LORT Contribution Report

The following form is to be completed by employers who contribute to the Equity League Benefit Funds under a League of Resident Theatres (LORT) contract. If you are not a LORT employer, please skip to the page for our regular reporting form.

• Pension Health and 401(k) Contribution Report for LORT (Excel)
• Instructions for the Contributions Report Speadsheet (pdf)

The federal government limits the maximum amount of salary that can be deferred to retirement plans. For 2021, the maximum amount of salary that participants can defer for all employers is $19,500. Participants who are 50 or older are eligible to defer an additional $6,500 for 2021. The $7,500 maximum weekly compensation limit does not apply for such additional deferrals.

During the Covid-19 driven industry shutdown, the Trustees and Fund Office have been working to prepare for the glorious day when we will see a widespread return to normal in our industry. In that connection, we want to announce some major changes that are taking place at the Equity-League Funds.

The first change has occurred at the Fund Office, where we have moved and downsized our office such that it will only have space to serve plan participants with benefits questions live. All other Fund Office operations - including Accounts Receivable (where you had been sending Remittance Reports and Contributions) will be virtual. Some of you were still sending checks and paper reports when the pandemic led to the industry shut down. Many others were sending us electronic reports and payments at that time. However, since we no longer have a physical office for Accounts Receivable, we are moving to a system of  electronic only reporting and payments. This applies to Health, Pension and 401(K) contributions. Therefore, we are no longer able to receive checks or remittance reports at our former location on the 14^th floor of 165 W 46^th Street. Any checks or reports sent there will be returned, and may not actually be received at all, since that office is not currently occupied by anyone. So please do not send anything to our old address. Instead, we encourage you to submit your remittance reports and payments electronically. But for those who are unable to do that at this time,  we have opened a lockbox to receive interim reports and payments via check. The details regarding electronic payments and reports, and the lockbox, are explained here.

The second major change is that a special and temporary Health Fund program will permit employees to become eligible for health coverage on an accelerated basis when they return to work and and their employers make a special additional contribution to the Health Fund. A link to an explanation of that coverage is available here.

Once you've read the attached materials, please don't hesitate to contact the Fund Office in connection with any of the above changes. You can call us at 212.869.9380. Or you can e-mail Accounts Receivable at AccountsReceivable@equityleague.org, (regarding changes in the contribution process) or, the Health Insurance area at Health@equityleague.org (regarding the new early coverage option).

Refer to the instructions below for submitting employer contributions (the media fee) and employee (salary deferral) contributions to the Equity League 401(k) Fund.

Employer Contributions. Employers must contribute an amount equal to the percentage required under each LORT category (see below). This is based on weekly category minimum salaries for each actor, stage manager, and assistant stage manager. Listed below are the percentages and category minimum salaries to be used when calculating the 401(k) media fee payment:

For shows performed ONLY at the theaters listed below, each will be subject to the following set of minimum salaries as well as the media fee contribution rate of 1.5%:

• Vivan Beaumont Theater (Lincoln Center Theater)
• Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (Manhattan Theatre Club)
• American Airlines Theatre (Roundabout Theatre Company)
• Studio 54 (Roundabout Theatre Company)
• Stephen Sondheim Theatre (Roundabout Theatre Company)

Minimum salaries under the Experimental Theatre Contract for Actors and Assistant Stage Managers shall be 80% of the category “D” minimum actor salary (for actors and assistant stage managers, the amount will be $540.80 to February 10, 2019) for all category theaters. Stage managers will receive $666.40 to February 10, 2019 for all category theaters as well.

Example of how to calculate the media fee payment – A Stage Manager’s weekly contractual salary amount under a category B+ agreement in Repertory is $1,400.00. The minimum salary under this category through February 10, 2019 however is $1,379.00. Therefore, the employer is required to pay 1.25% on the MINIMUM SALARY of $1,379.00 ($1,379.00 x 1.25% = $17.24). If a member earns less than his or her contractual for a particular week, e.g. missed performances, where the amount become less than the theatre category minimum, employers are STILL REQUIRED to pay the Media Fee based on the theatre’s category minimum salary. Example, if an actor’s contractual salary under a category LORT A to February 10, 2019 is $1,073.00, but that actor only earns $600.00 for a particular week, he/she is to still receive the Media Payment of $13.49 (1.25% x category minimum salary of $1,073.00).

The Federal Government limits the maximum amount of annual compensation per employer that can be taken into account for determining contributions for a participant under a qualified plan. For the year 2019, the annual amount is $280,000.00.

Example of how to calculate the Elective Deferral Contribution – A Stage Manager’s weekly contractual salary amount under a category B+ agreement in Repertory is $1,400.00. The category minimum salary through February 10, 2019 is $1,379.00. The member elected to defer 10% of salary. Therefore, the employer is required to pay $100.00 as the member’s deferral contribution ($1,400.00 x 10%).

Actors who are incorporated (employed through corporations) are eligible for employer contributions; however, they are not eligible for salary deferrals.

The Equity League Benefit Funds F Accounts Receivable Department will track the employer and/or deferral contributions made on behalf of participants and notify you if and/or when the annual contribution limits are reached.

In addition to the required information outlined in item No. 4 of the instructions for reporting pension and health contributions, as well the items listed above, the percentage being deferred by the participant, and the contribution amount deferred by the participant, should be included on the contribution report.

Participants may use the Deferred Salary Agreement forms to defer pre-tax compensation as outlined above. The participant and the employer must retain copies of this form after it is completed and signed. A third copy of the Deferred Salary Agreement must be filed with the Equity League Benefit Funds Office. You may download and print Deferred Salary Agreement forms from our website. Or, you may contact the Equity League Benefit Funds office to request additional deferral forms.

If you have any questions, please contact the Equity League Benefit Funds Accounts Receivable Department at (212) 869-9380 (New York City) or toll free outside of NYC (800) 344-5220