(a)
(1) Except as provided by paragraph (2) every employer shall, in accordance with such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, maintain records with respect to each of his employees sufficient to determine the benefits due or which may become due to such employees. The plan administrator shall make a report, in such manner and at such time as may be provided in regulations prescribed by the Secretary, to each employee who is a participant under the plan and who—
(A) requests such report, in such manner and at such time as may be provided in such regulations,
(B) terminates his service with the employer, or
The employer shall furnish to the plan administrator the information necessary for the administrator to make the reports required by the preceding sentence. Not more than one report shall be required under subparagraph (A) in any 12-month period. Not more than one report shall be required under subparagraph (C) with respect to consecutive 1-year breaks in service. The report required under this paragraph shall be in the same form, and contain the same information, as periodic benefit statements under
section 1025(a) of this title.
(2) If more than one employer adopts a plan, each such employer shall furnish to the plan administrator the information necessary for the administrator to maintain the records, and make the reports, required by paragraph (1). Such administrator shall maintain the records, and make the reports, required by paragraph (1).
(b) If any person who is required, under subsection (a) of this section, to furnish information or maintain records for any plan year fails to comply with such requirement, he shall pay to the Secretary a civil penalty of $10 for each employee with respect to whom such failure occurs, unless it is shown that such failure is due to reasonable cause.
Source credit, amendments & notes
(Pub. L. 93–406, title I, §209, Sept. 2, 1974, 88 Stat. 865; Pub. L. 110–458, title I, §105(f), Dec. 23, 2008, 122 Stat. 5105.)
Amendments
2008—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 110–458, §105(f)(1), in introductory provisions, substituted “such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe” for “regulations prescribed by the Secretary” and, in concluding provisions, inserted last sentence and struck out former last sentence which read as follows: “The report required under this paragraph shall be sufficient to inform the employee of his accrued benefits under the plan and the percentage of such benefits which are nonforfeitable under the plan.”
Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 110–458, §105(f)(2), added par. (2) and struck out former par. (2) which read as follows: “If more than one employer adopts a plan, each such employer shall, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary, furnish to the plan administrator the information necessary for the administrator to maintain the records and make the reports required by paragraph (1). Such administrator shall maintain the records and, to the extent provided under regulations prescribed by the Secretary, make the reports, required by paragraph (1).”
Effective Date of 2008 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 110–458 effective as if included in the provisions of Pub. L. 109–280 to which the amendment relates, except as otherwise provided, see section 112 of Pub. L. 110–458, set out as a note under section 72 of Title 26, Internal Revenue Code.
Regulations
Secretary authorized, effective Sept. 2, 1974, to promulgate regulations wherever provisions of this subchapter call for the promulgation of regulations, see section 1031 of this title.
ERISA § 209 (29 U.S.C. § 1059) — Recordkeeping and reporting requirements · USC 2013 ed., current through 2014-01-16 · https://pensionresource.website/EAMain?content=EAMain.Law&id=usc29-1059&asof=2009-01-05 · printed Oct 16, 2026