I have a plan asking that the invoice for their 2004 Defined Benefit Pension Answer Book be paid from the trust.

Would this be considered a legitimate administrative expense? The EBSA site addresses a lot of expenses, but I could not find this one.

Wouldn't that depend on why the plan (or perhaps the PA) purchased it? If actually used by staff to help administer the plan (such as making sure all compliance issues are up to date), then that could be legitimate expense. (Consider the alternative, which might be hiring a consultant or attorney to provide advice, most of such fees probably payable by the trust.)

Or could the PA have purchased it to cure insomnia? In that case it would be an allowable expense under the 125 plan.

... assuming he has been properly diagnosed as an insomniac and he wasn’t actually just a kleptomaniac who just liked the pretty blue cover!

Could have been bought to prop up an employer desktop computer monitor, a prohibited transaction if plan assets are involved.

Notwithstanding the entertaining responses, it is a perfectly reasonable expense to be reimbursed by the Plan.

My colleagues and I thank you for the humorous start to our day. We all got a laugh at the above exchange.

Pax & Mike, thank you for taking what was probably a dumb question seriously!