Bank of America Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
The Bank of America 401(k) Plan
Charlotte, NCManagement of Companies168,596 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$7,635Employer $ per active participant
$9,751Employee $ saved per active participant
$0 reportedDirect admin cost, % of plan assets
$62.9BNet plan assets, end of year
$253,475Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity44.2 / 5088th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost12.5 / 25No direct expenses reported, scored neutral
- Employee saving11.7 / 1578th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score78 / 100 · Grade A
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 | 88th |
| Lower admin cost | neutral |
| Employee saving | 78th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 50% |
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
- Bank of America put in about $7,635 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($2,229). 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 | $1,287,193,919 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $1,643,940,675 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $121,757,347 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $0 |
| Benefits paid out | $4,277,802,479 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $54.8B / $62.9B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 168,963 / 168,229 |
| Participants with account balances | 248,103 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Mcconnell & Jones LLP |
| Employer stock held by plan | $6,598,681,216 |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250721130517NAL0000605299001, received 2025-07-21, EIN 56-0906609, plan #003, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.
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