A solo 401(k) plan is not a new type of retirement plan. It is a traditional 401(k) plan covering only one employee. In general, in order to be eligible to establish a solo 401(K) plan, one must be self-employed or have a small business with no full-time employees (over 1000 hours during the year) other than a spouse or other owner(s).

As the name implies, the Solo 401(k) plan is an IRS approved qualified 401(k) plan designed for a self-employed individual or the sole owner-employee of a corporation. It works best when there are no other employees or a very small number of employees. 

A 401(k) plan is a special type of profit sharing plan and is named after the subsection of the Internal Revenue Code that describes it. A traditional 401(k) plan allows you to direct some of your compensation into the plan and you do not have to pay income taxes on the portion of your salary you direct into the plan until the funds are withdrawn.

Employers can also establish a special type of 401(k) plan called a Roth 401(k). This plan is similar to a traditional 401(k) plan in that it allows employees to defer salary in to the plan.A roth solo 401(k) oplan is not a separate 401(k) plan but simply a roth component built into the solo 401(k) plan. The difference relates to the tax treatment. Contributions to traditional 401(k) plans are tax deductible, contributions to Roth 401(k) plans are not tax deductible. Whereas, the tax benefits for Roth 401(k)s come when you take distributions, which will be tax free so long as certain requirements are satisfied (Roth account was opened up t least 5 years and the individual is over the gae of 59/12) . The IRA Financial Group’s Solo 401(k) Plan allows for Roth type contributions.

Yes. The Secure Act 2.0, which was passed in December 2022 offers a $1,500 tax credit over three years for any Solo 401(k) plan that includes the auto enrollment option. IRA Financial will assist you in filing the proper IRS documentation to receive your $1,500 tax credit which will essentially allow you to open a Solo 401(k) plan for free! 

A Solo 401(k) plan is well suited for businesses that either do not employ any employees or employee certain employees that may be excluded from coverage. A Solo 401K plan is perfect for any sole proprietor, consultant, or independent contractor. To be eligible to benefit from the Solo 401(k) plan, investor must meet just two eligibility requirements:

1. The presence of self employment activity.
2. The absence of full-time employees.

The business owner and their spouse are technically considered “owner-employees” rather than “employees”. The following types of employees may be generally excluded from coverage:

• Employees under 21 years of age
• Employees that work less than 1000 hours annually or three consecutive years of 500 hours or more
• Union employees

Yes.  A solo 401(k) plan can be set-up in 2024 for the 2023 up until the business or entity that is establishing the plan filed its federal income tax return, including extension. Hence, a sole proprietor or single member LLC can set-up a solo 401(k) plan in 2024 for the 2023 tax year up until its files its tax return (Form 1040) on April 15 or October 15 with extension.  Whereas a C Corporation would have until March 15 of 2024 or September 15 with extension and an S Corporation April 15 and October 15 of 2024.

In the case of a sole proprietor or single member LLC, both employee deferral and employer contributions for 2023 can be done up until the business files its income tax return, including extension. Whereas, in the case of a C or S corporation, employee deferrals must be elected prior to December 31 of the prior year, but employer contributions can be made up until the corporation files its tax return, including extension.

A Solo 401(k) offers a self-employed business owner the ability to use his or her retirement funds to make virtually any type of investment on their own without requiring the consent of a custodian. The IRS only describes the type of investments that are prohibited, which are very few. The following are some examples of types of investments that can be made with your Solo 401K:

• Residential or commercial real estate
• Raw land
• Foreclosure property
• Mortgages
• Mortgage pools
• Deeds
• Private loans
• Tax liens
• Private businesses
• Limited Liability Companies
• Limited Liability Partnerships
• Private placements
• Gold
• Stocks, Bonds, Mutual Funds
• Most currencies

A Solo 401K participant can contribute to the plan as an employee and as employer.

