Ensign United States Drilling Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Ensign United States Drilling Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan
Houston, TXMining, Oil & Gas2,594 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,299Employer $ per active participant
$2,174Employee $ saved per active participant
0.11%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$103.0MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity19.0 / 5038th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost13.5 / 2554th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving4.0 / 1526th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score40 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: all industries, plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (fewer than 30 industry peers) (2,386 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 38th |
| Lower admin cost | 54th |
| Employee saving | 26th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 52% |
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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
- Ensign United States Drilling put in about $1,299 per active participant, below the typical peer ($2,062). Any match is still an instant return, so contribute enough to get all of it.
- 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 | $3,370,451 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $5,641,058 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $104,228 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $108,892 |
| Benefits paid out | $10,859,664 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $94.6M / $103.0M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 2,673 / 2,516 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,221 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Plante & Moran, PLLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Schwab Retirement Plan Services Inc | $108,792 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250818122505NAL0002361538001, received 2025-08-18, EIN 84-1281167, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.