---
title: "Compare a summary plan description with the plan document"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/superannuation/compare-a-member-booklet-or-product-disclosure-to-the-deed/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A27-A20260923-1-US"
practice_area: "Superannuation"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Compare a summary plan description with the plan document

> Table each benefit, eligibility rule and exclusion in the booklet against the plan section the lawyer identifies. Do not rewrite either document.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/superannuation/compare-a-member-booklet-or-product-disclosure-to-the-deed/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Superannuation](https://ailawframework.com/practice/superannuation.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | Table each benefit, eligibility rule and exclusion in the booklet against the plan section the lawyer identifies. Do not rewrite either document. |
| What the lawyer must review | ERISA § 102(a), 29 U.S.C. § 1022(a), requires a summary plan description that includes the information in subsection (b), is written to be understood by the average participant, and is sufficiently accurate and comprehensive to reasonably apprise participants and beneficiaries of their rights and obligations. Section 1022(b) lists what the summary must contain, including eligibility, the circumstances that may cause loss of benefits, and the claims procedure. A fiduciary must discharge duties in accordance with the plan documents to the extent they are consistent with ERISA (29 U.S.C. § 1104(a)(1)(D)). You resolve a mismatch by reading both documents. Do not treat the booklet as if it were the plan. Opinion 512 applies if a tool prepared the comparison. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Compare a member booklet or product disclosure to the deed](https://ailawframework.com/practice/superannuation/compare-a-member-booklet-or-product-disclosure-to-the-deed.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: Table each benefit, eligibility rule and exclusion in the booklet against the plan section the lawyer identifies. Do not rewrite either document.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- This version does not state what a court does when the summary and the plan conflict. That case was not opened.
- There is no Australian product-disclosure statement in this task.

## Sources

- [29 U.S.C. § 1022, Summary plan description](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/29/1022) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [29 U.S.C. § 1104, ERISA fiduciary duties](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/29/1104) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Formal Opinion 512, Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools (29 July 2024)](https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/professional_responsibility/ethics-opinions/aba-formal-opinion-512.pdf) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [ERISA summary plan description statute checklist](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/superannuation/us-spd-statute-review.md) | Checklist | Yellow | Checklist of the summary plan description contents in 29 U.S.C. § 1022. It compares a booklet with the statute. It is not the booklet furnished to participants. |
| [ERISA summary plan description regulation checklist](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/superannuation/us-spd-regulation-review.md) | Checklist | Yellow | Checklist of summary plan description items in 29 CFR 2520.102-3. It tells the lawyer what to look for. It does not reproduce the regulation's model statements. |
| [Plan instrument and booklet comparison](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/superannuation/us-spd-comparison.md) | Checklist | Yellow | A side-by-side review of an ERISA plan instrument and its summary plan description. The booklet has to track the instrument. This list does not calculate a benefit. |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*