Pollard & Associates

What Pollard & Associates does

Pollard & Associates, operating as Pollard Pensions, is a privately held Third-Party Administrator (TPA) founded in 1970 and headquartered at One North Park Drive, Suite 104, Hunt Valley, Maryland. The firm provides retirement plan design, implementation, compliance, and actuarial services to more than 1,400 plan sponsors with approximately $2 billion in assets under administration, including Solo(k), 401(k), Defined Contribution, Defined Benefit, and Cash Balance plans. Core offerings are Plan Design & Implementation, 401(k) Compliance & Administration, and Defined Benefit & Cash Balance Actuarial Services, supported by Technical Consulting, Plan Corrections, and 3(16) Basic and 3(16) Light fiduciary services, with a Payroll service added in 2025 and a new 3(16) Basic Form 5500 Limited-Scope Fiduciary Service launching in 2026. Technology is conventional TPA infrastructure: IRS Pre-Approved Plan documents, EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, and integrations with 11 national recordkeepers (Alerus, American Funds, Ascensus, Empower, John Hancock, Lincoln, Nationwide, Principal, T. Rowe Price, Transamerica, Voya).

Name

Pollard & Associates

Legal name

Pollard & Associates

Website

https://pollardpensions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pollard & Associates is a privately held third-party administrator in Hunt Valley, MD, providing retirement plan design, 401(k) and defined benefit administration, actuarial, and 3(16) fiduciary services to 1,400+ plan sponsors across the Mid-Atlantic.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hunt Valley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retirement Plan Administration Services: Ongoing administration fees for 401(k), Defined Contribution, Defined Benefit, and Cash Balance plans. Services include compliance testing, government reporting (Form 5500), participant recordkeeping, and plan document maintenance.
2. 3(16) Fiduciary Services: Enhanced fiduciary services including Form 5500 signing as limited-scope fiduciary, notice distribution, 401(k) payroll deduction submission, and participant loan/distribution approval and signing.
3. Technical Consulting: Consulting services for advisors and CPAs on plan design, controlled group issues, testing problems, and IRS/DOL audits. May be provided at no cost for basic inquiries or on a project basis for additional services.
4. Actuarial Services: Actuarial certification and administration for Defined Benefit and Cash Balance Plans, including annual valuations and Form 5500 Schedule SB certification.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Pollard & Associates is a third-party administrator (TPA) that designs, implements, and administers qualified retirement plans for plan sponsors, including 401(k), Defined Contribution, Defined Benefit, and Cash Balance plans. The firm also delivers actuarial services, technical consulting, plan corrections, and 3(16) limited-scope fiduciary services for Form 5500 signing and notice distribution.

