Party City Holdings Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Party City Holdings Inc. 401(k) Plan
Woodcliff Lake, NJRetail Trade5,630 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,035Employer $ per active participant
$2,171Employee $ saved per active participant
0.18%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$221.0MNet plan assets, end of year
$54,640Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity33.2 / 5066th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost9.7 / 2539th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving8.1 / 1554th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score54 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (183 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 66th |
| Lower admin cost | 39th |
| Employee saving | 54th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 42% |
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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
- Party City Holdings put in about $1,035 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($650). 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 | $5,825,447 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $12,220,450 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,137,696 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $431,333 |
| Contract administrator fees | $600 |
| Other admin expenses | $83,750 |
| Benefits paid out | $85,007,130 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $261.0M / $221.0M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 5,268 / 5,991 |
| Participants with account balances | 4,045 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Crowe |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $234,800 reported compensation |
| Harter Secrest & Emery LLP | $86,533 reported compensation |
| Fiducient Advisors LLC | $83,750 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20260326162152NAL0004987553001, received 2026-03-26, EIN 20-1033029, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.