Barfield, Murphy, Shank & Smith, LLC
Updated Filing received by DOL a plan year 2025 filing was received July 8, 2026 for 2 of this employer's 3 plans; this record moves to 2025 when all have arrived
Barfield, Murphy, Shank & Smith, LLC, a professional & technical services employer in Birmingham, Alabama, reported 396 participants in its health and welfare plans for plan year 2024. Its Form 5500 shows $2.0M in insurance premiums across 2 contracts and $99,921 in broker commissions and fees, 0.0% of medical premium against a national median of 3.8% among plans that paid commissions in plan year 2024. The plan is a mix of insured and self-funded coverage. The Department of Labor received the filing on June 16, 2025, before the deadline.
Who was paid on Barfield, Murphy, Shank & Smith, LLC's plan
Schedule A, Part I lists each broker or agent paid on each insurance contract and the amount. Totals below add every contract Barfield, Murphy, Shank & Smith, LLC filed for 2024.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valent Group · Birmingham, AL | $68,128 | $0 | $68,128 | 1 |
| Providence Benefits · Birmingham, AL | $31,793 | $0 | $31,793 | 1 |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Schedule A, Part I (broker commissions and fees), plan year 2024, as published in EBSA's 2024 "Latest" dataset. Part I names whoever the carrier paid, which can be a firm or an individual agent; both are public record. Amounts exclude pay from carriers not tied to a listed contract.
Insurance contracts and carriers
Every insurance contract reported on Schedule A: carrier, what it covers, people covered at year end, earned premium, and broker compensation.
| Carrier · coverage | Covered | Premium | Broker pay | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabamahealth, prescription drug, PPO | 276 | $2.0M | — | — |
| Globe Life and Accident Insurance Companycoverage not coded | 288 | — | $99,921 | — |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Schedule A, plan year 2024. Self-funded medical coverage has no premium; amounts shown for it are stop-loss or administrative contracts.
How Barfield, Murphy, Shank & Smith, LLC compares
Medians across employers for plan year 2024, the most recent complete year. Commission rates use fully insured medical contracts only; dollar medians use every employer that disclosed broker pay.
Premium per covered person on medical contracts: $7,387 a year (national median $7,274).
Source: BenefitsLedger benchmarks from 58,547 employer health plans with 100 or more participants, plan year 2024. Methodology.
Year over year
| 2023 | 2024 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | 363 | 396 | +9.1% |
| Premiums filed | $1,583,713 | $2,038,715 | +28.7% |
| Broker commissions + fees | $75,309 | $99,921 | +32.7% |
| Commission rate | 0.0% | 0.0% | +0.0 pts |
Source: DOL Form 5500 filings for plan years 2023 and 2024.
Filings and timeliness
Plans this employer filed under its EIN with a health benefit code. Large plans are due seven months after the plan year ends, or two and a half months later with an extension; amended filings carry the amendment date, so no timing is asserted for them.
| Plan | Plan year end | Received by DOL | Timing | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barfield, Murphy, Shank & Smith, LLC#502 · insurance | December 31, 2024 | June 16, 2025 | before deadline | 396 |
| Barfield, Murphy, Shank & Smith, LLC#503 · insurance, general assets | December 31, 2024 | June 16, 2025 | before deadline | 206 |
| BMSS, LLC#510 · general assets | December 31, 2024 | July 14, 2025 | before deadline | 166 |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Part I and signature dates; "late" means received after the extended deadline (the 15th day of the tenth month after plan year end). What a late Form 5500 costs.
How much did Barfield, Murphy, Shank & Smith, LLC pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2024?
Barfield, Murphy, Shank & Smith, LLC's 2024 Form 5500 reports $99,921 in broker commissions and fees across 2 insurance contracts ($99,921 in commissions, $0 in fees), with Valent Group receiving the largest share.
Is Barfield, Murphy, Shank & Smith, LLC's health plan self-funded or fully insured?
The 2024 filing indicates the plan is a mix of insured and self-funded coverage. Medical coverage is written by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama.
How does Barfield, Murphy, Shank & Smith, LLC's broker compensation compare with similar employers?
Barfield, Murphy, Shank & Smith, LLC paid 0.0% of medical premium in commissions and fees. The median for employers with 200-499 participants is 3.6%, and the median in Alabama is 3.7%. Percentages are computed only on fully insured medical contracts with filed premiums.
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Record built October 24, 2026 from U.S. Department of Labor, EBSA Form 5500 datasets (2025, 2024, 2023 plan years, 'Latest' files). Filings can run 7 to 10 months behind the plan year; always confirm against current plan documents. BenefitsLedger is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Labor. Open the DOL filing search.