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This page has not been translated. Please go to PBGC.gov's Spanish home page for more information available in Spanish.

Esta página no ha sido traducida. Por favor vaya a la página principal del sitio de español de PBGC para ver información disponible en español.

# Missing Participants Program

                          - Overview
                          - Plans covered by the program
                          - Forms and instructions
                          - How and where to send payment
                          - Law and related guidance

## Overview

PBGC's Missing Participants Program connects people — missing when their pension plans terminated — to their retirement benefits. Until 2018, the program covered only PBGC-insured single-employer plans as part of the standard termination process. In 2018, the program was expanded to also cover defined contribution plans (e.g., 401(k) plans) and certain other defined benefit plans that end on or after January 1, 2018.

When a plan ends, it must make arrangements with some other entity to provide benefits for missing participants. With defined benefit plans, the choices are typically PBGC’s Missing Participants Program or an insurance company that provides annuities. With defined contribution plans, the choices are PBGC’s Missing Participants Program or a private financial institution.   

Although the program is voluntary for terminating plans that are not insured by PBGC, PBGC encourages all eligible plans to use the program to help connect missing participants with their benefits. 

There are two ways to use the program. Plans may either:
                          - Transfer funds to cover the cost of providing a missing participant’s benefit to PBGC, in which case PBGC will provide the benefit once the participant is found, or
                          - Send PBGC information about the entity that’s responsible for providing the benefit when the participant is found, in which case PBGC will share that information with the participant once found.

## Plans covered by the program

The Missing Participants Program covers four types of plans, each with its own unique rules, forms, and instructions. 

PBGC-insured Single-Employer PlansDefined Contribution Plans

Small Professional Services DB PlansPBGC-insured Multiemployer Plans

## Forms and instructions

## How and where to send payment

Regardless of the type of plan that’s terminating, the same options apply with respect sending money to PBGC. Payments may be made on-line via www.pay.gov, a free, secure Federal website, electronic funds transfer (ACH or Fedwire), or paper check.   

See Missing Participants Program Payment Instructions for detailed information about payment options and where to send payment.  

## Law and related guidance

The program is governed by Section 4050 of ERISA. PBGC’s 4050 regulation and the related filing instructions describe how the program works (e.g., how to determine the amount of money to transfer to PBGC, what data needs to be reported) and applies to plans that terminated after 2017. The prior 4050 regulation applies to PBGC-insured single-employer plan that terminated before 2018.

July 28, 2021