BJ'S Wholesale Club Inc 401(k) Review & Grade
BJ'S Wholesale Club, Inc. 401(k) Savings Plan
Marlborough, MARetail Trade32,612 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$464Employer $ per active participant
$1,427Employee $ saved per active participant
0.13%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$661.1MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity16.3 / 5033th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost8.0 / 2532th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving6.0 / 1540th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-13 pts2 issues reported on the filing
Total score20 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 10,000+ active participants (124 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 33th |
| Lower admin cost | 32th |
| Employee saving | 40th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 32% |
Get the monthly 401(k) report card
The best and worst plans, new grades as filings post. One email a month, no spam.
Red flags from the filing
Benefits not paid when due: the plan reported failing to pay some benefits on time.
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $203 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- BJ'S Wholesale Club put in about $464 per active participant, below the typical peer ($689). 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 (0.13% 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 | $15,127,889 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $46,547,736 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $9,987,179 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $832,524 |
| Contract administrator fees | $600 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $82,023 |
| Benefits paid out | $73,452,602 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $584.5M / $661.1M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 31,034 / 34,191 |
| Participants with account balances | 15,178 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Cliftonlarsonallen LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $720,051 reported compensation |
| Rocaton Investment Advisors, LLC | $68,703 reported compensation |
| Clifton Larson Allen LLP | $30,450 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250925140914NAL0003581603001, received 2025-09-25, EIN 04-3360747, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.