What audit partners ask us
Data source, contact details, team use, the AICPA Code, the back-test, the guarantee, billing and cancellation.
Where does the data come from?
From the public Form 5500 and 5500-SF datasets the Department of Labor (EBSA) publishes through EFAST2, refreshed monthly. We match filings across plan years by EIN and plan number, remove duplicates and final filings, and apply the participant rules.
Do you give us contact details?
Company details, yes. For every plan on the forecast list: the employer's company phone (about 99% of plans), business address and industry, the original Form 5500-SF as PDF (if a sponsor files a correction, the link can point to the replaced filing until our next monthly update), search links, and the plan administrator or recordkeeper where the filing lists one (about one plan in five). No personal data: we only prepare public company data from government filings, so names, e-mail addresses and direct numbers of people are not included. You find the right person yourself through the links, for example LinkedIn for HR or the CFO.
Can my whole team use it?
Yes. Up to 10 colleagues in your office are included. Each gets a personal login link and sees the same list, statuses and notes; plans can be assigned to a person, and the history shows who changed what. The subscription owner adds and removes members on the account page, and a removed link stops working at once. Each further office costs 30% of the package price.
Is contacting these sponsors consistent with the AICPA Code?
The Code permits advertising and solicitation that is not false, misleading or deceptive (ET 1.600.001). The list is company-level public data; how and whom you contact remains your decision and responsibility.
We already use a Form 5500 database. Why add this?
It works alongside the tools you already use. What it adds is a monthly short list built on the current rule: 121 or more participants with account balances at year-end on the short form (80-120 rule), with plans that were audited before marked. Plans just below that line rarely file an audited return the next year (1.4% at 100-120 participants in our back-test), against 81% of the plans we flag. You get that short list with deadlines, a priority ranking and a status tracker.
How do we keep track of outreach?
In the online list: a status for every plan (contacted, meeting, won, lost), notes, the team member who owns it and a follow-up date. On that date we e-mail a reminder to the subscription's main address, and the filter "follow-ups due" shows what is open. Saved views keep your territory one click away, and the list exports to CSV with status, owner and follow-up.
How is this different from searching the 5500 data myself?
You can do that. It takes three plan years of files, matching by EIN and plan number, the 80-120 rule and the switch to participants with account balances. We do it every month and add deadlines and a market view.
Does the list contain personal data?
No. It contains company-level data from the filings: the plan sponsor, EIN, plan name and number, business address, company phone, industry and plan figures, and service providers as firms. Names of signers and preparers are removed, and sponsors whose name is a person's name are shown without street address or phone. Any company can ask to be removed from our public pages and samples by letter to the address in our imprint.
Why do 19% of plans not get audited?
In the back-test they were terminated, merged into another plan, changed EIN, filed late, or stayed on the short form. The participant counts on each row help you spot borderline cases.
What if the list does not work for us?
E-mail us within 30 days of purchase and we refund the full amount, no questions asked. There is nothing to send back; the updates simply stop.
How often is the list updated?
Monthly. The Department of Labor refreshes its Form 5500 datasets every month; we rerun the forecast within days and e-mail you the plans that are new on your list.
Do you help us turn the list into engagements?
Yes. Every plan has outreach templates for the sponsor and for TPAs and recordkeepers, filled in with its figures; subscribers also get a short playbook, a priority ranking on every plan, and a report on which firms won the first audits from last year's list.
Can we start with one state and move up to nationwide later?
Yes. Within the first 12 months of a state or regional subscription you can switch to nationwide, and we credit the full amount you paid for the current subscription. At founding prices that is $1,490 minus $390, so you pay $1,100, and the nationwide subscription runs 12 months from the day you switch. Tell us through our contact form and we send you a payment link for the difference; your login link, team, notes and saved views stay the same.
Can I cancel?
The subscription runs 12 months. We e-mail you at least 30 days before each renewal, and you can switch off renewal at any time before the renewal date.