The Lagunitas Brewing Company
Updated Filing received by DOL
The Lagunitas Brewing Company, a manufacturing — food & textile employer in Petaluma, California, reported 368 participants in its health and welfare plan for plan year 2024. Its Form 5500 shows $29,493 in insurance premiums across 8 contracts and $19,274 in broker commissions and fees. The plan is fully insured (an insurance carrier pays claims). The Department of Labor received the filing on October 3, 2025, within the extension window.
Who was paid on The Lagunitas Brewing Company's plan
Schedule A, Part I lists each broker or agent paid on each insurance contract and the amount. Totals below add every contract The Lagunitas Brewing Company filed for 2024.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer · Chicago, IL | $7,376 | $11,898 | $19,274 | 5 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company and Affiliateshealth, prescription drug, indemnity | 2 | $29,493 | — | — |
| Hartford Life and Accidentlife, short-term disability, long-term disability | 773 | — | $11,495 | — |
| Janus Associates, Inc. dba BHScoverage not coded | 479 | — | — | — |
| Vision Service Planvision | 641 | — | — | — |
| Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company and Affiliatesdental, indemnity | 564 | — | — | — |
| Cigna Health and Life Insurance Companycoverage not coded | 342 | — | $3,030 | — |
| Cigna Health and Life Insurance Companycoverage not coded | 342 | — | $4,749 | — |
| Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company and Affiliatesdental, indemnity | 931 | — | — | — |
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 The Lagunitas Brewing Company 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.
Premium per covered person on medical contracts: $14,746 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 | 448 | 368 | −17.9% |
| Premiums filed | $0 | $29,493 | — |
| Broker commissions + fees | $12,538 | $19,274 | +53.7% |
| Commission rate | — | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Lagunitas Brewing Company Employee Benefits Plan#501 · insurance | December 31, 2024 | October 3, 2025 | within extension | 368 |
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 The Lagunitas Brewing Company pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2024?
The Lagunitas Brewing Company's 2024 Form 5500 reports $19,274 in broker commissions and fees across 8 insurance contracts ($7,376 in commissions, $11,898 in fees), with Mercer receiving the largest share.
Is The Lagunitas Brewing Company's health plan self-funded or fully insured?
The 2024 filing indicates the plan is fully insured (an insurance carrier pays claims). Medical coverage is written by Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company and Affiliates.
How does The Lagunitas Brewing Company's broker compensation compare with similar employers?
A commission-to-premium ratio cannot be computed for The Lagunitas Brewing Company because the filing does not report medical premium on Schedule A (usual for self-funded plans). In dollars, employers with 200-499 participants that disclosed broker pay reported a median of $77,013.
Send the full findings to your inbox.
A specialist writes up every finding for The Lagunitas Brewing Company with the methodology and public-source citations, in a form you can forward to your CFO or counsel. Tick the box if you also want a 15-minute walkthrough call.
We don't sell your email. By submitting, you agree that BenefitsLedger and its benefits advisory partner, WellthCare, may email or call you about these findings. Opt out anytime by replying. See our privacy policy.
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.