Employee Elective Deferrals: For 2024, up to $23,000 per year can be contributed by the participant through employee elective deferrals. An additional $7,500 can be contributed for persons over age 50. These contributions can be up to 100% of the participant’s self employment compensation.

Employer Profit Sharing Contributions: Through the role of employer, an additional contribution can be made to the plan in an amount up to 25% of the participant’s self employment compensation.

Total Limit: The sum of both contributions can be a maximum of $69,000 per year (for 2024) or $76,500 for persons over age 50. If the business owner’s spouse elects to participate in the Solo 401(k) and earns compensation from the business, the spouse is allowed to make separate and equal contributions increasing the couples’ annual total contribution to $138,000 for 2024 or $153,000 if both spouses over age 50.

The Solo 401(k) plan is unique and so popular because it is designed explicitly for small, owner only business. It’s a tax efficient and cost effective plan that offers all the benefits of a Self-Directed IRA plan, and includes additional benefits, such as high contribution limits (up to $69,000 or $76,500 if over for 2024) and a $50,000 loan feature. There are many features of the Solo 401(k) plan that make it so appealing and popular among self-employed business owners.

No. The most significant cost benefit of the Solo 401(k) Plan is that it does not require the participant to hire a bank or trust company to serve as trustee. With the IRA Financial solo 401(k) plan the plan account can be opened at most local banks or financial institutions, such as Wells Fargo or Fidelity.

No. A solo 401k loan is permitted at any time and for any purpose using the accumulated balance of the solo 401k as collateral for the loan. A Solo 401K participant can borrow up to either $50,000 or 50% of their account value – whichever is less. This loan has to be repaid over an amortization schedule of 5 years or less with payment frequency no greater than quarterly. The interest rate must be set at a reasonable rate of interest – generally interpreted as the Prime Interest Rate as per the Wall Street Journal. As of 5/14/18 prime rate is 4.75%. The Interest rate is fixed based on the prime rate at the time of the loan application.

Yes. One of the main advantages of the Solo 401(k) Plan is that it allows participants to borrow up to $50,000 or 50% of their account value (whichever is less) for any purpose. Thus, you and your spouse would each be permitted to borrow up to $50,000 ($100,000 total) to be used for any purposes, including financing a business.

A Solo 401(k) loan is permitted at any time using the accumulated balance of the Solo 401(k) as collateral for the loan. A Solo 401(k) participant can borrow up to $50,000 or 50% of their account value – whichever is less. This loan has to be repaid over an amortization schedule of 5 years or less with payment frequency no greater than quarterly. The interest rate must be set at a reasonable rate of interest, generally interpreted as prime rate as per the Wall Street Journal. As of February 1, 2024, the prime rate is 8.5%, which means participant loans may be set at a very reasonable Interest rate. The Interest rate is fixed based on the prime rate at the time of the loan application.

As long as the plan documents allow for it & the proper loan documents are prepared and executed, a participant loan can be made for any reason. The solo 401k loan is received tax free and penalty free. There are no penalties or taxes due provided loan payments are paid on time. The IRA Financial Group Solo 401(k) Plan documents will allow you to use a loan from your Solo 401 (k) for any investment purposes, including real estate, funding your business or a new business, tax liens, private placements, etc.

Internal Revenue Code Section 72(p) and the 2001 EGGTRA rules allow a Solo 401(k) Plan participant to borrow money from the plan tax-free and without penalty. As long as the plan documents allow for it and the proper loan documents are prepared and executed, a participant loan can be made for any reason. The solo 401(k) loan is received tax-free and penalty-free. There are no penalties or taxes due provided loan payments are paid on time. The IRA Financial Group Solo 401(k) Plan documents will allow you to use a loan from your Solo 401(k) for any investment purposes, including real estate, funding your business or a new business, tax liens, private placements, etc. Our in-house retirement tax professionals will assist you in completing the Solo 401(k) Plan documents in a timely manner once your Solo 401(k) Plan has been adopted.

