Guideline and Intuit Quickbooks logo side by side

Offer ends November 22

No employer fees for 12 months1

Guideline makes it easy to offer a premium benefit while keeping your business compliant — all with fees 6x lower than the industry average2, award-winning mobile app,3 and live customer support.

  • 1

    Connect with QuickBooks

  • 2

    Choose your plan

  • 3

    Complete setup

Get started

See our Privacy Policy to learn how we use and protect your information.4

401(k) Conversion Plans
Traditional IRA, Rollovers and Roth IRA
50K+

businesses5

1M+

savers6

$15B+

invested for retirement7

fast company logo

Innovation by Design Award 20243

Cliff JNorth Valley Counseling
Guideline’s integration with QuickBooks was really important to me. I run my entire business through my cell phone. The more I can link to my QuickBooks account, the better off I am.Client of Guideline. Views may not be representative of other clients.
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We make 401(k) management a breeze

Sign up in 5 minutes. Then join the 4 out of 5 customers who say they saved time and report fewer payroll errors after switching to Guideline.8

  • Integrations built the right way

    Unlike other providers, our custom payroll integrations sync two-ways and every 24 hours,9 taking manual data entry off your to-do list.

  • End-to-end compliance

    While many providers test once-a-year, Guideline helps ensure you pass annual IRS tests with ongoing daily compliance testing and live alerts.

  • Easy employee onboarding

    When employees become eligible to join the plan, we’ll notify and enroll them on your behalf—and provide full support along the way.

$0 is a great place to start

Enjoy no employer fees for the first 12 months.1 After that, you'll get a modern 401(k) you and your team will love.

  • Starter
    Special offer
    $39
    $0
    / month
    +$4/mo per active participant
    $0

    A simplified 401(k) with limited features and easy administration.

    Get started
    • $6,000 employee contribution limit

    • No employer contributions

    • Must be a new 401(k) plan

  • Core
    Special offer
    $89
    $0
    / month
    +$8/mo per active participant
    $0

    A foundational 401(k) with robust features and more plan design options.

    Get started
    • $23,500 employee contribution limit11
    • Safe Harbor12

      or Traditional 401(k)

    • Features like employer contributions and profit sharing

  • Enterprise
    Special offer
    $149
    $0
    / month
    + active participant fee
    $0
    Our most custom 401(k) with premium support and flexible pricing that scales as your grow.
    Contact sales
    • $23,500 employee contribution limit11

    • Flexible pricing options

    • Premium support for plan admin and employees

    • Support for plan transfers

Already have a 401(k)? Switch and get 0% AUM on transferred assets plus 12-months no employer fees.10 Schedule a demo

  • $0 transaction fee
  • $0 rollover fee
  • $0 loan fee
  • $0 distribution fee

Refer to Guideline’s Form ADV 2A Brochure for additional information regarding Guideline’s fees.

Help employees save more

The total fees for our managed portfolios are up to 6x less than the industry average. 13 Learn more

Active employees are only charged an annual account fee starting at 0.15%14 (0.0125%/month).

Refer to Guideline’s Form ADV 2A Brochure for additional information regarding Guideline’s fees.

We built a modern 401(k) you and your team will love.

Take a tour

Invest in your team

With an intuitive dashboard and an award-winning mobile app3, it’s easy for your employees to set up their account, track their progress, and access resources—anytime, anywhere.

  • Easy account setup, via web or mobile app

  • Recommended investment portfolio

  • Retirement education and live support

Guideline mobile app portfolio screen.
Guideline mobile app portfolio screen.

Calculator

Estimate your plan costs

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.15

  • A friendly customer support specialist assisting a customer with a smile.
  • A dedicated customer support specialist going above and beyond to assist a client.
  • A friendly customer support specialist assisting a customer with a smile.
  • A dedicated customer support specialist going above and beyond to assist a client.
  • A patient customer support specialist listening attentively to a customer's questions.
  • An experienced customer support specialist providing helpful advice.
  • An empathetic customer support specialist providing personalized support to a customer.
  • A friendly customer support specialist assisting a customer with a smile.
  • A dedicated customer support specialist going above and beyond to assist a client.
  • A patient customer support specialist listening attentively to a customer's questions.
  • An experienced customer support specialist providing helpful advice.
  • An empathetic customer support specialist providing personalized support to a customer.
  • A knowledgeable customer support specialist helping a client with a retirement plan.
  • A courteous customer support specialist providing exceptional service to a client.
  • A helpful customer support specialist assisting a client with a retirement plan enrollment.
  • A professional customer support specialist offering expert guidance on retirement savings.
  • A knowledgeable customer support specialist helping a client with a retirement plan.
  • A courteous customer support specialist providing exceptional service to a client.
  • A helpful customer support specialist assisting a client with a retirement plan enrollment.
  • A professional customer support specialist offering expert guidance on retirement savings.

