Apache Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
Apache Corporation 401(k) Savings Plan
Houston, TXMining, Oil & Gas1,516 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$12,244Employer $ per active participant
$15,960Employee $ saved per active participant
0.03%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$715.3MNet plan assets, end of year
$302,688Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity44.9 / 5090th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost23.3 / 2593th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving14.6 / 1598th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score90 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Mining, Oil & Gas plans with 500–2,499 active participants (129 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 90th |
| Lower admin cost | 93th |
| Employee saving | 98th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 60% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $79 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Apache put in about $12,244 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($4,357). 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.
- 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 | $18,567,445 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $24,203,617 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $7,701,202 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $193,922 |
| Contract administrator fees | $1,200 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $241,469 |
| Other admin expenses | $74,388 |
| Benefits paid out | $81,572,544 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $640.7M / $715.3M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,470 / 1,563 |
| Participants with account balances | 2,363 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Weaver & Tidwell, LLP |
| Employer stock held by plan | $7,050,878 |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $241,469 reported compensation |
| Ubs | $91,732 reported compensation |
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | −$128,226 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251013172923NAL0003826178001, received 2025-10-13, EIN 41-0747868, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.