FreeERISA.com

[Guest Grumpy456]

Does anyone know where the freeerisa.com website obtains its 5500 information? They charge for "older filings" but if they can get them somewhere, we should be able to as well. Thanks!

[four01kman]

They get them from the DOL.

[david rigby]

Anyone can get them because they are taken from the actual filings (remember that only the Schedules E and SSA are not public information). The DOL does not post such 5500 information. FreeERISA.com does the legwork to gather the data, and post it. If they post only two years information (usually), that is part of their business model. They may charge for older information, but it was available free sometime in the past, or you can go to the DOL and look it up.

[GBurns]

You can get them from the DOL, but do you want them in that format? The DoL does not give you a photocopy of the exact document filed unless you are willing to pay a substantial sum. You get them in their scanned and stored format. Even then not all years will be free.

Even if you got actual photocopies, you would then have to go to the expense of entering them into a database so that you can use the information. This should also take considerable time.

To get them in a searchable or "actively useable" format requires some time and expense, that is why FreeErisa and such others charge a fee for some of their services. Even the limited free service is not really free, since it serves as a lead generation device for them for the selling of other services to users.

Unless you plan to do large volume, it should not be feasible to go directly to DOL. A Volume User discount from FreeErisa or others should be much easier and cheaper.