Big Lots workers can save more in 401(k) plans for 2026

The IRS lifted the elective deferral limit to $24,500 for 2026, and some older workers can save even more through catch-up contributions. For Big Lots employees, the first move is still to grab the 401(k) match before thinking about anything else.

The match is the first paycheck decision

A 401(k) takes a portion of pay before taxes and, in many plans, brings an employer contribution on top. That makes the match the part most tied to day-to-day work: if the plan offers one, enough to capture the full match is money that shows up without another shift, another closing run, or extra weekend hours.

Automatic enrollment can help workers build retirement savings with pre-tax employee contributions and matching contributions, and can significantly increase participation and savings. On a workforce spread across 219 Big Lots store locations, that matters because changing schedules, department moves, and turnover can make a retirement sign-up easy to miss.

What changed for 2026

For workers age 50 and over, annual catch-up contributions can rise to $8,000 in most 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457(b), and federal Thrift Savings Plan accounts.

There is a higher lane for some older workers: employees who attain age 60, 61, 62, or 63 in 2026 can make catch-up contributions up to $11,250 in applicable employer plans. Fidelity’s 2026 guidance lists that higher limit as a separate category.

Those limits do not mean anyone has to aim for the top figure. They do mean a Big Lots associate who has been saving at a modest rate can use 2026 to move up in steps. A small increase at the start of the year, or after a raise, is easier to absorb than waiting until the end of the year and trying to make up the gap all at once.

How automatic enrollment changes the starting point

Automatic enrollment can be a quiet advantage in retail because it starts the habit for you. Under Department of Labor guidance, employers can place salary deductions into default investments unless the employee opts out, and the plan sponsor has to provide employees with plan information.

Workers need to keep track of their benefits and understand how their plan works when hours change and jobs shift. A holiday hire, a department transfer, or a move between stores can change what lands in a paycheck from one month to the next, but a default contribution keeps retirement saving from getting lost in the shuffle.

What to check in your own Big Lots plan

A 401(k) is not the same thing as a savings account you can dip into casually. Plan rules decide when you can withdraw money, how employer match dollars vest, and what fees apply, so the details matter as much as the percentage you set aside.

For Big Lots workers, the practical checklist is straightforward:

• log in and confirm you are enrolled
• check whether the contribution rate is high enough to capture the full match, if your job offers one
• look at the default investment, especially if you were automatically enrolled
• review the vesting schedule so you know when employer money becomes yours
• raise your contribution gradually when your pay goes up

That approach is especially useful in a retail chain with 219 store locations, where workers may not stay in one role or one building for long.

Why the Big Lots backdrop makes this more than a benefits note

Big Lots and its subsidiaries filed voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petitions on Sept. 9, 2024, and a going-concern sale completed by Gordon Brothers Retail Partners preserved hundreds of stores and prevented thousands of layoffs.

The company’s corporate site still points to careers, community, and vendor resources, while investor-relations materials are behind bot verification.