To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog: On January 12, 2021, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued long-awaited guidance to assist employers and plan administrators in dealing with the issue of missing participants under retirement plans subject to ERISA. The guidance is comprised of three documents; a list of “best practices” for retirement plans, a description of the DOL’s Terminated Vested Participants Project for defined benefit plans, and a Temporary Enforcement Policy with respect to missing participants of terminating defined contribution plans. Best practices for missing participants The document, titled “Best Practices for Pension Plans,” lists the following “red flags” that suggest to the DOL that an employer may have a problem with missing participants: