The Kroger Co. 401(k) Review & Grade
The Kroger Co. 401(k) Retirement Savings Account Plan
Cincinnati, OHRetail Trade258,132 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,074Employer $ per active participant
$1,520Employee $ saved per active participant
0.03%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$11.8BNet plan assets, end of year
$78,788Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity36.2 / 5072th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost20.6 / 2583th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving6.8 / 1546th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score67 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 10,000+ active participants (124 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 72th |
| Lower admin cost | 83th |
| Employee saving | 46th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 32% |
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
- Kroger put in about $1,074 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($689). 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 | $277,314,000 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $392,246,000 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $34,987,000 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $3,242,000 |
| Other admin expenses | $519,000 |
| Benefits paid out | $1,076,813,000 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $8.4B / $11.8B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 135,373 / 380,891 |
| Participants with account balances | 149,880 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Clark, Schaefer, Hackett & Co. |
| Employer stock held by plan | $1,648,509,000 |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and S | $2,047,540 reported compensation |
| Fid Inv Inst Ops Co | $675,251 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251013091809NAL0000917441001, received 2025-10-13, EIN 31-0345740, plan #010, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.
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