Rolling over a 401(k) held at Empower
If your old employer's plan is administered by Empower, they are the ones holding your balance, your statements and the rollover paperwork — not the company you used to work for. Calling your former employer first is the most common way people lose a week.
Department of Labor filings for plan year 2024 show Empower keeping the records for 171 large 401(k) plans, holding 658,871 former employees who no longer work there but still have money in the plan.
What to ask for, word for word
Ask for a direct rollover, also called a trustee-to-trustee transfer. The phrase matters. If the check is made payable to you instead of to the receiving custodian, the plan withholds 20% and you have 60 days to replace it out of pocket or the whole amount becomes taxable income.
Open the receiving account first. You will be asked for its name and account number on the call.
Employers whose plans Empower keeps
The largest ones in the public filings. Each links to what the record says about that plan.
- Wells Fargo & — 70,701 former employees
- Advocate Aurora Health — 17,905 former employees
- The Interpublic Group of Companies — 15,778 former employees
- Lifepoint Health — 14,037 former employees
- Accentcare — 12,732 former employees
- 3M — 12,690 former employees
- Baylor Scott & White — 12,134 former employees
- Westrock — 11,769 former employees
- Flagstar Financial — 11,159 former employees
- Rite Aid — 10,970 former employees
- Intuit — 10,614 former employees
- International Paper — 10,392 former employees
Frequently asked questions
How do I roll over a 401(k) held at Empower?
Call Empower and ask for a direct rollover, sometimes called a trustee-to-trustee transfer. You will need the receiving account's name and account number, so open the new IRA first. Ask that the check be made payable to the new custodian for your benefit, never to you personally: that one detail is the difference between a tax-free transfer and a taxable distribution.
Will Empower charge me to move my money out?
Some plans charge a distribution or processing fee, typically $25 to $75, and it comes out of the balance. Ask before you start, and ask in writing. The fee is set by the plan, not by Empower alone, so two employers using the same recordkeeper can charge different amounts.
How long does it take?
Usually two to four weeks from the day the paperwork is complete. Most delays come from a missing signature or a spousal consent form, not from the transfer itself. If a check is mailed to you rather than sent directly, the 60-day clock starts the day you receive it.
Can the money go into physical gold?
Yes, once you no longer work for that employer. The receiving account has to be a self-directed IRA whose custodian allows precious metals, and the metal must be stored at an IRS-approved depository. Done as a direct rollover there is no tax and no penalty at any age.
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Send me the free kitHeritage Gold Partners is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Empower. The name appears here only to identify the recordkeeper named in public Department of Labor filings. Figures are from plan year 2024 and may have changed since. Educational only, not investment, tax, or legal advice.