No employer fee for 3 months.
Grow your business with us
With Guideline, you get the tools and tech needed to offer an affordable, automated 401(k).
Your business, your team, our tech
Our platform can make retirement planning and plan admin easier, faster and more secure.
Payroll integration
We connect with top 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) dashboards
Our 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 investing
We offer professionally managed investment portfolios, make portfolio recommendations, and rebalance them automatically to make retirement investing simple. See how it works
401(k) pricing
Plans that fit your company,
budget, and goals
All Guideline
plans include
Payroll integrations with popular payroll providers like Gusto, QuickBooks, and Rippling.
Automated plan admin, including recordkeeping, custodial services, compliance testing, and guided employee onboarding.
3(38) and 3(16) fiduciary services, including filing IRS and DOL reports and signing your 5500.
Mobile app, which makes it easy for participants to set up and manage their account.
Employee pricing
Starting at
0.08%/ year
That’s about 67¢ a month for every $10,000 saved
Your employees will get access to educational webinars, live support and more.
See a side-by-side comparison of our pricing plans
Core
Flex
Enterprise
Mobile app
Mobile app for all Guideline 401(k) participants who would like to set up and manage their account on their phone.
Recordkeeping and custodial services
We’ll track your 401(k) plan’s balances, transactions, and deferrals. We also handle executing trades, safeguarding plan assets, and more.
Government filing
We prepare standard annual reports, including Forms 5500 and 1099-R.
3(38) fiduciary - investment management
We are responsible for managing the investment portfolio, and selecting and monitoring funds.
3(16) fiduciary - plan administration
We take on the responsibility of handling reporting and disclosures to both participants and the IRS. Our 3(16) fiduciary services are only available to clients who utilize an eligible payroll provider.
Personalized portfolio options for participants
Participants can select from Guideline’s curated set of low cost mutual funds across a range of asset classes.
Ongoing compliance testing
We complete necessary annual testing to be compliant with the IRS, including non-discrimination tests and limit tests. Our compliance dashboard monitors in near-real time to resolve any potential compliance issues.
Auto-enrollment and auto-escalation services
We require auto-enrollment in all plans. Additionally, for QACA plan designs, we offer the ability to add auto-escalation.
Safe Harbor plan design
Safe Harbor 401(k) plans automatically satisfy most IRS nondiscrimination testing if certain requirements are met. They require an employer contribution that either immediately vests (traditional) or can be subject to a short vesting schedule (QACA). Learn more
Non-Safe Harbor plan design
A plan design that does not have IRS requirements around employer contributions or vesting schedules.
Vesting schedules
Set a schedule for employer contributions to become vested in participants’ 401(k) accounts.
Same dollar profit sharing
Profit sharing method where every employee receives the same contribution amount.
Pro rata profit sharing
This approach allocates the profit share based on employees’ relative salaries.
New comparability profit sharing
Allows employers to optimize contributions to certain groups of employees over others. Learn more
Premium support for you and employees
Includes a dedicated onboarding specialist and dedicated client relationship manager. Plus, faster response times for you and your team, as requests are prioritized at the top of the queue.
Exclusive pricing options
The ability to choose a price structure that’s best for your growth goals, budget, and team.
Support for legally-related groups
We require all legally related groups to be in Enterprise, as their onboarding and ongoing support is more customized to their specific situation and needs.
Support for conversion 401(k) plans
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 before becoming eligible to switch to a different pricing plan. This ensures you receive the premium support that you need for a smooth transition.
Early access to new features
Get exclusive access to new features that can improve the employer and employee experience.
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.
Help your employees save more
High contribution limits
With a 401(k), participants can generally contribute up to $20,500 a year. With Guideline, they get even more savings.
No transaction fees
We don’t charge fees for one-off transactions like rollovers, loans, distributions or plan wind-downs.
10x lower investment fees
The total fees for our managed portfolios are about 10x less than the industry average. Learn more
1
Select a plan type
The first decision is whether you want a Traditional 401(k) or Safe Harbor plan.
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
Can I set up a 401(k) for my LLC?
Yes, Guideline works with many different types of businesses and entity structures such as LLCs.
How many employees do you need to set up a 401(k)?
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.
What are the benefits of a 401(k) plan compared to other retirement options?
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.
When can my plan start?
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.
What is auto enrollment?
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
What fees are employers charged?
Employers will be charged $49, $79, or $129/month depending on their pricing plan and $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 fees3. Alternative pricing is available for plans with 50 or more eligible employees at the time of signup. To learn more, contact Sales at hello@guideline.com. See our pricing
Which employees are eligible to participate in the plan?
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.