Wage and Fringe Benefits Bond - Carpenters Combined Funds in Pennsylvania

Brief Summary

Carpenters Combined Funds in Pittsburgh collects fringe benefit contributions for Pittsburgh area carpenters working under the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council. A wage and fringe benefits bond guarantees those contributions, and the regional funds say contractors without a bond cannot start work. The merger of the Greater Pennsylvania pension fund on January 1, 2026 makes it worth checking the obligee wording before you renew.

Contractors signed to a carpenters' agreement in the Pittsburgh area post this bond in favor of the benefit funds administered by Carpenters Combined Funds, Inc., 650 Ridge Road, Suite 300, Pittsburgh. The bond guarantees payment of the medical, pension and annuity contributions the agreement requires. The amount comes from your collective bargaining agreement, so confirm it and the obligee names with the fund office before the bond is issued.

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How to Apply for a Wage and Fringe Benefits Bond:

• Find the bonding article in your carpenters' collective bargaining agreement and note the required amount.
• Call Carpenters Combined Funds at 412-922-5330 to confirm the amount and exact obligee names.
• Provide the company's legal name and owner information for underwriting.
• Sign the indemnity agreement and pay the premium.
• Deliver the executed bond to the fund office before covered work starts.

Detailed Information About the Pennsylvania Wage and Fringe Benefits Bond:

The funds changed in 2026

Carpenters Combined Funds reports that effective January 1, 2026 the Greater Pennsylvania Carpenters' Pension Fund merged into the Eastern Atlantic States Carpenters Pension Fund. A bond written years ago may still name funds that no longer exist in that form. When you renew, ask the fund office which fund names belong on the bond.

Who administers the funds

Carpenters Combined Funds, Inc. is the Pittsburgh fund office for carpenters represented by the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters. It handles the medical plan, the pension fund and the Greater Pennsylvania Carpenters' Annuity Fund, and its site links employers to the iRemit online payment portal.

Is the bond required

The Eastern Atlantic States Carpenters Funds employer FAQ says "All contractors that work in our jurisdiction are required to have a Surety Bond in place" and warns that without one no work can be performed. The same FAQ says most collective bargaining agreements currently call for $75,000. Your own agreement controls the amount, so read its bonding article or ask the fund office.

Collection rules

The Eastern Atlantic States trustees adopted a combined audit and collection policy effective November 1, 2023. Its cover letter says it consolidates the New Jersey and Philadelphia procedures. Pittsburgh area employers should ask Carpenters Combined Funds which collection and audit terms apply to their contributions.

Federal backing

29 U.S.C. 1145 requires contributing employers to pay as the plan and agreement require. Under 29 U.S.C. 1132(g)(2), a fund that wins a collection suit recovers the unpaid contributions, interest, liquidated damages and attorney fees. Carpenters Combined Funds has brought a long list of such suits in the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Eligibility and Requirements for a Pennsylvania Wage and Fringe Benefits Bond:

• Bond in place before work begins in the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council's jurisdiction.
• Obligee names that reflect the January 1, 2026 pension fund merger.
• Amount set by the employer's collective bargaining agreement.
• Contributions paid as the fund office directs, including through its iRemit portal.
• Bond kept in force while the employer is bound to the agreement.

Pennsylvania Wage and Fringe Benefits Bond FAQs:

Official and Additional Resources for the Pennsylvania Wage and Fringe Benefits Bond: