Merck & Co., Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Merck US Savings Plan
Rahway, NJManufacturing28,567 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$7,323Employer $ per active participant
$22,691Employee $ saved per active participant
0.00%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$15.0BNet plan assets, end of year
$368,488Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity34.7 / 5069th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost24.9 / 25100th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving14.8 / 1599th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features0 / 10No auto-enrollment or default investment reported
Total score74 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 10,000+ active participants (151 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 69th |
| Lower admin cost | 100th |
| Employee saving | 99th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 69% |
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
No red flags were reported on this filing's compliance questions.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Merck & Co. put in about $7,323 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($5,480). 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.
- 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 | $209,188,698 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $648,207,337 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | – |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $123,978 |
| Benefits paid out | $1,160,613,196 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $13.4B / $15.0B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 27,956 / 29,178 |
| Participants with account balances | 40,628 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Pricewaterhousecoopers LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $123,978 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250922090523NAL0005406704001, received 2025-09-22, EIN 22-1918501, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.