How To Open A 401k Self Employed

Here’s How To Plow Some Of Your Profits Into Retirement Savings

Eric is currently a duly licensed Independent Insurance Broker licensed in Life, Health, Property, and Casualty insurance. He has worked more than 13 years in both public and private accounting jobs and more than four years licensed as an insurance producer. His background in tax accounting has served as a solid base supporting his current book of business.

Just because you are a one-person outfit, a freelancer, or an independent contractor doesn’t mean you have to do without a retirement savings plan or the tax benefits that accompany them.

One option If you are self-employed is the solo 401, also known as an independent 401 plan. In fact, the Solo 401 has some benefits over other types of retirement accounts available to the self-employed.

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Wealthify

Choosing to be your own boss has many upsides. These include flexibility over when, where and how you work, being accountable only to yourself, and the variety of working for multiple clients. But with these benefits come risk, responsibility and heaps of financial admin. One of the most important tasks on your financial checklist should be setting up a self-employed pension. Heres how self-employed pensions work, and why the tax breaks make pensions the best way to save for retirement.

Ongoing Considerations For Your Solo 401k

One of the great things about a solo 401k is that they are relatively easy to maintain, for the most part. Since you are technically the administrator of your own plan, you are personally required to submit required filings for the plan.

There are two ongoing paperwork requirements that you will need to stay on top of. First, if your plan has over $250,000 in assets on the last day of the plan year, you have to file a form 5500. This can be a bit complicated, but if you can fill out all of that paperwork above, you can likely handle it yourself.

You can submit the IRS Form 5500 for free, electronically here: EFAST2 Filing From The IRS.

If you don’t want to do it yourself, you’ll need your CPA to handle this for you, and they’ll likely charge a fee to do it. However, if you’re using a non-prototype plan, most of the plan providers will help you prepare the Form 5500 each year as part of your annual fee.

The second form you need to keep in mind is a 1099-R, but that form is only required if you take distributions from your 401k plan or if you roll it over, withdraw money of any kind, or change providers. This form is also relatively easy to fill out, but there is no free electronic filing for this form. You either have to pay a service to file it, or mail it in yourself.

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Contribution Limits In A One

The business owner wears two hats in a 401 plan: employee and employer. Contributions can be made to the plan in both capacities. The owner can contribute both:

• Elective deferrals up to 100% of compensation up to the annual contribution limit:
• $20,500 in 2022 , or $27,000 in 2022 if age 50 or over plus

If youve exceeded the limit for elective deferrals in your 401 plan, find out how to correct this mistake.

Total contributions to a participants account, not counting catch-up contributions for those age 50 and over, cannot exceed $61,000 for 2022 .

Example: Ben, age 51, earned $50,000 in W-2 wages from his S Corporation in 2020. He deferred $19,500 in regular elective deferrals plus $6,500 in catch-up contributions to the 401 plan. His business contributed 25% of his compensation to the plan, $12,500. Total contributions to the plan for 2020 were $38,500. This is the maximum that can be contributed to the plan for Ben for 2019.

A business owner who is also employed by a second company and participating in its 401 plan should bear in mind that his limits on elective deferrals are by person, not by plan. He must consider the limit for all elective deferrals he makes during a year.

Determining Compensation For Self

The starting point for identifying compensation for contribution purposes on behalf of self-employed individuals is to determine the individuals earned income or net earnings from self-employment. Depending on the individuals type of self-employment, an individual will use one of the following forms to determine net earnings for a specific year.

• A partnership generates a Schedule K-1, Partners Share of Income, Deductions, Credits, etc., for each individual partner showing the partners net earnings for the year.

• A sole proprietor must file Schedule C, Profit or Loss From Business, showing the net earnings from the business for the year.

• Farmers file Schedule F, Profit or Loss From Farming, to show net income from farming.

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Strategies For Saving When Youre Self

• The Bottom Line

The joys of self-employment are many, but so are the stressors. High among those is the need to plan for retirement entirely on your own. You are in charge of creating a satisfying quality of life post-retirement. When it comes to building that life, the earlier you start, the better. Luckily, there are several retirement plans for those who are self-employed.

Contribution Limit As An Employer

Wearing the employer hat, you can contribute up to 25% of your compensation. The total contribution limit for a solo 401 is $57,000 for 2020, not counting the employees $6,500 catch-up amount for those over the age of 50. For 2021, the employer maximum is $58,000. In other words, in 2021 you can contribute $58,000 along with a $6,500 catch-up contribution if applicable for a total of $64,500 for the year.

