What is Ella's matching contribution given her compensation and plan provisions?

To determine Ella's matching contribution based on her compensation and the plan provisions, it's important to understand how matching contributions are generally calculated within a 401(k) plan. Typically, matching contributions are a percentage of the employee's salary, contingent on the contributions that the employee has made to their account.

If the correct answer is $9,150, this suggests that Ella’s employer matches a certain percentage of her salary contributions up to a maximum limit defined in the plan. The calculation likely involves applying the matching formula to Ella's eligible salary, which then yields this specific amount.

For instance, if the plan matches 50% of employee contributions up to a certain threshold, we can infer that Ella contributed to her 401(k) within that allowable limit. If her total contributions reached a point where the employer's match calculated to $9,150, this means that she fulfilled the conditions for receiving the full extent of the match available under her plan provisions, reflecting a thoughtful balance between employee contributions and the employer's commitment to supporting retirement savings.

Therefore, $9,150 aligns with both Ella's contributions and the specific provisions of her employer's matching formula as reflected in the plan, making it the appropriate figure for her matching contribution.