Use the current plan guide and your account statement to answer five things: how much you contribute, what TSMC adds, when the employer money becomes yours, what the plan costs and what happens to it when you leave.
Use the plan
Why forum numbers and Taiwan terms do not transfer
TSMC publicly describes benefits as region-specific, and current Arizona job postings confirm a 401(k) with employer contributions — but they do not publish a universal formula. The apprenticeship page states an employer match up to 5% for that program while noting contract-specific eligibility, which makes it evidence for apprentices, not proof of what your employee group receives.
Your summary plan description and account statement remain the controlling sources. Download the SPD, fee disclosure, investment menu and most recent statement, and note the plan name and document date so an older version does not drive the analysis.
With the documents in hand, split the employer-money question into its two halves.
Employer contributions
The match tells you one thing; vesting tells you another
The contribution formula explains what TSMC may add. Vesting explains how much of that employer-funded balance you keep after leaving. Your own salary deferrals are generally fully vested, but current plan terms control the employer sources.
In practice, one statement can hold fully vested employee money right next to employer money still on a schedule. And a quoted match percentage reveals nothing about eligible compensation, per-pay-period mechanics, true-up rules or a year-end employment requirement — the details that decide whether an expected employer amount is actually credited and retained when you change jobs.
Check whether contributions arrive per pay period, annually or at the company’s discretion. Then turn to what the money is invested in.
- Eligible compensation
- The employee contribution needed to earn employer money
- Employer formula and its maximum
- Deposit timing
- Vesting schedule
- True-up or year-end conditions
| Question | What TSMC may addEmployer contribution | What you keepVesting |
|---|---|---|
| Controlling source | Current Arizona plan and enrollment materials | Current Arizona plan plus your source-by-source statement |
| What to verify | Eligible pay, required employee contribution, formula, maximum and deposit timing | Schedule, credited service, current vested amount and likely departure dates |
| Common mistake | Repeating a percentage from another location, year or employee group | Treating the full employer-funded balance as yours before checking the schedule |
| Exit question | Were all expected employer amounts actually deposited? | How much of each employer source is vested on the separation date? |
This comparison deliberately avoids publishing a universal Arizona formula that current public materials do not establish.
Investment menu
The default fund is a starting point, not a complete plan
Compare the target-date, index and active options using asset class, risk, expense ratio and their role in your complete portfolio — including your Taiwan and U.S. accounts.
A low-cost diversified option can be useful, but the correct allocation depends on your time horizon, reserves, job risk and other holdings. And every allocation decision should anticipate the day you leave.
Portability
Know the exit rules before you need them
Confirm whether your account can remain after you leave, whether partial distributions are permitted, how loans behave and which sources can be rolled over. A direct rollover generally avoids the mandatory withholding that applies when an eligible distribution is paid to you directly.
An advisor familiar with TSMC Arizona can compare destinations once your source and plan-feature inventory is complete.
Your working record
Build a source-by-source record you can trust at exit time
Keep the current plan summary, fee disclosure and statement labeled by plan year. Then read five facts separately, never as one blended impression: the employee contribution needed for employer value, your vesting percentage today, investment costs, loan rules and distribution options.
Use the record as preparation, not as individualized advice — current TSMC Arizona documents control the match and vesting, and a tax professional should review any distribution or rollover.
- Find the current Arizona summary plan description
- Identify every employee and employer contribution source
- Verify the formula, eligible pay and deposit timing
- Confirm your vesting today and at likely departure dates
- Review investments, fees, loans and rollover rules independently
Frequently asked questions
Questions employees ask next
What is the TSMC Arizona 401(k) match?
Confirm it in the current Arizona summary plan description or enrollment materials. Public and forum claims may refer to a different location or year.
Are my own TSMC 401(k) contributions vested?
Your own elective deferrals are generally fully vested; review the plan for every employer-funded source.
Should I roll over my TSMC 401(k) after leaving?
Compare plan features, investments, fees, loans, tax sources, your residence and the new employer’s plan before deciding.
Primary sources
What this guide is based on
You understand the issue
Now get help applying it to your situation.
Semiconductor Wealth connects employees with financial advisors who can help coordinate employer benefits, taxes, cash flow and investments into a clear sequence of decisions.