Costco Wholesale Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
Costco 401k Retirement Plan
Issaquah, WARetail Trade207,722 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$3,277Employer $ per active participant
$5,279Employee $ saved per active participant
0.02%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$41.0BNet plan assets, end of year
$160,816Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity48.0 / 5096th 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
Total score96 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 10,000+ active participants (124 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 96th |
| Lower admin cost | 93th |
| Employee saving | 98th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 32% |
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
- Costco Wholesale put in about $3,277 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($689). 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 | $680,725,254 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $1,096,633,808 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $47,917,464 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $5,970,210 |
| Other admin expenses | $125,120 |
| Benefits paid out | $2,998,617,477 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $33.4B / $41.0B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 202,468 / 212,976 |
| Participants with account balances | 255,058 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Crowe LLP |
| Employer stock held by plan | $21,006,481,217 |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| T Rowe Price RPS Inc | $5,737,790 reported compensation |
| Mondress Monaco Parr Lockwood PLLC | $123,900 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250707151535NAL0009305842001, received 2025-07-07, EIN 91-1223280, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.
Other 401(k) plans filed under this employer's EIN
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