Howmet Aerospace Inc. 401(k) match for hourly employees: vests immediately
Howmet Aerospace Hourly Retirement Savings Plan · HWM · CIK 4281
The 401(k) employer match
Set again each year
The Howmet Aerospace hourly plan sets its 401(k) match at its own discretion each year, and this filing does not state the rate.
The match, vesting and enrollment terms below are for hourly employees: they are read from the Howmet Aerospace Hourly Retirement Savings Plan. Howmet Aerospace's Form 11-K filing for plan year 2024 describes two separate 401(k) plans. Not all of them state a match formula, so each one is listed below with the group it covers and what its filing says.
From the Form 11-K filed June 13, 2025 ↗, covering the plan year ended December 31, 2024. 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 Howmet Aerospace 401(k) plan are you in?
Howmet Aerospace's Form 11-K filing for this plan year describes two plans, and not all of them state a match formula. Find the plan you are in before you take a number off this page. The terms in the rest of the page are read from the Howmet Aerospace Hourly Retirement Savings Plan.
Howmet Aerospace Hourly Retirement Savings Plan (the plan this page answers for)
Hourly employees · Form 11-K ↗
Match not stated as a formula
Howmet Aerospace Salaried Retirement Savings Plan
Salaried employees · Form 11-K ↗
Match not stated as a formula
One row per plan, taken from the Form 11-K report this site has read for the plan year ended December 31, 2024. Each maximum comes from that plan’s own filing and describes only that plan.
What the Howmet Aerospace hourly plan puts in, and what the plan costs
What Howmet Aerospace put into the plan, per active participant
$4,780
Howmet Aerospace Inc. put $4,780 into this plan for each of its 10,509 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.
Howmet Aerospace put in more per active participant than 59% of plans with 5,000+ participants in aerospace and vehicle manufacturing. The middle plan in that group of 69 reported $4,233. Aerospace and vehicle manufacturing comes from business code 336410, which Howmet Aerospace 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.
Both filings are for the Howmet Aerospace Hourly Retirement Savings Plan, which covers hourly employees, so this figure and the terms above describe the same group.
What this figure cannot separate: how much Howmet Aerospace 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 250317820, plan 008 · DOL EFAST2 ↗
What the Howmet Aerospace hourly plan puts in
Not stated in the filing
The match rate is set at the company's discretion each year, and the filing does not state the rate it used.
The Form 5500 for this plan reports what Howmet Aerospace 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.
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
“Effective January 1, 2024, all participants are fully vested in the value of their contributions plus actual earnings thereon at all times. Company contributions are therefore nonforfeitable. Prior to January 1, 2024, contributions of the collectively bargained employees of the RMI Titanium Co. LLC ("RMI participants") vested on an incremental basis, becoming fully vested after three years of service.”
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
Not reported
The Form 5500 filing does not report the plan-paid administrative expenses this figure needs.
What is the Howmet Aerospace hourly plan's 401(k) match formula?
The Howmet Aerospace hourly plan sets its 401(k) match at its own discretion each year and does not state the rate in this filing. A discretionary match is set again each year, so the rate in force lives in the plan document rather than the filing. The four shapes a formula takes is what to look for when you read one.
| Match formula | A rate set at the sponsor's discretion on the first 6% of pay |
|---|---|
| Conditions | For nonbargaining eligible employees, participating locations may elect to make a matching contribution up to 6% of eligible compensation; the match for bargained employees, including RMI participants, is based upon the various collective bargaining agreements. The Company does not match negotiated deferral contributions. |
| Other employer contribution | Employer retirement income contribution of 3% of applicable eligible compensation per pay period for certain nonbargaining eligible employees and certain bargained employees hired or rehired as of dates negotiated under collective bargaining agreements |
| Other employer contribution | Retiree medical savings contributions of $0.35 per hour worked for certain eligible RMI participants hired or rehired as of specified negotiated dates |
What the filing says, word for word
“For the nonbargaining eligible employees of the Hourly Plan, participating locations may elect to make a matching employer contribution up to 6% of the participants’ eligible compensation. For the Salaried Plan, participating locations must make a matching employer contribution up to 6% of the participants’ eligible compensation. The employer match for contributions to bargained eligible employees of the Hourly Plan, including RMI participants, is based upon the various collective bargaining agreements. The Company does not match negotiated deferral contributions under the Hourly Plan. In addition, certain salaried and nonbargaining eligible employees of the Plans and certain bargained employees hired or rehired as of specified dates negotiated under the collective bargaining agreements will receive an employer retirement income contribution in the amount of 3% of applicable eligible compensation per pay period.”
Source: Form 11-K filed June 13, 2025, SEC EDGAR · SEC ↗
What is the Howmet Aerospace hourly plan's 401(k) vesting schedule?
The Howmet Aerospace hourly plan 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 | Effective January 1, 2024 all Company contributions are nonforfeitable; prior to January 1, 2024, contributions of collectively bargained RMI Titanium Co. LLC employees vested on an incremental basis, becoming fully vested after three years of service |
Vesting, word for word
“Effective January 1, 2024, all participants are fully vested in the value of their contributions plus actual earnings thereon at all times. Company contributions are therefore nonforfeitable. Prior to January 1, 2024, contributions of the collectively bargained employees of the RMI Titanium Co. LLC ("RMI participants") vested on an incremental basis, becoming fully vested after three years of service.”
