Becton, Dickinson and Company 401(k) Review & Grade
BD 401(k) Plan
Franklin Lakes, NJManufacturing22,307 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$6,884Employer $ per active participant
$10,773Employee $ saved per active participant
0.01%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$5.8BNet plan assets, end of year
$190,877Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity32.7 / 5065th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost23.7 / 2595th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving9.8 / 1565th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score73 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 10,000+ active participants (151 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 65th |
| Lower admin cost | 95th |
| Employee saving | 65th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 69% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $161,777 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Becton, Dickinson and put in about $6,884 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($5,480). 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 | $153,565,018 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $240,303,708 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $27,447,609 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $654,012 |
| Contract administrator fees | $30,000 |
| Other admin expenses | $16,000 |
| Benefits paid out | $659,837,633 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $5.4B / $5.8B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 22,688 / 21,926 |
| Participants with account balances | 30,570 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Ernst & Young LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fid Inv Inst Ops Co | $502,525 reported compensation |
| Holland and Knight | $105,488 reported compensation |
| Willis Towers Watson US LLC | $30,000 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250630204040NAL0028207634001, received 2025-06-30, EIN 22-0760120, plan #011, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.