California › Educational services › 25,000 or more participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
University of Southern California Tax-Deferred Annuity Plan
Sponsored by University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
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.
University of Southern California Tax-Deferred Annuity Plan is a 403(b) plan sponsored by University of Southern California of Los Angeles, California. For the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024 it reported 46,627 participants, 25,110 of them active, and net assets of $4.82B.
Net assets came to $103,337 per participant, well above the $62,774 median for defined contribution plans with 25,000 or more participants and well above the $73,018 median for defined contribution plans in educational services. The figure is an average across everyone in the plan, including former employees with small balances; Form 5500 holds no individual account data.
Schedule C lists 3 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $574K: $12.32 per participant, well below the same-size median of $36.41. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $598K. 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 $1.47B in 2009 to $4.82B in 2024 (up 229%), and participants from 22,341 to 46,627 (up 109%).
The independent accountant's opinion on the financial statements was disclaimer, 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 | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DC plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $103,337 | $62,774 | $73,018 | $53,102 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | — | $2,417 | $2,838 | $2,175 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $12.32 | $36.41 | $95.66 | $123 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.01% | 0.07% | 0.13% | 0.26% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $12.82 | $38.81 | $89.26 | $116 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined contribution plans with 100 or more participants: 25,000 or more participants (608 plans), educational services (2,753) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 46,627 | $4.82B | $103,338 | — | $231M | $574K |
| 2023 | 44,948 | $4.28B | $95,175 | — | $214M | $598K |
| 2022 | 42,620 | $3.68B | $86,276 | — | $171M | $573K |
| 2021 | 43,877 | $4.26B | $97,094 | — | $166M | $567K |
| 2020 | 40,533 | $3.77B | $93,101 | — | $154M | $503K |
| 2019 | 30,436 | $3.33B | $109,558 | — | $147M | $482K |
| 2018 | 36,523 | $2.79B | $76,432 | — | $133M | $495K |
| 2017 | 31,257 | $2.88B | $92,143 | — | $124M | $666K |
| 2016 | 32,733 | $2.48B | $75,840 | — | $113M | $307K |
| 2015 | 31,209 | $2.32B | $74,197 | — | $107M | $31K |
| 2014 | 29,758 | $2.26B | $75,800 | — | $98.7M | $18K |
| 2013 | 28,393 | $2.11B | $74,412 | — | $92.2M | $23K |
| 2012 | 26,076 | $1.81B | $69,436 | $18K | $87.9M | $51K |
| 2011 | 25,281 | $1.63B | $64,390 | — | $77.8M | $53K |
| 2010 | 18,483 | $1.63B | $88,358 | — | $72.3M | $119K |
| 2009 | 22,341 | $1.47B | $65,576 | — | $76.6M | $13K |
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$4,277,911,652
- Employer contributions—
- Participant contributions$230,742,676
- Rollovers and other contributions$20,068,625
- Total contributions$250,811,301
- Total income, including investment results$823,927,459
- Benefits paid$282,901,316
- Administrative expenses$597,968
- Total expenses$283,521,601
- Net income$540,405,858
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$4,818,317,510
Participants
- Active participants25,110
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits1,063
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits20,342
- Participants with account balances46,627
- Total participants, end of year46,627
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Group Inc. | Recordkeeping and information management; Securities brokerage; Participant loan processing | $356,198 | $0 |
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | Investment advisory (plan) | $218,117 | $0 |
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | Participant loan processing | $0 | $0 |
Schedule C, Part I line 2: providers that received $5,000 or more, with the form's own service codes. 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$349,033
- Investment advisory and management fees$218,117
- Other administrative expenses$30,818
- Total administrative expenses$597,968
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.
- Registered investment companies (mutual funds)$4.04B · 83.8%
- Insurance company general account$640M · 13.3%
- Cash (interest and non-interest bearing)$68.1M · 1.4%
- Pooled separate accounts$50.9M · 1.1%
- Other investments$11.0M · 0.2%
- Participant loans$5.5M · 0.1%
- Receivables$3.9M · 0.1%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionDisclaimer
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)Yes
- Accounting firmPricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $15,000,000
- 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
2FERISA section 404(c) plan2GTotal participant-directed account plan2LCode section 403(b)(1) arrangement (annuity contracts)2MCode section 403(b)(7) accounts (custodial accounts for regulated investment company stock)2TTotal or partial participant-directed account plan with a default investment account
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 611000: Educational Services (including schools, colleges, & universities).
Other plans of University of Southern California
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| University of Southern California Defined Contribution Retirement Plan | 44,381 | $5.01B |
| Keck Medicine of Usc 401(k) Retirement Plan | 6,879 | $186M |
| University of Southern California Support Staff Retirement Plan | 3,665 | $137M |
Similar plans in California
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Southern California Defined Contribution Retirement Plan | University of Southern California | 44,381 | $5.01B | $112,948 |
| Stanford Contributory Retirement Plan | The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University | 43,741 | $12.6B | $287,331 |
| Caltech Base Retirement Plan | California Institute of Technology | 22,143 | $5.25B | $236,945 |
| Caltech Voluntary Retirement Plan | California Institute of Technology | 11,613 | $2.34B | $201,138 |
| Think Together - 403(b) Erisa Plan | Think Together | 8,181 | $10.1M | $1,231 |
| National University Retirement Savings Plan | National University | 7,455 | $319M | $42,833 |
Defined contribution plans in educational services closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is University of Southern California Tax-Deferred Annuity Plan?
46,627 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 25,110 were active employees, with net assets of $4,818,317,510. Among defined contribution plans that places it in the 25,000 or more participants band, which held 608 plans in plan year 2024.
What does University of Southern California contribute per participant?
This filing has no Schedule H financial statement, so employer contributions are not reported here.
What fees does the plan pay and how do they compare?
Schedule C reports $574,315 in compensation to service provider organisations, $12.32 per participant or 0.01% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $36.41 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $597,968. 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 University of Southern California. Recordkeeping or administration: Vanguard Group Inc. and Fidelity Investments Institutional. Investment advisory or management: Strategic Advisors, Inc.. The financial statements were audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers 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 disclaimer opinion from a limited-scope audit, in which the accountant did not audit investment information certified by a bank or insurance company. A disclaimer of opinion was the usual result of a limited-scope audit under the rules in force before 2021 and is not by itself a finding about the plan.
How current is this, and does it show my balance?
This is the Form 5500 for the plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024, received by the Department of Labor on 14 Oct 2025. 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 95-1642394, plan 001, received 14 Oct 2025; 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.