Pennsylvania › Health care and social assistance › 5,000 to 24,999 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2025 to 31 Dec 2025
Penn State Health 401(k) Savings Plan
Sponsored by Penn State Health, Hershey, PA
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. Form 5500 contains no individual account balances. Look up the original filing at EFAST2.
In the plan year ending 31 Dec 2025, Penn State Health 401(k) Savings Plan covered 22,299 participants and held $3.37B in net assets. The plan is a 401(k) plan sponsored by Penn State Health of Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Net assets came to $132,782 per participant in plan year 2024, well above the $64,499 median for defined contribution plans with 5,000 to 24,999 participants and well above the $30,764 median for defined contribution plans in health care and social assistance. The figure is an average across everyone in the plan, including former employees with small balances; Form 5500 holds no individual account data.
The employer contributed $84.6M during the year, or $5,084 per active participant against a same-size median of $2,424; participants contributed $122M and $20.9M arrived as rollovers and other contributions. Benefits paid out totalled $234M.
Schedule C lists 15 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $1.0M: $46.28 per participant, well below the same-size median of $53.38. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $1.0M. Schedule C does not capture every cost: fees netted from fund returns and fees the employer pays directly are outside it.
Across the filings on record, net assets went from $1.26B in 2018 to $3.37B in 2025 (up 169%), and participants from 15,404 to 22,299 (up 45%).
The independent accountant's opinion on the financial statements was unmodified (unqualified), from an audit whose scope was limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C) to exclude investment information certified by a bank or insurer.
Compared with similar plans
| Measure, plan year 2024 | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DC plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $132,782 | $64,499 | $30,764 | $53,102 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $5,390 | $2,424 | $1,536 | $2,175 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $34.09 | $53.38 | $93.85 | $123 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.03% | 0.09% | 0.31% | 0.26% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $34.09 | $54.85 | $86.53 | $116 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined contribution plans with 100 or more participants: 5,000 to 24,999 participants (2,605 plans), health care and social assistance (9,402) and all US plans (63,460). Fee medians cover plans that report an amount.
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Schedule C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 22,299 | $3.37B | $151,348 | $84.6M | $122M | $1.0M |
| 2024 | 22,033 | $2.93B | $132,782 | $84.7M | $115M | $751K |
| 2023 | 22,540 | $2.57B | $114,109 | $78.9M | $106M | $1.0M |
| 2022 | 23,175 | $2.14B | $92,456 | $72.3M | $100M | $1.3M |
| 2021 | 23,215 | $2.50B | $107,826 | $68.8M | $91.4M | $755K |
| 2020 | 23,618 | $1.97B | $83,265 | $57.9M | $71.4M | $536K |
| 2019 | 15,094 | $1.65B | $109,065 | $47.7M | $56.8M | $554K |
| 2018 | 15,404 | $1.26B | $81,578 | $18.2M | $21.0M | $321K |
Years in which the plan filed the full Form 5500 with 100 or more participants, from 2009. Plan year is the year in which the plan year began.
Statement for the year
- Net assets, beginning of year$2,925,576,909
- Employer contributions$84,559,068
- Participant contributions$122,302,789
- Rollovers and other contributions$20,902,417
- Total contributions$227,764,274
- Total income, including investment results$684,566,087
- Benefits paid$233,761,191
- Administrative expenses$1,031,896
- Total expenses$235,227,221
- Net income$449,338,866
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$3,374,915,775
Participants
- Active participants16,634
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits446
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits5,219
- Participants with account balances22,039
- Total participants, end of year22,299
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empower Annuity Investment Company | Recordkeeping fees | $531,643 | $0 |
| Empower Advisory Group, LLC | Investment management | $409,167 | $0 |
| Forvis, LLP | Accounting (including auditing) | $37,217 | $0 |
| TIAA-CREF | Recordkeeping fees | $16,484 | $0 |
| Fort Pitt Capital Group LLC | Other fees | $7,818 | $0 |
| Larson Financial Group LLC | Other fees | $6,378 | $0 |
| Fisher Investments | Other fees | $6,355 | $0 |
| Signature Estate & Investment | Other fees | $4,658 | $0 |
| Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. | Investment advisory (participants) | $3,842 | $0 |
| Apollon Wealth Management LLC | Other fees | $3,417 | $0 |
| River Wealth Advisors LLC | Other fees | $1,538 | $0 |
| Flexible Plan Investments Ltd. | Other fees | $1,523 | $0 |
Schedule C, Part I line 2: providers that received $5,000 or more, with the form's own service codes. 3 smaller rows are not shown. Individuals named on Schedule C (plan employees, individual trustees) are never shown and their compensation is excluded. Eligible indirect compensation disclosed by formula carries no dollar amount. See how to read Schedule C fees.
