The Widewaters Group
Updated Filing received by DOL
The Widewaters Group, a real estate & rental employer in East Syracuse, New York, reported 247 participants in its health and welfare plan for plan year 2025. Its Form 5500 shows $2.3M in insurance premiums across 2 contracts and $135,798 in broker commissions and fees, 3.5% of medical premium against a national median of 3.8% among plans that paid commissions in plan year 2024. The plan is fully insured (an insurance carrier pays claims). The Department of Labor received the filing on July 7, 2026, before the deadline.
Who was paid on The Widewaters Group'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 Widewaters Group filed for 2025.
| Broker or agent | Commissions | Fees | Total | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haylor, Freyer & Coon, Inc. · Syracuse, NY | $104,739 | $0 | $104,739 | 2 |
| Alera Group, Inc. · East Syracuse, NY | $0 | $32,298 | $32,298 | 1 |
| Plansource Benefits Adminstrat · Orlando, FL | $0 | $0 | $0 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shieldhealth, prescription drug, PPO | 153 | $2.3M | $80,575 | 3.5% |
| The Guardian Life Insurance Company of Americadental, vision, life, short-term disability, long-term disability | 236 | — | $55,223 | — |
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 The Widewaters Group 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: $14,900 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
| 2024 | 2025 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | 249 | 247 | −0.8% |
| Premiums filed | $2,377,325 | $2,279,652 | −4.1% |
| Broker commissions + fees | $101,803 | $135,798 | +33.4% |
| Commission rate | 3.3% | 3.5% | +0.2 pts |
Source: DOL Form 5500 filings for plan years 2024 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Widewaters Group Benefit Bank Plan#501 · insurance | December 31, 2025 | July 7, 2026 | before deadline | 247 |
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 Widewaters Group pay in health insurance broker commissions in 2025?
The Widewaters Group's 2025 Form 5500 reports $135,798 in broker commissions and fees across 2 insurance contracts ($103,500 in commissions, $32,298 in fees), with Haylor, Freyer & Coon, Inc. receiving the largest share.
Is The Widewaters Group's health plan self-funded or fully insured?
The 2025 filing indicates the plan is fully insured (an insurance carrier pays claims). Medical coverage is written by Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield.
How does The Widewaters Group's broker compensation compare with similar employers?
The Widewaters Group paid 3.5% of medical premium in commissions and fees. The median for employers with 200-499 participants is 3.6%, and the median in New York 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.