Dow Chemical 401(k) match, vesting and fees
What Dow Chemical's 401(k) plan says about matching contributions
Company Contributions - In general, the Company’s matching contribution provides a 100% match on the first 4% eligible pay deferrals and a 50% match on the next 2% of eligible pay deferrals. In addition, effective January 1, 2024, the Company implemented The Dow Student Debt Retirement Savings Match for eligible participants, allowing student debt payments to count as contributions, making them eligible for company match. In the first quarter of 2025, the Company contributed $11.7 million to Plan participants, as required under the Plan's true-up provisions for the year ended December 31, 2024.
Quoted directly from the filing. Plan terms may have changed; check your current Summary Plan Description.
Plan features
Indented passages are quoted word for word from the audit report; plan terms may have changed since, so check your current Summary Plan Description.
| Employer match | Quoted from the filing above | 2024 audit report, p. 60 ↗ |
| Match vesting | Vesting - Participants are immediately vested in all amounts credited to their Plan account, including employee contributions, Company contributions and investment earnings. | 2024 audit report, p. 60 ↗ |
| Automatic enrollment | Newly hired eligible employees not electing to enroll within a reasonable period of time are automatically enrolled to contribute 6% of their eligible pay to the Plan unless the employee elects to opt out. The automatic contributions will increase by 1% each year effective April 1, until the contribution rate reaches 15%, unless the employee designates otherwise. | 2024 audit report, p. 60 ↗ |
| Roth contributions | The maximum yearly gross compensation pre-tax or Roth 401(k) contribution made through payroll deductions was $23,000 in 2024. | 2024 audit report, p. 60 ↗ |
| Loans | Participant Notes Receivable - Active participants, retirees and terminated participants may borrow from their employee contributions, plus earnings on those contributions, with a minimum note receivable of $1,000. | 2024 audit report, p. 61 ↗ |
| Recordkeeper | Fidelity Investments Inst. Op. Co. | 2025 Schedule C ↗ |
| Independent auditor | Bdo USA, P.C. (unmodified opinion) | 2025 Schedule H ↗ |
| Plan type and status | 401(k) · Active | 2025 Form 5500 ↗ |
Match, vesting and other plan features are from the plan year 2024 filing's audit report (the latest one extracted so far). Rows cited to the Form 5500 and its schedules are from the plan year 2025 filing.
How the plan compares
Plan year 2025 medians for 65 defined-contribution plans in manufacturing with 10,000 to 49,999 participants.
| Dow Chemical: employer contribution per participant | $7,078 | |
| Peer median | $3,789 |
| Dow Chemical: average balance | $370,627 | |
| Peer median | $192,757 |
| Dow Chemical: admin expenses ÷ assets | <0.01% | |
| Peer median | 0.04% |
Admin expenses are the plan's reported administrative expenses divided by its assets; they do not include fund expense ratios.
Plan history
Plan assets went from $11.8B at the end of plan year 2021 to $11.5B at the end of plan year 2025.
| Plan year | Participants | Assets | Employer contributions | Per participant | Admin expense ratio | Match formula | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 31,053 | $11.5B | $219M | $7,078 | <0.01% | Not published | Form 5500 ↗ |
| 2024 | 33,050 | $10.7B | $229M | $6,930 | 0.01% | Quoted in the audit report, p. 60 ↗ | Form 5500 ↗ |
| 2023 | 33,287 | $10.1B | $122M | $3,680 | 0.02% | Not published | Form 5500 ↗ |
| 2022 | 34,861 | $9.3B | $95.1M | $2,739 | 0.03% | Not published | Form 5500 ↗ |
| 2021 | 34,607 | $11.8B | $7.6M | $220 | 0.03% | Not published | Form 5500 ↗ |
Other Dow Chemical plans (2)
Each plan files its own Form 5500. Figures are from each plan's latest filing.
Dow Employees' Pension Plan
Plan features
Match, vesting and enrollment details have not been published from this plan's audit report yet. The figures below come from the structured filing.
| Recordkeeper | Mcube Investment Technologies LLC | Schedule C ↗ |
| Independent auditor | Bdo USA, P.C. (unmodified opinion, limited scope) | Schedule H ↗ |
| Plan type and status | Pension (defined benefit) · Active | Form 5500 ↗ |
Dow Employees' Pension Plan (Personal Pension Account)
Plan features
Match, vesting and enrollment details have not been published from this plan's audit report yet. The figures below come from the structured filing.
| Independent auditor | Bdo USA, P.C. (unmodified opinion, limited scope) | Schedule H ↗ |
| Plan type and status | Pension (defined benefit) · Active | Form 5500 ↗ |
Common questions
Does Dow Chemical match 401(k) contributions?
The audit report attached to the The Dow Chemical Company Employees' Savings Plan's plan year 2024 Form 5500, page 60 says: “Company Contributions - In general, the Company’s matching contribution provides a 100% match on the first 4% eligible pay deferrals and a 50% match on the next 2% of eligible pay deferrals. In addition, effective January 1, 2024, the Company implemented The Dow Student Debt Retirement Savings Match for eligible participants, allowing student debt payments to count as contributions, making them eligible for company match. In the first quarter of 2025, the Company contributed $11.7 million to Plan participants, as required under the Plan's true-up provisions for the year ended December 31, 2024.” Plan terms may have changed; check your current Summary Plan Description.
When is the Dow Chemical 401(k) match vested?
The audit report attached to the plan year 2024 Form 5500, page 60 says: “Vesting - Participants are immediately vested in all amounts credited to their Plan account, including employee contributions, Company contributions and investment earnings.”
Who manages the Dow Chemical 401(k)?
The recordkeeper listed on Schedule C of the plan year 2025 filing is Fidelity Investments Inst. Op. Co.. The plan administrator is The Dow Chemical Company.
I left Dow Chemical. How do I find my old 401(k)?
Your account stays in the plan until you move it. Contact the plan administrator (The Dow Chemical Company, (989) 636-3762) or the recordkeeper, Fidelity Investments Inst. Op. Co.. The Dow Chemical old 401(k) page lists the contacts from every plan filing. Find an old Dow Chemical 401(k)
Data from the public Form 5500 annual reports Dow Chemical filed with the U.S. Department of Labor (plan years 2021 and 2022 and 2023 and 2024 and 2025) and, where noted, the attached independent auditor's report. Plan terms may have changed since the filing; check your current Summary Plan Description. PlanFacts is not affiliated with Dow Chemical. Not financial advice. Report a correction · Methodology