THE PROBLEM
The 5500 is assembled from everywhere.
The Form 5500 sits near the end of the plan year, which means it depends on almost everything that came before it. A preparer needs the plan's identifying details, participant counts at the start and end of the year, asset and contribution figures, and confirmation that testing and contribution calculations are complete. In many practices those inputs are spread across a census spreadsheet, a recordkeeper download, a testing file and someone's notes.
Each of those sources has to be found, checked and typed into the preparation software. When a census is updated after testing, or a contribution figure changes after review, the preparer may not hear about it. Re-keying is slow, and every copied number is a chance for a mismatch that surfaces later as an amended filing or an awkward question from a sponsor.
Across a full book of business, there is a second problem: knowing which plans are ready for 5500 work at all. Without a shared view, filing season turns into a list of follow-up emails as the mid-October extended deadline approaches.