Mars, Incorporated 401(k) Review & Grade
Mars Veterinary Health 401(k) Savings Plan
Hackettstown, NJManufacturing44,089 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$2,048Employer $ per active participant
$5,017Employee $ saved per active participant
0.09%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$2.6BNet plan assets, end of year
$41,610Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity7.7 / 5015th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost12.4 / 2550th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving2.8 / 1519th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score30 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 10,000+ active participants (151 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 15th |
| Lower admin cost | 50th |
| Employee saving | 19th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 69% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $4,459,351 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Mars, Incorporated put in about $2,048 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 | $90,273,569 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $221,191,386 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $14,592,671 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $2,035,133 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $305,168 |
| Other admin expenses | $54,660 |
| Benefits paid out | $172,177,440 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $2.1B / $2.6B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 33,476 / 54,702 |
| Participants with account balances | 61,429 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Pricewaterhousecoopers |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $1,590,624 reported compensation |
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $304,905 reported compensation |
| PWC | $92,136 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251002084245NAL0000752130001, received 2025-10-02, EIN 22-1594774, plan #008, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.