How Much Does a 401(k) Audit Cost in Northern Mariana Islands?

Fee ranges by plan size, and what the Northern Mariana Islands audit market looks like in plan year 2024 Form 5500 filings: how many plans are audited, by how many firms, at what plan size, and who does the most of it.

Last updated September 6, 2026 · Source data: plan year 2024 Form 5500 filings

How much does a 401(k) audit cost in Northern Mariana Islands?

A 401(k) audit in Northern Mariana Islands typically costs $8,000–$18,000 a year — the national range, since fees track plan size, not geography. Northern Mariana Islands’ median audited plan (531 participants) falls in the $13,000 – $25,000 band. In plan year 2024, 1 firm audited 1 plan sponsored in Northern Mariana Islands.

1Audited plans in MP

1Active audit firms

531Median plan size (participants)

0.0%Share of U.S. audited plans

Typical 401(k) audit fees for Northern Mariana Islands plans

Typical annual 401(k) audit fee ranges by plan size (editorial estimates)
Plan size	Typical fee range	What drives the range
100–249 participants	$8,000 – $14,000	Most first-time audits land here; single payroll and one recordkeeper keep scope tight.
250–499 participants	$10,000 – $18,000	More participant-level testing; still typically one fieldwork cycle.
500–999 participantsMP median plan: 531 participants	$13,000 – $25,000	Larger samples; often multiple payrolls or acquisitions in the mix.
1,000–4,999 participants	$18,000 – $40,000	Complexity-driven: mergers, employer stock, non-standard assets push the top of the range.
5,000+ participants	$30,000+	Multi-entity sponsors, 11-K filers, and hard-to-value assets; fees are bespoke.

Honest labeling: audit fees are not reported in a standardized, reliable field on Form 5500, so these ranges are editorial estimates informed by published fee surveys and engagement quotes — not outputs of our filing dataset, and not specific to Northern Mariana Islands. The market figures below are from the dataset. A first-year audit adds roughly 10–25%; an ERISA Section 103(a)(3)(C) election removes roughly 15–40%. See the national cost guide for the full list of fee drivers.

The Northern Mariana Islands audit market: the numbers behind a quote

Northern Mariana Islands employee benefit plan audit market, plan year 2024
Measure	Northern Mariana Islands	United States
Audited retirement plans (sponsor address in Northern Mariana Islands)	1	72,776
Audit firms with at least one engagement	1	3,956
Audited plans per active firm	1.0	18.4
Median audited plan size (participants)	531	357
Share of plans audited by the only active firm	100%	24%
Most active firm’s share of plans	100%	5%

National concentration is the share of all retirement plan engagements held by the ten largest firms nationally; the Northern Mariana Islands figure is the share of MP-sponsored plans audited by the only active firm in the state. State reflects the plan sponsor’s address, not the audit firm’s offices.

Northern Mariana Islands plans skew larger than the national median of 357 participants, so a typical MP engagement sits a tier above the national fee profile. Northern Mariana Islands is a small audit market: 1 firm signed audits for 1 plan, and it appears in the table below. Sponsors here commonly engage national practices that audit plans remotely, and pricing follows the same size-based ranges.

Rankings derived from U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 filings, plan year 2024. Read the full methodology.

Most active 401(k) audit firms in Northern Mariana Islands

Firms ranked by audited retirement plan filings sponsored in Northern Mariana Islands, plan year 2024
#	Firm	MP plans audited	Share of state
1	BCM LLC	1	100.0%

The only active firm is shown. Counts are retirement plan filings (401(k), 403(b), profit-sharing, and pension) whose sponsor address is in Northern Mariana Islands. Volume measures experience, not quality or price.

Rankings derived from U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 filings, plan year 2024. Read the full methodology.

The full ranked directory, with market totals, is at 401(k) audit firms in Northern Mariana Islands. Each firm profile shows engagement counts, states served, opinion mix, and the firm’s largest audited plans.

How to get a fair 401(k) audit quote in Northern Mariana Islands

Quote on the same scope. Tell every candidate whether the plan will elect an ERISA Section 103(a)(3)(C) audit, how many payroll systems it runs, and whether it files Form 11-K. Otherwise the low bid is usually the narrow one.
Engage before spring. Nearly every Northern Mariana Islands plan is due July 31 or October 15; firms fill fieldwork calendars first-come, and engagements that start after Labor Day pay for the compression. See the deadline guide.
Shortlist by volume. Ask three to five firms from the table above, or from the state directory, and check each profile for client sizes comparable to yours. A Northern Mariana Islands office is optional — audits are performed under national standards from recordkeeper and payroll data — but demonstrated volume is not.
Deliver clean records. Reconciled census, dated remittances, SOC 1 reports, and the certification in hand before fieldwork are the cheapest fee reduction available. The document checklist lists everything the auditor will request.

Northern Mariana Islands 401(k) audit cost FAQs

Do 401(k) audits cost more in Northern Mariana Islands?

No systematic premium applies. Audit fees are driven by participant count, plan complexity, and record quality rather than the sponsor’s location, and most engagements are performed remotely. Northern Mariana Islands’ median audited plan had 531 participants in plan year 2024, versus 357 nationally, which places a typical Northern Mariana Islands plan in the $13,000 – $25,000 editorial fee band.

How many firms audit 401(k) plans in Northern Mariana Islands?

1 audit firm signed at least one audit of a retirement plan sponsored in Northern Mariana Islands in plan year 2024, covering 1 audited plan (0.0% of the U.S. total). It is listed on this page.

Which firm audits the most 401(k) plans in Northern Mariana Islands?

BCM LLC audited 1 Northern Mariana Islands retirement plan in plan year 2024, the most of any firm and 100% of the state’s audited plans. Engagement volume signals experience, not quality; each firm profile shows opinion mix and client sizes.

401(k) audit cost in other states

Same fee framework, different market. Each page carries the state’s audited plan count, active firms, median plan size, and most active auditors from plan year 2024 filings.