Custom Engineering Co.
Updated Filing received by DOL
Custom Engineering Co., a manufacturing — metal, equipment, transportation employer in Erie, Pennsylvania, reported 118 participants in its health and welfare plan for plan year 2025. Its Form 5500 shows $9,669 in insurance premiums across 13 contracts and $27,960 in broker commissions and fees. The plan is a mix of insured and self-funded coverage. The Department of Labor received the filing on September 14, 2026, within the extension window.
Who was paid on Custom Engineering Co.'s plan
Schedule A, Part I lists each broker or agent paid on each insurance contract and the amount. Totals below add every contract Custom Engineering Co. filed for 2025.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lillis McKibben Bongiovanni and Co. · Erie, PA | $19,770 | $0 | $19,770 | 11 |
| Archon LLC · Hauppauge, NY | $0 | $4,710 | $4,710 | 4 |
| Vicary Insurance Agency, LLC · Erie, PA | $3,289 | $0 | $3,289 | 2 |
| Manufacturer & Business Association | $191 | $0 | $191 | 1 |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Schedule A, Part I (broker commissions and fees), plan year 2025, as published in EBSA's 2025 "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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vision Benefits of Americavision | 96 | $9,669 | $872 | — |
| Sun Life Assurance Company of Canadadental | 97 | — | $2,608 | — |
| UPMC Health Optionshealth | 58 | — | $5,492 | — |
| UPMC Health Optionshealth | 3 | — | $531 | — |
| UPMC Health Optionshealth | 9 | — | $794 | — |
| UPMC Health Optionshealth | 65 | — | $5,928 | — |
| UPMC Health Optionshealth | 9 | — | $1,013 | — |
| UPMC Health Optionshealth | 4 | — | $480 | — |
| UPMC Health Optionshealth | — | — | $69 | — |
| Lincoln National Life Insurance Companylife | 114 | — | $1,373 | — |
| Lincoln National Life Insurance Companylong-term disability | 32 | — | $1,666 | — |
| Lincoln National Life Insurance Companyshort-term disability | 95 | — | $3,934 | — |
| Lincoln National Life Insurance Companycoverage not coded | 38 | — | $3,200 | — |
Source: DOL Form 5500 Schedule A, plan year 2025. Self-funded medical coverage has no premium; amounts shown for it are stop-loss or administrative contracts.
How Custom Engineering Co. 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.
Not computable: no insured medical premium on the filing.
Source: BenefitsLedger benchmarks from 58,547 employer health plans with 100 or more participants, plan year 2024. Methodology.
Year over year
| 2023 | 2025 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | 119 | 118 | −0.8% |
| Premiums filed | $9,892 | $9,669 | not comparable |
| Broker commissions + fees | $42,134 | $27,960 | −33.6% |
| Commission rate | — | — | — |
Source: DOL Form 5500 filings for plan years 2023 and 2025.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Engineering Co. Health & Welfare Plan#501 · insurance, general assets | December 31, 2025 | September 14, 2026 | within extension | 118 |
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 Custom Engineering Co. pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2025?
Custom Engineering Co.'s 2025 Form 5500 reports $27,960 in broker commissions and fees across 13 insurance contracts ($23,250 in commissions, $4,710 in fees), with Lillis McKibben Bongiovanni and Co. receiving the largest share.
Is Custom Engineering Co.'s health plan self-funded or fully insured?
The 2025 filing indicates the plan is a mix of insured and self-funded coverage. Medical coverage is written by UPMC Health Options.
How does Custom Engineering Co.'s broker compensation compare with similar employers?
A commission-to-premium ratio cannot be computed for Custom Engineering Co. because the filing does not report medical premium on Schedule A (usual for self-funded plans). In dollars, employers with 100-199 participants that disclosed broker pay reported a median of $53,852.
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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.