The private pension plan information processing system established under ERISA has
interrelationships between the following government agencies:
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Internal Revenue Service (IRS) which is responsible for determining whether an employer's plan qualifies for favorable
tax treatment as an employee pension plan; and is responsible for receiving annual
pension plan informational returns and sharing pertinent return data with other concerned
agencies.
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Department of Labor (DOL) which is responsible for enforcing ERISA laws on the management, investment, and
accounting for the assets of pension plans and for protecting the pension rights of
participants in these plans.
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Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) which is responsible for insuring “defined benefit” plans so that employee benefits
can be paid at retirement even if the plan terminates before then (the insurance is
paid by premiums paid by the employer).
PBGC does not insure “defined contribution” plans.
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SSA, which receives certain pension plan data IRS provides for both “defined benefit”
and “defined contribution” plans and then stores it for later use in notifying individuals
of their pension plan eligibility.