Give your employees a roadmap to retirement

With a Guideline 401(k), you can provide an impactful benefit while minimizing paperwork and fees.

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401(k) plans can help with employee retention, company growth, tax deductions and more. With Guideline, you and your employees can open a 401(k) in minutes, and enjoy the rewards for years to come.
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We handle most of the administrative and regulatory stuff

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    Government filing

    We prepare standard annual reports for no extra fee, including Form 55001 and 1099-R.

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    Custodial services

    We’ll process transactions, execute trades, safeguard plan assets and more.1

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    Compliance testing

    We perform nondiscrimination testing to help identify potential issues and manage required corrections.2

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    Recordkeeping

    We serve as the recordkeeper to track your 401(k) plan’s balances, transactions, and deferrals.

Customize your plan for your company

Our plans include the services and features needed for a great benefit. Plus, you can further customize it to meet your business goals and team needs.

See pricing plans
  • Safe harbor and Roth 401(k) plans
  • Vesting schedules
  • Eligibility requirements
  • Dedicated support
  • Employer contributions
  • Profit sharing options

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.

Sync with your favorite payroll software

We’ve teamed up with select payroll providers, to deliver a largely automated 401(k).

Learn more about payroll integrations

Your plan is in good hands

For eligible plans, we serve as the ERISA 3(16)4 and 3(38) plan fiduciaries—which cover plan administration and investment management. This means we are legally (and morally) obligated to work in participants’ best interest. Learn more

Frequently asked questions

When can the plan start?

While setting up a Guideline 401(k) only takes about 20 minutes, it generally takes 40 days until first contributions are made. This is due to the automatic enrollment feature on all Guideline 401(k) plans, which requires a mandatory 30-day waiting period to allow a sufficient amount of time for eligible employees to opt-out before the plan begins.

What is auto enrollment?

Auto enrollment is a required feature for all Guideline 401(k) plans. With auto enrollment, all eligible employees can choose to opt out of the plan. If an eligible employee takes no action before the stated deadline, they will be automatically enrolled at a predetermined contribution rate. 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 $39, $89, or $149/month depending on their pricing plan and $4 to $8/month for each active participant in the plan5. We don’t charge transaction fees—this includes no plan termination fees6 or Form 5500 prep fees1. See our pricing. Exclusive pricing options are available for Enterprise pricing plans7. Contact sales for details.

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.

Can participants contribute pre-tax and post-tax funds to their account?

Employees are able to contribute pre-tax or post-tax funds to their account, or a combination of both. All employer contributions are pre-tax only.

How often can changes be made to the plan?

This will depend on your plan design. For example, Safe Harbor plans require changes to the employer matching formula to take place at the start of a new calendar year. Mid-Year changes to Safe Harbor plans can lead to loss of safe harbor protections. Note that any plan changes that result in a modification to the base fee tier are limited to one change during any calendar year. Should you desire to make changes after your plan begins, please contact a Guideline representative for assistance.8

Get a retirement plan your team will love

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  • 1
    Guideline uses a third-party to provide custodial services. Custodial fees are paid by Guideline.
  • 2
    All plans of related entities must be administered by Guideline in order to provide compliance testing.
  • 3

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

  • 4
    Guideline's 3(16) fiduciary services are only available to clients who utilize an eligible payroll provider.
  • 5
    Information shown here assumes a static balance of $10,000 per month, an assumed annual account fee of 0.15% to 0.35% on assets under management (calculated and deducted on a monthly basis at 1/12 of the annual stated rate (0.15%-0.35%) based on the month-end account balance) and does not account for common factors that affect the value of your account balance over time such as gains, losses, distributions, additional contributions, etc. It’s not intended to be taken as investment advice or as an assurance or guarantee of future performance. The fee presented does not include other fees that an IRA owner may incur, including, but not limited to, from mutual fund expense ratios. 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 our Form ADV 2A Brochure for more information regarding fees.
  • 6
    Guideline does not charge additional fees to close the plan, but the plan sponsor is responsible for paying the monthly fees until the plan has been terminated in accordance with applicable law, or until the plan has been transferred in full to another service provider.
  • 7
    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 our Form ADV 2A Brochure for more information regarding fees.
  • 8

    This information is provided for illustrative purposes only, and is not intended to be construed as investment or tax advice. We recommend that you consult a qualified tax and financial advisor to determine the appropriate investment strategy for you. Guideline makes no guarantees with regard to investment performance, as investing involves risk and your investments may lose value.

Guideline.com is owned and operated by Guideline, Inc. (“Guideline”), an SEC-registered investment adviser. Investment-related content is provided for general information purposes only, and is not intended to be construed as investment advice. Investments involve risk and are not guaranteed.

© 2024 Guideline, Inc.

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Guideline logo displayed in white