Wayne Farms LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Wayne-Sanderson Farms 401(k) Retirement Plan
Oakwood, GAAgriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting23,982 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,400Employer $ per active participant
$2,101Employee $ saved per active participant
0.45%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$595.7MNet plan assets, end of year
$21,291Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity19.8 / 5040th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost1.1 / 254th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving4.3 / 1529th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score32 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: all industries, plans with 10,000+ active participants (fewer than 30 industry peers) (820 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 40th |
| Lower admin cost | 4th |
| Employee saving | 29th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 50% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $254 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Wayne Farms put in about $1,400 per active participant, below the typical peer ($2,229). 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 (0.45% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.09%). 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 | $33,564,012 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $50,395,579 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $4,981,255 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $2,529,601 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $985,697 |
| Benefits paid out | $80,116,054 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $528.0M / $595.7M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 23,402 / 24,562 |
| Participants with account balances | 27,979 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Frazier & Deeter |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Annuity Ins Co of America | $1,543,904 reported compensation |
| Resources Investment Advisors, LLC | $860,697 reported compensation |
| Onedigital Investment Advisors LLC | $125,000 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250731161149NAL0002723251001, received 2025-07-31, EIN 58-2530930, plan #020, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.