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You Earn A High Income And Would Like To Make Roth Ira Contributions But Cant Based On The Roth Ira Income Limits

• Roth IRAs have income limits, but Self Employed Roth 401k plans have no income limits.
• Everyone qualifies for a Self Employed Roth 401k. In 2020 you cant contribute fully to a Roth IRA if your adjusted gross income exceeds $196,000 if you file a joint tax return with your spouse and $124,000 if you file as single or head of household.
• Higher contribution limits are permitted with a Self Employed Roth 401k than a Roth IRA regardless of income.
• In 2020 participants can contribute up to $19,500 to a Roth 401k and $26,000 if age 50 or older. 2020 Roth IRA contribution limits are $6,000 and $7,000 if age 50 or older.

Can You Have Employees And Open A Single

You can’t have any full-time employees, but you can contract with freelancers or employ part-time employees who don’t work more than 1,000 hours a year in your business. Note that not all individual 401 plans allow for part-time employees, so be sure to check with your provider before hiring employees.

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What Paperwork You Need To Fill Out To Open Your Account

I was surprised at how much paperwork is required to open a solo 401k account. You’d think it would be simple, with very common forms to fill out. However, it’s completely the opposite. It becomes even more challenging if you add a Roth solo 401k, and you have to do double the paperwork if you’re adding a spouse to your plan.

When opening your solo 401k plan, you will need to create the following documents. You will need to create separate plan documents for both your Traditional and Roth Solo 401ks. They are both considered separate plans for tax purposes.

Plan Documents For Traditional Solo 401k

• 401k Plan Adoption Agreement
• Designation of Successor Plan Administrator

Plan Documents For Roth Solo 401k

• 401k Plan Adoption Agreement
• Designation of Successor Plan Administrator

Required Documents For Individual

• Brokerage Account Application for 401k Account
• Brokerage Account Application for Roth 401k Account
• Designation of Beneficiary Form for Account
• Power of Attorney

Required Documents For Spouse

• Brokerage Account Application for 401k Account
• Brokerage Account Application for Roth 401k Account
• Designation of Beneficiary Form for Account
• Power of Attorney

When you’re done with all these documents, you’ll have two solo 401k plans, and 4 accounts .

Selecting A Brokerage Firm For Your Solo 401k

When selecting a brokerage firm for your solo 401k, you want to select the firm that offers the most options.

If you’re okay with a prototype plan, you can use our Solo 401k Brokerage Comparison to see which major firms offer the options you’re looking for.

If you’re using a custom solo 401k plan, you need to take your solo 401k documents to the brokerage of your choice and they will open a custodial account on your 401k’s behalf. Some firms offer this service, and others don’t. For example, Fidelity and Charles Schwab are two brokerage firms that allow for customers to use third-party 401k plans with their brokerage services.

However, when using a third party plan, it adds to the complexity of using a solo 401k. For instance, as a custodial account, the firm will not keep track of your trades and investments – that’s your responsibility. If you need to fill out tax forms, such as a 1099-R, these firms will not help you. You either have to do it yourself, or pay someone to do it for you.

We decided to go with ETrade for our Solo 401k because they had the most robust free plan.

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How To Open A Solo 401k

You need an Employer Identification Number and earned income verified by the IRS, but a solo 401k is easy to open. They are offered by most online brokers.

How Do You Set Up A Self

It is easy to set up a self-employed 401 plan with many 401 administrators. You can also open a solo 401 online. To set one up, you will need an Employer Identification Number , which you can get from the IRS. You also need to complete a plan adoption agreement and an account application. Self-employed 401s are easy to administer and attract low maintenance fees because they involve only one or two people.

Before choosing a plan administrator, it is important to compare their fees before you sign up. You may also want to choose an administrator that allows you to invest your retirement savings into a broad range of assets including mutual funds, ETFs, CDs, stocks, and bonds. Other features to look for include 24-hour multi-channel support, investment advisory, low fees, and positive customer reviews. Once youve completed the paperwork, and the plan becomes active, the only thing you have to do is to set contribution levels and choose investments.

Self-employed 401 plans have no annual minimum contribution requirements. In good years, you can make the maximum contributions and reduce your savings when the cash flow is low. But once you have up to $250,000 in the account, you must file IRS Form 5500-EZ to report the financial status of your solo retirement plan to the tax authorities.

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Who Should Get A Solo 401

Solo 401 plans are best for business owners who want the most flexibility in how they save for retirement. Before signing up for a Solo 401, you may also want to consider a SEP IRA or SIMPLE IRA as well.

Solo 401 plans take more paperwork to get started but offer more flexibility in what you are able to contribute. For example, SEP plans only accept employer contributions, while a solo 401 takes contributions from either the employee or employer. SIMPLE IRAs are available to businesses with up to 100 employees. SEP IRAs dont have that limit.

