Form 5500-SF Explained: Who Files the Short Form
Form 5500-SF is the Short Form Annual Return/Report — a streamlined version of Form 5500 for small employee benefit plans that meet certain conditions. It's filed through the same EFAST2 system, is due on the same schedule, and is public record, but it omits most of the schedules large plans must attach.
Last updated June 10, 2026
What is Form 5500-SF?
The Form 5500-SF ("SF" = short form) condenses the annual report to two pages of plan identity, participant counts, and summary financials. Congress and the agencies created it so small plans — which lack the staff and budget of a Fortune 500 benefits department — aren't saddled with the full Form 5500's schedule load.
Like the full form, a filed 5500-SF is public record: anyone can look up a company's 5500-SF filing by employer name or EIN.
Who can file Form 5500-SF — the five conditions
A plan may file the SF instead of the full Form 5500 only if it meets all of these conditions:
- Small plan — fewer than 100 participants at the beginning of the plan year (an 80–120 participant bridge rule lets plans near the line keep filing as they did the prior year). Since the 2023 plan year, defined-contribution plans count only participants with account balances.
- Audit waiver — the plan is eligible for the small-plan waiver of the independent qualified public accountant (IQPA) audit under 29 CFR 2520.104-46.
- Eligible assets — 100% of assets are invested in eligible assets with a readily determinable fair value (mutual funds, insurance company investment contracts, bank accounts, publicly traded securities, etc.).
- No employer securities — the plan holds no employer stock.
- Not a multiemployer plan, and not a plan required to file an annual Form M-1 (certain welfare arrangements).
Look up any plan's actual filings to see whether it filed the 5500, 5500-SF, and which schedules it attached.
Look up a plan's filingsForm 5500-SF vs. Form 5500 vs. 5500-EZ
The biggest research consequence: 5500-SF filers don't file Schedule C, so a small plan's recordkeeper and advisor aren't in the public record the way a large plan's are. The SF does still report total assets, participant counts, and contributions.
| Form 5500-SF | Full Form 5500 | Form 5500-EZ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who files | Eligible small plans (<100 participants) | Large plans (generally 100+) | One-participant (owner/spouse) plans |
| Schedules | SB or MB only (defined benefit) | A, C, D, H, R, SB/MB as applicable | None |
| Independent audit | No (audit waiver is a condition) | Yes, for large plans (Schedule H) | No |
| Service providers disclosed | No — no Schedule C | Yes (Schedule C, $5,000+ providers) | No |
| Public record | Yes | Yes | No (IRS only) |
When is Form 5500-SF due?
Same deadline as the full form: the last day of the 7th month after the plan year ends — July 31 for calendar-year plans — extendable 2½ months with a timely Form 5558. See the Form 5500 due date guide or the deadline calculator.
How to fill out and file Form 5500-SF
The SF is filed electronically through EFAST2 like the full form (approved software or IFILE; no paper). Most of the line items mirror the full form's main page: plan identity (Part I–II), participant counts (Part III), summary financials (Part IV), and compliance questions (Part V). Defined-benefit filers attach Schedule SB or MB actuarial information.
For the version-selection logic and the step-by-step process, see the Form 5500 instructions guide — and note that a one-participant plan generally must use Form 5500-EZ, not the SF.
Live rows from the public DOL data — open any plan to see its assets, participants, providers, and holdings.
Search Form 5500 filingsFrequently asked questions
The 5500-SF is the streamlined short form for eligible small plans (under 100 participants). It omits the schedules large plans attach — most notably Schedule C (service providers) and Schedule H (audited financials) — and requires no independent audit.
Plans with fewer than 100 participants at the start of the plan year that qualify for the small-plan audit waiver, hold 100% of assets in eligible investments with readily determinable value, hold no employer securities, and are not multiemployer or M-1 plans.
Yes. 5500-SF filings accepted through EFAST2 are public record and searchable, just like full Form 5500 filings. (Form 5500-EZ, by contrast, is not published.)
No. SF filers don't attach Schedule C, so small plans' recordkeepers, advisors, and their fees aren't publicly disclosed. Assets, participants, and contributions are.
The last day of the 7th month after the plan year ends — July 31 for calendar-year plans, or October 15 with a timely Form 5558 extension.