Live customer support

Support you can count on — and call

With Guideline, you and your team get support from our 401(k) specialists via phone or email — our annual plan sponsor customer satisfaction score is 93%.16 See our customer support metrics

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Everyone has a future.
Now everyone can invest in one.

Explore plans

Contact us

  • 1
    Employer fees included in this promotion are the monthly base fee after the new plan begins. Other employer-paid service fees are not included in this promotion. Participant-paid fees are not included in this promotion and will still apply. See here for more information regarding Guideline's fees. We reserve the right to modify or discontinue this promotion at any time without prior notice.
  • 2

    This information is provided for illustrative purposes only, and is not intended to be taken as investment or tax advice. Consult a qualified tax and financial advisor to determine the appropriate investment strategy for you. The average investment expense of plan assets for 401(k) plans with 25 participants and $250,000 in assets is 1.37% of assets, according to the 24th Edition of the 401k Averages Book, with data updated through September 30, 2023, and is inclusive of investment management fees, fund expense ratios, 12b-1 fees, sub-transfer agent fees, contract charges, wrap and advisor fees or any other asset based charges. Investment advisory services for Guideline’s 401(k) product (when 3(38) fiduciary services are appointed) and SEP IRA/IRA products are offered by Guideline Investments, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. The managed portfolios have blended expense ratios ranging from 0.067% to 0.069% of assets under management. When combined with an assumed account fee of 0.15%, the estimated total AUM fees for one of Guideline’s managed portfolios can be under 0.22%. Alternative account fee pricing is available ranging from 0.15% to 0.35%. Contact Sales at hello@guideline.com to learn more about exclusive pricing options available in the Enterprise tier. See the Form ADV 2A Brochure for more information regarding fees. Expense ratios for custom portfolios will vary. These expense ratios are subject to change by and paid to the fund(s). View full fund lineup.

  • 3

    2024 Fast Company Innovation by Design Award Winner for Guideline's mobile application in the Mid-Size business category.

  • 4
    By selecting “Get started,” you agree for Intuit to share certain company data with Guideline to begin your Guideline 401(k) plan setup, subject to Intuit's Third-Party Data Sharing Policy and the terms presented to you during the setup process.
  • 5
    As of May 2024
  • 6
    As of December 2024
  • 7
    As of August 2024
  • 8

    Guideline research. Insights based on data collected June 7, 2024 to June 21, 2024 from a survey of 95 current plan sponsors. Guideline was identified as the survey sponsor. The experience of the respondents in this survey may not be representative of all people.

  • 9
    Based on Guideline internal analytics from January 2023 through December 2023
  • 10

    Fees included in this promotion are Guideline's monthly base fee, the monthly active participant fee and annual account fee on assets under management transferred. This offer ends December 31, 2024 and cannot be combined with other offers. We reserve the right to modify or discontinue this promotion at any time without prior notice. Terms & Conditions apply. Please contact Sales at hello@guideline.com for further details. We require all plan sponsors transferring an existing 401(k) to Guideline to set up and maintain an Enterprise plan for at least one year. After one year, the plan will be eligible to switch to a different pricing plan. We require all legally related groups to be in our Enterprise or Starter tiers.

