9/2/25 Multiemployer Plan Funding Status Reports 100% Funding Status for First Time in Decades

September 2, 2025

By Jeff Robertson & Iris Tilley

If you have been considering your company’s continued participation in a multiemployer pension plan, now may be the time to request a review of your withdrawal liability.  

Many multiemployer pension plans operate on a June 30 year end basis.  Recent reports from Milliman, a leading actuarial firm, note that many multiemployer pension plans have reached 100% funding status, which may mean that companies may exit without incurring withdrawal liability.  

Every participating employer can request from the pension plan an estimate of their withdrawal liability, and if any employers have been considering opportunities to move to a private 401(k) plan option, now may be the time.

Additionally, the U.S. Supreme Court has granted certiorari on a multiemployer plan withdrawal liability case involving the timing of a pension fund’s calculation of the withdrawal liability as the “end of the year.”

There can be many good things about multiemployer pension fund participation for your company, but if you have been waiting two decades to potentially exit a pension fund without withdrawal liability, now may be the time to take a serious look at the topic.

Please contact Jeff Robertson at 503-276-2140 or jrobertson@barran.com, Iris Tilley at 503-276-2155 or itilley@barran.com, or your regular attorney at Barran Liebman if you have any questions.