Welfare plans switch to a "wrap" document

[Belgarath]

This seems like it should be a simple question, but I'm not so sure it is.

Suppose you have 4 separate welfare plans 501-504. Client decides to consolidate them under 1 "wrap" document so that only one 5500 form has to be filed.

Two questions - would you create a new, separate plan number for the wrap plan, or would you appropriate one of the existing plan #'s and "merge" all the plans into that?

For the 3 (or 4, depending upon your answer to the question above) plans that "merge" or "terminate" - how do you handle the final 5500 filing? Just do it is a final form? There are no assets to distribute. I don't really see any other alternative, but perhaps I'm missing something obvious.

Thanks - any thoughts/opinions appreciated.

[Bill Presson]

I've been involved in plans that did it both ways: use an existing plan number and wrap the other plans into that welfare plan and create a new number. I don't think there's a perfect answer either way.

For the terminating plans, we just did it as a final form. No explanation needed.