As a result of the recent economic meltdown, banks and other financial institutions have severely limited their lending capacity to self-employed business owners, thus, causing grave financial pressure on self-employed business owners. The Solo 401(k) plan is a perfect structure for any self-employed business owner seeking immediate funds for their business or to help pay personal expenses. Solo 401(k) participants can borrow up to $50,000 or 50% of their account value, whichever is less, to help finance or operate their business. For example, an individual can take a Solo 401(k) Plan loan and use those funds to pay off a mortgage, credit card, any personal expense, go on vacation, or start and finance a business.

The Solo 401(k) Plan is a perfect structure for any self employed business owner seeking immediate funds for their business. Solo 401(k) participants can borrow up to either $50,000 or 50% of their account value – whichever is less to help finance or operate their business. Other useful ways of using the participant loan feature is to:

• Lend the funds to a third-party who will pay a higher interest rate
• Invest in a real estate project that offers a higher rate of return than the low interest rate you must pay
• To consolidate debt
• To pay for college expenses
• To pay for unexpected emergencies
• Avoid distribution penalties and gain use up to $50,000 immediately with no restrictions
• Invest in a new franchise or business
• Make any alternative Investment that will generate a higher rate of return than the low Interest rate imposed on you, such as tax liens, private placements, or mortgage pools.
• Invest in a transaction that would otherwise be a Prohibited Transaction under Internal Revenue Code Section 4975.
• Quick, easy, and cheap access to a $50,000 loan to be used for any purpose

The solo 401(k) plan is easy to operate. There is generally no annual filing requirement unless your Solo 401(k) Plan exceeds $250,000 in assets, in which case you will need to file a short information return with the IRS (Form 5500-EZ). Beyond this reporting requirement, basic reporting requirement ought to be maintained. This essentially means to keep all records, receipts, contracts relating to the Solo 401(k) and its investments on file.

If you are a beneficiary (rather than the owner) of a qualified plan and receive a distribution as a result of the owner’s death, in general you have the following options:

• Pay ordinary income tax: If plan assets are distributed to you, then you will have to report the distribution as income on your tax return. However, if you receive a distribution from a plan you inherited, you will not have to pay an early distribution tax, even if you are younger than 591/2. The penalty is waived for inherited plans.
• Roll over the distribution: If you inherit a qualified plan and you were the spouse of the original owner, you can roll over the distribution into a traditional or Roth IRA. However, if you inherit a retirement plan, such as a 401(k) Plan, and you were not the spouse of the original owner, then you may roll over the plan assets into a traditional IRA only if you follow certain rules. For example, you may not roll over the assets into a plan or IRA that is in your own name (you must establish a new IRA that is titled in the name of the deceased with you as the designated beneficiary).
• Convert to a Roth IRA: A spouse that inherits a retirement plan is provided virtually all of the distribution options offered to the deceased plan participant. A Roth IRA conversion is sub ject to tax, but not the 10% early distribution penalty.
• Use ten-year averaging.

In 1993, Congress passed a mandatory withholding law. The law requires your plan administrator to keep 20% of all qualified plan distributions to pay federal income tax before distributing the remainder to you. There are, however, some exceptions to the mandatory withholding rule. For example, amounts that are transferred directly from the trustee of your retirement plan to a trustee of another plan, or a custodian of an IRA are not subject to withholding (direct rollover).

Note: Plan administrators are required to notify you of the direct rollover option at least 30 days before the distribution is to take place.

It is good practice to not have a SEP IRA and solo 401(k) plan opened at the same time.  In fact, as per IRS Form 5305 – any employer that established a SEP IRA using the form cannot have both a SEP IRA and Solo 401(k) Plan opened at the same time.  The main reason is that both plans have employer profit sharing options.  However, if the SEP IRA was established with a bank or IRA custodian by using an individually drafted document other than IRS Form 5305, which is quite uncommon,then an employer can have a SEP IRA and Solo 401(k) plan at the same time.

