Bae Systems, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Bae Systems Employees' Savings and Investment Plan
Falls Church, VAManufacturing34,518 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$6,072Employer $ per active participant
$11,478Employee $ saved per active participant
0.01%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$10.6BNet plan assets, end of year
$184,744Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity28.0 / 5056th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost24.0 / 2596th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving10.1 / 1567th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score72 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 10,000+ active participants (151 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 56th |
| Lower admin cost | 96th |
| Employee saving | 67th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 69% |
Red flags from the filing
No red flags were reported on this filing's compliance questions.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Bae Systems put in about $6,072 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($5,480). Contribute at least enough to collect the full match. Skipping it leaves part of your pay on the table.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- The plan auto-enrolls employees. Check your default contribution rate. Defaults are often lower than what it takes to get the full match.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $209,589,186 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $396,186,213 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $292,497,618 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $1,032,322 |
| Contract administrator fees | $119,417 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $127,500 |
| Other admin expenses | $185 |
| Benefits paid out | $988,229,360 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $9.4B / $10.6B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 32,246 / 36,790 |
| Participants with account balances | 57,488 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Deloitte & Touche LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Groom Law Group | $524,406 reported compensation |
| Westwood Management Corp | $386,980 reported compensation |
| The Northern Trust Company | $312,225 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250812172937NAL0007411027001, received 2025-08-12, EIN 22-3537950, plan #003, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.
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