PPL Services Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
PPL Deferred Savings Plan
Allentown, PAUtilities510 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$4,916Employer $ per active participant
$16,757Employee $ saved per active participant
0.00%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$617.8MNet plan assets, end of year
$513,157Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity16.9 / 5034th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost25.0 / 25100th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving14.2 / 1595th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score63 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Utilities plans with 500–2,499 active participants (75 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 34th |
| Lower admin cost | 100th |
| Employee saving | 95th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 76% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $1,438 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- PPL Services put in about $4,916 per active participant, below the typical peer ($6,264). 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 | $2,504,525 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $8,537,823 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $911,615 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $3,912 |
| Contract administrator fees | $900 |
| Benefits paid out | $82,680,091 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $556.0M / $617.8M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 506 / 513 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,204 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Baker Tilly US, LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| K&l Gates | $5,150 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251014133341NAL0004089456001, received 2025-10-14, EIN 23-3041441, plan #005, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.