Berry Global, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Berry Global Employees 401(k) Retirement Plan
Evansville, INManufacturing17,096 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,166Employer $ per active participant
$3,250Employee $ saved per active participant
0.04%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$1.1BNet plan assets, end of year
$89,589Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity5.0 / 5010th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost18.9 / 2575th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving1.6 / 1511th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score26 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 10,000+ active participants (151 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 10th |
| Lower admin cost | 75th |
| Employee saving | 11th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 69% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $1,498,267 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Berry Global put in about $1,166 per active participant, below the typical peer ($5,480). Any match is still an instant return, so contribute enough to get all of it.
- 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.
- 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 | $19,936,733 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $55,563,110 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $3,268,763 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $499,091 |
| Contract administrator fees | $499,091 |
| Benefits paid out | $148,364,053 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $1.2B / $1.1B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 17,150 / 17,041 |
| Participants with account balances | 12,249 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Harding Shymanski |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Stancorp Financial Group | $809,333 reported compensation |
| Harding Shymanski & Company | $49,200 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251014114025NAL0005737218001, received 2025-10-14, EIN 35-1814673, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.