A retirement plan is one of the most powerful tools a business owner or self-employed person has. It rewards the people who show up for you every day, lowers your tax bill, and helps everyone build real security for the years ahead. The key is matching the right plan to the size and shape of your business. Below are the plans I set up and service for small businesses, the self-employed, and non-profits, each paired with LPL Financial's own guide so you can dig into the details. Whether it is just you or you and a handful of employees, we will find the plan that fits.
Own the business? A retirement plan is one piece of a bigger picture. Our For Business Owners page covers the rest, from knowing your numbers to planning your eventual exit.
Planning your own personal retirement? That is a different conversation, and it lives on our Retirement Planning page.
The 401(k) offers the highest savings potential of any small-business plan. Your team saves straight from their paychecks, before taxes or as Roth, and the business can add contributions on top and deduct them. If it is just you, a Solo 401(k) gives you those same generous limits on your own income.
WHO IT IS FOR
Small businesses that want the most saving power and features like Roth deferrals, loans, and vesting, or self-employed owners with no employees who want to maximize their own retirement.
Save more, taxed less. Employee deferrals come out before taxes and lower taxable income today; the Roth option lets savings grow tax-free.
A deduction for the business. Contributions the company makes on behalf of employees are tax-deductible.
Features you control. Choose whether to allow loans and set a vesting schedule when the plan is built.
Solo option for the self-employed. Run a one-person business? A Solo 401(k) delivers the same high limits without the complexity of a company plan.
A Simplified Employee Pension is the easiest way for a business owner to fund retirement. The business contributes straight into an IRA for each eligible person, with almost no paperwork and no annual filing. Best of all, you decide each year whether to contribute and how much, based on how the business did.
WHO IT IS FOR
Sole proprietors and small businesses that want meaningful contributions with maximum flexibility and minimal administration.
Deductible for the business, tax-deferred for savers. Contributions lower the company's taxable income and grow tax-deferred inside each IRA.
Contribute on your terms. No requirement to fund it every year, so a lean year does not lock you in.
Simple and low-maintenance. Far less reporting than a 401(k), with employees always 100% vested.
Room to save. Much higher contribution limits than a traditional IRA.
One more advantage for business owners: if your spouse works little or not at all, you can also fund a spousal IRA for them, a traditional or Roth IRA supported by your income. It uses the same IRA family as your SEP, so both of you keep building retirement savings, not just the one drawing a paycheck.
A Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees is built for small employers, under 100 people, who want an easy, affordable way to help their team save, with the business matching part of what employees put in. It offers a real retirement benefit without the cost or complexity of a full 401(k).
WHO IT IS FOR
Small businesses that want to reward and retain employees with a matched retirement plan that is simple to run.
Higher limits than a traditional IRA. Employees save more, pre-tax, straight from their pay.
Low cost, easy to run. Less expensive and less complex than most qualified plans.
Instant vesting. Every contribution belongs to the employee immediately.
Your choice of contribution. Match what employees save, or make a set contribution for everyone eligible.
The 403(b) is the retirement plan built for non-profit 501(c)(3) and educational organizations. It works much like a 401(k): employees save pre-tax from their paychecks and their money grows tax-deferred. It is a familiar, straightforward way for mission-driven organizations to give their people a real path to retirement.
WHO IT IS FOR
Non-profits, churches, schools, and other 501(c)(3) organizations that want to offer their staff a dependable retirement benefit.
Pre-tax saving. Employee deferrals come out before taxes and reduce taxable income today.
Tax-deferred growth. Earnings are not taxed until they are withdrawn in retirement.
Employer contributions allowed. The organization can add to employee accounts.
Built for your world. Designed specifically for non-profit and educational employers.
Contribution limits, eligibility, and tax rules shown in these LPL guides are current as of each guide's publication and can change from year to year. For this year's figures, see our Contribution Limits page. This page is general education, not tax or legal advice; please talk with a qualified tax professional about your own situation.
Common Questions
Straight answers to common questions business owners ask about retirement plans, drawn from the IRS.
Which retirement plan fits my small business?
It depends on your size and your goals. Any employer, including a self-employed person, can set up a SEP, and the business decides each year whether to contribute. A SIMPLE IRA is generally for businesses with 100 or fewer employees; employees save from their pay, and the business must make a matching or set contribution each year. A 401(k) offers the highest savings potential and the most features, with more administration.
What is a Solo 401(k)?
A Solo 401(k), which the IRS calls a one-participant 401(k), is a regular 401(k) plan that covers a business owner with no employees, or the owner and a spouse. The owner can contribute in two roles: as the employee, through elective deferrals up to the annual limit, and as the employer, through contributions of up to 25% of compensation, with a special calculation for self-employed owners. Once plan assets reach $250,000, the plan generally must file Form 5500-EZ each year.
When is the deadline to set up a plan?
A SEP can be set up for a year as late as the due date, including extensions, of your business's income tax return for that year. A SIMPLE IRA plan can generally be set up effective any date from January 1 through October 1 if you have not had one before, and a business that starts after October 1 can set one up as soon as it is practical.
Are there tax credits for starting a retirement plan?
Yes. Businesses with 100 or fewer employees may be able to claim a tax credit of up to $5,000 a year, for three years, for the costs of setting up and running a SEP, SIMPLE IRA, or 401(k) plan and educating employees about it. Small employers may also qualify for a credit on employer contributions of up to $1,000 per employee, which phases down over five years, and a $500 annual credit for three years for adding automatic enrollment. Eligibility rules apply, and you cannot deduct the same costs you claim as a credit.
Do I have to include my employees?
Generally, yes. A SEP must include employees who are at least 21, have worked for you in at least three of the last five years, and earned at least a minimum amount of pay for the year, although your plan can use less restrictive rules. A SIMPLE IRA requires the business to contribute for eligible employees each year, either by matching what they save or by making a set contribution for everyone eligible.
Can I have more than one retirement plan?
It depends on the plan. You can maintain a SEP along with another plan, although some limits apply. A SIMPLE IRA is different: generally, you cannot contribute to a SIMPLE IRA plan for a year in which you maintain another retirement plan under which any of your employees receives a contribution or benefit.
This information is educational and is not a recommendation of any specific plan. Plan rules, contribution limits, eligibility requirements, and tax credits are set by federal law and each plan's documents, and can change. Champion Wealth Management and LPL Financial do not provide legal advice or tax services. Please consult your legal advisor or tax advisor regarding your specific situation.
Here is how I work. Tell me about your business, how many people you have, and what you are trying to accomplish, and I will help you land on the plan that fits. From there I handle the setup and stay with you to service the plan, so it keeps working the way it should.
Not sure which of these is right? That is exactly what a first conversation is for.
About LPL Financial
LPL Financial (Nasdaq: LPLA) was founded on the principle that the firm should work for the advisor, not the other way around. Today, LPL is the nation's largest independent broker-dealer,* supporting thousands of financial advisors and the businesses and families they serve. That scale gives your business access to deep research, technology, and resources, delivered through an advisor who knows you by name.
*LPL Financial is the nation's largest independent broker-dealer as reported by Financial Planning magazine, 1996–2025, based on total revenue.
Let's set up the right plan for your business.
Whether it is just you or you and your team, we will find the plan that fits and handle the setup start to finish.