Administrative expenses on Schedule H
- Recordkeeping fees$548,127
- Investment advisory and management fees$409,167
- Other trustee fees and expenses$37,385
- IQPA audit fees$37,217
- Total administrative expenses$1,031,896
Investment structure
Assets at year end by Schedule H category. The form shows the kind of vehicle holding the money, not the funds on the menu.
- Pooled separate accounts$2.11B · 62.5%
- Registered investment companies (mutual funds)$813M · 24.1%
- Common/collective trusts$213M · 6.3%
- Insurance company general account$170M · 5.0%
- Other investments$43.8M · 1.3%
- Participant loans$25.4M · 0.8%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)Yes
- Accounting firmForvis Mazars, LLP
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateYes, $534
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $3,000,000
- Blackout period during the yearNo
These are the plan administrator's own answers on Schedule H, Part IV. A reported late transmittal is the filer's disclosure of a timing lapse, usually corrected through the Department of Labor's voluntary program; the amount is the total involved, not a loss.
Plan characteristics
2EProfit-sharing plan2FERISA section 404(c) plan2GTotal participant-directed account plan2JCode section 401(k) feature2KCode section 401(m) arrangement2RParticipant-directed brokerage accounts provided as an investment option under the plan2TTotal or partial participant-directed account plan with a default investment account3HPlan sponsor(s) is (are) a member(s) of a controlled group
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 622000: Hospitals.
Other plans of Penn State Health
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| Penn State Health Tax Sheltered Annuity Program | 20,970 | $608M |
Similar plans in Pennsylvania
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Luke's Health Network Defined Contribution Plan | St. Luke's Health Network, Inc. | 24,019 | $423M | $17,611 |
| Penn State Health Tax Sheltered Annuity Program | Penn State Health | 20,970 | $608M | $28,981 |
| St. Luke's Health Network 403(b) Plan | St. Luke's Health Network, Inc. | 24,937 | $810M | $32,491 |
| Temple University Health System, Inc. 403(b) Plan | Temple University Health System Inc. | 20,513 | $1.31B | $63,710 |
| The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Funded Retirement Savings Plan | The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia | 25,422 | $390M | $15,327 |
| Main Line Health, Inc. Retirement Savings Plan | Main Line Health, Inc. | 20,161 | $1.71B | $84,979 |
Defined contribution plans in health care and social assistance closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Penn State Health 401(k) Savings Plan?
22,299 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2025, of whom 16,634 were active employees, with net assets of $3,374,915,775. Among defined contribution plans that places it in the 5,000 to 24,999 participants band, which held 2,605 plans in plan year 2024.
What does Penn State Health contribute per participant?
The filing reports $84,559,068 in employer contributions for the year, which is $5,084 per active participant; the median for plans of the same type and size was $2,424 in plan year 2024. Form 5500 reports the total only. It does not state the match formula, and the per-participant figure is an average, not any one person's contribution.
What fees does the plan pay and how do they compare?
Schedule C reports $1,031,890 in compensation to service provider organisations, $46.28 per participant or 0.03% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $53.38 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $1,031,896. Investment costs deducted inside mutual funds and other pooled vehicles are not itemised on Form 5500, so these figures are a floor rather than a full cost.
Who runs the plan?
The sponsor is Penn State Health. Recordkeeping or administration: Empower Annuity Investment Company and TIAA-CREF. Investment advisory or management: Empower Advisory Group, LLC and Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.. The financial statements were audited by Forvis Mazars, LLP. Form 5500 also names the plan administrator's signer and other individuals; this site publishes organisations only.
Was the audit opinion unqualified?
The filing reports an unmodified (unqualified) opinion from a limited-scope audit, in which the accountant did not audit investment information certified by a bank or insurance company. Unmodified (formerly "unqualified") is the standard clean opinion.
How current is this, and does it show my balance?
This is the Form 5500 for the plan year 1 Jan 2025 to 31 Dec 2025, received by the Department of Labor on 17 Jul 2026. Filings are due seven months after the plan year ends, or nine and a half with an extension, so the public record always runs a year or more behind. It contains plan-level totals only: no individual balances, contributions or names of participants exist in the data.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files (Form 5500, Schedule H, Schedule C) for plan years 2009 to 2025, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. This page shows the latest filing on record for EIN 47-3769205, plan 001, received 17 Jul 2026; an amended filing replaces it at the next build. Medians and percentiles are computed by this site; see the methodology. Report an error through corrections.