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What Is a Profit-Sharing Plan?

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Profit-Sharing Plan: What It Is and How It Works, With Examples

company profit sharing plan 401k

Investopedia / Paige McLaughlin

A profit-sharing plan is a retirement plan that gives employees a share in the profits of a company. Under this type of plan, also known as a deferred profit-sharing plan (DPSP), an employee receives a percentage of a company’s profits based on its quarterly or annual earnings. A profit-sharing plan is a great way for a business to give its employees a sense of ownership in the company, but there are typically restrictions as to when and how a person can withdraw these funds without penalties.

Key Takeaways

  • A profit-sharing plan gives employees a share in their company’s profits based on its quarterly or annual earnings.
  • It is up to the company to decide how much of its profits it wishes to share.
  • Contributions to a profit-sharing plan are made by the company only; employees cannot make them, too.

Understanding Profit-Sharing Plans

So how does profit sharing work? Well, to start, a profit-sharing plan is any retirement plan that accepts discretionary employer contributions. This means a retirement plan with employee contributions, such as a 401(k) or something similar, is not a profit-sharing plan, because of the personal contributions.

Because employers set up profit-sharing plans, businesses decide how much they want to allocate to each employee. A company that offers a profit-sharing plan adjusts it as needed, sometimes making zero contributions in some years. In the years when it makes contributions, however, the company must come up with a set formula for profit allocation.

The most common way for a business to determine the allocation of a profit-sharing plan is through the comp-to-comp method. Using this calculation, an employer first calculates the sum total of all of its employees’ compensation. Then, to determine what percentage of the profit-sharing plan, an employee is entitled to, the company divides each employee’s annual compensation by that total. To arrive at the amount due to the employee, that percentage is multiplied by the amount of total profits being shared.

The most frequently used formula for a company to determine a profit-sharing allocation is called the “comp-to-comp method.”

Example of a Profit-Sharing Plan

Let’s assume a business with only two employees uses a comp-to-comp method for profit sharing. In this case, employee A earns $50,000 a year, and employee B earns $100,000 a year. If the business owner shares 10% of the annual profits and the business earns $100,000 in a fiscal year, the company would allocate profit share as follows:

  • Employee A = ($100,000 X 0.10) X ($50,000 / $150,000), or $3,333.33
  • Employee B = ($100,000 X 0.10) X ($100,000 / $150,000), or $6,666.67

The contribution limit for a company sharing profits with an employee for 2023 and $73,500 including catch-up contributions for those 50 or over during the year.

Requirements for a Profit-Sharing Plan

A profit-sharing plan is available for a business of any size, and a company can establish one even if it already has other retirement plans. Further, a company has a lot of flexibility in how it can implement a profit-sharing plan. As with a 401(k) plan, an employer has full discretion over how and when it makes contributions. However, all companies have to prove that a profit-sharing plan does not discriminate in favor of highly compensated employees .

As of 2023, the contribution limit for a company sharing its profits may not exceed the lesser of 100% of your compensation or $66,000. This limit increases to $73,500 for 2023 if you include catch-up contributions. In addition, the amount of an employee’s salary that can be considered for a profit-sharing plan is limited, in 2023 to $330,000.

To implement a profit-sharing plan, all businesses must fill out an Internal Revenue Service Form 5500 and disclose all participants of the plan. Early withdrawals, just as with other retirement plans, are subject to penalties, though with certain exceptions .

Is a Profit-Sharing Plan the Same As a 401(k)?

No, a profit-sharing plan is not the same thing as a 401(k). With a profit-sharing plan, a company gives employees a portion of the profit based on quarterly or annual earnings. With a 401(k), employees are making personal contributions. In some cases, a company will partially match an employee's 401(k) contribution.

What Are the Different Types of Profit-Sharing Plans?

With a cash plan, employees are given either cash or stock on a regular basis, such as quarterly or annually. The payouts are quick, relative to a retirement plan, but they are also taxed as regular income. A deferred plan sees profits set aside for a later date, usually when the employee retires. The employee is also not taxed until retirement. Some plans combine elements of both a cash and a deferred plan.

How Do Employers Determine Contribution Amounts to a Profit-Sharing Plan?

Employers typically use one of two methods to determine contribution amounts. With a comp-to-comp method, the total amount of compensation given to all employees is calculated. Next, each employee's compensation is divided by the total compensation, yielding a percentage that establishes each employee's portion of the profit. The higher an employee's salary, the greater the percentage of the profits that the person receives. Less commonly, a company may give the same percentage of profits to every employee, regardless of that employee's salary. 

A profit-sharing plan is a way for employers to provide employees with a portion of the business's profits, based on quarterly or annual earnings. Contributions are given out on a regular basis, or are put into a fund that is made available at a later time, such as when the employee retires.

A profit-sharing plan is funded entirely by the employer, and is therefore different from a 401(k), which is primarily funded by the employee. Profit-sharing plans are generally seen as a meaningful way to motivate employees, by directly connecting the company's success to the employees' increased compensation.

Internal Revenue Service. " Choosing a Retirement Plan: Profit-Sharing Plan ."

Internal Revenue Service. " A Guide to Common Qualified Plan Requirements ."

Internal Revenue Service. " Retirement Topics - 401(k) and Profit-Sharing Plan Contribution Limits ."

Internal Revenue Service. " Form 5500 ,"

Internal Revenue Service. " Form 5500 Corner ."

Internal Revenue Service. " Hardships, Early Withdrawals and Loans ."

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Share the Wealth: Everything you need to know about profit sharing 401(k) plans

In addition to bonuses, raises, and extra perks, many employers elect to add profit sharing to their 401(k) plan. read on for answers to frequently asked questions..

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Has your company had a successful year? A great way to motivate employees to keep up the good work is by sharing the wealth. In addition to bonuses, raises, and extra perks, many employers elect to add profit sharing to their 401(k) plan. Wondering if it might be right for your business? Read on for answers to frequently asked questions about profit sharing 401(k) plans.

What is profit sharing?

Let’s start with the basics. Profit sharing is a way for you to give extra money to your staff. While you could make direct payments to your employees, it’s very common to combine profit sharing with an employer-sponsored retirement plan. That way, you reward your employees—and help them save for a brighter future.

What is a profit sharing plan?

A profit sharing plan is a type of defined contribution plan that allows you to help your employees save for retirement. With this type of plan, you make “nonelective contributions” to your employees’ retirement accounts. This means that each year, you can decide how much cash (or company stock, if applicable) to contribute—or whether you want to contribute at all. It’s important to note that the name “profit sharing” comes from a time when these plans were actually tied to the company’s profits. Nowadays, companies have the freedom to contribute what they want, and they don’t have to tie their contributions to the company’s annual profit (or loss).

In a pure profit sharing plan, employees do not make their own contributions. However, most companies offer a profit sharing plan in conjunction with a 401(k) plan.

What is a profit sharing 401(k) plan?

A 401(k) with profit sharing enables both you and your employees to contribute to the plan. Here’s how it works:

  •  The 401(k) plan allows employees to make their own salary deferrals up to the IRS limit. 
  • The profit sharing component allows employers to contribute up to the IRS limit, noting that the maximum includes the employee's contributions as well. 
  •  After the end of the year, employers can make their pre-tax profit sharing contribution, as a percentage of each employee’s salary or as a fixed dollar amount
  • Employers determine employee eligibility, set the vesting schedule for the profit sharing contributions, and decide whether employees can select their own investments (or not)

What’s the difference between profit sharing and an employer match?

Profit sharing and employer matching contributions seem similar, but they’re actually quite different:

  • Employer match —Employer contributions that are tied to employee savings up to a certain percentage of their salary (for example, 50 cents of every dollar saved up to 6% of pay)
  • Profit sharing—An employer has the flexibility to choose how much money—if any at all—to contribute to employees’ accounts each year; the amount is not tied to how much employees save.

What kinds of profit sharing plans are there?

There are four main types of profit sharing plans:

  •  Pro-rata plan—Every plan participant receives employer contributions at the same rate. For example, every employee receives the equivalent of 5% of their salary or every employee receives a flat dollar amount such as $1,000. Why is it good? It’s simple and rewarding.
  • Minimum Gateway – In order to utilize new comparability, the plan must satisfy the Minimum Gateway Contribution – All non-highly compensated employees (NHCEs) must receive an allocation that is no less than the lesser of 5% of the participant's gross compensation , or 1/3 of the highest contribution rate given to any highly compensated employees (HCEs).
  • If the ratio percentage for each rate group is 70% or higher, the plan passes, and no further testing is necessary. If each rate group does not satisfy the ratio percentage test, then we revert to using the average benefits test.
  • The average benefits test is the more complicated test, and consists of two parts: the nondiscriminatory classification test and the average benefits test. Betterment will always try to make the test pass using the ratio test method first.
  • Permitted disparity—Employees are given a pro-rata base contribution on their entire compensation (up until the IRS limit). In addition, employees who earn more than the integration level, will receive an excess contribution on the amount over that limit. The integration level that provides the highest disparity allowed (5.7%) is the Social Security Taxable Wage Base (SSTWB). Plans that choose to lower the integration amount will receive a reduced disparity limit. Why is it good? It offers younger HCE’s who make more than the SSTWB a greater benefit.
  • Age-weighted profit sharing plan—Employees are given profit sharing contributions based on their retirement age. That is, the older the employee, the higher the contribution. Why is it good? It can help with employee retention.