What commonly occurs is that an employer will have a SEP IRA and make contributions to it and then open a Solo 401(K) plan and roll the SEP IRA contributions tax-free into the plan.  The employer would then close the SEP IRA and only keep the Solo 401(k) plan.

Yes and No.

The type of income that generally could subject a Solo 401(k) to UBTI or UBIT is income generated from the following sources:

• Income from the operations of an active trade or business – i.e. a restaurant, gas station, store, etc
• Business income generated via a passthrough entity, such as an LLC or partnership
• Using margin on a stock purchase

Unlike a Self-Directed IRA LLC, in the case of a Solo 401(k) Plan, UBTI does not apply to unrelated debt-financed income (UDFI) when using nonrecourse leverage to purchase real estate. The UDFI rules apply when a 401(k) Plan uses leverage to acquire property such as real estate. Pursuant to Internal Revenue Code Section 514(c)(9), a 401(k) Qualified Plan is not subject to the UDFI rules and, thus, the UBTI tax if nonrecourse leverage is used to acquire property such as real estate. With the UBTI tax rates at approximately 37% for 2018, the Solo 401(k) Plan offers real estate investors looking to use nonrecourse leverage in a transaction with a tax efficient solution.

No. Unlike a Self Directed IRA LLC, when a Solo 401K Plan uses nonrecourse leverage to purchase real estate that is leveraged, it is exempt from paying any Unrelated Business Taxable Income (UBTI) tax on the income or gain generated.  Whereas, when an IRA buys real estate that is leveraged with mortgage financing, it creates Unrelated Debt Financed Income (a type of Unrelated Business Taxable Income) on which taxes must be paid. A Solo 401(k) plan is exempt from UDFI pursuant to Internal Revenue Code Section 514(c)(9).

When Internal Revenue Code Section 514(c)(9) was enacted in 1980, it applied only to qualified pension, profit sharing, and stock bonus plans, but its scope was broadened in 1984 to include schools, colleges, and universities. The provision brings the history of Internal Revenue Code Section 514 full circle by exempting some organizations, such as 401(k) Qualified Plan, from tax on income from the very sort of leveraged real estate deals that provoked the enactment of the predecessor of Internal Revenue Code Section 514 in 1950. As per the legislative history, the only reason given in the committee reports for the exemption is that some people wanted it: “Trustees of these plans are desirous of investing in real estate for diversification and to offset inflation. Debt-financing is common in real estate investments.”

In general, most passive investments that your Solo 401(k) Plan might invest in are exempt from UBTI. Some examples of exempt type of income include: interest from loans, dividends, annuities, royalties, most rentals from real estate, and gains/losses from the sale of real estate.

The type of income that generally could subject a Self Directed Solo 401(k) plan to UBTI or UBIT is income generated from the following sources:

• Income from the operations of an active trade or business – i.e. a restaurant, gas station, store, etc
• Business income generated via a passthrough entity, such as an LLC or partnership
• Using margin on a stock purchase

In general, the determination of whether a transaction or series of transaction involving a solo 401(k) plan will trigger the unrelated business axable income (UBTI) tax is based off the facts and circumstances.  The maximum tax rate for UBTI is 37% so it is important to have a good handle on whether the tax could be triggered.

In general, the following the IRSand the courts will look at the following factors to determine whether the retirement account transaction triggeted the UBTI tax:

• Frequency of transactions
• Level of continuity
• Level of improvement
• Intent
• The proximity of sale to purchase
• Purpose for which the asset was acquired
• Personal activities of taxpayer

Internal Revenue Code Section 511 taxes “unrelated business taxable income” (UBTI) at the rates applicable to corporations or trusts, depending on the organization’s legal characteristics. Generally, UBTI is gross income from an organization’s unrelated trades or businesses, less deductions for business expenses, losses, depreciation, and similar items directly connected therewith. A Solo 401(k) Plan subject to UBTI is taxed at the trust tax rate because an IRA is considered a trust. For 2024, a Solo 401(k) Plan subject to UBTI is taxed at the following rates:

• $0 – $2,900: 10%
• $2,901 – $10,550: 24%
• $10,551 – $14,450: 35%
• $14,451+: 37%

Yes. Corporate retirement plans have long been safe from creditors, thanks to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, commonly known as ERISA.

