401(k) plan audits in Dallas, TX
Dallas sponsors filed 4,063 401(k) plans for the 2024 plan year, the 10th most of any US city and 8.6% of all 401(k) plans in Texas. 514 of them started the year with 100 or more participants with an account balance, which means their Form 5500 needed an independent audit.
How many Dallas 401(k) plans need an audit?
514 of 4,063. 44% of those have fewer than 250 participants with a balance:
| Participants with a balance | Dallas plans |
|---|---|
| 100 to 249 | 227 |
| 250 to 499 | 99 |
| 500 to 999 | 71 |
| 1,000 or more | 117 |
Another 25 Dallas plans filed as small plans but ended 2024 with 100 or more participants with a balance, so their next filing is likely to need a first audit. Check your own plan’s filing, or read how the count works.
What do audited Dallas plans report?
34% of the 480 audited Dallas 401(k) plans that answered the question reported employee contributions reaching the plan late on Schedule H. Late deposits are one of the things an auditor tests; what else a first auditor looks at.
On fees: Texas plans that paid their audit from plan assets reported a median of $18,721 in 2024, and half paid between $12,672 and $29,450, across 575 filings. Plans that pay from company funds report no fee, so this is the going rate among plans that pay from the plan. The full fee index.
Which Department of Labor office oversees Dallas plans?
The Employee Benefits Security Administration’s Dallas Regional Office lists Texas among the states it serves: 525 South Griffin St., Room 900, Dallas, TX 75202, (972) 850-4500.
Can a CPA firm from outside Texas audit your plan?
Yes. ERISA accepts an auditor licensed as a certified public accountant by any state, and most states let CPAs licensed elsewhere practice there under mobility rules. A qualifying CPA licensed in another state, with a principal place of business outside Texas, may practice in Texas without notice to the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy. A firm licensed in another state may perform audits for an entity with its home office in Texas without a Texas firm license, if a majority of its owners are CPAs, it complies with the board's peer review program, and the work is done by individuals licensed in Texas or practicing under a privilege.
Source: Texas Occupations Code 901.461 and 901.462. To check any CPA or firm, use the directory of state boards of accountancy.
Working with Ledgerline from Dallas
Ledgerline audits 401(k) and 403(b) plans and is booking engagements for the coming season, starting December 2026. The work runs through a secure portal, so your team, your TPA and your recordkeeper each upload only their own items. We have CPAs across the US, so if you would rather meet in person in Dallas, or need any part of the work done on site, we can do that.
Frequently asked questions
Does my Dallas 401(k) plan need an audit?
It does if it had 100 or more participants with an account balance on the first day of the plan year. For the 2024 plan year, 514 of the 4,063 401(k) plans sponsored from a Dallas address were over that line.
How much does a 401(k) audit cost in Texas?
In 2024 Form 5500 filings, the median audit fee paid by Texas plans from plan assets was $18,721, and half paid between $12,672 and $29,450. Many sponsors pay their auditor from company funds instead, and those fees do not appear in the filings.
Can a CPA firm from outside Texas audit a Dallas 401(k) plan?
Yes, subject to Texas's rules. A qualifying CPA licensed in another state, with a principal place of business outside Texas, may practice in Texas without notice to the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy. A firm licensed in another state may perform audits for an entity with its home office in Texas without a Texas firm license, if a majority of its owners are CPAs, it complies with the board's peer review program, and the work is done by individuals licensed in Texas or practicing under a privilege.
See where your plan stands from its own filing, or book a short call to talk through what an audit would involve.
Other cities
- DOL: Form 5500 datasets, 2024 plan year (Form 5500, Form 5500-SF and Schedule H). 401(k) plans (feature code 2J) in the DOL's 2024 Form 5500 and 5500-SF datasets, one record per plan, grouped by the sponsor's mailing city as filed.
- DOL: Dallas Regional Office
- ERISA section 103(a)(3)(D), definition of qualified public accountant
- Texas Occupations Code 901.461 and 901.462