Caterpillar vs Cummins 401(k) match: 6% vs 3.5%
+2.5 pts
Winner on the headline number: Caterpillar, at 6% of pay against Cummins' 3.5%. 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 $1,500 a year more in employer money from Caterpillar.
Filings lag by design and formulas can change between them. Why filings lag
Which 401(k) match is larger, Caterpillar or Cummins?
Caterpillar offers the larger 401(k) match: up to 6% of pay against Cummins' 3.5%, per each company's SEC Form 11-K for the plan year ended December 31, 2025.
| Caterpillar | Cummins | |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum employer matchThe most the employer adds, as a share of your pay. | 6% of pay (the larger maximum match) | 3.5% of pay |
| Match formula | 100% (dollar-for-dollar) of the first 6% of pay | 100% (dollar-for-dollar) of the first 1% of pay, then 50% of the next 5% of pay |
| Contribute to collect it allWhat you must put in to earn the full match. | 6% of pay | 6% of pay |
| Vesting of the match | Immediate: employer match is 100% vested when contributed | Immediate: employer match is 100% vested when contributed |
| Automatic enrollment | Yes, 6% default, rises to 15% | Not mentioned in the filing |
| Plan year | Ended December 31, 2025 | Ended December 31, 2025 |
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.
Useful links
- Caterpillar: full 401(k) plan facts
Formula, vesting, eligibility and the verbatim filing sentences.
- Cummins: full 401(k) plan facts
Formula, vesting, eligibility and the verbatim filing sentences.
- Compare any two companies side by side
Pick your own pair from every company in the data.
More comparisons
- Cummins vs John DeereJohn Deere by 6.5 pts
- Caterpillar vs John DeereJohn Deere by 4 pts
- Caterpillar vs EatonCaterpillar by 3 pts
- Caterpillar vs General ElectricCaterpillar by 2 pts
- Caterpillar vs HoneywellHoneywell by 1 pt
The figure is the gap between the two maximum matches, in percentage points of pay.