Advance Stores Company, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Advance Auto Parts, Inc. 401(k) Plan
Roanoke, VARetail Trade63,382 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$495Employer $ per active participant
$1,159Employee $ saved per active participant
0.14%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$1.1BNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity18.3 / 5037th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost7.7 / 2531th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving4.9 / 1533th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-13 pts2 issues reported on the filing
Total score21 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 10,000+ active participants (124 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 37th |
| Lower admin cost | 31th |
| Employee saving | 33th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 32% |
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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 $10,261 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Advance Stores Company put in about $495 per active participant, below the typical peer ($689). 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 (0.14% 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.
- 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 | $31,369,933 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $73,477,521 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $7,528,885 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $1,482,598 |
| Contract administrator fees | $2,100 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $527,602 |
| Benefits paid out | $147,755,303 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $1.0B / $1.1B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 61,633 / 65,131 |
| Participants with account balances | 23,639 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Pension Assurance LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $954,996 reported compensation |
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $527,602 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251009083543NAL0006688817001, received 2025-10-09, EIN 54-0118110, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.