General Dynamics Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
General Dynamics Corporation 401(k) Plan 3.0
Reston, VAManufacturing1,904 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$380Employer $ per active participant
$2,952Employee $ saved per active participant
0.02%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$1.5BNet plan assets, end of year
$177,699Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity2.5 / 505th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost23.6 / 2594th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving3.3 / 1522th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score36 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 5th |
| Lower admin cost | 94th |
| Employee saving | 22th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $8,857 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- General Dynamics put in about $380 per active participant, below the typical peer ($2,320). 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.
- 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 | $722,917 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $5,619,649 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $631,615 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $357,836 |
| Contract administrator fees | $142,588 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $39,047 |
| Other admin expenses | $27,491 |
| Benefits paid out | $167,883,644 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $1.5B / $1.5B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,711 / 2,096 |
| Participants with account balances | 8,304 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | KPMG LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Inv. Inst. Ops. Co. LLC | $142,588 reported compensation |
| KPMG LLP | $105,333 reported compensation |
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $39,047 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250930141152NAL0029511282001, received 2025-09-30, EIN 13-1673581, plan #012, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.