SURVEY |

2026
DC Survey: Plan Benchmarking

By studying trends in DC retirement program design and governance, sponsors can benchmark and potentially improve their own plans. This year’s report includes a new section on financial wellness programs.

Reported by PLANSPONSOR | Art by Shout
Survey
Navigation
PURCHASE REPRINTWANT MORE INFO?

Survey

Plan Sizes

The 2026 DC Survey: Plan Benchmarking report shows that plans on the small end of the spectrum generally pay the largest investment fees—45.9% of plans with less than $5 million in assets had an average asset-weighted expense ratio of greater than 50 basis points, compared with 7.4% of plans with greater than $1 billion in assets, for example. Plan size not only affects cost, but influences plan design. The survey showed less than one-quarter (24.9%) of the smallest plans use automatic enrollment, as compared with nearly three-quarters (74.9%) of the largest plans. —RM

Uses Automatic Enrollment

<$5M
24.9%
$5M – $25M
42.2%
>$25M – $50M
57.7%
>$50M – $200M
69.4%
>$200M – $1B
72.5%
>$1B
74.9%

Uses an Investment Committee for DC Plan

<$5M
54.2%
$5M – $25M
79.3%
>$25M – $50M
93.8%
>$50M – $200M
96.9%
>$200M – $1B
98.7%
>$1B
97.9%

Average Asset-Weighted Expense Ratio of All Investment Options

<25 bps
25 – 50 bps
>50 bps
<$5M
19.6%
34.5%
45.9%
$5M – $25M
50.2%
33.7%
16.1%
>$25M – $50M
45.6%
33.0%
21.4%
>$50M – $200M
39.6%
43.5%
16.8%
>$200M – $1B
39.7%
42.9%
17.4%
>$1B
62.4%
30.2%
7.4%

Defined Contribution Plans, by Asset Range

<$5M
22.3%
$5M – $25M
32.5%
>$25M – $50M
12.4%
>$50M – $200M
16.1%
>$200M – $1B
10.5%
>$1B
6.3%

Powerful DC Benchmarking at Your Fingertips —
2026 PLANSPONSOR Industry Reports Now Available

Tap into 125+ pages of PLANSPONSOR’s proprietary DC Survey data, including comprehensive benchmarking tables across 9 plan types and 51 industries. These reports deliver clarity and comparison points that professionals need to evaluate and improve plan design.

Purchase the reports to:
  • Compare plans by industry and asset size
  • Equip advisers and internal teams with reliable data
  • Strengthen strategic planning with industry specific insights
  • Identify design improvements that enhance participant outcomes

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NOW!

Contact Advertise / Advertise@ISSMediaSolutions.com

Subject to licensing agreement.