Valero Energy Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
Valero Energy Corporation Thrift Plan
San Antonio, TXManufacturing7,888 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$9,260Employer $ per active participant
$15,966Employee $ saved per active participant
$0 reportedDirect admin cost, % of plan assets
$3.4BNet plan assets, end of year
$346,744Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity46.5 / 5093th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost12.5 / 25No direct expenses reported, scored neutral
- Employee saving14.6 / 1597th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score84 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (566 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 93th |
| Lower admin cost | neutral |
| Employee saving | 97th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 70% |
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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
- Valero Energy put in about $9,260 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($3,452). 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.
- The plan reported no administrative expenses paid from plan assets. The employer may pay them, or the costs may be built into fund fees. Check your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure for each fund's expense ratio.
- 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 | $73,036,463 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $125,932,451 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | – |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $0 |
| Benefits paid out | $337,267,855 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $3.1B / $3.4B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 8,053 / 7,722 |
| Participants with account balances | 9,765 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | KPMG LLP |
| Employer stock held by plan | $353,747,244 |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250709094045NAL0012644226001, received 2025-07-09, EIN 74-1828067, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.