TJX (parent of TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods) runs its retirement benefit through The TJX Companies, Inc. 401(k) Savings Plan, a Fidelity-administered plan holding $3.66 billion for about 300,000 eligible associates. TJX matches part of what you contribute once you meet a service requirement, and associates hired before February 1, 2006 also accrue a company-paid pension.
Key takeaways
- The plan held $3.66 billion in net assets at December 31, 2024 and covered 303,498 participants at the start of that year, per its Form 5500 filing with the Department of Labor. Fidelity is the recordkeeper.
- TJX does not publish its match formula. The company's 10-K says only that it "matches a portion of employee contributions at rates that vary based on certain eligibility criteria under the plan," plus possible discretionary year-end contributions tied to company performance. Your summary plan description controls.
- Eligible associates are enrolled automatically unless they opt out, and the plan uses a default investment for anyone who makes no election, per the plan's Form 5500 feature codes.
- The plan reported no TJX stock among its assets, and TJX has never filed a Form 11-K, the SEC report required when a 401(k) offers registered company stock. Costco's plan files one; TJX's does not need to.
- Associates hired before February 1, 2006 are also covered by a funded defined benefit pension with about $1.4 billion in assets. It requires no employee contributions and is closed to later hires.
- For 2026, you can defer $24,500 of pay, plus an $8,000 catch-up at age 50 or older, or $11,250 if you turn 60 through 63 during the year.
What the filings actually show
Because the TJX plan holds no company stock, there is no Form 11-K with a tidy plan description, the way there is for Costco's 401(k). The two public windows into the plan are TJX's annual report and the plan's own Form 5500 filing. Here is what they show for the 2024 plan year, the most recent on file:
| Feature | Detail (per Form 5500, plan year 2024, and TJX's fiscal 2026 10-K) |
|---|---|
| Official plan name | The TJX Companies, Inc. 401(k) Savings Plan (EIN 04-2207613, plan 004); older filings and plan databases list it as the General Savings/Profit Sharing Plan |
| Recordkeeper | Fidelity Investments (Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company) |
| Net assets | $3.66 billion at December 31, 2024, up from $3.17 billion a year earlier |
| Participants | 303,498 at the start of 2024; 131,988 held account balances |
| 2024 money in | $237.5 million from participants, $110.5 million from TJX, $26.5 million in rollovers |
| Deferral range | Up to 50% of eligible pay, subject to IRS limits |
| Employer money | Matching contributions after "the applicable service requirement," plus possible discretionary year-end contributions based on TJX's performance |
| Automatic enrollment | Yes, for certain eligible associates, unless they opt out |
| Default investment | Yes, the plan directs undirected money into a default investment account |
| Company stock | None reported in plan assets |
TJX also runs a separate, smaller savings plan for Puerto Rico associates and a nonqualified Executive Savings Plan for certain executives. Across the 401(k) and Puerto Rico plans, TJX's contributions cost the company $130 million in fiscal 2026, up from $113 million the year before.
The match: what TJX will and will not tell you
Plenty of websites quote a specific TJX match formula, and they do not agree with each other. The SEC filings never state one. The 10-K's exact language is that TJX "matches a portion of employee contributions at rates that vary based on certain eligibility criteria under the plan." That wording means different groups of associates can get different match rates, and the plan document, not a blog post, sets them.
So treat any specific percentage you read online, including older versions of this article, as unverified. The controlling documents are your summary plan description and the plan document, both available through Fidelity NetBenefits or TJX HR. Two things the filings do support: the match exists and it is material. TJX put $110.5 million of employer money into the plan in 2024, roughly 47 cents for every participant dollar contributed that year across the whole plan.
The plan's profit-sharing heritage still matters. Its legacy name was the General Savings/Profit Sharing Plan, and the 10-K confirms TJX "may make additional discretionary year-end contributions based on TJX's performance." In a strong year, associates can receive employer money beyond the match.
The legacy pension, for pre-2006 hires
TJX is one of the few big retailers still carrying a funded defined benefit pension. The TJX Companies, Inc. Retirement Plan covers eligible U.S. employees hired before February 1, 2006. No employee contributions are required or permitted, and benefits are based principally on compensation earned in each year of service. The plan held about $1.4 billion in net assets at the end of 2024 and covered 19,928 participants.
If you were hired after that date, this plan does not apply to you. Your employer-funded retirement benefit at TJX is the 401(k).
