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Roth 401k company match question

Posted on 10/16/12 at 6:25 pm
Posted by Chris Farley
Regulating
Member since Sep 2009
4180 posts
Posted on 10/16/12 at 6:25 pm
My company recently started offering a Roth 401k option in addition to our traditional 401k option. Our current match is 40% of what we put in up to the contribution limit(17,000~). Any company match for the Roth 401k would be put into a seperate pre-tax account(or just added to traditional 401k).

So my question is this: if the Roth 401k is a post-tax contribution but the corresponding match is a pre-tax contribution, will the match be based on my post-tax or gross amount of contributions?

Example(all numbers fictional and used for simplicity):
Gross Pay: 100,000
Tax Rate: 25%
Net Pay 75,000
10% Roth 401k Contribution- $7500

Would my match be 40% of $7500($3000) or 40% of 10% gross ($4000) given that the match is a pre-tax contribution?

My plan here is to contribute to both accounts, but if I am receiving less of a match with the Roth I will stick with just the regular 401k. I asked this to the HR person that supposedly handles our 401k plans but she just got very confused and couldn't answer my question. I know that this could also be different across companies, but does anyone have experience with this? TIA
Posted by Who Me
Ascension
Member since Aug 2011
7090 posts
Posted on 10/16/12 at 7:42 pm to
quote:

I asked this to the HR person that supposedly handles our 401k plans but she just got very confused and couldn't answer my question




Sounds like she sucks at her job.



Sounds like it would be %40 of 7500 but frick if I know.


Their contributuion match should be the same. The only thing that should change is how it's taxed.
This post was edited on 10/16/12 at 7:45 pm
Posted by ZereauxSum
Lot 23E
Member since Nov 2008
10176 posts
Posted on 10/16/12 at 9:41 pm to
Since its a Roth plan, I would think that all money that goes it has to be net of taxes, but if HR doesn't know, we'll then...

My answer is C. Go back to HR lady and ask her to talk to the actual plan administrator.
Posted by foshizzle
Washington DC metro
Member since Mar 2008
40599 posts
Posted on 10/16/12 at 9:59 pm to
Rule #1 about benefits - never rely on HR to have a clue about anything even remotely complex.

You need to sit down with a plan administrator and work through examples. Get it in writing. And prepare for it to still be wrong and probably not worth your time to go somewhere else.

True story - I had an HR airhead tell me (perfectly honestly, she was just clueless) that the promised 4% match was only 2% because it was applied to a paycheck that was twice monthly, so it was pro-rated.
Posted by tirebiter
7K R&G chile land aka SF
Member since Oct 2006
9388 posts
Posted on 10/17/12 at 9:10 am to
quote:

So my question is this: if the Roth 401k is a post-tax contribution but the corresponding match is a pre-tax contribution, will the match be based on my post-tax or gross amount of contributions?


I would think gross. If you were contributing to both trad 401k and Roth 401k they don't discount the amount you request be placed in the Roth by your tax withholding, so why would they use the post tax number as the basis for match. It is still % or stated dollar contribution of your gross salary, not pre or post tax salary. My wife's employer makes matching contributions to the traditional only, so if she was 100% Roth all matching goes into the traditional. YMMV. I could be wrong, too.
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