No employer fee for 3 months1
Affordable 401(k) plans for your firm
With Guideline, you get the tools and tech needed to offer an affordable, automated 401(k).
Guideline at a glance
- 60k+businesses
- $20B+assets under management
- Fintech 50
Your firm, your team, our tech
Our platform can help make retirement planning and plan admin easier, faster and more secure.
- Payroll integrationWe connect with popular payroll providers to create a largely automated 401(k). We can securely sync employee data, track eligibility, and process deductions so you don’t have to. Learn more
- 401(k) dashboardsOur dashboards give you and your employees a holistic view of your 401(k). You can monitor activity, track eligibility and stay on top of deadlines. Your employees can make updates and access resources at any time.
- Automated investingWe offer professionally managed investment portfolios, make portfolio recommendations, and rebalance them automatically to make retirement investing simple. See how it works
Plans that fit your firm, budget, and goals
Our 401(k) plans come with low monthly costs and no transaction fees. So you won’t have to pay extra for plan setup, plan transfers, or 5500 prep.2
- Low asset fees
- Low-cost portfolio
- Tax advantages & credits
- Lump sum or recurring deposits
- Add employees in the future3
Self-employed?
Consider a Solo(k)
Self-employed? Consider a Solo(k)
The Solo 401(k) can be a game-changer for the self-employed. Contribute up to $70,000 (that’s 10x more than a personal IRA!)5 and help lower your taxes while enjoying all the benefits of a standard 401(k).
And best of all? Guideline handles the hard parts with automated compliance, fully digital contributions, plan admin, IRS filings, and much more — all at no extra cost.
Foundational services & features on every plan
Automated plan admin
We handle recordkeeping, custodial services7, compliance testing8, and guided employee onboarding.3(38) and 3(16) fiduciary services
We can help file IRS and DOL reports and sign your 5500. Guideline's 3(16) fiduciary services9 are only available to clients who utilize an eligible payroll provider.Mobile app
Your team can set up and manage their 401(k) account on their phone.
- $0 rollover fee
- $0 loan fee
- $0 distribution fee
Help employees save more
Active employees are charged an annual account fee starting at 0.15%10 (0.0125%/month) with no transaction fees.
Calculator
Estimate your plan costs with our calculator
If you’re starting a new 401(k), your firm 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.11
1
Select a plan type
The first decision is whether you want a Starter, Traditional, or Safe Harbor 401(k).2
Add plan features
Customize your plan with features like employer matching, eligibility requirements, and more.3
Set a start date
You can get a plan up and running in about 40 days.
Frequently asked questions
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.
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.
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 fees or Form 5500 prep fees. 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.
Any business is eligible to open a Solo 401(k) plan, provided only owners, partners, or spouses will be eligible to participate in the plan.
While a business sponsoring a Solo 401(k) can have common-law employees, they must not be eligible for the plan based on the eligibility requirements in the plan document. Allowable eligibility requirements will be discussed here. Note that non-owners cannot be excluded as a class.
It is also important to note that if you are part of a controlled or affiliated service group, you are not able to open a Solo 401(k) plan at Guideline.