Cars.com, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Cars.com, LLC 401(k) Retirement Plan
Chicago, ILProfessional, Scientific & Technical Services1,650 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$4,181Employer $ per active participant
$8,389Employee $ saved per active participant
0.07%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$241.1MNet plan assets, end of year
$96,063Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity33.0 / 5066th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost20.7 / 2583th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving6.7 / 1545th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score70 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Professional, Scientific & Technical Services plans with 500–2,499 active participants (1,469 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 66th |
| Lower admin cost | 83th |
| Employee saving | 45th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 48% |
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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
- Cars.com put in about $4,181 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($3,082). 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 | $6,900,310 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $13,846,184 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $4,372,588 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $147,706 |
| Benefits paid out | $18,187,657 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $204.5M / $241.1M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,653 / 1,648 |
| Participants with account balances | 2,510 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Grant Thornton LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Transamerica Retirement Solutions | $119,356 reported compensation |
| Grant Thornton LLP | $28,350 reported compensation |
| National Financial Services | $0 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250905154510NAL0017283249001, received 2025-09-05, EIN 36-4466253, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.