What I.E. Shaffer does

I.E. Shaffer & Co. is an employee-owned third-party administrator (TPA) founded in 1957, headquartered in West Trenton, New Jersey, that specializes in multi-employer (Taft-Hartley) employee benefit plans. The firm administers 100+ benefit plans across 11 U.S. states (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Washington D.C., Alabama, Oklahoma, Wyoming, and California), serving union locals and trust funds affiliated with the IBEW, UAW, Plumbers and Pipefitters, Teamsters, Machinists, Roofers, Bricklayers, and NewsGuild, among others. I.E. Shaffer accepts fiduciary responsibility for all managed assets — a positioning it explicitly differentiates from peer TPAs — and currently oversees $4+ billion in plan assets, processes $260+ million in annual defined-benefit and defined-contribution pension payments to 27,000+ participants, and processes $140+ million in annual health claim payments to 25,000+ participants and dependents.

The service portfolio is delivered through five integrated modules: Plan Management and Consulting (fund office operations), Contribution Processing and Recordkeeping (employer remittance, eligibility, reciprocal transfers), Health Plan Benefit Processing and Payment (EDI-capable claims for medical, dental, vision, temporary disability, prescription, and life insurance), Retirement Plan Benefit Processing and Payment (pension, annuity, disability, hardship, participant loans), and Accounting, Reporting and Disclosure (financial statements, Forms 5500/990/PBGC-1/8955-SSA/1099). The technology stack is a proprietary in-house system running on IBM iSeries Power 9 and Intel Xeon processors with a Storage Area Network (SAN), supporting a participant read-only portal, life-certain payment tracking, multi-level payment scheduling, and HIPAA-compliant secure document exchange. The firm integrates with external vendor ecosystems including Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ and Aetna (provider networks), Express Scripts and Capital Rx (PBM), Delta Dental (dental network), and Empower Retirement (annuity/401(k) participant platform).

The business model is professional-services fee-for-administration, with pricing negotiated directly with plan trustees and not publicly disclosed. Revenue is generated per plan rather than per transaction at the participant level, and customer relationships are multi-decade, averaging 23+ years. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, relying on referrals, IFEBP/SPBA professional association participation, and conference presence rather than formal marketing; there are no public marketing channels, no app presence, no API exposure, and no disclosed revenue figures.

Name

I.E. Shaffer

Legal name

I.E. Shaffer & Co.

Website

https://ieshaffer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

I.E. Shaffer & Co. is an employee-owned third-party administrator specializing in multi-employer (Taft-Hartley) union benefit plans, administering 100+ health, pension, annuity, and welfare plans across 11 U.S. states while accepting full fiduciary responsibility for managed assets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Third-Party Employee Benefit Plan Administration

NAICS

Pharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (524292), Pension Funds (525110)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Self-Funded Employer Plan TPA (ASO Administration) (HLAEALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ancillary Benefits TPA (Dental/Vision/Life/Accident/Critical Illness) (HLAEALAN)

Keywords

• Third-party administration
• Employee benefit plans
• Taft-Hartley plans
• Health claims processing
• Pension fund administration

Headquarters

HQ city

West Trenton

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. TPA Administrative Services: Fees charged to multi-employer benefit plans for comprehensive administration services including health claims processing, pension/retirement benefit payments, contribution processing, and accounting/reporting. Revenue derived from fiduciary administration services to union benefit plans.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

I.E. Shaffer & Co. is a third-party administrator (TPA) providing fiduciary administration for multi-employer (Taft-Hartley) employee benefit plans. Its service portfolio spans health claims administration, retirement/pension benefit payments, contribution processing and recordkeeping, accounting and regulatory reporting, and full plan management consulting. The firm accepts fiduciary responsibility for all managed assets and currently administers more than 100 benefit plans across 11 U.S. states with over $4 billion in plan assets.

Product overview

I.E. Shaffer is a third-party administrator providing a unified suite of employee benefit plan administration services for multi-employer (Taft-Hartley) plans. The company's service portfolio consists of five integrated modules: Plan Management and Consulting (fund office establishment and maintenance), Contribution Processing and Recordkeeping (employer remittance and eligibility tracking), Health Plan Benefit Processing and Payment (claims administration for medical, dental, vision, disability, and prescription), Retirement Plan Benefit Processing and Payment (pension and annuity distributions), and Accounting, Reporting and Disclosure (financial statements, regulatory filings). The company also operates a SecureMail Upload Portal for secure document submission. All services are delivered through state-of-the-art in-house systems that ensure HIPAA-compliant data security.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plan Management and Consulting

Quantifiable outcome

• 23+ years average client relationship duration
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and standard.

• Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New JerseycoreTechnology or IntegrationPreferred provider organization (PPO) network relationship for health plan benefit administration. Used across multiple client plans including UAW, Plumbers, IBEW locals for network access and cost management.
• Express ScriptscoreTechnology or IntegrationPharmacy benefit management (PBM) integration for prescription drug plan administration. Provides prescription drug benefits processing for union health plans.
• Empower RetirementcoreTechnology or IntegrationAnnuity account management platform integrated for participant self-service. Used by multiple client plans for 401(k) and annuity plan participant access.
• AetnacoreTechnology or IntegrationHealthcare provider network for IBEW Local 456 and other clients. Provides medical provider network access and cost transparency tools.
• Delta DentalstandardTechnology or IntegrationDental provider network for plan participants. Integrated across multiple client benefit plans.
• Capital RxstandardTechnology or IntegrationPharmacy benefit management services for prescription drug plans.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Milliman: Global actuarial and consulting firm with a large multi-employer plan practice; competes for the same RFPs from large union plan trustees while also serving broader corporate benefits.
• Conduent: Business process services company with a benefits and health administration practice providing claims processing, eligibility, and HR administration at scale to employer and plan-sponsor customers.
• Willis Towers Watson (WTW): Global advisory, broking, and benefits administration firm (now including legacy Buck Consultants). Competes across multi-employer actuarial, health & benefits, and pension administration.
• Aon: Global professional services firm with a substantial US benefits administration and multi-employer consulting practice, offering self-funded plan solutions comparable to I.E. Shaffer's health plan administration.
• ADP Retirement Services: Large-scale benefits and retirement administration provider serving thousands of employer plans, including self-funded arrangements that overlap with I.E. Shaffer's service modules.
• Fidelity Workplace Investing: Major recordkeeper and administrator of defined contribution and annuity plans for employers and multi-employer trust funds, competing for the retirement administration module I.E. Shaffer delivers.
• Mercer: Marsh McLennan subsidiary providing health, retirement, and multi-employer consulting/administration. Overlaps with I.E. Shaffer on Taft-Hartley plan advisory and ongoing administration.

Direct peers

• Empower Retirement: Recordkeeping and retirement plan administration platform (and existing I.E. Shaffer technology partner for annuity/401(k) accounts). Increasingly offers bundled administration competing with smaller TPAs.
• The Segal Group: Independent consulting and administration firm focused on multi-employer benefit plans, including actuarial, health, and retirement administration. Shares I.E. Shaffer's Taft-Hartley DNA and fiduciary posture.
• BeneSys: National TPA specializing in multi-employer Taft-Hartley benefit plans across health, welfare, and retirement. Most direct comparable in business model, client type, and service scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 I.E. Shaffer