The Sherwin-Williams Company 401(k) Review & Grade
The Sherwin-Williams Company Hourly 401(k) Plan
Cleveland, OHManufacturing968 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$164Employer $ per active participant
$4,452Employee $ saved per active participant
0.02%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$58.3MNet plan assets, end of year
$55,284Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity1.3 / 503th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost24.0 / 2596th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving6.5 / 1543th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score42 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 3th |
| Lower admin cost | 96th |
| Employee saving | 43th |
| 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
- Sherwin-Williams put in about $164 per active participant, below the typical peer ($2,320). 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 | $158,788 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $4,309,347 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $68,566 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $10,499 |
| Other admin expenses | $6,230 |
| Benefits paid out | $9,403,119 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $56.4M / $58.3M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,001 / 935 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,054 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Crowe LLP |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251015175018NAL0010597634001, received 2025-10-15, EIN 34-0526850, plan #022, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.