants from 45,924 to 58,892 (up 28%).
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 | $297,823 | $88,040 | $187,668 | $86,221 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $11,444 | $6,524 | $12,900 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $502 | $143 | $468 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.17% | 0.26% | 0.27% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $596 | $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 | 58,892 | $17.5B | $297,823 | $327M | $1.1M | $29.5M |
| 2023 | 57,863 | $17.9B | $309,727 | $327M | $1.0M | $30.8M |
| 2022 | 56,473 | $17.0B | $301,080 | $346M | $1.2M | $32.7M |
| 2021 | 55,960 | $22.6B | $403,913 | $327M | $2.5M | $46.6M |
| 2019 | 52,505 | $19.1B | $364,363 | $327M | — | $44.9M |
| 2018 | 51,665 | $15.8B | $306,236 | $327M | $0 | $30.2M |
| 2017 | 51,190 | $17.2B | $335,350 | $348M | — | $34.3M |
| 2016 | 51,186 | $15.2B | $296,983 | $365M | $0 | $35.0M |
| 2015 | 50,485 | $14.2B | $280,858 | $367M | — | $33.9M |
| 2014 | 49,298 | $14.6B | $296,586 | $380M | — | $33.8M |
| 2013 | 48,576 | $12.9B | $265,231 | $552M | — | $246K |
| 2012 | 47,235 | $12.3B | $259,757 | $351M | — | $0 |
| 2011 | 47,318 | $11.0B | $233,457 | $246M | — | $0 |
| 2010 | 46,162 | $10.3B | $222,658 | $156M | — | $0 |
| 2009 | 45,924 | $9.36B | $203,763 | $176M | — | $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$17,921,746,831
- Employer contributions$327,000,000
- Participant contributions$1,130,836
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$328,130,836
- Total income, including investment results$601,986,284
- Benefits paid$949,258,012
- Administrative expenses$35,080,124
- Total expenses$984,338,136
- Net income−$382,351,852
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$17,539,394,979
Participants
- Active participants28,573
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits22,011
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits3,909
- Total participants, end of year58,892
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willis Towers Watson US LLC | Actuarial; Plan Administrator; Consulting (general); Consulting (pension); Participant communication | $3,826,527 | $0 |
| Pimco | Investment management | $2,302,917 | $0 |
| Nisa Investment Advisors, LLC | Investment management | $2,220,492 | $0 |
| BlackRock Financial | Trustee (bank, trust company, or similar financial institution); Trustee (discretionary); Investment management | $2,105,258 | $0 |
| Numeric Investors LLC | Investment management | $2,022,855 | $0 |
| Dodge & Cox | Investment management | $1,998,906 | $0 |
| Wellington Management Company | Investment management | $1,636,125 | $0 |
| Legal & General Investment | Investment management | $1,557,695 | $0 |
| Russell Implementation SVCS | Investment management | $1,480,854 | $0 |
| Rreef America L.L.C. | Investment management | $1,321,455 | $0 |
| Aqr Capital Management | Investment management | $1,174,413 | $0 |
| T. Rowe Price | Trustee (bank, trust company, or similar financial institution); Trustee (discretionary); Investment management | $1,134,717 | $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$21,700,435
- Other administrative expenses$7,616,228
- Contract administrator fees$3,725,694
- Trustee and custodial fees$1,100,622
- Legal fees$644,677
- Actuarial fees$214,188
- IQPA audit fees$78,280
- Total administrative expenses$35,080,124
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$16.8B · 95.2%
- Common/collective trusts$504M · 2.9%
- Receivables$304M · 1.7%
- U.S. Government securities$15.5M · 0.1%
- Corporate stocks$14.1M · 0.1%
- Cash (interest and non-interest bearing)$7.2M · 0.0%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)Yes
- Accounting firmBaker Tilly US, LLP
- 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 related1CCash balance or similar plan1ECode section 401(h) arrangement3HPlan 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 221100: Electric Power Generation, Transmission & Distribution.
Similar plans in California
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Southern California Edison Company Retirement Plan | Southern California Edison Company | 21,342 | $4.43B | $207,605 |
| Southern California Gas Company Pension Plan | Southern California Gas Company | 12,106 | $2.36B | $194,679 |
| San Diego Gas & Electric Company Cash Balance Plan | San Diego Gas & Electric Company | 6,335 | $842M | $132,916 |
| California Water Service Company Pension Plan | California Water Service Company | 2,407 | $871M | $361,676 |
| Retirement Plan of San Jose Water Company | San Jose Water Company | 977 | $226M | $230,832 |
| Ravenswood Represented Employee Defined Benefit Plan | Ihi Power Services Corp. | 138 | $23.5M | $170,057 |
Defined benefit plans in utilities closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Pacific Gas and Electric Company Retirement Plan?
58,892 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 28,573 were active employees, with net assets of $17,539,394,979. 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 Pacific Gas and Electric Company contribute per participant?
The filing reports $327,000,000 in employer contributions for the year, which is $11,444 per active participant; the median for plans of the same type and size was $6,524 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 $29,548,669 in compensation to service provider organisations, $502 per participant or 0.17% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $143 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $35,080,124. 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 Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Recordkeeping or administration: Willis Towers Watson US LLC. Investment advisory or management: Pimco, Nisa Investment Advisors, LLC and BlackRock Financial. Trustee or custodian: BlackRock Financial and T. Rowe Price. The financial statements were audited by Baker Tilly US, 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 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 94-0742640, 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.