Press Release

PSCA’s Annual Survey of 401(k) Plans Now Open

Issued by PSCA [Plan Sponsor Council of America]

June 24, 2025

The Plan Sponsor Council of America’s (PSCA) 68th Annual Survey of 401(k) Plans is now open! The survey is more than just another data collection effort. For retirement plan advisors, this survey is a valuable opportunity to help clients improve their plans, benchmark against peers, and shape the future of retirement plan design.

PSCA’s 2024 survey found increased plan participation and savings rates as well as that plan sponsors were focused on implementing mandatory provisions of SECURE 2.0 and deciding which optional provisions to implement. Few plans added emergency savings side car accounts or student loan matches, but they did add the penalty free distribution options that best fit the needs of their employees. On the investment side, more plans are adding managed accounts and brokerage windows while there is still little uptake of in-plan retirement income options.

What Trends Will Continue Into 2025?

Will plans add the super catchup provision? Will we see an increase in student loan matches? Are plans beginning to add private equity to their funds? There are a lot of industry surveys out there that provide participation and contribution rates and other global metrics, but PSCA’s annual survey is the only one that provides the minutia that plan sponsors and their advisors are often looking to benchmark and can’t find anywhere else (plan entry dates, catchup spillover design, default deferrals and match rates, and so much more).

By completing the survey, clients receive a free copy of the full PSCA report — a $730 value. This detailed benchmarking report allows plan sponsors to:

• • Compare plan features and participation rates with similar employers.
  • Identify opportunities to improve plan effectiveness and participant outcomes.
  • Gain insights into industry-leading practices and trends.

As an advisor, enabling access to this data helps you guide clients toward more strategic plan design decisions. Recommending the survey demonstrates a proactive, value-added approach:

• • You show clients you're invested in keeping their plans competitive and compliant.
  • It opens a strategic conversation around recent trends (like Roth adoption, automatic features, or cybersecurity) and how their plan stacks up.
  • Advisors who help clients interpret the report's findings can strengthen trust and position themselves as thought leaders.

Encouraging more clients to complete the survey helps strengthen the overall data quality by creating richer industry benchmarking.

How Can You Help?

Information about the survey including a PDF of the full questionnaire, a worksheet, and a link to the online survey can be found here: https://www.psca.org/research/401k.

PSCA also has a “short form” version of the survey for first-time respondents that advisors can send to clients or complete on their behalf available at: https://cvent.me/ryDk2Q.  Click here for a sample email that you can easily customize and distribute to clients. 

By doing so, you're not just helping them complete a form — you're equipping them with strategic intelligence to make smarter decisions and positioning yourself as an indispensable partner in the process. Advisors who promote survey participation help clients benchmark, improve plans, and stay ahead of industry trends — while enhancing their own advisory value.

Work with Nonprofits?

If you also work with 403(b) plans, PSCA’s 2025 403(b) Plan Survey is also currently open for participation. Information on the full survey is available at: https://www.psca.org/research/403b

A short form for advisors and first-time respondents is available at: https://cvent.me/eyPdGL.

Please contact research@psca.org with any questions.

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