No. You are not required to fund a new Solo 401(k) Plan with an existing IRA or 401(k). You can begin contributing to your new Solo 401(k) Plan once it is established.

It generally takes one or two days to set-up the Solo 401(k) Plan.

Yes. IRA Financial Group’s Solo 401(k) Plan allows participants to elect to treat contributions under the plan that would otherwise be elective deferrals as designated Roth contributions.

The Roth subaccount of the Solo 401K Plan is a bit of a hybrid. Although it is technically a type of 401(k) plan, it has some of the features of a Roth IRA. Only after-tax salary deferral contributions may be deposited in the Roth 401(k) subaccount. No employer contributions and no pretax employee contributions are permitted. Therefore the entire account will contain only after-tax contributions from your salary plus pretax earnings on those contributions. Because the Roth 401(k) is actually just part of a regular 401(k) plan, most of the rules that apply to a regular 401(k) plan also apply to a Roth 401(k) plan, including the contribution limits.

No. A Roth 401(k) Plan is simply an option that can be added to a traditional 401(k) Plan. A Roth 401(k) Plan cannot exist on its own.

Generally, distributions from a designated Roth account are excluded from gross income if they are made after the plan participant reaches the age of 591/2 and has opened and funded the Roth 401(k) account for at least 5 years.  In addition, distributions made to the plan participant’s beneficiary or estate after the employee’s death is also not taxable.

Yes. The Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, signed by President Obama contained a little-known provision, which went to affect on Sept. 27, 2010, allowing for the conversion of a traditional 401(k) or 403(b) account to a Roth in the same plan if the plan documents include this option. IRA Financial Group’s self-directed Solo 401(k) plan documents allows for after-tax contributions and Roth conversion options.  

Yes. You are permitted to roll over your Roth 401(k) plan assets into a Roth IRA without tax or penalty. However, you must have a plan triggering event to move funds out of a 401(k) plan. In general, you need a triggering event to roll funds out of a 401k plan, which typically consists of one of the following: (i) you are over the age of 591/2, (ii) you leave your job, or (iii) the company terminates the plan. If funds are rolled directly from a 401(Ik) plan to an IRA there is no tax or penalty. 

No. Although you are permitted to roll over the assets of a Roth 401(k) plan to a Roth IRA, you may not do the reverse.

All distributions from Roth 401(k) plans are either qualified distributions or nonqualified distributions. If the distribution is a qualified distribution, the early distribution tax does not apply. The early distribution tax applies only to those distributions that are subject to income tax. Because all qualified distributions from Roth 401(k) Plans are tax free, they are also exempt from the early distribution tax as well. A “qualified distribution” from a Roth IRA is excluded from gross income. To be qualified, a distribution must satisfy both of the following requirements: (1) It must not occur before the fifth taxable year following the year for which a Roth IRA contribution was first made by the taxpayer or the taxpayer’s spouse and (2)

It must be made after the account owner reaches age 59 1/2 or becomes disabled, be made to the owner’s beneficiary or estate after the owner’s death or be a “qualified special purpose distribution.”

The required distribution rules that force you to begin taking money out of your retirement plans and Traditional IRAs during your lifetime also apply to Roth 401(k) Plans. The required distribution rules also force your beneficiaries to take distributions from the account after your death. Note: the rules for a Roth 401(k) Plan are different from those for a Roth IRA. If you have a Roth 401(k) plan, you must begin taking distributions from the account when you reach age 70 and 1/2, or after you retire, if that is later.

A trustee of a Solo 401(k) Plan with a qualified Roth contribution program should establish separate accounts including only designated Roth contributions and “earnings properly allocable to the contributions,” and the plan administrator must maintain separate records for these accounts.