2026 401(k) Plan Employer-Paid Expense Estimates

Each year, NRECA invoices each participating cooperative directly for its 401(k) Pension Plan employer-paid expenses. To help co-ops plan for their 2026 expenses, an estimate of this expense is prepared for each co-op by subgroup. An email containing co-op-specific estimates will be sent the week of September 22, 2025, to primary benefits administrators and CEOs where applicable.

For 2026, the estimated employer-paid expense rate will be be 0.0902%, which is a slight decrease from 0.0948% in 2025. This decrease is attributed to the overall increase of active assets in the plan during the first part of the year. While we reported higher 401(k) administration expenses for 2026 at this summer’s Interact Conference, the increase in assets results in a lower proportional rate.

Invoices in late December
The estimates for each co-op are for the full year and are based on a calculation using active employees’ account balances as of July 1, 2025. Actual 2026 invoices will be provided on the NRECA Employee Benefits website to those with benefits administrator access in late December 2025. Please remember that in compliance with federal regulations, your employees and plan participants cannot be charged for this expense.

For more information about your co-op’s estimated 401(k) Plan employer expense for 2026, contact your field representative or the Member Contact Center at 866.673.2299 or contactcenter@nreca.coop.