Compliance Assistance

The Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) provides many forms of compliance assistance, including voluntary compliance programs, advisory opinions, and publications. They are compiled on the agency’s Compliance Assistance page.

This compilation includes information specifically developed to assist and inform employers and employee benefit plan practitioners in understanding and complying with the requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) as they apply to the administration of retirement plans. 

Employers and plan practitioners may also benefit by reviewing some of the more general materials available to provide to their employees on the Workers and Families page.

Web Pages on This Topic

  • Delinquent Filer Voluntary Compliance Program (DFVCP) – Provides a description of the program that reduces the monetary penalties for employee benefit plan administrators with respect to delinquent plan filings to encourage voluntary compliance.
  • Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program (VFCP) – The voluntary compliance program is designed to encourage self-correction of certain prohibited transaction violations of ERISA to protect the financial security of retirement plans. This web page has information on the process for making an application, the specific transactions covered, acceptable methods for correcting violations, and examples of potential violations and corrective actions.
  • ERISA Filing Acceptance System (EFAST2) – EFAST2 is an all-electronic system designed by the Department of Labor, Internal Revenue Service, and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation to simplify and expedite the submission, receipt, and processing of the Form 5500 and Form 5500-SF.
  • 401(k) Plan Fees Disclosure Tool – Model comparative chart for disclosures to participants of performance and fee information to help them compare plan investment options.