Caterpillar Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Caterpillar 401(k) Savings Plan
Irving, TXManufacturing44,181 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$11,024Employer $ per active participant
$10,314Employee $ saved per active participant
0.05%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$18.8BNet plan assets, end of year
$317,847Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity41.7 / 5083th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost18.4 / 2574th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving9.6 / 1564th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score80 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 10,000+ active participants (151 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 83th |
| Lower admin cost | 74th |
| Employee saving | 64th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 69% |
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
- Caterpillar put in about $11,024 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($5,480). 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 | $487,040,710 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $455,666,443 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $37,071,751 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $8,205,536 |
| Contract administrator fees | $753,057 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $4,922,952 |
| Other admin expenses | $67,905 |
| Benefits paid out | $1,113,600,341 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $16.5B / $18.8B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 43,873 / 44,489 |
| Participants with account balances | 59,142 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Pricewaterhousecoopers LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Alight Financial Advisors, LLC | $4,763,101 reported compensation |
| Alight Solutions LLC | $1,436,587 reported compensation |
| Pershing LLC | $787,442 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250729123537NAL0001603043001, received 2025-07-29, EIN 37-0602744, plan #035, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.
Other 401(k) plans filed under this employer's EIN
Get notified when Caterpillar's next filing posts
The most generous employers, the worst red flags, and plain-English 401(k) tips. One email a month.