Capital Waste Services, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Capital Waste Services 401(k) Plan
Columbia, SCAdministrative, Support & Staffing Services560 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$697Employer $ per active participant
$1,078Employee $ saved per active participant
0.35%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$2.8MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity24.6 / 5049th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost8.8 / 2535th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving5.1 / 1534th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score42 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Administrative, Support & Staffing Services plans with 500–2,499 active participants (401 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 49th |
| Lower admin cost | 35th |
| Employee saving | 34th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 27% |
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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
- Capital Waste Services put in about $697 per active participant, below the typical peer ($712). 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.
- Direct plan expenses (0.35% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.23%). Check your annual fee disclosure, choose low-cost index funds if you can, and think about whether savings beyond the match belong in an IRA.
- 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 | $390,370 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $603,756 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $53,811 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $8,085 |
| Contract administrator fees | $8,085 |
| Benefits paid out | $393,690 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $1.8M / $2.8M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 528 / 592 |
| Participants with account balances | 209 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Beers,hamerman, Cohen Burger, P.C |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | $8,085 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251010094436NAL0012750768001, received 2025-10-10, EIN 32-0476669, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.