The Clorox Company 401(k) match: 4% max
The Clorox Company 401(k) Plan · CLX · CIK 21076
Maximum employer match, as a share of pay
4%
The Clorox Company matches 100% (dollar-for-dollar) of the first 4% of pay.
Clorox's Form 11-K filings for plan year 2025 describe two separate 401(k) plans. The terms on this page are read from the Clorox Company 401(k) Plan. Both state the same maximum match.
From the Form 11-K filed June 25, 2026 ↗, covering the plan year ended December 31, 2025. Page data last updated July 28, 2026, when the Form 5500 bulk data was last refreshed. Why filings lag
On this page: which plan you are in · what the employer actually paid in · the formula, word for word · when the money becomes yours · who can join · what the plan reports to the DOL · how it compares · what to do next
Which Clorox 401(k) plan are you in?
Clorox's Form 11-K filings for this plan year describe two plans and all of them state the same maximum employer match. The group each plan covers still differs, and so can the vesting and enrollment terms further down this page, which are read from the Clorox Company 401(k) Plan.
The Clorox Company 401(k) Plan (the plan this page answers for)
The filing states no limit on who this plan covers · Form 11-K ↗
4% of pay, at most
The Clorox Company Employee Retirement Investment Plan for Puerto Rico
Employees in Puerto Rico · Form 11-K ↗
4% of pay, at most
One row per plan, taken from the two Form 11-K reports this site has read for the plan year ended December 31, 2025. Each maximum comes from that plan’s own filing and describes only that plan.
What Clorox puts in, and what the plan costs
What Clorox put into the plan, per active participant
$6,669
The Clorox Company put $6,669 into this plan for each of its 5,521 active participants in plan year 2024. This is the whole employer side of the plan: matching money, profit sharing, non-elective and safe-harbor contributions, and reallocated forfeitures. The Form 5500 does not separate them, so this is what the employer put in and not the match.
Clorox put in less per active participant than 64% of plans with 5,000+ participants in pharmaceuticals and chemicals. The middle plan in that group of 63 reported $8,101. Pharmaceuticals and chemicals comes from business code 325600, which Clorox entered on its own Form 5500. Sponsors pick that code themselves, so a code that does not describe what the employer does ranks the plan against the wrong companies.
What this figure cannot separate: how much Clorox pays, and how much it puts in
This is dollars, not a rate. A Form 5500 carries no payroll, so the figure reflects both how much the employer puts in and how much the employer pays: two plans running the same formula report different amounts when one pays better. Crossing the peer group with industry holds most of that difference still, and none of it disappears.
This is one plan year, not an average. A true-up, a plan merger or a one-off contribution moves a single year on its own.
Source: DOL Form 5500 for the plan year ended December 31, 2024, EIN 310595760, plan 001 · DOL EFAST2 ↗
The $6,669 above is the Form 5500 figure for plan year 2024, and it counts every employer dollar on one line. The Clorox Company also files a Form 11-K, which states the match formula for plan year 2025: the card below reads $1,980 a year at a $49,500 salary, and the same filing states employer contributions made outside the match. That second figure is what the formula pays one worker on that salary, and not an amount either filing reports. The two figures cover different plan years and measure different things, so neither one is the other one corrected.
What Clorox puts in
$1,980
a year, at a $49,500 salary.
The match paragraph, word for word
“Employees not covered by a collective bargaining agreement are eligible to receive a matching contribution of 100% of salary deferral contributions, including pre-tax, after-tax and Roth contributions, up to a maximum of 4% of covered compensation. Certain participants covered by a collective bargaining agreement are eligible to receive a Company match of 100% of salary deferral contributions, including pre-tax, after-tax and Roth contributions up to 3% of eligible compensation. There were no employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement during the year ended December 31, 2025. Participants are eligible for the Company matching contribution after completing 1one year of service. Matching contributions are funded each pay period.”
What you contribute to collect all of it
Contribute at least 4% of your pay to collect the full match.
That is $1,980 a year at a $49,500 salary, and it scales with your own.
Vesting score
100 out of 100
How fast the employer’s money becomes yours. Higher than 48% of the 253 schedules we have scored.
It measures vesting speed and nothing else. It says nothing about the size of the match, what the plan charges, or the funds inside it.
Share of the employer's money that is the worker's at hire and at each of the first 6 anniversaries: 100%, 100%, 100%, 100%, 100%, 100%, 100%. The score is the average of those 7 readings.
Vesting, word for word
“Participants are always fully vested in their individual contributions, Company matching contributions, and actual earnings thereon. The non-elective employer contribution will vest in varying rates over a period of 5 years as follows: Schedule of non-elective employer contribution will vest Years of Service Vesting Percentage 1 0% 2 20% 3 40% 4 70% 5 100% Participants become immediately vested in the non-elective employer contributions upon reaching age 60 (age 62 for participants not covered by a collective bargaining agreement and who first became a participant on or after July 1, 2011) while employed by the Company, at death, or upon permanent disability. In certain cases, the Committee has the authority to accelerate vesting for specific participants.”
