Deckers Outdoor Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
Deckers Outdoor Corporation 401(k) Plan
Goleta, CARetail Trade2,124 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$2,900Employer $ per active participant
$7,756Employee $ saved per active participant
0.20%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$168.3MNet plan assets, end of year
$61,347Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity46.8 / 5094th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost13.6 / 2554th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving14.6 / 1597th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score82 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 500–2,499 active participants (719 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 94th |
| Lower admin cost | 54th |
| Employee saving | 97th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 48% |
Get the monthly 401(k) report card
The best and worst plans, new grades as filings post. One email a month, no spam.
Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $2,491 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Deckers Outdoor put in about $2,900 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($743). 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 | $6,158,691 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $16,469,734 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,540,618 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $305,432 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $103,521 |
| Benefits paid out | $10,612,223 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $135.2M / $168.3M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,990 / 2,257 |
| Participants with account balances | 2,744 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Annuity Insurance Company O | $201,911 reported compensation |
| Empower Advisory Group, LLC | $64,521 reported compensation |
| Global Retirement Partners LLC | $39,000 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251009144623NAL0011684704001, received 2025-10-09, EIN 95-3015862, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.