Battelle Memorial Institute 401(k) Review & Grade
Battelle Employees' Savings Plan
Columbus, OHProfessional, Scientific & Technical Services8,540 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$5,872Employer $ per active participant
$13,074Employee $ saved per active participant
0.06%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$3.4BNet plan assets, end of year
$253,713Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity40.4 / 5081th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost18.3 / 2573th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving11.3 / 1576th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features0 / 10No auto-enrollment or default investment reported
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score67 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Professional, Scientific & Technical Services plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (231 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 81th |
| Lower admin cost | 73th |
| Employee saving | 76th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 47% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $31,000 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Battelle Memorial Institute put in about $5,872 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($2,951). 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.
- 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 | $50,149,000 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $111,651,000 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $17,229,000 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $1,934,000 |
| Other admin expenses | $1,934,000 |
| Benefits paid out | $253,044,000 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $3.1B / $3.4B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 8,543 / 8,537 |
| Participants with account balances | 13,394 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Meaden & Moore, LTD. |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Vanguard Advisers Inc. | $841,306 reported compensation |
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | $525,521 reported compensation |
| Willis Towers Watson LLC | $104,500 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20260414135430NAL0019620000001, received 2026-04-14, EIN 31-4379427, plan #003, plan year 2024-07-01 to 2025-06-30. Verify at efast.dol.gov.