Novartis Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
Novartis Corporation Investment Savings Plan
East Hanover, NJManufacturing12,102 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$23,828Employer $ per active participant
$21,747Employee $ saved per active participant
0.00%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$9.9BNet plan assets, end of year
$416,293Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity50.0 / 50100th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost24.8 / 2599th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving14.7 / 1598th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score97 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 10,000+ active participants (151 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 100th |
| Lower admin cost | 99th |
| Employee saving | 98th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 69% |
Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $69,792 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Novartis put in about $23,828 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.
- 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 | $288,353,618 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $263,169,097 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $53,546,917 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $186,992 |
| Benefits paid out | $964,683,280 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $9.5B / $9.9B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 12,217 / 11,986 |
| Participants with account balances | 23,805 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Withum |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments | $186,992 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250905095407NAL0010520115001, received 2025-09-05, EIN 13-1834433, plan #055, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.
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