Health & Welfare Plan Penalties: DOL Unveils 2025 Inflation Adjustments
The Department of Labor recently published several inflation-adjusted penalty amounts for certain violations associated with Retirement and Health and Welfare plans. These increases for Health and Welfare plans are:
| Provision | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Failure to accurately file a plan annual report (Form 5500 series) | $2,670 per day | $2,739 per day |
| Failure to provide DOL-requested documents *penalty amount not to exceed $1,956 per request | $190 per day | $195 per day |
| Failure to provide the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (“SBC”) | $1,406 per violation | $1,443 per violation |
| Failure to comply with the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA); Failure to comply with disclosure requirements under Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) | $141 per participant | $145 per participant |
| Failure to meet filing requirements for multiple employer welfare arrangements (MEWA) | $1,942 per day | $1,992 per day |
| Failure to provide plan documents to participants and/or beneficiaries, after 30 days of the request | $110 per day | $110 per day |
These adjustments for 2025 are under the authority of the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act and are in effect for any of the above-mentioned penalties that are assessed after January 15, 2025.
Noncompliance is expensive, which is why BASIC offers ERISA Essentials to protect employers from ERISA related penalties. Our ERISA specialists and compliance experts help your organization reduce your risk while providing applicable ERISA documents such as Wrap SPD, Model Notices, SMM, and Form 5500 filing. Don’t risk penalties that could be devastating. Request a no-cost proposal for BASIC ERISA Essentials today!
