Williams-Sonoma, Inc. 401(k) Plan and Other Employee Benefits	12 Months Ended
Jan. 31, 2021
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. 401(k) Plan and Other Employee Benefits	Note H: Williams-Sonoma, Inc. 401(k) Plan and Other Employee Benefits We have a defined contribution retirement plan, the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. 401(k) Plan (the “401(k) Plan”), which is intended to be qualified under Internal Revenue Code sections 401(a), 401(k), 401(m) and 4975(e)(7). The 401(k) Plan permits eligible employees to make salary deferral contributions up to 75% of their eligible compensation each pay period (7% for highly-compensated employees prior to February 3, 2020). Employees designate the funds in which their contributions are invested. Each participant may choose to have their salary deferral contributions and earnings thereon invested in one or more investment funds, including our company stock fund. Our matching contribution is equal to 50% of each participant’s salary deferral contribution, taking into account only those contributions that do not exceed 6% of the participant’s eligible pay for the pay period. Each participant’s matching contribution is earned on a semi-annual basis with respect to eligible salary deferrals for those participants that are employed with us on June 30th or December 31st of the year in which the deferrals are made. Each associate must complete one year of service prior to receiving company matching contributions. For the first five years of the participant’s employment, all matching contributions vest at the rate of 20 % per year of service, measuring service from the participant’s hire date. Thereafter, all matching contributions vest immediately. Our contributions to the plan were $ 9,990,000 , $ 9,544,000 , and $ 9,036,000 in fiscal 2020 , fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018 , respectively. The 401(k) Plan consists of two parts: a profit sharing plan portion and a stock bonus plan/employee stock ownership plan (the “ESOP”). The ESOP portion is the portion that is invested in the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Stock Fund. The profit sharing and ESOP components of the 401(k) Plan are considered a single plan under Internal Revenue Code section 414(l). We also have a nonqualified executive deferred compensation plan that provides supplemental retirement income benefits for a select group of management. This plan permits eligible employees to make salary and bonus deferrals that are 100% vested. We have an unsecured obligation to pay in the future the value of the deferred compensation adjusted to reflect the performance, whether positive or negative, of selected investment measurement options chosen by each participant during the deferral period. As of January 31, 2021 and February 2, 2020, $34,988,000 and $30,534,000, respectively, is included in other long-term liabilities related to these deferred compensation obligations. Additionally, we have purchased life insurance policies on certain participants to potentially offset these unsecured obligations. The cash surrender value of these policies was $36,011,000 and $31,886,000 as of January 31, 2021 and February 2, 2020, respectively, and is included in other long-term assets, net.

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. 401(k) Plan and Other Employee Benefits

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2021

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. 401(k) Plan and Other Employee Benefits

Note H: Williams-Sonoma, Inc. 401(k) Plan and Other Employee Benefits

We have a defined contribution retirement plan, the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. 401(k) Plan (the “401(k) Plan”), which is intended to be qualified under Internal Revenue Code sections 401(a), 401(k), 401(m) and 4975(e)(7). The 401(k) Plan permits eligible employees to make salary deferral contributions up to 75% of their eligible compensation each pay period (7% for highly-compensated employees prior to February 3, 2020). Employees designate the funds in which their contributions are invested.

Each participant may choose to have their salary deferral contributions and earnings thereon invested in one or more investment funds, including our company stock fund.

Our matching contribution is equal to 50% of each participant’s salary deferral contribution, taking into account only those contributions that do not exceed 6% of the participant’s eligible pay for the pay period. Each participant’s matching contribution is earned on a semi-annual basis with respect to eligible salary deferrals

for those participants that are employed with us on June 30th or December 31st of the year in which the deferrals are

made. Each associate must complete

one year

of service prior to receiving company matching contributions. For the first

five

years of the participant’s employment, all matching contributions vest at the rate of

% per year of service, measuring service from the participant’s hire date. Thereafter, all matching contributions vest immediately. Our contributions to the plan were $

9,990,000

, $

9,544,000

, and $

9,036,000

in fiscal

2020

, fiscal

2019

and fiscal

2018

, respectively.

The 401(k) Plan consists of two parts: a profit sharing plan portion and a stock bonus plan/employee stock ownership plan (the “ESOP”). The ESOP portion is the portion that is invested in the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Stock Fund. The profit sharing and ESOP components of the 401(k) Plan are considered a single plan under Internal Revenue Code section 414(l).

We also have a nonqualified executive deferred compensation plan that provides supplemental retirement income benefits for a select group of management. This plan permits eligible employees to make salary and bonus deferrals that are 100% vested. We have an unsecured obligation to pay in the future the value of the deferred compensation adjusted to reflect the performance, whether positive or negative, of selected investment measurement options chosen by each participant during the deferral period. As of January 31, 2021 and February 2, 2020, $34,988,000 and $30,534,000, respectively, is included in other long-term liabilities related to these deferred compensation obligations. Additionally, we have purchased life insurance policies on certain participants to potentially offset these unsecured obligations. The cash surrender value of these policies was $36,011,000 and $31,886,000 as of January 31, 2021 and February 2, 2020, respectively, and is included in other long-term assets, net.