Top 401(k) for small businesses1
New customers can pay no employer fees for the first 6 months with a Guideline Starter, Core, or Enterprise plan when they sign up via this page.
Plans are subject to auto-renewal. Expires 12/31/25. Terms apply§Right this way, Amex members
Explore your options with Guideline. 60k+
businesses2
1M+
savers3
$15B+
invested for retirement4
Top 401(k) for small business1
Help your employees save more
- Full payroll integrationAutomate your 401(k) experience with direct payroll sync to top payroll providers.
- Up to 6x lower investment feesOur managed portfolios have up to 6x less investment fees than the industry average.5 Those savings can really add up.
- Premium employee experienceEasy-to-read dashboards, automated investing, and our award-winning mobile app make tracking your retirement a breeze.6
Get set up in as little as 9 minutes
We’ll help walk you through the whole process, start to finish.
Amex Members enjoy $0 employer fees for 6 months§
New customers can pay no employer fees for the first 6 months with a Guideline Starter, Core, or Enterprise plan when they sign up via this page. Plans are subject to auto-renewal. Expires 12/31/25. Terms apply.§
Calculator
Estimate your plan costs with our calculator
If you’re starting a new 401(k), your small business may be eligible to receive up to $16,500 in tax credits over the plan’s first three years to help offset initial plan costs.10
Melissa W.Co-Founder and CEO @ Zipline
Guideline is practically a 1-click setup that integrates with our payroll system and is incredibly easy to manage — helping us provide our employees with an essential benefit.Client of Guideline. Views may not be representative of other clients.
Get a 401(k) that checks all the boxes.
Frequently asked questions
401(k) plans are popular because they offer a lot of flexibility in plan design options, integrate with payroll systems, and work as a great hiring tool.
There is no minimum number of employees required when setting up a 401(k) with Guideline. You can set up a 401(k) with just an owner or for a single employee.
Yes, Guideline works with many different types of businesses and entity structures such as LLCs.
While setting up a Guideline 401(k) only takes about 20 minutes, it generally takes about 40 days until first contributions are made. This is due to the automatic enrollment feature on all Guideline 401(k) plans. Generally, eligible employees cannot be automatically enrolled in your plan until 30 days after they receive notice of the auto-enroll feature. This gives them sufficient time to opt-out before the plan begins.
Auto enrollment is a required feature for all Guideline 401(k) plans. Auto enrollment can help improve IRS nondiscrimination testing results, increase employees’ retirement readiness, and much more. Learn more about auto enrollment
Employers will be charged $39, $89, or $149/month depending on their pricing plan and $4-$8/month for each active participant in the plan. We don’t charge transaction fees—this includes no plan termination fees11 or Form 5500 prep fees.12 See our pricing
With Guideline, you can determine your plan eligibility based on your employees’ age and length of service with your company:
→ Age: 18, 19, 20, or 21 years
→ Length of service: 0, 3, 6, 12 months
We do not distinguish between part time and full time employees.