Updated May 2026 · DOL Form 5500
Alcoa Corporation Pension Plans
Private Sector
Alcoa Corporation sponsors a single defined-benefit plan covering 4,115 active and retired participants. The combined plans are fully funded at 119.7% average funding ratio — a position where assets exceed accrued liabilities. Worst single-plan grade is A.
Alcoa Corporation runs a generally well-funded pension book: 1 plans covering 4,115 participants, with combined assets of $418M against $349M in liabilities. Average funding ratio across the plans is 120%.
The plans on file for Alcoa Corporation include both active accrual plans (still adding benefits for current employees) and frozen plans (paying out earned benefits without new accruals). The worst grade among the plans is A — a useful flag for which specific plan to examine most closely. Alcoa Corporation operates in the Private Sector sector. Industry context matters for pension analysis: cyclical industries with volatile cash flow face harder funding patterns than steady-margin sectors, and the underlying ERISA and PBGC obligations are uniform across sectors regardless.
What the Numbers Mean for Alcoa Corporation
Alcoa Corporation's combined pension footprint reports $418.0M in plan assets against $349.2M in accrued benefit obligations, producing an aggregate funding ratio of 119.7%. The aggregate surplus indicates assets exceed reported obligations on a smoothed-asset basis at the plan's assumed discount rate.
Alcoa Corporation's weakest plan still earns an A — every plan it sponsors sits in the healthiest tier of the Pension Health Score. The worst-grade signal is more useful than the average for a multi-plan sponsor — a healthy aggregate average can mask a single critically underfunded legacy plan inherited through acquisition. Participants in a specific plan should look at that plan's individual page rather than the company-level average.
Alcoa Corporation is required under ERISA to file Form 5500 annually for each plan, with Schedule SB disclosing the actuarial valuation, funding target, and minimum required contribution. Schedule SB filings are publicly available through DOL EBSA. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation separately publishes the federal guarantee that backstops these single-employer defined-benefit plans up to the statutory annual maximum.
Plans Sponsored by Alcoa Corporation
| Plan Name | Type | Participants | Funding Ratio | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcoa Corporation Retirement Plan | corporate | 4,115 | 119.7% | A |
How This Grade Is Calculated
Each plan's Pension Health Score combines three signals: funding ratio (50% of the composite), 3-year funding trend (30%), and PBGC risk level (20%). All three come directly from DOL Form 5500 filings and PBGC publications. The company-level "worst grade" surfaces the weakest plan in the sponsor's pension footprint — a useful signal for participants because legacy plans inherited through M&A often differ materially from the sponsor's active plans. Read the full methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
How well-funded are Alcoa Corporation's pension plans?
Alcoa Corporation's 1 pension plan is on average 119.7% funded. Fully funded status means the plans hold a position where assets exceed accrued liabilities. Total assets stand at $418.0M against $349.2M in accrued liabilities, leaving a surplus position.
Is Alcoa Corporation's pension protected by PBGC?
Corporate single-employer defined-benefit plans like the ones Alcoa Corporation sponsors are insured by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation up to a statutory annual maximum that varies by retirement age. PBGC publishes the current guarantee tables at pbgc.gov. Multiemployer plans, if applicable, fall under a separate PBGC insurance program with a much lower per-participant guarantee. The protection is real but capped — high earners with benefits above the PBGC maximum can lose the portion above the cap if a plan terminates underfunded.
What does the A grade mean for Alcoa Corporation?
Alcoa Corporation's weakest plan still earns an A — every plan it sponsors sits in the healthiest tier of the Pension Health Score.
How many of Alcoa Corporation's plans are underfunded?
Of 1 plan sponsored by Alcoa Corporation, 1 is fully funded (100%+) and 0 fall below the 80% actuarial benchmark. Participants in any underfunded plan should request the most recent Annual Funding Notice, which is mailed annually under ERISA Section 101(f) and discloses the plan's adjusted funding target attainment percentage.
Where does this data come from and how current is it?
Every figure on this page comes directly from the Department of Labor's EBSA Form 5500 datasets, which compile every ERISA filing submitted by U.S. corporate pension sponsors. The most recent filings reflected here are from May 2026. Form 5500 typically lags plan year-end by 9–12 months. Alcoa Corporation is classified in Private Sector.
Alcoa Corporation sponsors a single defined-benefit plan covering 4,115 active and retired participants. The combined plans are fully funded at 119.7% average funding ratio — a position where assets exceed accrued liabilities. Worst single-plan grade is A.