J.B. Hunt Benefits Guide: How to Use Your 401(k), Equity, and Deferred Compensation at Every Career Stage
J.B. Hunt builds total compensation across base pay and retirement savings. For management roles and above they also provide equity awards and deferred compensation. The right move with each depends on where you are in your career. Here is how to think about them at every stage.
If you work at J.B. Hunt, your benefits represent a meaningful share of your total compensation, and most of them carry a decision. The 401(k) is available when you start. Equity and deferred compensation arrive later, and both bring elections that are difficult to reverse once made.
This guide organizes the planning picture across four stages. The questions change as you move through them, and so do the benefits that matter most. Each stage covers the plans that apply, what they do, and where the decisions actually sit.
- You can defer into the 401(k) immediately on hire, but matching contributions require one year of qualifying service. Those are two separate dates.
- The match is 50 percent of the first 6 percent of compensation, so contributing 6 percent is what produces the full 3 percent.
- The plan provides for after-tax deferrals and in-plan Roth rollovers, the two features the Mega Backdoor Roth depends on. It is the most overlooked route for higher earners.
- Equity comes as restricted and performance share units under the Management Incentive Plan, taxed as ordinary income in the year it vests.
- Deferred compensation pays out on reaching age 55, 15 years of service, or disability, on a schedule elected years in advance, and stays subject to general creditor claims until distributed.
Getting Started
“Which benefits should I sign up for, and which ones matter most right now?”
The J.B. Hunt 401(k) Plan
You can begin salary reduction contributions immediately following your employment start date. Employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement, non-resident aliens, leased employees and independent contractors are the exceptions.
Matching contributions are a separate milestone. They require one year of qualifying service, which J.B. Hunt describes as one year. The most common early mistake is assuming the match started when your own contributions did.
Sources: SEC: Employee Retirement Plan, Form 11-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, on immediate eligibility to defer and the one year of qualifying service required for matching contributions.
Getting the full match
The company matches 50 percent of the first 6 percent of compensation you contribute. Because it is a half match rather than dollar for dollar, the arithmetic catches people out. Contributing 3 percent does not produce a 3 percent match. It produces 1.5 percent.
An employee earning $70,000 who contributes 6 percent puts in $4,200 a year and the company adds $2,100. Contributing 3 percent instead leaves roughly $1,050 of available match unclaimed that year.
Sources: SEC: Employee Retirement Plan, Form 11-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, which states the Company matches 50 percent of the first 6 percent of compensation · IRS: Notice 2025-67, 2026 limits.
Traditional or Roth
The plan accepts both pre-tax and Roth contributions. Pre-tax lowers taxable income now and is taxed on withdrawal. Roth is taxed now and comes out tax free later. Earlier in a career, Roth often deserves a closer look than it gets.
Sources: SEC: Employee Retirement Plan, Form 11-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, which states the plan provides for Roth Elective Deferrals · IRS: designated Roth accounts FAQ.
Building & Advancing
“My pay and benefits have grown. Am I making the most of them, or quietly creating a tax problem?”
The Mega Backdoor Roth
Once you are contributing the standard maximum and still have room to save, the plan offers a route many participants never hear about. It provides for after-tax deferrals and in-plan Roth rollovers, the two building blocks the strategy depends on.
You contribute after-tax dollars beyond the standard deferral limit, then convert them to Roth inside the plan so future growth comes out tax free. How much room you have depends on the annual additions limit, which counts your deferrals, the company match and after-tax contributions together.
Sources: SEC: Employee Retirement Plan, Form 11-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, which states the plan provides for After-Tax Deferrals and In-Plan Roth Rollovers · IRS: designated Roth accounts FAQ and Notice 2025-67, 2026 limits, for the annual additions limit. Confirm your own room and current plan mechanics with the administrator before relying on it.
Restricted Stock and Performance Share Units
Equity arrives as restricted share units and performance share units granted under the Management Incentive Plan. Time-vested awards deliver shares on a schedule. Performance awards convert only if the underlying targets are met, which is why a grant is not the same as money in hand.
