401(k) Monitor

CSX Corporation 401(k) match: vests immediately

CSX Corporation Capital Builder Plan · CSX · CIK 277948

The 401(k) employer match

Set by collective bargaining

CSX Corporation's 401(k) match terms are set by collective-bargaining agreements, so the filing states no single company-wide formula.

CSX filed two Form 11-K reports for plan year 2025, of which one has been read. The other report has not, so this page cannot say what the plan it covers pays.

From the Form 11-K filed June 22, 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: 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

What CSX puts in, and what the plan costs

What CSX put into the plan, per active participant

$366

CSX Corporation put $366 into this plan for each of its 19,459 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. This filing covers many unrelated employers under one plan, so the figure is an average across all of them rather than one employer's behaviour.

It is kept out of every peer group.

What this figure cannot separate: how much CSX 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 621051971, plan 004 · DOL EFAST2

What CSX puts in

Not stated in the filing

Match terms are set by collective-bargaining agreements, so the filing states no single rate for all employees.

The Form 5500 for this plan reports what CSX actually paid in: the figure and its peer comparison are above. It is the whole employer side of the plan on one line, so it answers what went in rather than what the formula promises.

Two places state the terms in full: your plan’s Summary Plan Description, which your employer must provide on request, and your recordkeeper’s site, which for this plan is Empower.

What you contribute to collect all of it

Not stated in the filing

The filing does not state the contribution rate that collects the full employer contribution.

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.

Vesting scheduleImmediate

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
Vesting: Members are 100% vested in their accounts.

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.

The formula, the six-year window and a worked example

What the plan costs, against plans of its size

79th percentile

$91.22 per participant in plan-paid administrative cost, more expensive than 79% of plans with 5,000+ participants.

What is CSX's 401(k) match formula?

CSX's 401(k) match terms are set by collective-bargaining agreements, so the filing states no single company-wide formula. A bargained plan can run several formulas at once, one per agreement, and each states the same parts: a rate, a band of pay and a ceiling.

ConditionsMatching contributions are provided only to certain eligible members; the amount and timing vary according to the applicable collective bargaining agreements. No additional Company matching contributions were made to the Plan as of December 31, 2025 or 2024.
Other employer contributionAnnual contribution of a specified number of shares of CSX common stock to certain member accounts of eligible groups, funded with newly issued shares; $2.4 million in stock contributed to Plan members in 2025
What the filing says, word for word
The Plan also provides for a Company matching contribution to certain eligible members. The amount and timing of the Company contributions varies according to the applicable collective bargaining agreements. In accordance with the applicable collective bargaining agreement, CSX may also make additional contributions to the Plan. No additional Company matching contributions were made to the Plan as of December 31, 2025 or 2024.

Source: Form 11-K filed June 22, 2026, SEC EDGAR · SEC

What is CSX's 401(k) vesting schedule?

CSX 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 vestingImmediate: employer match is 100% vested when contributed
Your own contributionsImmediate: always 100% yours
Vesting, word for word
Vesting: Members are 100% vested in their accounts.

Source: Form 11-K filed June 22, 2026, SEC EDGAR · SEC

Who can join CSX's 401(k), and is enrollment automatic?

CSX's filing does not mention automatic enrollment, which is not the same as the plan having none.

Plan entryCertain union employees of CSX Corporation, affiliated companies and participating unrelated companies, as defined by the Plan Document (a multiple employer plan)
Match eligibilityMatching contributions apply only to certain eligible members per the applicable collective bargaining agreements
Automatic enrollmentNot mentioned in the filing (not proof of absence)
Eligibility, word for word
The Plan is a multiple employer defined contribution plan covering certain union employees of CSX Corporation (“CSX” or “Plan Sponsor”), affiliated companies and participating unrelated companies (collectively, “the Company”).

Source: Form 11-K filed June 22, 2026, SEC EDGAR · SEC

What does the CSX plan report on Form 5500?

The CSX plan reported $1.5B in assets and 23,997 participants for plan year 2024.

DOL Form 5500 filing for plan year 2024, EIN 621051971, plan 004.
Total plan assets$1,536,701,769
Participants23,997
RecordkeeperEmpower
Plan-paid admin cost per participant$91.22

How that cost compares

This plan pays $91.22 per participant. The median across plans in transportation and logistics is $95.71, from the 1,843 of 1,926 whose Form 5500 yields a per-participant cost.

The plan reports Empower as its recordkeeper, one of 7,876 plans it runs in the data we publish. Of those, the 7,814 with a computable fee have a median plan-paid cost of $165.69 per participant.

Csx Corporation Capital Builder Plan on its Form 5500 filing: fees, providers and financials

How does CSX's 401(k) match compare?

CSX Corporation's filing does not state a maximum 401(k) match as a share of pay. Across the 181 companies in our data that do, the median is 4.5% of pay.

Employers worth reading next

Of the six employers below, three file in transportation and logistics, two report the same recordkeeper and one vests on the same schedule.

CPKC

Employer match vests immediately. Also in transportation and logistics.

Southwest Airlines

Maximum match 9.3% of pay. Also in transportation and logistics.

UPS

Maximum match 3% of pay. Also in transportation and logistics.

Cal-Maine Foods

No employer match in the filing. Same recordkeeper, Empower.

Hormel Foods

Match vests in steps, 100% after 5 years. Same recordkeeper, Empower.

CULLEN/FROST BANKERS

Maximum match 7% of pay. Vests immediately too, like CSX.

Compare CSX Corporation with any company, side by side

What can you do next?

Check your own balance and contribution rate at Empower, the recordkeeper this plan reports.

Questions this filing answers

What is CSX Corporation's 401(k) match?

CSX Corporation's match terms are set by collective bargaining agreements; the 11-K for the plan year ended December 31, 2025 does not state a single formula. CSX Corporation's Form 5500 for plan year 2024 reports $366 of employer money per active participant. 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. This filing covers many unrelated employers under one plan, so the figure is an average across all of them rather than one employer's behaviour.

When does the CSX Corporation 401(k) match vest?

Immediate: employer match is 100% vested when contributed.

Does CSX Corporation's 401(k) plan have automatic enrollment?

Not mentioned in the filing (not proof of absence).

Cite: 401(k) Monitor, “CSX Corporation 401(k) plan facts”, from SEC Form 11-K accession 0000277948-26-000023, plan year ended 2025-12-31.