Pella Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
Pella Corporation 401(k) Savings Plan
Pella, IAManufacturing9,692 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$2,361Employer $ per active participant
$7,127Employee $ saved per active participant
0.05%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$1.2BNet plan assets, end of year
$100,545Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity17.2 / 5034th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost19.3 / 2577th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving9.3 / 1562th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score56 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (566 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 34th |
| Lower admin cost | 77th |
| Employee saving | 62th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 70% |
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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
- Pella put in about $2,361 per active participant, below the typical peer ($3,452). 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.
- 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 | $22,879,142 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $69,075,936 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $4,814,625 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $624,185 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $1,596 |
| Benefits paid out | $151,323,540 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $1.1B / $1.2B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 9,874 / 9,510 |
| Participants with account balances | 12,174 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Grant Thornton LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Schwab Retirement Plan Services,inc | $634,194 reported compensation |
| Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. | $2,533 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20260820122559NAL0014668243001, received 2026-08-20, EIN 42-0497670, plan #001, plan year 2024-12-01 to 2025-11-30. Verify at efast.dol.gov.