Both create ordinary income in the year they vest, valued at the share price that day. Default tax withholding often falls short at higher incomes. This is where the surprise usually lands.
If 500 units vest when the shares trade at $180, you recognize $90,000 of ordinary income that year whether or not you sell. Tax is owed on the full value at vesting, not on a later gain.
Sources: SEC: 2026 Proxy Statement, on restricted and performance share units under the Management Incentive Plan and the measures applied · IRS: Publication 525 and Publication 550. General information only, not tax advice.
The Deferred Compensation Plan
Eligible employees may defer up to 50 percent of base salary and up to 85 percent of bonus. Deferred amounts are credited with the earnings or losses of investments you elect, and participants are fully vested in their own deferrals and earnings.
The trade-off is what separates this plan from the 401(k). Deferred amounts remain subject to general creditor claims until they are actually distributed.
Sources: SEC: 2026 Proxy Statement, on deferral limits, vesting, and the general creditor claim that applies until distribution.
Navigating Change
“Something is changing at work. What happens to my benefits, and what should I do before I leave?”
Weighing a new offer against your current benefits
Base salary is the easy comparison. The harder one is everything attached to it. An unvested match, equity that has not delivered yet, and a deferred compensation election already made. A higher number elsewhere can still be a step backwards once those are counted.
Your vesting schedule, and what leaving forfeits
Your own contributions are always yours. Employer contributions vest on a schedule set by the plan document, and whatever has not vested is forfeited on departure. This is the single item most worth looking up before you set a last day, because a few months can be worth real money.
Sources: SEC: Employee Retirement Plan, Form 11-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, on the distinction between salary reduction contributions and matching contributions. Employer contributions vest 0 percent through year one, then 20 percent at two years and 20 more each year to 100 percent at six, where a year of vesting service requires 1,000 hours in a plan year.
What happens to unvested equity
Treatment depends on your award agreement. Acceleration tied to a change in control is double trigger, meaning it requires both the change in control and a qualifying separation. Absent that, unvested units generally do not travel with you.
Sources: SEC: 2026 Proxy Statement, on double trigger acceleration of outstanding awards.
Your 401(k) balance when you leave
You can leave it, roll it to an IRA, or move it into a new employer plan. Taking it in cash before age 59 and a half generally means income tax plus a 10 percent penalty, and it resets years of compounding.
Sources: IRS: Publication 575, on rollovers and the early distribution penalty · SEC: Employee Retirement Plan, Form 11-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025.
Deferred compensation elections at separation
Payout follows the schedule you elected years earlier, not the one you would choose today. Departure can also concentrate several years of income into a short window, which is a tax question worth working through before the date is set rather than after.
Sources: SEC: 2026 Proxy Statement, on payout as one payment or quarterly installments over a term elected in advance.
Leaving to consult or launch something new
If your next chapter is self-employment, the planning shifts. The considerations include entity structure, solo or SEP retirement plan options, self-employment tax on 1099 income, and health coverage. Getting the foundation right at the start is easier than unwinding a poor structure later.
Approaching & In Retirement
“Am I ready, and how do I turn these accounts into income without overpaying in tax?”
Turning your 401(k) into retirement income
After a career of contributing, the question flips from saving to distributing. Which account you draw from first, and in what order, changes what you keep. That order depends on your own tax picture rather than a rule of thumb.
Sources: IRS: Publication 575, on distributions from qualified plans.
Coordinating deferred compensation payouts
Deferred amounts pay out as one payment or quarterly installments over a term elected in advance. Since the schedule was elected years earlier, it can collide with Social Security, required minimum distributions, and other income in ways that were impossible to foresee at the time.
Sources: SEC: 2026 Proxy Statement, on payout options and the age 55, 15 years of service, and disability triggers. Nonqualified deferred compensation distributions are taxed as ordinary income.
