Utz Quality Foods, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Utz Quality Foods, LLC Profit Sharing/401(k) Plan
Hanover, PAManufacturing3,331 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$2,119Employer $ per active participant
$4,206Employee $ saved per active participant
0.20%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$274.5MNet plan assets, end of year
$54,323Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity15.0 / 5030th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost8.8 / 2535th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving4.0 / 1527th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-13 pts2 issues reported on the filing
Total score25 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (566 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 30th |
| Lower admin cost | 35th |
| Employee saving | 27th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 70% |
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Red flags from the filing
Benefits not paid when due: the plan reported failing to pay some benefits on time.
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $3,177 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Utz Quality Foods put in about $2,119 per active participant, below the typical peer ($3,452). 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 (0.20% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.12%). 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.
- 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 | $7,058,058 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $14,009,947 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,949,574 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $522,973 |
| Contract administrator fees | $300 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $60,558 |
| Other admin expenses | $163,458 |
| Benefits paid out | $45,617,205 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $260.1M / $274.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 3,605 / 3,057 |
| Participants with account balances | 5,053 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | RKL LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $298,957 reported compensation |
| Sage Worth | $150,973 reported compensation |
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $60,558 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251013093844NAL0001047217001, received 2025-10-13, EIN 23-1292435, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.