McDonald's raised its 401(k) automatic enrollment default, effective March 1, 2024
McDonald's raised its 401(k) automatic enrollment default, effective March 1, 2024. Auto-enrollment default for restaurant management employees raised from 1% to 3% of pay.
| Company | McDonald's |
|---|---|
| Plan | McDonald's Corporation 401(k) Plan |
| Effective date | March 1, 2024 |
| Direction | Structure change, auto-enrollment |
| Source filing | Form 11-K, filed June 18, 2026, accession 0001104659-26-075561 |
Source: Form 11-K filed June 18, 2026, accession 0001104659-26-075561 · SEC ↗
What the filing says, word for word
“As of March 1, 2024, restaurant management employees are enrolled automatically at a contribution level of 3% of eligible compensation as soon as they have completed one year of service and attained age 21 (the percentage may be changed by the restaurant management employee). Prior to March 1, 2024, the applicable percentage was 1% of eligible compensation. For those auto enrolled participants who do not make investment elections for new contributions to the Plan, all contributions to the Plan, both participant and Company contributions, are invested in the age-appropriate target date fund for participants.”
Quoted verbatim from the filing linked above. Spelling and punctuation are the filing’s own.
Where this change comes from
401(k) Monitor reads the employer match, vesting, eligibility and automatic enrollment terms out of each plan’s SEC Form 11-K annual report. A change is recorded only when the filing states it, with the effective date the filing gives.
- McDonald's 401(k) match, vesting and plan facts
The full record for this employer, including the formula in force now.
- Read the Form 11-K on SEC EDGAR ↗
The filing that discloses this change, accession 0001104659-26-075561.
- All 401(k) match changes we have found
The tracker this record belongs to, newest change first.
Other tracked changes
- Thermo Fisher Scientific cut the 401(k) match for new participants, effective April 1, 2026
- Sherwin-Williams reinstated its 401(k) match, effective February 1, 2026
- Cigna changed the rules of its 401(k) match, effective January 1, 2026
- Humana cut its 401(k) match, effective January 1, 2026
- PepsiCo widened 401(k) match eligibility, effective January 1, 2026
401(k) Monitor, “McDonald's raised its 401(k) automatic enrollment default, effective March 1, 2024”, from SEC Form 11-K accession 0001104659-26-075561 filed June 18, 2026. https://401kmonitor.com/stats/401k-match-changes/mcdonald-s-auto-enrollment-2024-03-01/