401(k) Monitor

Best Buy vs Walmart 401(k) match: 4% vs 6%

+2 pts

Winner on the headline number: Walmart, at 6% of pay against Best Buy's 4%. Both filings disclose the full formula, so the two numbers compare like for like; vesting, true-up and enrollment defaults still differ line by line below.

On a $60,000 salary, that gap is worth $1,200 a year more in employer money from Walmart.

Filings lag by design and formulas can change between them. Why filings lag

Which 401(k) match is larger, Best Buy or Walmart?

Walmart offers the larger 401(k) match: up to 6% of pay against Best Buy's 4%, per each company's SEC Form 11-K for plan years ended December 31, 2025 (Best Buy) and January 31, 2026 (Walmart).

Best BuyWalmart
Maximum employer matchThe most the employer adds, as a share of your pay.4% of pay6% of pay (the larger maximum match)
Match formula100% (dollar-for-dollar) of the first 3% of pay, then 50% of the next 2% of pay100% (dollar-for-dollar) of the first 6% of pay
Contribute to collect it allWhat you must put in to earn the full match.5% of pay6% of pay
Vesting of the matchImmediate: employer match is 100% vested when contributedImmediate: employer match is 100% vested when contributed
Automatic enrollmentNot mentioned in the filingNot mentioned in the filing
True-upA year-end recalculation that repays match lost to uneven contributions.Not stated in the filingYes, annual true-up
Plan yearEnded December 31, 2025Ended January 31, 2026

Read from each company's most recent SEC Form 11-K filing. When a filing does not disclose something, we say so instead of guessing.

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The figure is the gap between the two maximum matches, in percentage points of pay.