Walgreen Co. 401(k) Review & Grade
Walgreens Retirement Savings Plan
Deerfield, ILRetail Trade224,609 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,024Employer $ per active participant
$2,139Employee $ saved per active participant
0.03%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$14.5BNet plan assets, end of year
$108,922Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity35.0 / 5070th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost21.2 / 2585th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving10.0 / 1567th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score66 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 10,000+ active participants (124 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 70th |
| Lower admin cost | 85th |
| Employee saving | 67th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 32% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $184,667 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Walgreen put in about $1,024 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($689). 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 | $229,994,708 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $480,386,320 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $39,272,246 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $3,942,869 |
| Benefits paid out | $1,521,633,766 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $13.4B / $14.5B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 233,635 / 215,583 |
| Participants with account balances | 133,452 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Grant Thornton LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fid Inv Inst Ops Co | $3,864,420 reported compensation |
| Deloitte & Touche LLP | $78,449 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251007084923NAL0002523299001, received 2025-10-07, EIN 36-1924025, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.