What Are The Tax Benefits Of A Solo 401

Solo 401s share the same tax benefits as their traditional 401 counterparts.

You can elect to contribute pre-tax earnings to your Solo 401 and pay taxes when you distribute your funds during retirement. In turn, youâll lower your immediate income tax obligation.

Or, you can choose to contribute after-tax earnings into a Roth Solo 401, then your distributions during retirement would be tax-free.

Additionally, any matching contributions you make as your employer are tax-deductible for your business, lowering its tax obligation as well.

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What Fees Are Associated With A Solo 401

Annual or maintenance fees for these plans, according to Allec, usually run between $20 and $200. Youll pay the least if your needs are simple you dont have any employees besides yourself, theres no rollover and youre OK with investing in a budget brokerage firms products. If you have more interesting investment appetites, another provider can accommodate those. These providers usually charge higher fees to maintain your plan, but you also have more flexibility with your investment and plan options.

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Best For Real Estate: Rocket Dollar

Rocket Dollar

Rocket Dollar allows you to invest in anything you can pay for with a checkbook. That means you can invest in real estate and other non-traditional assets while enjoying the tax advantages of a solo 401 account.

• Checkbook control allows you to invest in real estate and other alternatives

• Support for 401 loans and Roth contributions

• Option for upgraded account that includes free wire transfers, checks, tax form filing, and other features

• Basic accounts require $15 monthly fee and $360 setup fee

• Premium accounts require a $30 monthly fee and $600 setup fee

If you dont want the limitations of traditional financial markets, you may want to consider Rocket Dollar. Instead of stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and bonds, Rocket Dollar accounts give you the control to buy any asset with your solo 401 that the IRS allows. That can include rental properties, fix-and-flip real estate, or land that you think will appreciate in value. You can invest outside of real estate as well, such as private investments in a startup or precious metals, however, Rocket Dollar’s flexibility makes it the solo 401 that’s best for real estate.

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Can You Contribute A Lump Sum To A Self

According to Bergman, a self-employed individual can usually make an employee deferral lump-sum contribution to a plan so long as he or she has sufficient earned income. However, in the case of a W-2 owner/employee, the employee deferral contribution should not be more than the income earned for that income period. In the case of employer profit-sharing contributions, those can be made by the employer in a lump sum.

The Benefits Of A 401 Built Just For You

A solo 401 is ideal for business owners with no employees other than a spouse that want to maximize retirement savings. It is easy to administer and provides many of the same benefits as a traditional 401, including tax-deductible contributions.

Any money you invest in a solo 401 allows you to save for retirement with income before it is taxed. By contributing to a solo 401 you benefit from a lower tax bill and potentially far greater savings growth into the future.

Unlike a regular 401, which only allows employees to make a contribution up to $19,500, a solo 401s contribution limit is $58,000 a year . Thats because you can make contributions as both the employer and the employee a double win for the self-employed.

While many self-employed entrepreneurs choose afor their retirement savings, a solo 401 may be a better choice if you earn less than $212,000 because you will face fewer contribution limits. The solo 401 allows you to pay yourself twice, both as the employer and as the employee. The employee contribution you can make is limited to $19,500. The employer portion is limited to 25% of compensation. Added together, the employee and employer parts must be $58,000 or below. For example, if you earn $100,000, you can only contribute $20,000 to a SEP IRA . However, if you instead open a solo 401, you can make an employee contribution of $19,500 in addition to the employer contribution of $25,000, for a total of $44,500.

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Best For Account Features: E*trade

E*TRADE

E*TRADE gives you more flexibility with its solo 401 offering. E*TRADE supports both traditional individual 401 plans and Roth 401 plans. You are also able to take out a loan on your 401 balance at E*TRADE, all of which makes E*TRADE best in our review for account features.

• Choose between traditional or Roth 401 contributions

• Support for 401 loans

• No recurring account fees, and commission-free stock and ETF trades

• Now run by Morgan Stanley, meaning changes are likely

• High fee for broker-assisted trades and some mutual fund trades

E*TRADE has a long history of supporting online investors, with its first online trade placed in 1983. It is now a subsidiary of Morgan Stanley after an acquisition that closed in October 2020. At E*TRADE, you can choose between traditional and Roth individual 401 plans, which allows you to choose between pre-tax and post-tax contributions. You can also take a 401 loan from an individual 401 account at E*TRADE.

There are no listed fees to open or keep a solo 401 account at E*TRADE. Stock and ETF trades are commission free. The brokerage also supports over 7,000 mutual funds on its no-load, no-transaction-fee list. E*TRADE supports options, futures, and fixed-income bonds and CDs, as well.

Read our full E*TRADE review.