How do I figure out our company’s profit sharing contribution?

First, consider which type of profit sharing plan you’ll be using—pro-rata, new comparability, permitted disparity, or age-weighted. Next, take a look at your company’s profits, business outlook, and other financial factors. Keep in mind that:

  • There is no set amount that you have to contribute
  • You don’t need to make contributions
  • Even though it’s called “profit sharing,” you don’t need to show profits on your books to make contributions

The IRS notes that the “comp-to-comp” or pro-rata method is one of the most common ways to determine each participant’s allocation. Using this method, you calculate the sum of all of your employees’ compensation (the “total comp”). To determine the profit sharing allocation, divide the profit sharing pool by the total comp. You then multiply this percentage by each employee’s salary. Here’s an example of how it works:

Your profit sharing pool is $15,000, and the combined compensation of your three eligible employees is $180,000. Therefore, each employee would receive a contribution equal to 8.3% of their salary.

What are the key benefits of profit sharing for employers?

It’s easy to see why profit sharing helps employees, but you may be wondering how it helps your small business. Consider these key benefits:

  • Provide a valuable benefit (while controlling costs)—With employer matching contributions, your costs can dramatically rise if you onboard several new employees. However, with profit sharing, the amount you contribute is entirely up to you. Business is doing well? Contribute more to share the wealth. Business hits a rough spot? Contribute less (or even skip a year).
  • Attract and retain top talent—Profit sharing is a generous perk when recruiting new employees. Plus, you can tweak your profit sharing rules to aid in retention. For example, some employers may elect to have a graded or cliff profit sharing contribution vesting schedule to motivate employees to continue working for their company.
  • Rack up the tax deductions—Profit sharing contributions are tax deductible and not subject to payroll (e.g., FICA) taxes! So if you’re looking to lower your taxable income in a profitable year, your profit sharing plan can help you make the highest possible contribution (and get the highest possible tax write-off).
  • Motivate employees to greater success—Employees who know they’ll receive financial rewards when their company does well are more likely to perform at a higher level. Companies may even link profit sharing to performance goals to motivate employees.

What are the rules?

The IRS clearly defines rules for contribution limits and calculation rules, tax deduction limits, deadlines, and disclosures (as with any type of 401(k) plan!). Be sure to keep an eye out for any annual changes from the IRS .

Are there any downsides to offering a profit sharing plan?

Contribution rate flexibility is one of the greatest benefits of a profit sharing 401(k) plan—but it could also be one of its greatest downsides. If business is down one year and employees get a lower profit sharing contribution than they expect, it could have a detrimental impact on morale. However, for many companies, the advantages of a profit sharing 401(k) plan outweigh this risk.

How do I set up a profit sharing 401(k) plan?

If you already have a 401(k) plan, it requires an amendment to your plan document. However, you’ll want to take the time to think through how your profit sharing plan supports your company’s goals. Betterment can help.

At Betterment, we’re here to help with a range of tasks from nondiscrimination testing to plan design consulting to ensure your profit sharing 401(k) plan is working the way your business needs. And as a 3(38) fiduciary, we take full responsibility for selecting and monitoring your investments so you can focus on running your business—not managing your retirement plan.

Ready for a better profit sharing 401(k) plan? Get started here .  

The information provided is education only and is not investment or tax advice. Any links provided to other websites are offered as a matter of convenience and are not intended to imply that Betterment or its authors endorse, sponsor, promote, and/or are affiliated with the owners of or participants in those sites, or endorses any information contained on those sites, unless expressly stated otherwise.

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Retirement topics: 401(k) and profit-sharing plan contribution limits

More in retirement plans.

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Two annual limits apply to contributions:

  • 401(k) plans
  • 403(b) plans
  • SARSEP IRA plans (Salary Reduction Simplified Employee Pension Plans)
  • SIMPLE IRA plans (Savings Incentive Match Plans for Employees)  
  • elective deferrals (but not catch-up contributions) 
  • employer matching contributions 
  • employer nonelective contributions 
  • allocations of forfeitures

Deferral limits for 401(k) plans 

The limit on employee elective deferrals (for traditional and safe harbor plans) is:

  • $23,000 ($22,500 in 2023, $20,500 in 2022, $19,500 in 2021 and 2020; and $19,000 in 2019), subject to  cost-of-living  adjustments

Generally, you aggregate all elective deferrals you made to all plans in which you participate to determine if you have exceeded these limits. If a plan participant’s elective deferrals are more than the annual limit, find out how you can correct this plan mistake.

Deferral limits for a SIMPLE 401(k) plan

The limit on employee elective deferrals to a SIMPLE 401(k) plan is:

  • $16,000 ($15,500 in 2023, $14,000 in 2022, $13,500 in 2021 and 2020; and $13,000 in 2019)  
  • This amount may be increased in future years for cost-of-living PDF adjustments

Plan-based restrictions on elective deferrals

  • Your plan's terms may impose a lower limit on elective deferrals  
  • If you are a manager, owner, or highly compensated employee, your plan might need to limit your deferrals to pass nondiscrimination tests

Catch-up contributions for those age 50 and over

If permitted by the 401(k) plan, participants age 50 or over at the end of the calendar year can also make catch-up contributions . You may contribute additional elective salary deferrals of:

  • $7,500 in 2023 and 2024, $6,500 in 2022, 2021 and 2020 and $6,000 in 2019 - 2015 to traditional and safe harbor 401(k) plans  
  • $3,500 in 2023 and 2024, $3,000 in 2022 - 2015 to SIMPLE 401(k) plans  
  • These amounts are subject to  cost-of-living PDF adjustments

You don’t need to be “behind” in your plan contributions in order to be eligible to make these additional elective deferrals.

Catch-ups for participants in plans of unrelated employers

If you participate in plans of different employers, you can treat amounts as catch-up contributions regardless of whether the individual plans permit those contributions. In this case, it is up to you to monitor your deferrals to make sure that they do not exceed the applicable limits.

Example:  If Joe Saver, who’s over 50, has only one employer in 2020 and participates in that employer’s 401(k) plan, the plan would have to permit catch-up contributions before he could defer the maximum of $26,000 for 2020 (the $19,500 regular limit for 2020 plus the $6,500 catch-up limit for 2020). If the plan didn’t permit catch-up contributions, the most Joe could defer would be $19,500. However, if Joe participates in two 401(k) plans, each maintained by an unrelated employer, he can defer a total of $26,000 even if neither plan has catch-up provisions. Of course, Joe couldn’t defer more than $19,500 under either plan and he would be responsible for monitoring his own contributions.

The rules relating to catch-up contributions are complex and your limits may differ according to provisions in your specific plan. You should contact your plan administrator to find out whether your plan allows catch-up contributions and how the catch-up rules apply to you.

Treatment of excess deferrals

You have an excess deferral if the total of your elective deferrals to all plans is more than the deferral limit for the year. Notify your plan administrator before April 15 of the following year that you would like the excess deferral amount, adjusted for earnings, to be distributed to you from the plan. The April 15 date is not tied to the due date for your return.

Excess withdrawn by April 15. If you exceed the deferral limit for 2020, you must distribute the excess deferrals by April 15, 2021.

  • Excess deferrals for 2020 that are withdrawn by April 15, 2021, are includable in your gross income for 2020.
  • Earnings on the excess deferrals are taxed in the year distributed.

The distribution is not subject to the additional 10% tax on early distributions.

Excess not withdrawn by April 15. If you don't take out the excess deferral by April 15, 2021, the excess, though taxable in 2020, is not included in your cost basis in figuring the taxable amount of any eventual distributions from the plan. In effect, an excess deferral left in the plan is taxed twice, once when contributed and again when distributed. Also, if the entire deferral is allowed to stay in the plan, the plan may not be a qualified plan.

Reporting corrective distributions on Form 1099-R. Corrective distributions of excess deferrals (including any earnings) are reported to you by the plan on Form 1099-R, Distributions From Pensions, Annuities, Retirement or Profit-Sharing Plans, IRAs, Insurance Contracts, etc.

Overall limit on contributions

Total annual contributions (annual additions) to all of your accounts in plans maintained by one employer (and any related employer) are limited. The limit applies to the total of:

  • elective deferrals (but not catch-up contributions)  
  • employer matching contributions  
  • employer nonelective contributions  

The annual additions paid to a participant’s account cannot exceed the lesser of:

  • 100% of the participant's compensation, or  
  • $69,000  ($76,500 including catch-up contributions) for 2023; $66,000 ($73,500 including catch-up contributions) for 2023; $61,000 ($67,500 including catch-up contributions) for 2022; $58,000 ($64,500 including catch-up contributions) for 2021; and $57,000 ($63,500 including catch-up contributions).

However, an employer’s deduction for contributions to a defined contribution plan (profit-sharing plan or money purchase pension plan) cannot be more than 25% of the compensation paid (or accrued) during the year to eligible employees participating in the plan (see Employer Deduction in Publication 560, Retirement Plans for Small Business (SEP, SIMPLE, and Qualified Plans) .

There are separate, smaller limits for SIMPLE 401(k) plans.

