Aramark Services, Inc. Retirement Benefits 401(k) Review & Grade
Aramark Hourly 401(k) Plan
Philadelphia, PAAccommodation & Food Services88,610 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$59Employer $ per active participant
$292Employee $ saved per active participant
0.33%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$251.7MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity3.8 / 508th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost2.2 / 259th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving0.4 / 152th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score6 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Accommodation & Food Services plans with 10,000+ active participants (41 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 8th |
| Lower admin cost | 9th |
| Employee saving | 2th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 24% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $10,129 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Aramark Services, Inc. Retirement Benefits put in about $59 per active participant, below the typical peer ($393). 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 (0.33% 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 | $5,206,967 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $25,875,173 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $2,566,804 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $783,823 |
| Other admin expenses | $47,368 |
| Benefits paid out | $31,170,255 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $225.1M / $251.7M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 84,306 / 92,914 |
| Participants with account balances | 14,483 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Baker Tilly US, LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Inv. Inst. Operations Co. | $697,605 reported compensation |
| Newport Group, Inc. | $39,025 reported compensation |
| Baker Tilly US, LLP | $38,850 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20260715165541NAL0004671346004, received 2026-07-15, EIN 95-2051630, plan #001, plan year 2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30. Verify at efast.dol.gov.