Deere & Company 401(k) Review & Grade
John Deere Savings and Investment Plan
Moline, ILManufacturing17,679 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$14,456Employer $ per active participant
$13,441Employee $ saved per active participant
0.00%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$12.9BNet plan assets, end of year
$489,894Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity46.7 / 5093th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost24.7 / 2599th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving11.6 / 1577th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features0 / 10No auto-enrollment or default investment reported
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score80 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 10,000+ active participants (151 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 93th |
| Lower admin cost | 99th |
| Employee saving | 77th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 69% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $8,933 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Deere & put in about $14,456 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.
- 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 | $255,570,179 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $237,628,015 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $11,216,155 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $297,539 |
| Contract administrator fees | $15,900 |
| Benefits paid out | $844,276,763 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $11.0B / $12.9B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 17,840 / 17,518 |
| Participants with account balances | 26,395 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Deloitte & Touche LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fid Inv Inst Ops Co | $297,539 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20260804121214NAL0001759440001, received 2026-08-04, EIN 36-2382580, plan #003, plan year 2024-11-01 to 2025-10-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.