<prompt> Human: Im posting from an alt for my dad who had this happen to him. Here are the facts:- He started a 401K one year ago or so he thought- He had money deducted from his account every month for the past year- This week they told him there was an error with the paper work that a clerk submitted and the 401K was never made- They have promised to give him his money back- There were no promises made about the match amount or the taxes on the money that should have gone in the 401KWhat are his options here? What about the potential money he would have made from his 401K investments? Has someone ran into a similar situation?Edit: More facts- Company is supposed to match up to 4 of his income for 401K  <response>: He should go to HR, bring all of the documentation that he has paperwork he signed authorizing the 401K, the amount of the withdrawal, paystubs showing the withholding and tell them that he doesnt want the money back, he wants them to make good on what he told them to do when he enrolled in the plan and began making contributions. Did he ever get any documentation from the 401K provider about how they invest the money by default, or make any choices about how to invest the money? If he didnt, hes going to have a hard time arguing for any sort of compensation for lost interest impossible to know how his investments would have performed if he didnt choose any, but they should deposit the appropriate match. If they push back, reach out to the plan administrator. There are pretty strict rules about offering the 401K fairly to all qualified employees, paying the match contributions according to the plan docs, etc. If the company screwed that up, and they dont fix it, theyll be in trouble. 