Example 1 : In 2020, Greg, 46, is employed by an employer with a 401(k) plan, and he also works as an independent contractor for an unrelated business and sets up a solo 401(k). Greg contributes the maximum amount to his employer’s 401(k) plan for 2020, $19,500. He would also like to contribute the maximum amount to his solo 401(k) plan. He is not able to make further elective deferrals to his solo 401(k) plan because he has already contributed his personal maximum, $19,500. He would also like to contribute the maximum amount to his solo 401(k) plan.

Greg is not able to make further elective salary deferrals to his solo 401(k) plan because he has already contributed his personal maximum, $19,500, to his employer’s plan. However, he has enough earned income from his business to contribute the overall maximum for the year, $57,000. Greg can make a nonelective contribution of $57,000 to his solo 401(k) plan. This $57,000 limit is not reduced by the elective deferrals Greg made under his employer’s plan because the limit on annual additions applies to each plan separately.

Example 2 :  In Example 1 , if Greg were 52 years old and eligible to make catch-up contributions, he could contribute an additional $6,500 of elective deferrals for 2020. His catch-up contribution could be split between the plans in any proportion he chooses. Or, Greg may contribute the full $6,500 catch-up contribution to his solo 401(k) plan, making a total contribution of $63,500 for 2020. This is because, although he made nonelective contribution to his solo 401(k) plan up to the maximum of $57,000, the $57,000 limit is not reduced by the elective deferral catch-up contributions.

Compensation limit for contributions 

Remember that annual contributions to all of your accounts maintained by one employer (and any related employer) - this includes elective deferrals, employee contributions, employer matching and discretionary contributions and allocations of forfeitures, to your accounts, but not including catch-up contributions - may not exceed the lesser of 100% of your compensation or $66,000 for 2023 ($61,000 for 2022, $58,000 for 2021 and $57,000 for 2020). This limit increases to $73,500 for 2023; $67,500 for 2022; $64,500 for 2021; and $63,500 for 2020  if you include catch-up contributions. In addition, the amount of your compensation that can be taken into account when determining employer and employee contributions is limited to $330,000 for 2023; $305,000 for 2022; $290,000 in 2021 ($285,000 in 2020).

Additional resources

  • Contribution limits if you're in more than one plan
  • When compensation exceeds the annual limits - deferrals and matching
  • 401(k) plan catch-up contribution eligibility
  • Publication 560, Retirement Plans for Small Business (SEP, SIMPLE, and Qualified Plans)
  • Publication 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Income PDF
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A profit-sharing plan is a retirement plan that allows an employer or company owner to share the profits in the business, up to 25 percent of the company’s payroll, with the firm’s employees. The employer can decide how much to set aside each year, and any size employer can use the plan.

The benefit to employees is that they could accumulate more than in a typical 401(k) plan . And for 2023 workers can receive up to a whopping $66,000 total or 100 percent of compensation, whichever is less, in employer-sponsored accounts. In addition, a $6,500 catch-up contribution may also be made by those age 50 or over in that tax year.

Here’s how a profit-sharing plan works, a comparison of the different kinds of plans available and the benefits of using these plans to reward employees.

How does profit-sharing work?

A profit-sharing plan is one of many different kinds of retirement plans offering employers a way to provide a benefit to employees. The plan can provide a lot of flexibility in how money can be distributed, though employers must abide by certain rules in how they administer the plan, in order to avoid discrimination.

For employees, that means they need to do nothing to participate in the plan or max out its benefits. The profit-sharing is, in effect, a bonus on top of any other retirement benefits.

The plan can be operated as a separate account or it can be a feature added to a 401(k) account, but either way it’s only the employer making contributions through the profit-sharing feature.

As a qualified retirement plan, the funds can be withdrawn without penalty after the employee turns 59 1/2, though withdrawals before that age are subject to a 10 percent penalty on top of any taxes owed. Withdrawal rules are similar to those for a traditional IRA , and participants will have required minimum withdrawals when they reach age 73.

From sole proprietors to large corporations, a company of any size can participate in the plan. Employers may decide how much to share with employees, up to 25 percent of their payroll during that tax year. The maximum amount of salary that can be used to figure the profit-sharing bonus is limited to $330,000 in 2023.

Employers are not obligated to use the program from year to year, allowing them to shut off the plan, if needed or desired. However, when the employer does make contributions, they must be made according to a predetermined formula, to ensure that the profits are divided legally.

Employers have flexibility in how benefits are distributed. Plans are tested annually to ensure that benefits are not being offered in a way that discriminates against employees, such as lower-level workers vis-a-vis managers and owners.

Like some other retirement plans, employers can require the funds to vest , meaning that employees must continue working at the company for a period of time before fully owning the funds. But once the employee owns the funds, they cannot be clawed back by the employer.

Types of profit-sharing plans

Profit-sharing plans come in a few varieties, but they’re all still fundamentally based on the employer providing money to the employee. The differences in these varieties involve how benefits are shared with employees, and the distribution schemes include:

  • Pro-rata plan – In this setup, everyone involved in the plan receives the same contribution from the employer. This could be a fixed dollar amount or percentage of salary.
  • Age-weighted plan – Under this plan, employers can consider how the profit-sharing would affect the employee’s retirement, taking age and salary into consideration. The net effect is that employers can offer older workers a higher percentage contribution than younger workers, because they have fewer years to retirement.
  • New comparability plan – In this plan, also called a cross-testing plan, the employer can contribute to different employee groups at different rates. This plan helps the employer reward different employee groups (including an owner) with various benefits, even if they have similar ages.

A pro-rata plan is the most standard choice, though it may be too rigid for many employers. The head of the company may receive 15 or 20 percent of compensation as part of the plan, meaning the lower-paid administrative staff must receive the same percentage.

“As a pure employee benefit, this works great, but most employers are not looking to give to everyone at the same levels,” says Mark Wilson, president of MILE Wealth Management in Irvine, California.

And that’s where the other plan types come in. An age-weighted plan allows the employer to provide higher benefits to older employees and to do so legally, within certain limits.

The new comparability plan offers a lot of flexibility for employers or owners who want to retain the most for themselves even while offering employees a benefit. It also gives them a way to contribute to employees at various rates based on criteria that are important to the employer.

“For employers, they need to be strategic about the levels of employees they determine for their plan,” says Tatiana Tsoir, CEO of Linza Advisors in Mount Kisco, New York. Employers are able to favor “highly compensated employees by setting them up in a different group,” says Tsoir.

That flexibility offers employers the opportunity to fine-tune their benefits.

“For example, a new comp plan might give 10 percent to the legal staff and 5 percent to the administrative staff,” says Wilson. “In the right circumstances, these plans can work out very well.”

Such new comparability plans are limited in the differential they can offer employees, however. They must offer all employees at least either 5 percent of pay or one-third of what the most highly compensated employee receives under the plan.

Benefits of using a profit-sharing plan

For employees, the benefit is obvious – it allows them to save more. But these profit-sharing payments aren’t subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes, so the net benefits are even larger to employees than a comparable taxable bonus. A profit-sharing plan may offer quite a few benefits to employers, too, especially relative to other retirement plans.

Productivity incentives

First, a profit-sharing plan may motivate employees to be more productive. If they understand that their work translates into a higher reward, they may think more like owners of the business.

It may also help attract and retain skilled employees, and the adept use of a vesting schedule may help encourage the talent to stick around longer.

Tax advantages

Employers also derive tax benefits from the profit-sharing plan. Contributions to a 401(k) with profit sharing are tax deductible, reducing the employer’s tax liability. Tsoir says that employers can decide as late as September of the next year and still get a deduction for the prior tax year.

While profit-sharing plans do require some annual testing and reporting requirements, they also “allow for vesting schedules, loan provisions, and different eligibility rules that are often better than plans like a SEP IRA,” says Wilson.

Advantages over other plans

A SEP IRA , another popular retirement plan option among smaller businesses, may be easier to set up and administer, but it requires the business to pay the same retirement benefit to all employees, offering little flexibility. It also lacks the ability to require vesting, a feature that may help employees remain with the employer longer.

Similarly, a SIMPLE IRA offers an easier way to set up a retirement plan with reduced reporting requirements. It too offers less flexibility in employer contributions and does not offer vesting. Also important to note, the amount an employee contributes to a SIMPLE IRA from their salary cannot exceed $15,000 in 2023. Those age 50 and older are permitted to make up to another $3,500 in catch-up contributions.

So, a profit-sharing plan can offer some notable advantages over other plans, and it can be set up as an add-on to a 401(k), making that plan the key hub for an employee’s retirement savings.

Bottom line

A profit-sharing plan offers employers a lot of flexibility when they decide to offer this benefit to employees, unlike some other retirement plans. Not only can employers turn off the benefit, if they need or want to, but they’re also able to more finely tune the benefits structure to reward certain employees more, even while taking a tax break for providing the benefits.

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Are Profit Sharing Contributions Right for Your 401(k) Plan?

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January 3, 2024

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Bar none, profit sharing contributions are the most flexible type of employer contribution a company can make to their 401(k) plan.  These contributions are not only discretionary, but they can be made to any eligible plan participant – even if the participant fails to make 401(k) deferrals themselves.  They can also be allocated using dramatically different formulas – allowing employers to meet a broad range of 401(k) plan goals with them. 

