Payscale, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Payscale, Inc. Retirement Savings Plan
Boston, MAInformation586 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$2,246Employer $ per active participant
$10,177Employee $ saved per active participant
0.45%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$52.5MNet plan assets, end of year
$59,791Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity18.9 / 5038th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost6.6 / 2526th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving8.7 / 1558th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score44 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Information plans with 500–2,499 active participants (310 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 38th |
| Lower admin cost | 26th |
| Employee saving | 58th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
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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
- Payscale put in about $2,246 per active participant, below the typical peer ($2,829). 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.
- Direct plan expenses (0.45% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.23%). Check your annual fee disclosure, choose low-cost index funds if you can, and think about whether savings beyond the match belong in an IRA.
- 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 | $1,315,073 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $5,958,569 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $795,048 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $220,090 |
| Contract administrator fees | $171,682 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $48,202 |
| Other admin expenses | $206 |
| Benefits paid out | $7,228,784 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $45.1M / $52.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 600 / 571 |
| Participants with account balances | 878 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Sweeney Conrad P.S. |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Annuity Ins. Company | $101,082 reported compensation |
| Bensler LLC | $48,202 reported compensation |
| Empower Advisory Group LLC | $25,434 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250915200225NAL0001440369001, received 2025-09-15, EIN 91-1618647, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.