2025 Annual Benefits Plan Reporting Forms Released with Key Updates

The U.S. Department of Labor, in collaboration with the IRS and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), has released the 2025 annual benefits plan reporting forms and instructions, including Form 5500 series and Form 5558. These forms are mandated by federal law for pension and welfare benefit plan administrators to report on financial conditions, investments, and operations. The 2025 forms introduce updated plan characteristic codes designed to improve identification of plan types, including codes specific to multiemployer plan terminations and variable annuity benefit formulas. Paper copies of the 2025 Form 5500-EZ and instructions will be available from the IRS after January 1, 2026. This release follows other recent IRS updates, such as new guidance on health savings account tax benefits under recent legislation, required amendments for qualified plans, and information on newly established Trump Accounts, reflecting ongoing regulatory activity in the retirement plan compliance landscape.