Harlows School Bus Service 401(k) Review & Grade
Harlows School Bus Service 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan & Trust
Bismarck, NDTransportation & Warehousing722 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$110Employer $ per active participant
$384Employee $ saved per active participant
1.56%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$2.0MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity3.6 / 507th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost0.6 / 252th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving0.5 / 154th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score8 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Transportation & Warehousing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (392 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 7th |
| Lower admin cost | 2th |
| Employee saving | 4th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 37% |
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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
- Harlows School Bus Service put in about $110 per active participant, below the typical peer ($1,070). 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 (1.56% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.23%). 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 | $79,103 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $277,218 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $0 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $27,962 |
| Contract administrator fees | $12,664 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $14,438 |
| Benefits paid out | $221,681 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $1.6M / $2.0M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 719 / 725 |
| Participants with account balances | 0 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Eide Bailly LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Packerland Brokerage Services Inc. | $12,437 reported compensation |
| Paychex, Inc. | $10,429 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251015160416NAL0005072945001, received 2025-10-15, EIN 45-0392022, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.