FAQ
Your plan questions.
Cost, your employees, switching providers, plan design and state rules. Short answers here; the guides go further.
Cost
What does an alooola 401(k) cost?
Our plan fee is 0.37% a year of plan assets, deducted from participants' accounts, and setting up a new plan starts at $500. The funds in the plan have their own expenses, and your written proposal sets the final terms. See pricing and an estimate for your plan.
Are there tax credits for starting a 401(k)?
Yes, for many companies with 100 or fewer employees: a startup credit for three years, $500 a year for three years if the plan enrolls people automatically, and a credit toward employer contributions. Eligibility depends on your company, so confirm it with your CPA. How the three credits work.
Can you lower what we pay now?
Send us your current fee disclosure and we'll put your administrative and investment costs beside ours, in writing. Whether you save depends on those terms and on the services each plan includes.
Where do the hidden costs usually show up?
In fund expenses, revenue-sharing arrangements and per-participant charges that sit apart from the headline fee. Ask where each appears in your disclosures and who pays it, the company or the employees.
Your employees
Can employees pick their own investments?
Yes. Each employee chooses a managed portfolio matched to their risk, across five levels, or a self-directed account where they set their own holdings and target percentages with automatic investing. They can switch as their comfort changes.
How do employees enroll?
In the app. Our founders often come to the office, or join by video, to set the plan up and help people sign up. What your team gets.
How do I know whether people are using the plan?
Look at two numbers: the share of eligible employees who contribute, and the share who contribute enough for the full match. What's a good participation rate?
Switching
We already have a 401(k). How hard is it to switch?
It's a set of known steps: notice to your current provider, a plan review, moving records and assets, telling employees about a short blackout period, and connecting payroll. Your plan carries on through it. How switching works, step by step.
How long does a switch take?
Large providers publish 60 to 90 days for many plans. Yours depends on your current provider's notice terms, the plan documents and how clean the payroll data is.
Do we have to change payroll providers?
Usually not. The proposal should say how contributions get from your payroll to the plan, and whether anything has to be done by hand.
Plan design
What kinds of plans can you set up?
Traditional and safe harbor 401(k) plans, with profit sharing where it fits, and cash balance plans for owners who want to save more. The right design depends on your team and your contribution goals.
We're small. Is there a minimum headcount?
Tell us about your company and we'll say what fits. Some states require a plan or a state program from as few as one employee, and the federal tax credits favor smaller companies.
Who handles compliance testing and filings?
The service agreements name the administrator and recordkeeper responsible for testing, Form 5500 and notices. We advise and coordinate; some responsibilities stay with you as the employer, and the agreements say which.
State rules
Does my state require me to offer a retirement plan?
Seventeen states require employers above a size to offer a plan or sign up for a state payroll IRA program. Offering your own plan, such as a 401(k), usually meets the requirement. Check your state.
Does my New Jersey business have to register for RetireReady NJ?
If you have 10 or more employees, have been in business in New Jersey for at least two years and don't offer a qualified retirement plan, yes. Employers with 20 to 24 employees register by Dec 1, 2026 and 10 to 19 by Feb 17, 2027. Employers that offer a plan certify an exemption instead. RetireReady NJ: dates and who is covered.
Still have a question?
Put it in the proposal form and tell us how to reach you.