Balchem Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
Balchem Corporation 401(k) Plan
Middletown, NYManufacturing963 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$4,960Employer $ per active participant
$6,549Employee $ saved per active participant
0.13%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$141.8MNet plan assets, end of year
$91,408Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity41.3 / 5083th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost16.8 / 2567th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving10.4 / 1569th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score79 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 83th |
| Lower admin cost | 67th |
| Employee saving | 69th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
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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
- Balchem put in about $4,960 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($2,320). 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.
- 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 | $4,776,030 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $6,306,647 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,223,453 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $178,955 |
| Contract administrator fees | $44,278 |
| Other admin expenses | $250 |
| Benefits paid out | $16,295,211 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $132.0M / $141.8M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 905 / 1,021 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,551 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Bdo USA, P.C. |
| Employer stock held by plan | $38,437,832 |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Annuity Insurance Company | $178,705 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250626110403NAL0005127987001, received 2025-06-26, EIN 13-2578432, plan #005, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.