  • 11
    May be adjusted annually to account for IRS cost-of-living adjustments. Learn more
  • 12
    In general, Safe Harbor 401(k) plans automatically satisfy Top Heavy requirements. One exception is for plan years in which the employer makes discretionary contributions (such as profit sharing contributions) in addition to Safe Harbor contributions. Removing Safe Harbor contributions mid-year will also require plans be subject to all compliance testing.
  • 13
    This information is provided for illustrative purposes only, and is not intended to be taken as investment or tax advice. Consult a qualified tax and financial advisor to determine the appropriate investment strategy for you. The average investment expense of plan assets for 401(k) plans with 25 participants and $250,000 in assets is 1.26% of assets, according to the 25th Edition of the 401k Averages Book, with data updated through September 30, 2024, and is inclusive of investment management fees, fund expense ratios, 12b-1 fees, sub-transfer agent fees, contract charges, wrap and advisor fees or any other asset based charges. Investment advisory services for Guideline’s 401(k) product (when 3(38) fiduciary services are appointed) and SEP IRA/IRA products are offered by Guideline Investments, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. The managed portfolios have blended expense ratios ranging from 0.058% to 0.061% of assets under management. When combined with an assumed account fee of 0.15% charged by Guideline Investments, LLC, the estimated total AUM fees for one of the managed portfolios can be under 0.22%. Alternative account fee pricing is available ranging from 0.15% to 0.35%. Contact Sales at hello@guideline.com to learn more about exclusive pricing options available in the Enterprise tier. See the Form ADV 2A Brochure for more information regarding fees. Expense ratios for custom portfolios will vary. These expense ratios are subject to change by and paid to the fund(s).View full fund lineup.
  • 14

    Investment advisory services for Guideline’s 401(k) product (when 3(38) fiduciary services are appointed) and SEP IRA/IRA products are offered by Guideline Investments, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. An assumed annual account fee of 0.15% is applied to assets under management and is deducted on a monthly basis. It’s calculated at 1/12 of the annual stated rate (0.15%) based on the account balance on the last day of each month. Alternative account fee pricing is available, ranging from 0.15% to 0.35%. Contact Sales at hello@guideline.com to learn more about exclusive pricing options available in Enterprise tier. See the Form ADV 2A Brochure for more information regarding this fee.

  • 15
    This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be taken as tax advice. Please consult a tax professional to determine what types of tax credits or deductions your company is eligible to claim.
  • 16
    Guideline’s average plan sponsor satisfaction score (CSAT) based on feedback received from 1/1/2024 to 12/31/2024.

Guideline.com is owned and operated by Guideline, Inc. This website contains content from Guideline, Inc. and its affiliates, each a separate entity with different regulatory marketing requirements and standards. References to "our" or "we" on this website refer solely to Guideline RK, LLC unless otherwise specifically stated.

The information in this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be an offer, recommendation, investment advice, legal or tax advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any security. By using this website, you agree to Guideline, Inc.’s Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions of Use. Neither Guideline, Inc. nor its subsidiaries, are responsible for information provided by third parties. Information included herein from third parties is believed to be reliable however Guideline, Inc. does not guarantee the accuracy and completeness of that information.

Guideline, Inc. is a technology company that provides an integrated platform to companies who seek to work with 1) Guideline RK, LLC ("Guideline") and/or 2) Guideline Investments, LLC, an SEC Registered Investment Adviser ("RIA"), both of which are wholly owned by Guideline Holdings, LLC. Guideline Holdings, LLC is wholly owned by Guideline, Inc. Neither Guideline, Inc. nor Guideline Holdings, LLC or Guideline RK, LLC is involved in securities activities and is not registered with the SEC or FINRA. Neither Guideline, Inc., nor any of its affiliates, is a bank.

Investment advisory services for Guideline’s 401(k) (when 3(38) fiduciary services are selected) and SEP IRA/IRA products are offered by Guideline Investments, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. For more information regarding fees and services, see Guideline Investments, LLC’s ADV 2A Brochure and Form CRS. References throughout this website to investment advisory services including but not limited to: investments offered, portfolios, managed portfolios, investment philosophy, assets under management (AUM), annual account fees expressed as a percentage of AUM, suitability questionnaire, 3(38) investment advisory management fiduciary services, robo-advisory services, and investment advice, unless otherwise specifically stated, are services provided by Guideline Investments, LLC. Investing involves risk and may lose money, including loss of principal. Investing is not guaranteed and past performance is not a guarantee of future performance. The investment options offered by Guideline Investments, LLC are not FDIC insured.

Recordkeeping services for Guideline’s 401(k) and SEP IRA/IRA products are offered by Guideline RK, LLC. 3(16) plan administration services are also offered by Guideline RK, LLC and only made available to clients who utilize an eligible payroll provider. For more information on Guideline’s pricing, see here. Guideline uses a third-party to provide custodial services. Custodial fees are paid by Guideline.

Any graphs, charts, and other visual aids (collectively referred to as "image(s)") are provided for information purposes only. None of these images can of themselves be used to make investment decisions. No representation is made that these will assist any person in making investment decisions and no image can capture all factors and variables required in making such decisions.

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