Yet, despite their flexibility, profit sharing contributions are not a good choice for every 401(k) plan.  Matching contributions can be more effective in meeting certain 401(k) plan goals.  Further, not all employers will qualify for the most flexible types of profit sharing due to IRS nondiscrimination test limitations.  If you’re a 401(k) plan sponsor, you want to understand your company’s profit sharing contribution options.  To meet certain 401(k) goals, they can be tough to beat.

Profit sharing contribution basics

401(k) profit sharing contributions are a type of “nonelective” employer contribution.  That means employees do not need to make 401(k) deferrals themselves to receive them.  In contrast to safe harbor nonelective contributions, profit sharing contributions are discretionary – which means you don’t have to make them every year. 

Profit sharing contributions can also be made subject to a vesting schedule – up to 3-year cliff or 6-year graded.  This can be handy if you have short-tenured employees because they’ll be required to forfeit some or all of their profit sharing account upon a separation from service.

When to choose profit sharing contributions

Because profit sharing contributions are flexible, they can be a great choice if your company is a start-up, has erratic profitability, or acquires other companies frequently.  If your company is more stable, these contributions can help you meet several 401(k) plan goals, including:

  • Increasing the contributions made to 401(k) participant accounts up to the legal limit ($69,000 for 2024, not including 401(k) catch-up deferrals).
  • Giving low-earners a base retirement benefit.
  • Attracting top employee talent with a generous retirement benefit.

However, not all 401(k) plan goals are best served by profit sharing contributions.  Employer matching contributions are generally the superior choice if a primary 401(k) plan goal is incentivizing your employees to save for retirement themselves. 

High 401(k) Fees

The 3 most common profit sharing allocation formulas

Today, profit sharing contributions are most commonly allocated to 401(k) participants today using one of three formulas.  These allocation formulas vary in complexity and can be used to meet dramatically different plan goals.

This formula is the most basic.  With a pro rata allocation, all eligible participants receive the same contribution rate (a contribution’s dollar amount divided by the participant’s compensation). 

A pro rata formula can be a great choice if you want to provide an easy-to-understand retirement benefit to employees or a retirement benefit floor.  These allocations are deemed to automatically pass IRS nondiscrimination testing. 

Permitted disparity

Permitted disparity allocation formulas are more complicated.  They’re designed to favor employees with high incomes.  Basically, they involve two pro rata allocations to employees – one based on their total compensation and another on any compensation earned above the plan’s “integration level” (i.e., excess compensation).  The integration level is either the Security Taxable Wage Base (SSTWB) in effect for the year or some portion of it. 

The contribution rate applied to excess compensation cannot exceed the lesser of 1) the contribution rate applied to total compensation or 2) the maximum “permitted disparity” percentage – which is based on the plan’s integration level:

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Example – In 2023, an employer makes a permitted disparity profit sharing contribution.  Their plan’s integration level is 100% of the SSTWB ($160,200).  Business Owner A earns $200,000.  If the employer makes a 10% contribution on total compensation, Business Owner A would receive a $22,268.60 allocation.

You should consider a permitted disparity formula if you want to give greater contribution rate to high income employees while still passing IRS nondiscrimination testing automatically.    

New Comparability

New comparability is the most flexible type of profit sharing allocation formula.  It allows an employer to allocate multiple contribution rates to different employee groups – or even a different contribution rate to each employee.  Most employers use this flexibility to allocate larger contribution rates to business owners, or other Highly-Compensated Employees (HCEs) . 

However, to qualify for this flexibility, new comparability allocations must pass a complicated IRS nondiscrimination test (called the “general test”) to prove they don’t discriminate in favor of HCEs. Most allocations pass the general test by converting participant contribution rates to a benefit rate at retirement - typically, age 65. This “cross-testing” can make a 15% contribution to a 55-year-old (with 10 years to retirement) as valuable as a 5% contribution to a 30-year-old (with 35 years to retirement) for testing purposes.

Due to “cross-testing,” companies with older business owners are typically the best candidates for new comparability contributions. A spread of 10+ years often does the trick, allowing an employer to maximize owner contributions while allocating just the “gateway minimum” contribution to non-HCEs.  The gateway minimum contribution made to all plan non-HCEs must equal the lesser of:

  • one-third the highest contribution rate given to any HCE (based on the plan’s definition of compensation)
  • 5% of the participant’s gross compensation

If one of your primary 401(k) plan goals is maximizing business owner contributions at the lowest total cost, a new comparability formula can be your best bet.  However, due to the general test, this allocation formula may not be available to your company if young HCEs are employed.

Profit sharing contributions can help you meet your 401(k) goals at the lowest cost!

Because of their flexibility, profit sharing contributions can be used to meet a broad range of 401(k) plan goals.  You should understand their allocation options to decide if one can help your company meet its unique 401(k) plan goals. 

You should also understand how these contributions can be combined with other employer contribution types – like safe harbor contributions .  These combinations can help your 401(k) plan pass annual IRS nondiscrimination testing in addition to meeting your company’s goals.  To see some of the popular combinations used today, check out our 2022 plan design study .

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401(k) Profit Sharing: What You Need to Know as a Small Business Owner

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As tax time approaches each year, small business owners often begin scrambling to find ways to decrease their annual corporate taxable income—sometimes resorting to making large purchases to write off as a business expense or even adding employee benefits, like a retirement plan, to their benefits package. And lately, profit sharing has become a hot topic in the industry.

Profit sharing seems to become more and more buzzworthy at the start of every year—after the fiscal year has concluded but before businesses are required to file their corporate taxes. But profit sharing plans are subject to legal regulations, so before deciding whether to offer the benefit this year, small business owners will want to make sure they are familiar with the ins and outs of 401(k) profit sharing.

What is 401(k) profit sharing?

Let's start with the basics. According to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), profit sharing is defined as "a type of plan that gives employers flexibility in designing key features. It allows [the employer] to choose how much to contribute to the plan (out of profits or otherwise) each year, including making no contribution for the year." 1

Put a little more plainly, profit sharing is essentially a discretionary contribution employers can elect to make to employees’ accounts at the end of the year. It is somewhat similar to an employer discretionary match in a 401(k) plan , although the amount shared with employees is usually based on each individual employee’s salary or level within the organization—but we’ll cover this in more detail later.

In its most basic of definitions, 401(k) profit sharing allows employers to choose whether or not to add additional contributions to employees’ retirement accounts after a successful fiscal year. While both can be discretionary or fixed, the key difference is whether or not the participant has to make a contribution of their own in order to receive the employer’s contribution.

But why would an employer want to share a portion of the company’s yearly profits among employees to share rather than keep it as profit? There are actually many benefits and reasons for doing so.

Read more: Is My Business Too Small to Offer a 401(k) Plan?

Benefits of profit sharing for employers

When businesses implement a profit sharing plan in their organization, they’re showing their employees that they were a critical component to the company’s success and want to reward them for their hard work by adding some extra money into their 401(k). And while this may seem like the benefit is specific to the employees, in reality, the employer enjoys many benefits as well, including:

Flexibility

Profit sharing plans provide ultimate flexibility for the business owner, allowing the employer to make the plan as simple or complex as they want. Business owners can set eligibility requirements and vesting schedules, determine distribution triggers, decide if the plan allow for loans, and elect how much to contribute to employees—or whether to make a contribution at all.

Once the profit sharing contribution is deposited into the plan, it is divided among the participants according to the allocation method chosen in the plan document. The most common is pro-rata, where each participant shares in the profit sharing contribution based on the ratio of their compensation to the total compensation of all participants. For example, simply electing to give everyone the same percent of their pay—say three percent. Another popular technique that works in certain situations is to divide the employees into groups and then allocate specific amounts to each group. If this method is used, the groups must be defined ahead of time in the plan document. Additional methods include giving all employees a flat dollar amount—for example, everyone gets $1,000—or integrating Social Security.

Tax-friendliness

Similar to other retirement savings vehicles, like 401(k) plans , employer contributions to a profit sharing plan are tax-deductible for the company for the year in which they are made. That being said, you didn’t need to have made a profit sharing contribution by December 31 for that calendar year just to capitalize on the tax advantages of profit sharing; businesses have until the tax return due date, plus extension, to contribute profit sharing funds to the 401(k) plan for the previous year. For example, if the fiscal year is the calendar year, the deadline for partnerships and S-corps would be March 15 and the deadline for sole proprietorships and C-corps would be April 15.

This gives business owners a chance to review yearly profits, determine whether or not to utilize profit sharing, and decrease the company’s taxable income all before filling annual business taxes.

Plus, since earnings in profit sharing plans generally aren’t taxed by Federal or state governments until the funds are withdrawn, business owners are gaining tax advantages on an individual level as well. Additionally, small plans may qualify for a tax credit for employer contributions for the first five years.

You might also be interested in: Year-end Tax Benefits of 401(k) Plans

Attracting and retaining talented employees

Think a profit sharing plan won’t ( or can’t ) attract and retain talented employees? Think again—82 percent of workers agree that retirement benefits offered by a prospective employer are a major factor in their final decision when job hunting. 2

It’s no secret that today’s workers expect help from their employers with preparing for retirement, and adding an extra boost into their 401(k) account at the end of the year goes a long way in showing employees that you not only care about their financial future and livelihood, but you’re also willing to go above and beyond to help them become more retirement ready .