A worker hired today collects no match for 1 year. This is a filed term, and it does not move the score above.
Eligibility, word for word
“The Plan is a defined contribution plan covering substantially all employees of The Clorox Company and its affiliated companies that have adopted the Plan (“Participating Company”) (collectively referred to as “Company”). The following employees are not covered by the Plan: (i) leased employees (contractors), (ii) nonresident aliens with no United States of America source of income, (iii) employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement, unless such coverage is specified in the written agreement, (iv) employees sent to a Participating Company by an international subsidiary to participate in a training or development program sponsored by the Participating Company, and (v) employees who are residents of Puerto Rico or who perform services for a Participating Company primarily in Puerto Rico and are participants of The Clorox Company Employee Retirement Investment Plan for Puerto Rico. Participants are eligible to participate on the first day of employment with the Company. The Plan is subject to the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”).”
The wait before the match starts and the year-end true-up appear above when the filing states them. Neither is part of the score, and a filing that is silent on one of them is not a plan without it.
What the plan costs, against plans of its size
93rd percentile
$140.36 per participant in plan-paid administrative cost, more expensive than 93% of plans with 5,000+ participants.
What is Clorox's 401(k) match formula?
Clorox's 401(k) employer match tops out at 4% of pay. The match is deposited each payroll. One rate up to one limit is the commonest of the four shapes a match formula takes.
| Match formula | 100% (dollar-for-dollar) of the first 4% of pay |
|---|---|
| Maximum employer match | 4% of compensation |
| Deposited | Each payroll |
| Conditions | Certain participants covered by a collective bargaining agreement are eligible for a Company match of 100% of salary deferral contributions up to 3% of eligible compensation; there were no employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement during the year ended December 31, 2025 |
| Other employer contribution | Non-elective employer contribution equal to 6% of covered compensation for eligible participants, funded during the quarter after Plan year end; requires at least one year of service and employment on December 31 of the Plan year, or separation during the year due to death or certified disability, attainment of age 60 (age 62 for non-bargained participants who first became participants on or after July 1, 2011) or attainment of age 55 with 10 years of service |
At a $45,000 salary, contributing 4% ($1,800) earns the full employer match of $1,800 for the year.
What the filing says, word for word
“Employees not covered by a collective bargaining agreement are eligible to receive a matching contribution of 100% of salary deferral contributions, including pre-tax, after-tax and Roth contributions, up to a maximum of 4% of covered compensation. Certain participants covered by a collective bargaining agreement are eligible to receive a Company match of 100% of salary deferral contributions, including pre-tax, after-tax and Roth contributions up to 3% of eligible compensation. There were no employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement during the year ended December 31, 2025. Participants are eligible for the Company matching contribution after completing 1one year of service. Matching contributions are funded each pay period.”
Source: Form 11-K filed June 25, 2026, SEC EDGAR, corroborated by the filing's inline-XBRL facts · SEC ↗
What is Clorox's 401(k) vesting schedule?
Clorox vests the employer match immediately: 100% is yours as soon as it is paid in. Nothing is forfeited when you leave, which is not true of the two schedules that vest over time.
| Employer match vesting | Immediate: employer match is 100% vested when contributed |
|---|---|
| Your own contributions | Immediate: always 100% yours |
| Other employer contributions | Non-elective employer contributions vest over five years: 0% after one year of service, 20% after two, 40% after three, 70% after four and 100% after five; immediate vesting upon reaching age 60 (age 62 for non-bargained participants who first became participants on or after July 1, 2011) while employed, at death, or upon permanent disability |
Vesting, word for word
“Participants are always fully vested in their individual contributions, Company matching contributions, and actual earnings thereon. The non-elective employer contribution will vest in varying rates over a period of 5 years as follows: Schedule of non-elective employer contribution will vest Years of Service Vesting Percentage 1 0% 2 20% 3 40% 4 70% 5 100% Participants become immediately vested in the non-elective employer contributions upon reaching age 60 (age 62 for participants not covered by a collective bargaining agreement and who first became a participant on or after July 1, 2011) while employed by the Company, at death, or upon permanent disability. In certain cases, the Committee has the authority to accelerate vesting for specific participants.”
Source: Form 11-K filed June 25, 2026, SEC EDGAR · SEC ↗
Who can join Clorox's 401(k), and is enrollment automatic?
