Employer · plans filed under one EIN
American Express Company and Its Participating Subsidiaries
New York, NY · Finance and insurance
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances.
American Express Company and Its Participating Subsidiaries, based in New York, New York, sponsors 2 retirement plans with 100 or more participants: 1 defined contribution and 1 defined benefit. Together they reported 55,884 participant records and $11.4B in net assets.
The largest is American Express Retirement Savings Plan, an ESOP with a 401(k) feature with 39,763 participants. A person can be counted in more than one plan, so the participant total is a count of records rather than of people.
Employer contributions across the plans were $290M and participant contributions $337M in the latest plan years; benefits paid were $834M. Schedule C compensation reported to service provider organisations totalled $16.8M.
Combined net assets moved from $3.96B in 2009 to $10.4B in 2025 (up 162%). Plan mergers and spin-offs show up here as steps in the series.
Plans
| Plan | Kind | Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer / active | Sch. C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Express Retirement Savings Plan | ESOP with a 401(k) feature | 2025 | 39,763 | $10.4B | $260,405 | $11,156 | $14.3M |
| American Express Retirement Plan | cash balance pension plan | 2024 | 16,121 | $1.01B | $62,481 | — | $2.5M |
| US median, plan year 2024: DC plans $53,102 per participant, $2,175 employer contribution per active participant; DB plans $86,221 and $10,244. | |||||||
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Plans | Participant records | Net assets | Employer contributions | Participant contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 39,763 | $10.4B | $290M | $337M |
| 2024 | 2 | 54,992 | $9.93B | $268M | $304M |
| 2023 | 2 | 55,863 | $8.78B | $265M | $292M |
| 2022 | 2 | 57,703 | $7.33B | $219M | $249M |
| 2021 | 2 | 53,670 | $8.67B | $186M | $210M |
| 2020 | 2 | 54,414 | $8.33B | $190M | $206M |
| 2019 | 2 | 55,806 | $7.34B | $194M | $188M |
| 2018 | 2 | 55,174 | $6.20B | $197M | $172M |
| 2017 | 2 | 54,527 | $6.53B | $242M | $165M |
| 2016 | 2 | 56,153 | $5.73B | $159M | $152M |
| 2015 | 2 | 57,782 | $5.56B | $154M | $152M |
| 2014 | 2 | 58,917 | $5.85B | $178M | $153M |
| 2013 | 2 | 62,708 | $5.94B | $185M | $154M |
| 2012 | 2 | 65,322 | $5.00B | $170M | $148M |
| 2011 | 2 | 67,328 | $4.49B | $184M | $140M |
| 2010 | 2 | 69,070 | $4.32B | $152M | $126M |
| 2009 | 2 | 70,459 | $3.96B | $79.0M | $114M |
History of the plans listed above, in the years each filed the full Form 5500 with 100 or more participants. Plans that have since terminated are not included.
Service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Plans | Compensation reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Principal Life Insurance Company | Recordkeeping and information management; Custodial (securities); Trustee (bank, trust company, or similar financial institution); Trustee (directed) | 2 | $2,514,322 |
| Morgan Stanley Investment Managemen | Investment management | 1 | $2,159,053 |
| The London Company | Investment management | 1 | $1,848,195 |
| William Blair | Investment management | 1 | $1,506,918 |
| Atlanta Capital High Quality Focuse | Investment management | 1 | $1,297,637 |
| Brandywine Global Inv MGT LLC | Investment management | 1 | $1,149,501 |
| Wellington Management Company, LLP | Investment management | 1 | $1,014,689 |
| Westwood Management Corp. | Investment management | 1 | $984,576 |
| JP Morgan Investment Management Inc. | Investment management | 1 | $648,369 |
| Pacific Investment Management Co. | Investment management | 1 | $514,336 |
| Ameriprise Trust Co. | Trustee (directed) | 1 | $406,771 |
| Loomis Sayles & Co. LLP | Investment management | 1 | $377,288 |
| Nepc, LLC | Investment advisory (plan) | 1 | $307,946 |
| Fiam | Investment management | 1 | $300,895 |
| Willis Towers Watson US LLC | Actuarial | 1 | $278,196 |
Organisations paid $5,000 or more by any of these plans, from Schedule C. Individuals are not shown.
Questions and answers
How many retirement plans does American Express Company and Its Participating Subsidiaries have?
2 plans with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500 under its employer identification number for the latest plan years: American Express Retirement Savings Plan and American Express Retirement Plan. Smaller plans and plans filed under a subsidiary's number are not grouped here.
How much does American Express Company and Its Participating Subsidiaries contribute to its plans?
$290,416,311 in employer contributions across these plans in their latest plan years, about $9,998 per active participant record. Form 5500 reports totals and not the match or accrual formula.
Who provides services to these plans?
Schedule C filings name Principal Life Insurance Company, Morgan Stanley Investment Managemen, The London Company and William Blair and others. Only organisations paid $5,000 or more by a plan are listed on Schedule C.
Where does this come from?
Form 5500 annual reports filed with the Department of Labor's EFAST2 system, from the EBSA research files, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. Figures are as filed and may be amended.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. Plans are grouped by the sponsor's employer identification number exactly as filed; a company that files under several EINs appears as several employers. See the methodology and corrections.