Utilizing a profit sharing plan to help employees save for retirement

As mentioned, utilizing a 401(k) profit sharing plan can help employees reach maximum retirement readiness—in part because, unlike an employer match in a 401(k), employees don’t need to be contributing to their retirement account to earn the profit sharing contribution. Depending on the eligibility requirements you set as the employer, all employees can receive a profit sharing allocation even if they are not making 401(k) contributions. This is especially helpful for lower earners who may not make enough to feel like they can comfortably put away a portion of their paycheck for retirement savings—giving them, essentially, an automatic boost in their retirement account.

Related: How to Encourage Employees to Join Your Retirement Plan

How to know if you should offer a profit sharing 401(k)

Clearly, there are benefits to offering a profit sharing 401(k) plan . But knowing whether or not it makes sense for your small business to do so is an entirely different story.

Profit sharing plans are a great option for start-up companies and small businesses that have erratic profitability because contributions are discretionary. Made a ton of revenue and had large profit margins this year? Go ahead and celebrate with employees by offering a flat dollar amount profit sharing bonus. On the flipside, if next year you have a down year and can’t afford to spend any more money at year-end, profit sharing gives you the power to choose not to contribute.

Companies looking to save on corporate taxes at year-end or those that want to reward employees for making a positive impact on the business’s overall bottom line may also want to consider profit sharing options. As we mentioned earlier, there are certain tax advantages to offering profit sharing, and employees will undoubtedly appreciate the boost in their 401(k) savings. Plus, it reminds employees that they’re all working toward the same goal and gives them a vested interest in helping the company succeed.

It’s important to note, however, that some employers may not want to use the most flexible types of profit sharing plans. Plans must pass non-discrimination testing on a yearly basis, which are designed to level the playing field between contributions for highly compensated employees and rank-and-file employees. Make sure to review and compare potential plan designs and results before signing the plan document to help ensure your plan passes non-discrimination testing.

You might also be interested in: Is a Safe Harbor Plan Right for Your Small Business?

How to structure profit sharing at year-end

When setting up your profit sharing plan, there are a variety of decisions you’ll have to make. First, and perhaps most importantly, you’ll need to determine the method you’ll use to allocate contributions to each employee. There are a variety of methods for doing this, but it’s important to remember that the method you use cannot favor highly compensated employees over other employees, or your plan will be out of compliance. It’s important to note that the method you chose must be stated in your plan document and generally there are limited opportunities to make a change during the plan year. To determine which allocation method may be best for your small business, you’ll want to contact a trusted financial advisor or other small business retirement plan professional.

Read more: Should I Hire a Financial Advisor Before Starting a Small Business 401(k) Plan?

Most commonly, profit sharing contributions are a once per year lumpsum deposit into the participant’s account—usually at year-end after you’ve had a chance to evaluate business earnings and determine how much (or if at all) you’ll contribute. And to reiterate: this process doesn’t need to be completed by the end of the calendar year.

Employers have until their tax filing deadline, plus any extensions, to establish a 401(k) plan for the prior year. However, it’s important to keep in mind that a retroactive adoption of a plan like this only allows for the employer to make a profit sharing contribution for the prior year (also known as profit sharing only). This option does not allow deferrals or matching contributions for the prior plan year.

For example: Before tax filing deadlines in 2024, a business owner could adopt a plan and decrease their tax liability for 2023 by making a profit-sharing contribution to the new plan for the 2023 plan year. In 2024, the employer and employees would then be able to make deferral contributions to the plan.

It’s also important to be aware that you’ll be taking on some hefty responsibilities when you introduce a small business 401(k) profit sharing plan. If you choose to take on plan management and operation by yourself, you’ll be accountable for the essential elements of running the plan, like making timely contributions, following vesting schedules, passing non-discrimination testing, acting as a responsible fiduciary, disclosing plan information to eligible employees, distributing benefits, and filing year-end reporting—to name a few. These responsibilities are often cumbersome to the average employer, so many plan sponsors choose to hire a plan administrator to help operate their plan and stay in compliance. There are some retirement plan providers that take things a step further—helping relieve the plan sponsor of many of these responsibilities and limiting the plan sponsor’s fiduciary liability.

Profit sharing 401(k) checklist

This is a lot of complex information—there’s no doubt about that. It can be hard to determine whether profit sharing is a good option for your small business without in-depth research and vetting, but the DOL provides a helpful checklist to help employers determine if they’re ready to offer a plan that will work hand-in-hand with their 401(k).

Before deciding to offer a profit sharing plan, employers should:

Decide whether to hire a financial institution or retirement plan professional to help set up and run the plan

Determine whether to arrange a trust for the plan assets or solely utilize insurance contracts

Develop a recordkeeping system (or hire a recordkeeper)

Decide how much to contribute to the plan

Determine and understand your fiduciary responsibility as it relates to the plan

Understand the reporting and disclosure requirements of the plan

Adopt a written plan document that includes the features you’d like to offer (such as contribution allocations, eligibility requirements, vesting schedules, etc.)

Notify eligible employees and provide them with plan-related information

We know the retirement industry is not a simple one to navigate for small business owners, but you’re not in it alone. For additional help in establishing and operating a 401(k) profit sharing plan, you may want to speak with a trusted professional familiar with the ins and outs of the retirement industry.

As the nation's largest independent retirement services provider, our goal is to help more savers reach their retirement saving goals. That’s why our wide variety of retirement plan options give you the freedom and flexibility to design a plan that will fit your unique needs.

To speak with one of Ascensus’ retirement plan professionals, contact us at 800-345-6363 .

1 Profit Sharing Plans for Small Businesses, U.S. Department of Labor 2 Post-Pandemic Realities: The Retirement Outlook of the Multigenerational Workforce, Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, 2023.

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Common Questions for Safe Harbor and Profit Sharing 401(k) Plans

common questions for safe harbor and profit sharing 401k plans

Everyone’s unique situation brings a different answer. However, the more you know about planning for retirement, the better off you will be in the future. 

401(k) retirement plans continue to offer some of the best savings potential for workers. Both employees and employers contribute to an account investing in mutual funds, stocks and/or bonds. Over time, the account can grow and provide the account holder a healthy savings account to last throughout retirement. 

More than 59 percent of working Americans receive access to 401(k) retirement plans through their employers. With numerous options available, the type of 401(k) you choose may vary depending on your specific financial situation.

What should you do with your old 401(k) or employer retirement plan? Download our free guide that reveals 5 options for old 401(k), 403(b), and some 457 plans.

A 401(k) for Everyone

With IRAs and a variety of 401(k)s, sorting through the options takes time and could overwhelm an inexperienced saver. Check out this article distinguishing Traditional 401(k) accounts and Roth 401(k) accounts , and clear up some of that confusion. 

With Traditional 401(k) plans, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires all plans to undergo a nondiscrimination test . This test ensures that each employee receives the same benefits regardless of their compensation level or position within the company. No matter the employee, they should receive access to retirement plans with the same contributions amounts, plan type and tax deductions.

The nondiscrimination test separates employees into two categories: highly compensated employees and non-highly compensated employees. Highly compensated employees must earn at least $130,000. The IRS also considers any employee with a stake in the company higher than 5 percent a highly compensated employee. 

In order to retain highly valuable workers, many employers offer retirement plans to satisfy these employees. Profit sharing and safe harbor 401(k) plans expand the options available so that everyone can plan for their retirement in a manner most cohesive with their financial situation.

company profit sharing plan 401k

What is a Safe Harbor 401(k)?

While the nondiscrimination test helps protect employees on every level, it adversely affects highly compensated workers. Safe harbor provisions on retirement accounts allow for a bypass of the nondiscrimination test while remaining fair for all members of the company.

With the inclusion of a safe harbor provision, all employer contributions are vested immediately. This means that the employee takes ownership of these contributions and the employer cannot take any of the money back for any reason. 

What are the Safe Harbor 401(k) options?

Three plans exist for employees to maximize their benefits from a safe harbor plan.

The basic safe harbor plan allows for employers to match 100 percent of an employee’s retirement contribution up to three percent of their paid wages. An additional two percent in contributions can be matched by employers up to 50 percent. 

The enhanced safe harbor 401(k) lets employers match 100 percent of employee contributions up to four percent of their paid wages. No employers can match any contribution beyond the four percent threshold.

Finally, the non-elective safe harbor 401(k) option gives employees a retirement contribution equal to three percent of their annual salary. Employees do not have to make a contribution with this method.

In the basic and enhanced plans, employees must contribute in order to qualify for matched contributions within the safe harbor provision. Employees do not necessarily have to defer any retirement contribution in order to participate in a non-elective plan. However, contributions from both parties allow for savers to maximize their retirement accounts to fully enjoy their golden years. 

If financially capable, maximizing retirement contributions allows for greater peace of mind in retirement. Learn more about retirement plan contribution limits in 2021 . 

What are the Rules for Employers Regarding Safe Harbor 401(k) Plans?

