Kelly Services, Inc 401(k) Review & Grade
Kelly Retirement Savings Plan
Troy, MIAdministrative, Support & Staffing Services161,430 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$36Employer $ per active participant
$160Employee $ saved per active participant
0.23%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$342.5MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity10.9 / 5022th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost3.5 / 2514th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving1.4 / 159th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score16 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Administrative, Support & Staffing Services plans with 10,000+ active participants (33 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 22th |
| Lower admin cost | 14th |
| Employee saving | 9th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 36% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $10,546 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Kelly Services put in about $36 per active participant, below the typical peer ($271). 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 (0.23% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.09%). 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 | $5,855,328 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $25,851,315 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $4,057,542 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $761,663 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $42,500 |
| Other admin expenses | $170,116 |
| Benefits paid out | $42,924,897 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $311.6M / $342.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 180,351 / 142,508 |
| Participants with account balances | 9,478 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Plante & Moran PLLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and S | $515,722 reported compensation |
| Phoenix Innovate | $132,095 reported compensation |
| Captrust | $42,500 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251008114223NAL0013285762001, received 2025-10-08, EIN 38-1510762, plan #004, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.