Product overview

Pollard & Associates is a Third-Party Administrator (TPA) offering a unified retirement plan administration platform. The core offering consists of Plan Design & Implementation, 401(k) Compliance & Administration, and Defined Benefit & Cash Balance Actuarial Services. These are supported by add-on modules including Technical Consulting, Plan Corrections, and 3(16) fiduciary services (3(16) Basic for Form 5500 signing, and 3(16) Light for enhanced plan sponsor assistance with notices, payroll deductions, and loan/distribution approvals). The company services over 1,400 retirement plans with $2B in assets, serving clients from Solo(k) plans to large frozen DB Plans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plan Design & Implementation Consulting service helping Plan Sponsors identify and implement suitable retirement plans including 401(k), Profit Sharing, Cash Balance, and Solo Defined Benefit Plans. Includes plan feasibility studies, plan document preparation, and implementation coordination.
• 401(k) Compliance & Administration Comprehensive 401(k) plan administration including annual compliance testing (ADP/ACP, 410(b), 401(a), 404, 415, 416), government reporting (Form 5500, Form 8955-SSA), plan document maintenance, and basic consulting services for IRS and DOL compliance.
• Defined Benefit & Cash Balance Actuarial Services Defined benefit and cash balance plan administration with actuarial certification. Services include annual actuarial valuation, Form 5500 Schedule SB certification, PBGC filings, and plan termination feasibility studies. Currently administers approximately 300 Defined Benefit/Cash Balance Plans.
• Technical Consulting Technical support for financial advisors and CPAs on retirement plan issues including plan design questions, controlled group issues, compliance testing problems, IRS/DOL audits, and independent fee/service reviews.
• Plan Corrections Correction program guidance including Self Correction Program (SCP), Voluntary Correction Program (VCP), Audit Closing Agreement Program (Audit CAP), Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program (VFCP), and Delinquent Filer Voluntary Compliance Program (DFVCP) for late 5500s, plan document failures, and late deposits.
• 3(16) Basic – 5500 Signing & Notice Distribution Limited-scope fiduciary service where Pollard signs and electronically files Form 5500 on behalf of the Plan Sponsor, delegating fiduciary liability for Form 5500 signing and filing.
• 3(16) Light – Enhanced Plan Sponsor Services Non-fiduciary enhanced services including direct distribution of participant notices (404a-5, Safe Harbor, QDIA, Automatic Enrollment), submission of 401(k) payroll deductions, and approval/signing for participant loans and distributions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Servicing over 1,400 retirement plans with $2 billion in assets
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Alerus Retirement and BenefitscoreTechnology or IntegrationNational plan recordkeeper partner performing daily valuation recordkeeping for 401(k) and defined contribution plans.
• American Funds Recordkeeper Direct & Plan PremiercoreTechnology or IntegrationInvestment platform partner providing recordkeeping services for retirement plans.
• Ascensus (including Vanguard platform)coreTechnology or IntegrationNational recordkeeper partner providing investment platform and recordkeeping services.
• Empower RetirementcoreTechnology or IntegrationNational plan recordkeeper partner for investment management and transaction processing.
• John Hancock Signature, Future Step & EnterprisecoreTechnology or IntegrationInvestment platform partner providing retirement plan recordkeeping and investment services.
• Lincoln Financial GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationNational plan recordkeeper providing investment platform and recordkeeping services.
• NationwidecoreTechnology or IntegrationInvestment platform partner for retirement plan recordkeeping services.
• Principal Financial GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationNational plan recordkeeper providing investment management and transaction processing.
• T. Rowe PricecoreTechnology or IntegrationInvestment platform partner providing recordkeeping services for retirement plans.
• Transamerica Retirement SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationNational plan recordkeeper for investment management and transaction processing.
• Voya FinancialcoreTechnology or IntegrationInvestment platform partner for retirement plan recordkeeping services.
• Colonial Surety CompanyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner for helping clients obtain required ERISA Bond coverage for qualified plans. Federal law mandates that plan officials (except owner-only plans) obtain an ERISA Fidelity Bond.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Lincoln Financial Group: Insurance-based retirement plan provider offering recordkeeping, administration, and compliance services. Comparable to Pollard in plan-sponsor services, though delivered as part of a broader insurance/annuity carrier portfolio.
• T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services: Major retirement plan recordkeeper and administrator offering compliance testing, government reporting, and plan design support. Comparable to Pollard in servicing plan sponsors with administration and compliance services, though at much larger scale.
• Principal Financial Group: Major recordkeeper and administrator of defined contribution and defined benefit plans, including plan design, compliance, and actuarial services. Comparable in service breadth to Pollard, but operates as a large incumbent carrier plus integrated admin, not a standalone TPA.
• Mercer: Global consulting firm with a significant U.S. retirement practice offering plan design, actuarial, compliance, and administrative services. Comparable to Pollard in advisory and technical consulting scope (note that Mercer trained multiple Pollard team members), but at vastly greater scale and consulting orientation.
• Transamerica Retirement Solutions: National recordkeeper and administrator of employer-sponsored retirement plans, providing compliance, government reporting, and participant services. Comparable to Pollard in core administration services to plan sponsors, delivered within a larger insurance and benefits platform.
• Empower Retirement: One of the largest U.S. recordkeepers and retirement plan administrators, formed via multiple acquisitions of TPAs and recordkeepers. Comparable to Pollard as a recordkeeping/admin provider to plan sponsors, but with substantially broader service breadth and scale.
• John Hancock Retirement Plan Services: Large retirement plan recordkeeper and administrator serving small, mid, and large-market plan sponsors. Comparable in core admin/compliance capabilities to Pollard, but as part of a broader asset management and insurance platform.
• Vanguard (Retirement Plan Services): Large-scale recordkeeper and administrator for employer-sponsored retirement plans, with growing bundled admin capabilities. Comparable to Pollard in serving small/mid-market plan sponsors, but bundles recordkeeping with admin in a way that pressures standalone TPAs.

Direct peers

• Ascensus: Largest independent retirement plan TPA in the U.S., providing 401(k), 403(b), and defined benefit administration, recordkeeping, and government reporting. Directly comparable to Pollard as a TPA serving similar plan-sponsor segments, though at vastly greater scale.

Others

• Strongpoint Partners: National network of retirement plan TPAs and wealth firms of which Pollard is an affiliate. Comparable as a peer/parent platform, sharing similar service lines (TPA, actuarial, consulting) and serving plan sponsors with similar offerings, but operating at the platform rather than single-firm level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pollard & Associates