Source: Form 11-K filed June 13, 2025, SEC EDGAR · SEC ↗
Who can join the Howmet Aerospace hourly plan's 401(k), and is enrollment automatic?
The Howmet Aerospace hourly plan enrolls new hires automatically at 3% of pay, rising 1% a year to 6% of pay.
| Plan entry | Employees of the Company and certain subsidiary locations that have adopted the Plans are immediately eligible for plan participation |
|---|---|
| Automatic enrollment | Yes: default deferral 3% of pay; 60-day opt-out window; auto-escalation +1%/yr to 6% |
Eligibility, word for word
“The Plans are available to eligible employees of the Company and certain subsidiary locations that have adopted the Plans. Employees are immediately eligible for plan participation.”
Automatic enrollment, word for word
“Eligible employees will be automatically enrolled in the Plans after 60 days of hire or rehire and subject to automatic payroll deductions equal to 3% of eligible compensation, which will be contributed to the Plans as pre-tax savings, unless the employee chooses to either enroll sooner or to not participate. After 90 days of plan participation, the pre-tax savings rate will be increased by 1% on each April 1 until the pre-tax savings rate attains a target rate of 6% of eligible compensation. The employee can change the contribution rate, annual rate increase, and target contribution rate or stop automatic enrollment at any time.”
Source: Form 11-K filed June 13, 2025, SEC EDGAR · SEC ↗
What does the Howmet Aerospace plan report on Form 5500?
The Howmet Aerospace plan reported $952.4M in assets and 12,056 participants for plan year 2024.
| Total plan assets | $952,389,572 |
|---|---|
| Participants | 12,056 |
| Recordkeeper | Alight Solutions (Recordkeeper) And The Bank Of New York Mellon (Trustee) During 2024; Effective January 2025 Empower Retirement, LLC (Recordkeeper) And Empower Trust Company, LLC (Trustee) |
How that cost compares
It is one of 934 plans in aerospace and vehicle manufacturing in the Form 5500 data we publish.
How does the Howmet Aerospace hourly plan's 401(k) match compare?
The Howmet Aerospace hourly plan'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 aerospace and vehicle manufacturing and three vest on the same schedule.
Employer match vests immediately. Also in aerospace and vehicle manufacturing.
Match vests in steps, 100% after 5 years. Also in aerospace and vehicle manufacturing.
Maximum match 5% of pay. Also in aerospace and vehicle manufacturing.
Employer match vests immediately. Vests immediately too, like Howmet Aerospace.
Maximum match 4% of pay. Vests immediately too, like Howmet Aerospace.
Maximum match 7.98% of pay. Vests immediately too, like Howmet Aerospace.
Compare Howmet Aerospace Inc. with any company, side by side
What do Howmet Aerospace's other 401(k) plans say?
Howmet Aerospace Salaried Retirement Savings Plan
Salaried employees
Howmet Aerospace Inc. discloses only part of its match terms in the 11-K for the plan year ended December 31, 2024.
- Employer match vesting
- Immediate: employer match is 100% vested when contributed
- Automatic enrollment
- Yes: default deferral 3% of pay; 60-day opt-out window; auto-escalation +1%/yr to 6%
What the filing says, word for word
“For the nonbargaining eligible employees of the Hourly Plan, participating locations may elect to make a matching employer contribution up to 6% of the participants’ eligible compensation. For the Salaried Plan, participating locations must make a matching employer contribution up to 6% of the participants’ eligible compensation. The employer match for contributions to bargained eligible employees of the Hourly Plan, including RMI participants, is based upon the various collective bargaining agreements. The Company does not match negotiated deferral contributions under the Hourly Plan. In addition, certain salaried and nonbargaining eligible employees of the Plans and certain bargained employees hired or rehired as of specified dates negotiated under the collective bargaining agreements will receive an employer retirement income contribution in the amount of 3% of applicable eligible compensation per pay period.”
What can you do next?
Check your own balance and contribution rate at Empower ↗, the recordkeeper this plan reports.
- Read the Form 11-K on SEC EDGAR ↗
Form 11-K filed June 13, 2025, 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 Howmet Aerospace Inc.'s 401(k) match for hourly employees?
The Howmet Aerospace Hourly Retirement Savings Plan covers hourly employees. Howmet Aerospace Inc.'s employer match rate is set at the sponsor's discretion and is not disclosed in the 11-K for the plan year ended December 31, 2024. Howmet Aerospace Inc.'s Form 5500 for plan year 2024 reports $4,780 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.
When does the Howmet Aerospace Inc. 401(k) match vest for hourly employees?
Immediate: employer match is 100% vested when contributed.
Does Howmet Aerospace Inc.'s 401(k) plan for hourly employees have automatic enrollment?
Yes: default deferral 3% of pay; 60-day opt-out window; auto-escalation +1%/yr to 6%.
Cite: 401(k) Monitor, “Howmet Aerospace Inc. 401(k) plan facts for hourly employees”, from SEC Form 11-K accession 0000004281-25-000026, plan year ended 2024-12-31.