Employers wishing to include safe harbor provisions in their offered 401(k) retirement plans must give ample notice in writing to all of their employees. Not only must employers announce the availability of the plans, they must provide detailed information regarding the type of safe harbor plans available and all tax information and employee rights regarding the plans.

In order to satisfy this requirement in a timely manner, employers must give notice not less than 30 days and no more than 90 days before the year in which the plans activate. By complying with these requirements regarding notification, employers allow their employees to make the necessary inquiries and adjustments to their retirement plans. 

Because employers commit to a contribution amount, they must keep their finances in proper order to guarantee a delivery on their commitment. If you own a small business and are considering including safe harbor provisions to your employees’ 401(k) retirement plans, contact a trusted accountant or financial advisor. 

Employees rely on the stability of their retirement plans to plan for their future and make important financial decisions. Casting any doubt in your company’s mind regarding your ability to keep your end of the deal regarding their benefits package causes top talent to seek other employment. Securing their future secures your business’s future in turn.

Knowing what to do with your old employer retirement plan can be confusing. Download our free guide that reveals 5 options for old 401(k), 403(b), and some 457 plans.

Why Choose Safe Harbor Plans?

The type of 401(k) that fulfills an employee’s needs varies greatly. However, safe harbor plans offer the greatest benefit for high earners. Since the contribution rate corresponds to annual salary, those paid more see a higher contribution from employers.

Employers provide safe harbor plans due to their appeal for high earners and tax-deductible contributions.

What is a Profit Sharing 401(k) Plan?

Profit sharing 401(k) plans operate similarly to Traditional 401(k) plans. However, employers make contributions based entirely on their profitability. During a year in which the business did well, contributions rise and vice versa for less profitable years.

Employers set aside their pre-tax profits for contribution and the employee continues to defer however much of their wages they decide to. Profit sharing plans work best for small businesses who wish to offer retirement benefits but cannot guarantee a set contribution amount. Contribution limits apply in the same manner towards profit sharing 401(k) plans as other 401(k) accounts.

Are There Profit Sharing Options?

Like most 401(k) plans, profit sharing plans come in a variety of forms. The right plan depends on the employer’s capabilities and wishes regarding contribution amounts.

In a pro-rata profit sharing plan, all employers including the business owners receive the same contribution amount. Regardless of the position or status of each employee, universal contribution amounts do not vary. Pro-rata plans keep accounting simple for employers and can be added to existing plans with ease.

Another option for profit sharing, new comparability 401(k) plans allow employees to place employees within different contribution amounts. Most often, business owners desiring a higher contribution amount for themselves use this plan. Contributions can also vary for employees depending on length of employment and status within the company to reward highly valued workers

Lastly, age-weighted profit sharing plans base contribution amounts entirely on the length of an employee’s tenure at the company. Under this plan, the longer an employee works for the company the higher the employer contribution amount towards their 401(k). While similar to new comparability plans, many employees find age-weighted benefit plans a little more fair since employers cannot adjust contribution rates at their discretion. 

When Should a Business Owner Offer Profit Sharing Plans?

Profit sharing plans work best for small businesses or any sized business whose profits vary tremendously. Whereas most 401(k) plans lock employers in with matching contribution amounts, profit sharing plans allow the employer to decide how much they can contribute.

In some cases, a business might not make any retirement contributions due to a poor financial year. During good years high profits allow for maximum contributions for all employees. The direct correlation between the financial health of the company and employees’ benefits creates a strong incentive for employees to do their best for the sake of the enterprise and their own benefits.

However, for many industries the booms and busts balance each other out. By refraining from imbursing retirement plan contributions, a struggling company can redirect those resources. The longevity of the business might take precedence over retirement benefits if the business turns itself around to see a large profit in succeeding years.

Learn about the pros and cons of all of your options with your old 401(k). Download our free guide that reveals 5 options for old 401(k), 403(b), and some 457 plans.

Find the Right Retirement Plan for You

Plan for retirement with ease by reaching out to NextGen Wealth . We offer invaluable advice for anyone looking towards retirement, wherever they are on their journey. With two decades of experience, I have helped many clients just like you find the right retirement solutions to meet their needs.

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Understanding the solo 401(k) employer profit sharing contribution rules.

  • December 28, 2020

Employer Profit Sharing Contribution

Any business can establish a 401(k) plan.  A business with no full-time employees (less than 1000 hours worked during the year or 500 hours in two consecutive years) other than the owner(s) or their spouse(s) can establish a Solo 401(k) plan which allows the business owner to contribute the lesser of:

  • 100 percent of the employee’s compensation, or
  • $58,000 for 2021 ($57,000 for 2020) or $64,500 if over the age of 50 ($63,500 for 2020).

Whereas, a business that has non-owner full-time employees would establish a 401(k) plan and offer plan benefits to the employees.

The Solo 401(k) plan contribution rules are the foundation of the Solo 401(k) plan. There are three types of contributions that can be made to a Solo 401(k) plan: (i) employee deferrals, (ii) employer profit sharing contributions, and (iii) after-tax contributions. Note – your plan adoption agreement must allow for after-tax and employer profit sharing contributions.  For 2021, no more than $290,000 of an employee’s compensation ($285,000 in 2020 and $280,000 in 2019) can be taken into account when figuring contributions.

Employee Deferrals & After-Tax Contributions

In short, the IRC 402(g) rules allow employees to make tax-deductible or Roth plan employee deferral contributions up to $19,500 or $26,000 if at least age 50 for both 2020 and 2021.  After-tax contributions are not subject to the employee deferral 402(g) limits and are not considered employer contributions.  After-tax contributions are not tax deductible or Roth. So long as your plan documents permit, after-tax contributions can be made dollar-for-dollar up to the IRC 415 limit and can then be converted to Roth or rolled into a Roth IRA without a plan triggering event.

Employer Profit Sharing Contributions

The majority of Solo 401(k) plan documents allow for employer plan contributions, also known as profit sharing contributions .  In essence, a business can make a tax-deductible additional contribution to the plan for the benefit of each eligible employee in an amount up to 25% of the participant’s W-2 compensation (20% in the case of a sole proprietor or single member LLC net Schedule C income).

Employer contributions are made by the business and are also 100%.  In addition, employer profit sharing contributions are tax deductible to the business but can be converted to Roth by the plan participant, if permitted by the plan, and would be subject to tax. Employer profit sharing contributions can be made by the business up until the business filed its tax return, or in the case of a sole proprietor of single member LLC, when it filed its 1040 income tax return.

For example, if the sole owner of an LLC, who is under 50, earned $60,000 of net Schedule C income in 2021, the individual would be able to make employee deferral contributions of $19,500 plus the business can make a 20% employer profit sharing contribution equal to $12,000 (20% of $60,000) providing the individual with a total of $31,500 in plan contributions and tax deductions. Since, $31,500 is less than the IRC 415 limit of $58,000 for 2021, the entire amount of the employer profit sharing contribution would be permitted.

Employer Contribution – Tax Planning Among Owners

However, what about the situation where there are two or more owners or an owner and a spouse where one owner earns a higher salary or share of the earned income than the other.  Well, some very interesting tax planning opportunities present themselves that are not widely unknown except to tax and pension plan experts.

Let’s take the example of Jen and Bill.  Assume Jen earns $220,000 of W-2 income from an S Corp and Bill earns just $60,000 in 2021.  Both Jen and Bill are under 50.  Let’s assume both Jen and Bill make $19,500 employee deferral contributions and also want to make employer contributions as well.  We know that Jen will be able to hit the maximum IRC 415 amount of $58,000 since 25% of $220,000 is $55,000.  Hence, Jen will only be able to use $38,500 of the $55,000 available.

We also know that employer profit sharing contribution rules hold that the maximum employer profit sharing contribution for the business is 25% of all W-2 – $220,000 + $60,000 or $280,000.  Thus, in the aggregate, the business is able to make employer profit sharing contributions in the amount of $70,000 ($280,000 x 25%). Jen was able to use $38,500 out of the $70,000, therefore, so long as your plan documents allow for it, Bill would be able to be allocated by the business $31,500 ($70,000-$38,500) in employer profit sharing contributions for a total of $51,000 including employee deferrals.  Since that number is less than what he earned, or the 415 limit, the allocation will be respected.

This type of tax planning only works if one partner earns a considerable more than the other.  Whereas, if Jen and Bill each earned $70,000, the maximum employer profit sharing contribution for both would be $17,500, so reallocating excess employer contributions would not be an option since neither partner would have exceeded their 415 limit.

Working with the right Solo 401(k) plan provider is important to ensure that you are maximizing all the available benefits allowable by the IRS and Department of Labor with respect to your Solo 401(k) plan. The employer profit sharing contribution can be quite tricky if you are not aware of these rules. Working with a qualified Solo 401(k) company, such as IRA Financial is imperative.

If you have any questions about how the Solo 401(k) contribution rules work, please contact us @ 800.472.0646 today.

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Profit Sharing Plan Rollover to 401(k)

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Written by True Tamplin, BSc, CEPFÂŽ

Reviewed by subject matter experts.

Updated on February 15, 2024

The Ultimate Guide to Making Money in Your 401(k) or 403(b)

Table of contents, what is a profit sharing plan rollover to 401(k).

A profit sharing plan rollover to a 401(k) refers to the process of transferring funds from a profit sharing plan into a 401(k) retirement account.