Clorox enrolls new hires automatically at 6% of pay.
| Plan entry | Participants are eligible to participate on the first day of employment with the Company |
|---|---|
| Match eligibility | Participants are eligible for the Company matching contribution after completing one year of service |
| Excluded groups | Leased employees (contractors), nonresident aliens with no United States source of income, employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement unless coverage is specified in the written agreement, employees sent by an international subsidiary for a training or development program, and Puerto Rico residents or employees who perform services primarily in Puerto Rico and participate in The Clorox Company Employee Retirement Investment Plan for Puerto Rico |
| Automatic enrollment | Yes: default deferral 6% of pay |
Eligibility, word for word
“The Plan is a defined contribution plan covering substantially all employees of The Clorox Company and its affiliated companies that have adopted the Plan (“Participating Company”) (collectively referred to as “Company”). The following employees are not covered by the Plan: (i) leased employees (contractors), (ii) nonresident aliens with no United States of America source of income, (iii) employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement, unless such coverage is specified in the written agreement, (iv) employees sent to a Participating Company by an international subsidiary to participate in a training or development program sponsored by the Participating Company, and (v) employees who are residents of Puerto Rico or who perform services for a Participating Company primarily in Puerto Rico and are participants of The Clorox Company Employee Retirement Investment Plan for Puerto Rico. Participants are eligible to participate on the first day of employment with the Company. The Plan is subject to the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”).”
Automatic enrollment, word for word
“The Plan allows for automatic enrollment at a rate of 6% for newly eligible participants who do not make a salary deferral contribution election, or fail to elect to decline a deferral contribution.”
Source: Form 11-K filed June 25, 2026, SEC EDGAR · SEC ↗
What does the Clorox plan report on Form 5500?
The Clorox plan reported $2.3B in assets and 9,791 participants for plan year 2024.
| Total plan assets | $2,280,834,727 |
|---|---|
| Participants | 9,791 |
| Recordkeeper | Vanguard |
| Plan-paid admin cost per participant | $140.36 |
How that cost compares
This plan pays $140.36 per participant. The median across plans in pharmaceuticals and chemicals is $128.47, from the 870 of 942 whose Form 5500 yields a per-participant cost.
The plan reports Vanguard as its recordkeeper, one of 2,337 plans it runs in the data we publish. Of those, the 2,333 with a computable fee have a median plan-paid cost of $97.87 per participant.
The Clorox Company 401(k) Plan on its Form 5500 filing: fees, providers and financials
How does Clorox's 401(k) match compare?
The Clorox Company's maximum 401(k) match of 4% of pay compares with a median of 4.5% across the 181 companies in our data with a computable formula.
Employers worth reading next
Of the six employers below, three file in pharmaceuticals and chemicals, two report the same recordkeeper and one vests on the same schedule.
Maximum match 3% of pay. Also in pharmaceuticals and chemicals.
Maximum match 4% of pay. Also in pharmaceuticals and chemicals.
Maximum match 2% of pay. Also in pharmaceuticals and chemicals.
Maximum match 4% of pay. Same recordkeeper, Vanguard.
Maximum match 4% of pay. Same recordkeeper, Vanguard.
Maximum match 6% of pay. Vests immediately too, like Clorox.
What do Clorox's other 401(k) plans say?
The Clorox Company Employee Retirement Investment Plan for Puerto Rico
Employees in Puerto Rico
The Clorox Company matches 100% of employee contributions up to 4% of eligible pay (plan year ended December 31, 2025).
- Employer match vesting
- Immediate: employer match is 100% vested when contributed
- Automatic enrollment
- Yes: default deferral 6% of pay
What the filing says, word for word
“Employees receive a dollar for dollar employer matching contribution up to a maximum of 4% of eligible compensation. Participants need to have completed 1one year of service to receive the match. Matching contributions are funded each pay period.”
What can you do next?
Check your own balance and contribution rate at Vanguard ↗, the recordkeeper this plan reports.
- Read the Form 11-K on SEC EDGAR ↗
Form 11-K filed June 25, 2026, SEC EDGAR. Every match fact on this page comes from it.
- Changed jobs? Find an old 401(k) ↗
The Department of Labor's Retirement Savings Lost & Found, a free government database.
- This year's IRS contribution limits ↗
The official deferral and catch-up limits every formula operates under.
- Download this data (CSV)
Formula, vesting and source references for this company, one file.
Questions this filing answers
What is The Clorox Company's 401(k) match?
The Clorox Company matches 100% of employee contributions up to 4% of eligible pay (plan year ended December 31, 2025).
When does the The Clorox Company 401(k) match vest?
Immediate: employer match is 100% vested when contributed.
Does The Clorox Company's 401(k) plan have automatic enrollment?
Yes: default deferral 6% of pay.
Cite: 401(k) Monitor, “The Clorox Company 401(k) plan facts”, from SEC Form 11-K accession 0001206774-26-000338, plan year ended 2025-12-31.