Tyson Foods, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Tyson Foods, Inc. Retirement Savings Plan
Springdale, ARAgriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting118,419 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$973Employer $ per active participant
$1,789Employee $ saved per active participant
0.14%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$3.7BNet plan assets, end of year
$58,887Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity16.4 / 5033th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost7.6 / 2530th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving3.8 / 1525th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score28 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: all industries, plans with 10,000+ active participants (fewer than 30 industry peers) (820 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 33th |
| Lower admin cost | 30th |
| Employee saving | 25th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 50% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $3,806 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Tyson Foods put in about $973 per active participant, below the typical peer ($2,229). 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 (0.14% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.09%). 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.
- 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 | $115,199,904 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $211,873,352 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $13,250,887 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $5,044,965 |
| Contract administrator fees | $7,500 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $2,627,660 |
| Other admin expenses | $80,635 |
| Benefits paid out | $535,617,014 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $3.5B / $3.7B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 118,403 / 118,435 |
| Participants with account balances | 63,329 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Mcconnel & Jones LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Parnassus Investments LLC | $799,086 reported compensation |
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $760,270 reported compensation |
| Northwest Investment Consulting, I | $293,662 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251009102138NAL0006818097001, received 2025-10-09, EIN 71-0225165, plan #004, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.