Ascensus Recognized as #1 Provider for Plans Under $5M and a Top Provider by 2026 PLANSPONSOR Defined Contribution Survey

"Top Provider" recognition underscores Ascensus' excellence in driving plan success up to $200M

DRESHER, Pa., March 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascensus, the leading independent technology and service platform powering savings plans across America, today announced multiple top industry honors from the 2026 PLANSPONSOR Defined Contribution (DC) Survey and a PLANADVISER Adviser Choice Award. Collectively, this recognition reflects Ascensus' strength in supporting employers of all sizes, including the small businesses that power local communities and the broader economy, as well as financial advisors.

Ascensus delivered standout performance with small businesses, earning #1 in all categories for plans under $5M and top-three rankings across all categories for plans from $5 million to $25 million. The firm was also ranked a top provider based on Net Promoter Score (NPS) in all categories up to $200 million. Ascensus continued to earn recognition as a trusted provider for larger, more complex plans, earning top 3 rankings for plans from $50 million to $200 million and top 5 ranking for plans from $25 million to $50 million. More broadly, Ascensus received 35 Best-in-Class awards across all four evaluation categories for providers serving plans up to $200 million in assets and was also recognized in four Best‑in‑Class DC Plan Provider Standout categories. In total, 4,387 plan sponsors across industries and asset sizes evaluated providers in those four areas—Participant Services, Plan Administration, Sponsor Services and Support, and Investments and Fees—as well as overall likelihood to recommend.

Complementing its PLANSPONSOR recognitions, Ascensus was also honored by PLANADVISER, with 158 advisors naming the company for "Excellence in Recordkeeping" for the fourth consecutive year.

"Employers have a critical role to play in addressing America's retirement savings challenge. Because every company is different, retirement solutions should be flexible enough to meet a range of needs. For small business owners, that means a retirement partner that reduces complexity and makes it easy to offer and administer a plan," said Nick Good, Chief Executive Officer of Ascensus. "These awards reflect how we understand plan sponsors' needs and translate that understanding into highly responsive digital-first experiences across service, plan administration, and support for employers and savers. I'm proud of our team for earning the trust of plan sponsors and advisors across the full market—from the smallest employers to the larger end."

These rankings reflect Ascensus' longstanding excellence in service, as well as recent digital client experience transformations for plan sponsors, delivering major advances across onboarding, payroll process, and compliance.

Onboarding enhancements focused on onboarding speed and process ease. For example, solo(k) onboarding is now nine times faster, enabling advisors and business owners to move from setup to activation in minutes. This new process also allowed business owners to achieve 98% good-order submissions and eliminated plan cancellations during onboarding.

Payroll is one of the most cited pain points for plan sponsors. Ascensus simplified the payroll process for business owners to improve accuracy, which reduced phone calls by 40% and resulted in an in-experience Client Effort Score of 4+ out of 5 when measuring how easy it was to accomplish what was needed.

Lastly, Ascensus recently expanded its compliance capabilities with a new online tool that enables plan sponsors to identify and resolve data issues in real time, allowing them to correct and resubmit tests within a single session. Early feedback underscores strong usability, with the embedded Client Effort Score averaging 4.2 out of 5 across nearly 4,000 submissions.

About Ascensus
Ascensus is the leading independent technology and service platform powering savings plans across America, providing products and expertise that help more than 16 million people save for a better today and tomorrow. Ascensus has more than $932 billion in assets under administration and employs more than 5,000 associates as of December 31, 2025. Ascensus offers comprehensive qualified and nonqualified retirement plan solutions, third-party retirement plan administration, 529 education and ABLE savings program administration, corporate-and bank-owned life insurance solutions, and fiduciary and total rewards services. Sitting at the intersection between savers, program sponsors, investment managers and financial advisors, our platforms, industry knowledge, and data-based insights enhance the growth and success of our partners, clients, and savers through co-branded, private-labeled, and governmental partnerships.

For more information, visit ascensus.com.

SOURCE Ascensus