Home Depot vs Walmart 401(k) match: 3.5% vs 6%
+2.5 pts
Winner on the headline number: Walmart, at 6% of pay against Home Depot's 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 Walmart.
Filings lag by design and formulas can change between them. Why filings lag
Which 401(k) match is larger, Home Depot or Walmart?
Walmart offers the larger 401(k) match: up to 6% of pay against Home Depot's 3.5%, per each company's SEC Form 11-K for plan years ended December 31, 2025 (Home Depot) and January 31, 2026 (Walmart).
| Home Depot | Walmart | |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum employer matchThe most the employer adds, as a share of your pay. | 3.5% of pay | 6% of pay (the larger maximum match) |
| Match formula | 150% of the first 1% of pay, then 50% of the next 4% of pay | 100% (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 pay | 6% of pay |
| Vesting of the match | Cliff: 100% vested after 3 years of service | Immediate: employer match is 100% vested when contributed |
| Automatic enrollment | Not mentioned in the filing | Not mentioned in the filing |
| True-upA year-end recalculation that repays match lost to uneven contributions. | Not stated in the filing | Yes, annual true-up |
| Plan year | Ended December 31, 2025 | Ended 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.
Useful links
- Home Depot: full 401(k) plan facts
Formula, vesting, eligibility and the verbatim filing sentences.
- Walmart: 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
- Best Buy vs Home DepotBest Buy by 0.5 pts
- Kroger vs Lowe'sKroger by 0.75 pts
- Home Depot vs O'Reilly AutomotiveHome Depot by 0.5 pts
- Kroger vs Macy'sKroger by 1.5 pts
- Home Depot vs Macy'sboth 3.5%
The figure is the gap between the two maximum matches, in percentage points of pay.