A profit sharing plan is an employer-sponsored retirement plan that allows employers to contribute a portion of the company's profits to employees' retirement savings .

On the other hand, a 401(k) retirement plan is a tax-advantaged retirement savings plan offered by employers, where employees can contribute a portion of their salary towards their retirement savings.

Profit sharing plans are often added to traditional 401(k) plans rather than used exclusively.

The difference is that employees can not contribute to a profit sharing plan, but by combining it with a 401(k), both employees and employers can contribute.

It is possible to roll over a profit sharing 401(k) into an individual retirement account , just as it can be done with a traditional 401(k).

Need help with a Profit Sharing Plan Rollover? Click here .

Profit Sharing Plan Rollover to 401(k) Process

A Profit Sharing Plan Rollover to a 401(k) involves the process of transferring funds from a profit sharing plan into a 401(k) retirement account. Here is a step-by-step explanation of how it typically works:

Step 1: Evaluate Eligibility

Determine if you are eligible to perform a rollover. Typically, eligibility requirements depend on the terms of your profit sharing plan and the rules of the 401(k) plan.

Step 2: Review Plan Documents

Obtain and review the plan documents for both the profit sharing plan and the 401(k) plan. These documents provide specific details about the rules, requirements, and restrictions related to rollovers.

Step 3: Notify Plan Administrator

Inform the administrator of your profit sharing plan about your intention to rollover the funds into a 401(k) account. They will guide you through the necessary steps and provide the required paperwork.

Step 4: Complete Required Forms

Obtain and complete the necessary forms for initiating the rollover process. This may include a distribution request form from the profit sharing plan and a rollover contribution form from the 401(k) plan.

Step 5: Choose Direct or Indirect Rollover

Decide whether you want to perform a direct rollover or an indirect rollover. A direct rollover involves transferring the funds directly from the profit sharing plan to the 401(k) plan.

While an indirect rollover involves receiving the distribution as a check and then depositing it into the 401(k) plan within 60 days.

Step 6: Transfer Funds

If you opt for a direct rollover, provide the required information to the profit sharing plan administrator and instruct them to transfer the funds directly to the 401(k) plan.

If you choose an indirect rollover, ensure that the distribution check is made payable to the 401(k) plan custodian or trustee.

Profit Sharing Plan Rollover to 401(k) Process

Advantages of Profit Sharing Plan Rollover to 401(k)

Tax advantages.

By rolling over funds from a profit sharing plan to a 401(k), individuals can benefit from tax-deferred growth, allowing their investments to potentially compound over time without being subject to immediate taxes.

Additionally, contributions made to a 401(k) account may be tax-deductible, reducing current taxable income and potentially lowering overall tax liability.

Furthermore, individuals have the option to convert rollover funds to a Roth 401(k) , which can provide tax-free withdrawals in retirement, as qualified distributions from Roth accounts are not subject to income tax.

Enhanced Investment Options and Control

Unlike profit sharing plans, 401(k) plans typically offer a broader range of investment choices, including various mutual funds , stocks , bonds , and target-date funds .

This allows individuals to diversify their retirement portfolio and tailor their investments based on their risk tolerance and retirement goals.

Additionally, some employers may provide matching contributions specifically to 401(k) accounts, further increasing the total savings and potential growth of the rollover funds.

This combination of investment flexibility and potential employer contributions can significantly enhance long-term retirement savings.

Simplification and Consolidation

By consolidating funds from a profit sharing plan into a 401(k), individuals can streamline their retirement savings strategy, reducing the number of separate accounts and paperwork to manage.

This consolidation also makes it easier to track and monitor investment performance , as all retirement funds are housed in a single 401(k) account.

Additionally, rolling over to a 401(k) may offer the potential for lower fees compared to some profit sharing plans, resulting in cost savings and potentially higher investment returns.

Disadvantages of Profit Sharing Plan Rollover to 401(k)

Limited access to funds.

When funds are rolled over from a profit sharing plan to a 401(k), they become subject to the rules and restrictions of the 401(k) plan.

This means that individuals may face limitations on accessing their funds until they reach retirement age or meet specific criteria, such as financial hardship or separation from the employer.

Therefore, if individuals anticipate needing to access their retirement savings before reaching retirement age, a Profit Sharing Plan Rollover to a 401(k) may not be the most suitable option.

Potential Loss of Unique Plan Features

Profit sharing plans can have unique features that differ from 401(k) plans, such as more flexible contribution limits , higher employer contributions, or early retirement provisions.

By rolling over funds to a 401(k), individuals may lose access to these specific plan features, potentially impacting their retirement strategy.

It is crucial to carefully evaluate the specific advantages of the profit sharing plan before deciding to roll over funds to a 401(k).

Increased Exposure to Market Risk

The investment performance of funds within a 401(k) account is subject to market fluctuations and risks.

By rolling over funds from a profit sharing plan to a 401(k), individuals assume a potentially higher level of investment risk , particularly if the profit sharing plan offered more conservative or stable investment options.

It is important to evaluate the investment options available within the 401(k) plan and consider one's risk tolerance and long-term investment strategy before proceeding with a rollover.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Profit Sharing Plan Rollover to 401(k)

Timing the Profit Sharing Plan Rollover to 401(k)

Determining the appropriate time to perform a Profit Sharing Plan Rollover to a 401(k) depends on various factors and individual circumstances. Here are some situations when it may be advantageous to consider a rollover:

Employment Change

If you are changing jobs or transitioning to a new employer, it is often a suitable time to consider a rollover.

Rolling over funds from a profit sharing plan to a 401(k) can consolidate your retirement savings into a single account, making it easier to manage and track your investments.

Retirement Planning

If you are nearing retirement or have reached the age of 59½, it may be beneficial to evaluate the rollover option.

Rolling over funds to a 401(k) can provide access to a wider range of investment options and potentially simplify your retirement savings strategy.

Tax Planning

If you anticipate being in a lower tax bracket during the rollover year or expect higher taxes in the future, it might be advantageous to perform a rollover.

However, it is crucial to consult with a tax professional to assess the tax implications and determine the most appropriate timing for your specific tax situation.

The Bottom Line

The process of a Profit Sharing Plan Rollover to a 401(k) involves transferring funds from a profit sharing plan to a 401(k) retirement account.

This enables individuals to benefit from tax advantages, enhanced investment options and control, and simplification and consolidation of their retirement savings.

However, it's important to consider potential disadvantages, such as limited access to funds, potential loss of unique plan features, and increased exposure to market risk .

The decision of when to perform a rollover depends on individual circumstances, including employment changes, retirement planning , and tax considerations.

Consulting with professionals and thoroughly understanding the implications can help individuals make informed decisions regarding their Profit Sharing Plan Rollover to a 401(k).

Profit Sharing Plan Rollover to 401(k) FAQs

What is a 401(k) plan.

A 401(k) plan is a retirement plan offered by an employer designed to help employees save for retirement.

What is Profit Sharing Plan Rollover to 401(k)?

Profit sharing plans are often added to traditional 401(k) plans rather than used exclusively. It is possible to roll over a profit sharing 401(k) into an individual retirement account, just as it can be done with a traditional 401(k).

Who can participate in a Profit Sharing Plan Rollover?

Generally, any employee who participates in a company's profit sharing plan and has at least five years of service with the organization will be eligible for a Profit Sharing Plan Rollover to 401(k).

Are there any tax implications associated with a Profit Sharing Plan Rollover?

Yes, the transfer of assets from a profit sharing plan to a 401(k) plan is treated as taxable income for both federal and state taxes in the year that it occurs. The company may also be required to pay applicable employer withholding taxes on the rollover.

Is there a deadline for completing a Profit Sharing Plan Rollover?

Yes, Profit Sharing Plan Rollovers must be completed by December 31st of the calendar year in order for employees to take advantage of the tax-deferred growth opportunities offered by this type of arrangement.

About the Author

True Tamplin, BSc, CEPFÂŽ

True Tamplin is a published author, public speaker, CEO of UpDigital, and founder of Finance Strategists.

True is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPFÂŽ), author of The Handy Financial Ratios Guide , a member of the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing, contributes to his financial education site, Finance Strategists, and has spoken to various financial communities such as the CFA Institute, as well as university students like his Alma mater, Biola University , where he received a bachelor of science in business and data analytics.

To learn more about True, visit his personal website or view his author profiles on Amazon , Nasdaq and Forbes .

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Hello and welcome to the IRS Profit-Sharing Plans for Small Employers video. I’m Andrew. The information in this presentation is current as of the day it was presented and shouldn't be considered official guidance.

Let’s get started. A profit-sharing plan is very flexible. You can exclude employees who work less than 1,000 hours per year; exclude employees who are under age 21, use vesting to reward longer-term employees, allow participant loans, and provide lump-sum distributions. It may also be possible to exclude employees of related employers from your plan.

First, we’ll talk about how to set up your profit-sharing plan. Establishing a profit-sharing plan begins with adopting a written plan document to serve as the foundation for day-to-day plan operations.

There are two basic document types: An IRS pre-approved plan document and an individually designed plan document.

A pre-approved plan document has been approved by the IRS and includes an opinion letter that shows the level of IRS approval.

Pre-approved plans are available at many financial institutions and through plan professionals.