Choosing a retirement date
The date you retire touches vesting, a final bonus, the year deferred compensation begins, and which tax year your last large paycheck lands in. Moving it by a few months sometimes changes the outcome more than any investment decision.
Required Minimum Distributions
Once you reach required minimum distributions age, distributions from a traditional 401(k) begin whether or not you need the income. Roth balances are exempt from lifetime RMDs under SECURE 2.0, which is one reason the traditional versus Roth election made earlier in a career has long-term consequences.
Sources: IRS: Publication 590-B, on required minimum distributions as amended by SECURE 2.0.
Have questions about your J.B. Hunt benefits?
Wherever you are in your career, a conversation is a good place to start. We work with J.B. Hunt employees across all four stages.
Schedule a conversationJ.B. Hunt benefits frequently asked questions
Which J.B. Hunt benefit should I prioritize first?
For most employees the 401(k) match comes first. Contributing less than 6 percent leaves part of the available match unclaimed, and there is no way to go back and collect it later. What comes next depends on your cashflow, your goals, and which plans you have access to.
When does the company match actually start?
After one year of qualifying service, which J.B. Hunt describes as one year or one year of qualifying service. You can contribute your own money before then, and many people do without realizing the match has not begun.
Can I participate in both the 401(k) and the Deferred Compensation Plan?
They are separate plans with separate rules. The 401(k) is qualified and carries a match. Deferring into the nonqualified plan can reduce the pay counted toward that match, and the proxy describes no company contribution to the deferred plan, so model the interaction before you elect.
Do I have access to the Mega Backdoor Roth?
The plan provides for after-tax deferrals and in-plan Roth rollovers, which are the two features the strategy relies on. Whether it works for you depends on your remaining room under the annual additions limit and the current plan mechanics, so confirm both with the plan administrator.
Are equity awards taxed when they vest or when I sell?
At vesting. The full value of the shares delivered is ordinary income in that tax year, the same as a cash bonus. Withholding is often calculated at a flat supplemental rate below your actual marginal rate, so a gap can remain. Any later gain above the vest price is a capital gain.
What happens to my benefits if I leave the company?
Your own 401(k) contributions are always yours. Unvested employer contributions are forfeited. Unvested equity generally does not travel with you unless your award agreement says otherwise. Deferred compensation pays out on the schedule you elected.
Is deferred compensation as safe as my 401(k)?
No, and that is the main thing to understand about it. Deferred amounts stay subject to general creditor claims until they are actually distributed, which is a risk a qualified plan does not carry. That is a real factor in deciding how much to defer.
Can I get advice without committing to an ongoing engagement?
Yes. We offer hourly planning and one-time financial plans alongside ongoing advisory relationships. A one-time engagement suits someone who wants a clear picture of their benefits, a specific analysis such as modelling a deferral election, or a second opinion on a decision already in motion.
This section covers questions that apply broadly across J.B. Hunt’s benefit plans. Plan-specific figures, eligibility details and current terms should be confirmed against your plan documents before acting.
Sources: SEC: Employee Retirement Plan, Form 11-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 · SEC: 2026 Proxy Statement. Confirm current plan terms before acting.
This page is educational and is not investment, tax, or legal advice, a projection of performance, or an indication of future results. Any scenario shown is hypothetical and is not a recommendation. All investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal, and diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss. Crystal Oak does not draft legal documents, prepare valuations, or file tax returns. Fees shown are current and subject to change, ranges reflect scope, and the applicable fee is set in writing before an engagement begins. Any process or timing described is illustrative. Always consult a qualified professional about your situation before taking action.
Crystal Oak Wealth Management is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or approved by J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc.. Plan names are used for identification only and remain the property of their owners. Benefit plans can change at any time. Your official plan documents and your plan administrator are the authoritative source, and you should confirm details there before acting on anything described here.
Opinions are those of Crystal Oak Wealth Management, LLC. Information comes from sources believed reliable but is not guaranteed for accuracy or completeness. Discuss any idea with your adviser before acting on it.
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