Linde Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Linde Retirement Savings Plan
Danbury, CTManufacturing11,262 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$4,227Employer $ per active participant
$8,778Employee $ saved per active participant
0.03%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$2.9BNet plan assets, end of year
$184,006Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity18.0 / 5036th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost21.7 / 2587th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving7.9 / 1553th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score55 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 10,000+ active participants (151 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 36th |
| Lower admin cost | 87th |
| Employee saving | 53th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 69% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $26,934 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Linde put in about $4,227 per active participant, below the typical peer ($5,480). 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.
- 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 | $47,609,772 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $98,852,446 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $12,654,878 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $728,782 |
| Contract administrator fees | $5,700 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $61,500 |
| Other admin expenses | $24,388 |
| Benefits paid out | $303,881,167 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $2.8B / $2.9B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 11,201 / 11,323 |
| Participants with account balances | 15,998 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Cohnreznick LLP |
| Employer stock held by plan | $661,053,870 |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $542,231 reported compensation |
| Institutional Investment Consulting | $61,500 reported compensation |
| Groom Law Group, Chartered | $52,438 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250925093801NAL0009021184001, received 2025-09-25, EIN 06-1249050, plan #334, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.