Methodology · Prepared from public records
How we get our numbers.
Every population figure on this site comes from one public dataset and one screen. Both are stated here in full, so you can reproduce them or challenge them. We would rather be checked than believed.
The source.
Every US retirement plan files an annual return — Form 5500, or Form 5500-SF for smaller plans. Those filings are public. The Department of Labor publishes them as downloadable research files through its EFAST2 system, and lets anyone search individual filings in the EFAST2 public search.
We use that dataset and nothing else for population figures. No purchased lists, no scraped profiles, no non-public information.
The screen.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Dataset | US DOL Form 5500 / 5500-SF public research file (EFAST2) |
| Filing year | 2024 |
| Geography | Florida |
| Plan size | 5–25 participants |
| Industry | Sixteen business classification codes covering dental, medical, legal, accounting, veterinary and specialized trade practices |
The full code list is available on request — write to admin@opusplans.com and we'll send it.
What it returned.
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Plans matching the screen | 7,877 |
| Dental and physician practices within it | 3,803 1,575 dental · 2,228 physician |
| Of those, in the Tampa Bay area | 833 |
| Dental practices with no cash-balance layer | ~90% |
| Average annual employer contribution — dental | $43,000 |
| Average annual employer contribution — physician | $54,000 |
| Plans self-reporting late participant deposits | 171 |
Figures are rounded where shown as approximate. The homepage quotes the plan count as “7,800+” for the same reason.
What these numbers are — and aren't.
They describe a population, not your practice. A screen can tell us that most dental plans in Florida have no pension layer; it cannot tell us whether yours should. That takes your census, your ages, your ownership and your cash flow — which is why we never quote a design figure for a specific practice from public data alone.
When we do quote a number about your plan, it comes from your plan's own filing, and we name the filing.
Check it yourself.
- 01
Open the DOL's EFAST2 filing search. Free, no login.
- 02
Search your practice's name and open the most recent filing.
- 03
Read the compliance questions — corrective distributions, late deposits, plan type. That is the same record we read. This page explains what to look for.
Analysis by Opus Plans from public filings. Population figures, not advice for any specific plan. Not legal or tax advice.
Send the plan name. We'll read the filing and tell you what it says.
No fee for the call. No obligation. If the numbers don't hold for your situation, we'll say so on the call.