Ross Stores 401(k) match, vesting and fees
What Ross Stores' 401(k) plan says about matching contributions
Contributions—The Plan satisfies the Safe Harbor matching provisions of the IRC and allows participants to contribute up to 75% of their eligible compensation, as defined by the Plan, subject to certain IRC limits. Participants are allowed to designate all or a portion of their contributions as pretax or Roth contributions. Only employees who have completed one year of service with 1,000 hours worked are eligible for the Company matching contribution, as defined in the Plan document. The matching formula provides for a matching contribution for each eligible employee who makes elective deferrals in an amount equal to 100% of the elective deferrals up to 3% of eligible compensation, and 50% of elective deferrals that exceed 3% of eligible compensation, but do not exceed 5% of eligible compensation. The match is 100% fully and immediately vested. As a result of these characteristics, the Plan automatically satisfies both the Actual Deferral Percentage and Actual Contribution Percentage Safe Harbor Tests.
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. 29 ↗ |
| Match vesting | The match is 100% fully and immediately vested. | 2024 audit report, p. 29 ↗ |
| Roth contributions | Participants are allowed to designate all or a portion of their contributions as pretax or Roth contributions. | 2024 audit report, p. 29 ↗ |
| Loans | Notes Receivable from Participants—Participant loans are available to active employees. The loan amount available is 50% of an employee’s vested account balance, with a minimum of $1,000 and a maximum of $50,000. The loans are secured by the balances in the participant’s account and bear interest at rates as defined by the Plan administrator. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, there were 2,403 and 2,096 participant loans outstanding, respectively. As of December 31, 2024, loan maturity dates ranged from January 1, 2025 to August 15, 2034, with interest rates ranging from 4.25% to 9.50%. Loans may be repaid over a period not to exceed five years, or 10 years if the purpose of the loan is to acquire the participant’s principal residence. | 2024 audit report, p. 30 ↗ |
| Recordkeeper | Principal Life Insurance Company | 2025 Schedule C ↗ |
| Independent auditor | Deloitte & Touche LLP (unmodified opinion, limited scope) | 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 20 defined-contribution plans in retail trade with 10,000 to 49,999 participants.
| Ross Stores: employer contribution per participant | $1,761 | |
| Peer median | $1,637 |
| Ross Stores: average balance | $68,453 | |
| Peer median | $62,166 |
| Ross Stores: admin expenses ÷ assets | 0.05% | |
| Peer median | 0.10% |
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 $833M at the end of plan year 2021 to $1.2B at the end of plan year 2025.
| Plan year | Participants | Assets | Employer contributions | Per participant | Admin expense ratio | Match formula | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 66,413 | $1.2B | $30.4M | $1,761 | 0.05% | Not published | Form 5500 ↗ |
| 2024 | 59,286 | $1B | $28.4M | $1,815 | 0.06% | Quoted in the audit report, p. 29 ↗ | Form 5500 ↗ |
| 2023 | 55,368 | $872M | $26.7M | $1,819 | 0.07% | Not published | Form 5500 ↗ |
| 2022 | 52,775 | $722M | $24.7M | $1,759 | 0.07% | Not published | Form 5500 ↗ |
| 2021 | 49,284 | $833M | $23.3M | $1,736 | 0.08% | Not published | Form 5500 ↗ |
Common questions
Does Ross Stores match 401(k) contributions?
The audit report attached to the Ross Stores, Inc. 401(k) Savings Plan's plan year 2024 Form 5500, page 29 says: “Contributions—The Plan satisfies the Safe Harbor matching provisions of the IRC and allows participants to contribute up to 75% of their eligible compensation, as defined by the Plan, subject to certain IRC limits. Participants are allowed to designate all or a portion of their contributions as pretax or Roth contributions. Only employees who have completed one year of service with 1,000 hours worked are eligible for the Company matching contribution, as defined in the Plan document. The matching formula provides for a matching contribution for each eligible employee who makes elective deferrals in an amount equal to 100% of the elective deferrals up to 3% of eligible compensation, and 50% of elective deferrals that exceed 3% of eligible compensation, but do not exceed 5% of eligible compensation. The match is 100% fully and immediately vested. As a result of these characteristics, the Plan automatically satisfies both the Actual Deferral Percentage and Actual Contribution Percentage Safe Harbor Tests.” Plan terms may have changed; check your current Summary Plan Description.
When is the Ross Stores 401(k) match vested?
The audit report attached to the plan year 2024 Form 5500, page 29 says: “The match is 100% fully and immediately vested.”
Who manages the Ross Stores 401(k)?
The recordkeeper listed on Schedule C of the plan year 2025 filing is Principal Life Insurance Company. The plan administrator is Ross Stores, Inc..
I left Ross Stores. How do I find my old 401(k)?
Your account stays in the plan until you move it. Contact the plan administrator (Ross Stores, Inc., (925) 965-4400) or the recordkeeper, Principal Life Insurance Company. The Ross Stores old 401(k) page lists the contacts from every plan filing. Find an old Ross Stores 401(k)
Data from the public Form 5500 annual reports Ross Stores 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 Ross Stores. Not financial advice. Report a correction · Methodology