2026 contribution limits
| Limit | 2026 amount |
|---|---|
| Employee deferral (401(k)) | $24,500 |
| Catch-up, age 50 or older | $8,000 |
| Catch-up, turning 60 through 63 during the year | $11,250 (replaces the $8,000 catch-up) |
| Roth catch-up requirement | Catch-ups must be Roth if your 2025 TJX FICA wages exceeded $150,000 |
The limits come from IRS Notice 2025-67. The Roth catch-up rule is new for 2026 under SECURE 2.0: higher earners no longer get a pre-tax deduction on catch-up contributions.
How TJX compares with other big retailers
| Retailer | Employer money | Source |
|---|---|---|
| TJX | Match at undisclosed, variable rates after a service requirement, plus discretionary performance-based contributions | Fiscal 2026 10-K |
| Costco | 50% match capped at $500 a year, plus an annual company contribution of 4% to 9% of pay after one year | Plan Form 11-K, per our Costco analysis |
| Walmart | 100% match on the first 6% of pay after one year, immediately vested | Walmart benefits pages |
| Target | 100% match on the first 5% of pay, immediately vested | Target pay and benefits fact sheet |
Walmart and Target publish clean, verifiable formulas. TJX does not, which makes it impossible to rank fairly from public documents alone. What TJX has that the others mostly lack is the legacy pension, though only pre-2006 hires benefit from it.
Getting the most out of the TJX plan
The playbook is the same one that applies to any large-company 401(k), covered in depth across our retirement planning hub:
- Contribute at least enough to capture the full match, whatever your rate turns out to be. Confirm your exact match tier and vesting schedule in the summary plan description on NetBenefits before assuming anything.
- If you can, push toward the $24,500 deferral limit. A high saver at TJX corporate can shelter $32,500 at age 50, or $35,750 in the 60 to 63 window.
- Check the default investment if you were auto-enrolled. Defaults are reasonable starting points, and still worth a deliberate review against your own allocation, alongside any taxable savings and investment plan you run outside the 401(k).
- Pre-2006 hires should request a pension benefit estimate before making any retirement-date decision. That benefit is paid on top of the 401(k).
- When you leave TJX, compare NetBenefits' institutional pricing against an IRA rollover before moving money. Required minimum distributions begin at age 73 for people born 1951-1959 and at age 75 for people born in 1960 or later; IRS proposed regulations (July 2024) resolve the 1959 drafting ambiguity at 73.
One caution on sourcing: because TJX discloses so little, most of what circulates online about this plan is secondhand. The plan document, the summary plan description, and the Form 5500 filings are the final word on your specific terms.
Frequently asked questions
Who administers the TJX 401(k) plan and how big is it?
Fidelity Investments is the recordkeeper for The TJX Companies, Inc. 401(k) Savings Plan, which held $3.66 billion in net assets at December 31, 2024, up from $3.17 billion a year earlier. It covered 303,498 participants at the start of 2024, of whom 131,988 held account balances. TJX is the parent of TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods.
What is the TJX 401(k) match formula?
TJX does not publish its match formula. Its 10-K says only that it matches a portion of employee contributions at rates that vary based on certain eligibility criteria, plus possible discretionary year-end contributions tied to performance. Treat any specific percentage online as unverified; your summary plan description controls. TJX did put $110.5 million of employer money into the plan in 2024.
Does TJX still offer a pension?
Yes, but only for associates hired before February 1, 2006. The TJX Companies, Inc. Retirement Plan is a funded defined benefit pension that held about $1.4 billion in assets and covered 19,928 participants at the end of 2024. It requires no employee contributions, is closed to later hires, and its benefits are based principally on compensation earned each year of service.
How much can I contribute to the TJX 401(k) in 2026?
You can defer $24,500 of pay in 2026, plus an $8,000 catch-up at age 50 or older, or $11,250 if you turn 60 through 63 during the year. The plan lets you defer up to 50% of eligible pay, subject to IRS limits. Catch-ups must be Roth if your 2025 TJX FICA wages exceeded $150,000, a new SECURE 2.0 rule.
Does the TJX 401(k) hold company stock?
No, the plan reported no TJX stock among its assets, and TJX has never filed a Form 11-K, the SEC report required when a 401(k) offers registered company stock. That is why there is no tidy plan description the way there is for Costco's plan. The two public windows are TJX's annual report and the plan's Form 5500 filing.