Dell Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Dell Inc. 401(k) Plan
Round Rock, TXManufacturing38,771 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$5,696Employer $ per active participant
$14,745Employee $ saved per active participant
0.03%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$14.6BNet plan assets, end of year
$267,233Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity26.3 / 5053th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost20.9 / 2584th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving12.4 / 1583th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-13 pts2 issues reported on the filing
Total score50 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 10,000+ active participants (151 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 53th |
| Lower admin cost | 84th |
| Employee saving | 83th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 69% |
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Red flags from the filing
Prohibited transactions: the plan reported non-exempt transactions with a party in interest.
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $319,000 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Dell put in about $5,696 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.
- 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 | $220,851,000 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $571,662,000 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $29,414,000 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $4,175,000 |
| Other admin expenses | $2,000 |
| Benefits paid out | $1,561,482,000 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $13.5B / $14.6B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 40,874 / 36,668 |
| Participants with account balances | 54,777 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Pricewaterhousecoopers LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Financial Engines | $2,898,000 reported compensation |
| Fidelity Inv. Ints. Op. Co., Inc. | $773,000 reported compensation |
| Pricewaterhousecoopers LLP | $165,000 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250815060829NAL0029518226001, received 2025-08-15, EIN 74-2487834, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.