An individually designed plan is not pre-approved by the IRS and is usually drafted by a retirement plan professional to meet the specific needs of a plan sponsor.

To establish a plan for a tax year, you have until the due date of the tax return, including extensions, to adopt the plan. You’re also required to share information about the plan with your employees.

Assets are kept in a trust set up with a financial institution. The company that sells you the plan should be able to set up the trust.

Having a good recordkeeping system will be very important going forward. You need to make sure that employees enter the plan timely to the plan terms you establish, receive proper allocations of contributions and receive distributions according to the plan terms.

All plan documents need to be amended for law changes from time to time.

Pre-approved plans can be amended on your behalf by the document provider and can decrease the number of amendments you must sign. We recommend maintaining a relationship with your plan provider and checking with them yearly to make sure your document is up to date.

When you do amend your plan, make sure you select the options in the adoption agreement or plan document that correspond to how you’re operating your plan. A plan may no longer be qualified if it’s missing required plan amendments.

If your plan is a nonamender, use our Voluntary Correction Program to update your plan and avoid losing your plan’s preferred tax status. Go to IRS.gov/FixMyPlan to learn how to correct your plan for this error.

You may be asking, “When do employees become participants?” Employees should enter the plan no later than the entry date after they reach age 21 and work 1,000 hours during the 12-month period after their hire date.

The employer can reduce or remove the eligibility requirements, but the requirements cannot exceed age 21 and 1,000 hours of service. Plans that require age 21 and 1,000 hours of service typically have at least two plan entry dates.

Plans with only one entry date have lesser eligibility requirements, like age 20 ½ and 6-months of service.

Additional entry date options may be allowed but are beyond the scope of this video.

Part-time employees who work 1,000 hours and are age 21 are typically eligible to participate in the plan; however, some exclusions may apply based on the employee’s classification.

A plan document can require employees to work 1,000 hours for two years before becoming eligible to enter the plan, but the plan must provide full and immediate vesting of the participant’s account balance.

If you have ownership interests in another business, the employees of that business may be eligible to participate in your plan.

It may be possible to exclude those employees, but you’ll need to account for them each year.

Accounting for employees of a related business is more complex, so you may need a plan professional to help you design and manage the plan.

Let’s talk about what contributions can be made once you set up your plan.

The plan sponsor decides how much to contribute to the plan. A contribution isn’t required each year and you don’t need profits to make a contribution.

Contributions are allocated to the participants using a formula in the plan document. Some plans contribute a set percentage of compensation for all participants, for example, 10% of their compensation.

Other plans contribute a dollar amount to the plan that’s then allocated to each participant based on their compensation as compared to total compensation. For example, a plan participant who received 2.5% of the total compensation paid to all eligible participants during the year will receive 2.5% of the dollar amount contributed to the plan.

Make sure you use the plan’s definition of compensation for allocations.

If your plan excludes overtime, bonuses or other forms of compensation, you may need to run a nondiscrimination test to see if the plan’s compensation definition is discriminatory.

The contributions (including forfeitures) you make to your plan must meet certain limits.

Contribution and forfeiture allocations are subject to a per-participant annual limitation. This limit is the lesser of: 100% of the participant's compensation, or $58,000 for 2021.

Deductions for contributions made to a profit-sharing plan cannot exceed 25% of the compensation paid during the year to all eligible participants.

And remember that a forfeiture is the non-vested portion of a terminated participant’s account balance that’s left after a distribution. Check your plan document to make sure forfeitures are being properly allocated to participant accounts.

Be aware that you can’t maintain a plan that’s discriminatory. Plans must provide substantive benefits for rank-and-file employees, not just owners and managers. Nondiscrimination rules compare participation and contributions for rank-and-file employees to owners and managers.

Plans that allocate a uniform percentage of total compensation to each participant, including those participants not employed on the last day, should satisfy the nondiscrimination requirement.

If you exclude certain types of compensation, or require 1,000 hours of service or employment on the on the last day to participate in the allocation, you may need to have a plan professional make sure your plan is not discriminatory.

Let’s move on to the vesting requirements in profit-sharing plans.

Vesting is the percentage of the account that the plan participant owns, based on years of service.

Most plans require participants to work 1,000 hours during the plan year to earn a year of vesting service, but an employer can require less or no service to earn a year of vesting service.

Your plan is required to comply with one of two basic vesting schedules: The first is a 3-year cliff vesting schedule, which is 0% vesting for the first 2 years of service and 100% vesting after 3 years of The second is a 6-year graded vesting schedule, which is 0% vesting after one year of service, 20% vesting with two years, 40% with three years, 60% with four, 80% with five, then 100% vesting with six years of service.

A plan with a different vesting schedule must vest at least as quickly as one of these two schedules each year.

Our next topic is distribution options available for profit-sharing plans. The amount available for distribution from a profit-sharing plan is the participant’s vested account balance. Some plan documents allow distributions when participants reach normal retirement age or stop working for the employer. Other plans allow distributions at a certain age.

Distributions to participants from profit sharing plans are typically: taken in a lump sum, or rolled over to an IRA or another employer's retirement plan. Some plans may allow for periodic distributions, annuities or other lifetime income distribution options.

A profit-sharing plan can also allow participants to borrow from their plan account.

These loans are generally limited to the lesser of 50% of the participant’s account balance or $50,000.

Loans are typically limited to five years and must be repaid with equal payments made at least quarterly.

It may help you to know the most common problems we find in profit-sharing plans. They are: Not including employees who meet the plan’s eligibility requirements; not accounting for employees who work for a related business; not using the definition of compensation in the plan document, and not amending the plan for required law changes.

If you have a profit-sharing plan, you may need to file certain returns. Depending on the number and type of participants covered, most profit-sharing plans must file one of the following forms: Form 5500, Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan, Form 5500-SF, Short Form Annual Return/Report of Small Employee Benefit Plan, or Form 5500-EZ, Annual Return of One-Participant (Owners and Their Spouses) Retirement Plan You can file each of these returns electronically using the Department of Labor’s EFAST2 filing system.

One-participant plans that file Form 5500-EZ don’t have to file for any plan year when assets do not exceed $250,000; however, a final return must be filed when the plan is terminated.

You should use Form 1099-R to report distributions and rollovers from a retirement plan.

Form 8955-SSA is the Annual Registration Statement Identifying Separated Participants with Deferred Vested Benefits.

The information reported is shared with plan participants when they file for Social Security benefits.

The IRS provides several profit-sharing plan resources: Publication 3998, Choosing a Retirement Solution for Your Small Business, provides a comparison of different retirement plan options.

If you visit IRS.gov/retirement and select “Types of Retirement Plans,” then “Profit-sharing plans,” you’ll find a wealth of helpful Check out IRS.gov/SmallPlans for information dedicated to small employers looking to find, maintain or fix a retirement plan.

On IRSVideos.gov, you’ll find a 30-minute video on the types of plans available to small employers and self-employed individuals.

We also have shorter videos on the types of plans that small employers may want to adopt.

Finally, don’t forget to sign up for our retirement plan newsletter at IRS.gov/RetirementNews - and send your questions or feedback about this video to [email protected]. Thanks for watching.

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After a 5-month-long 401(k) rollover process, a financial professional told me I should've asked 2 questions before even starting — and explained when it makes sense to keep your money separate

  • Consolidating your retirement money can be a smart financial move.
  • However, before initiating a 401(k) rollover, there are two important factors to consider.
  • CFP Brent Weiss says it's important to look at the plan's investment options and fees.

Last fall, I decided to roll over a 401(k) from a previous employer into my current plan.

About four years' worth of savings was in an account with Fidelity, while another two were in an account with Vanguard, and I wanted my money to be together in one place.

I struggled with the process, to say the least. The rollover contribution form was confusing, and two five-figure checks I mailed to Vanguard were lost in transit. From start to finish, it took me five months to combine my retirement money into one account.

I wrote about the saga and asked certified financial planner Brent Weiss to weigh in. What went wrong? Was my experience an anomaly? Why am I receiving physical checks in the mail from one financial institution and then resending them to another — in a day and age when I can transfer money to someone on the other side of the country in minutes via Zelle?

Weiss answered all of my questions and then some. 

It turns out that the process is archaic for a reason: There's no incentive for a 401(k) provider to invest in the technology to allow you to easily move your money off of their platform. After all, “the way they make money is based on how much money is on their platform," explained Weiss, adding: “Follow the money, follow the incentive.”

And while my five-month-long case may have been a little on the extreme side, he assured me that I'm far from the only person to have struggled with a 401(k) rollover: “The instructions to get this done on your own is wildly confusing.” Even for financial planners, it can be "a pain in the backside.”

He also told me that doing a 401(k) rollover is not necessarily the smartest financial move for everyone. That was news to me. I assumed consolidation was always the right choice.

He said it typically is: "When all of a sudden you have two plans and then you change jobs and you have three or four plans, you inevitably forget about two of the three or three of the four, and that's not a good thing for your money. Consolidation can be a great decision if it's going to help you take action in your plan and make sure you're monitoring and reviewing it."

However, he pointed out that there are two important factors to consider before even initiating a rollover.

1. What are the investment options?

Before moving your retirement money, consider the investment options at your current plan (or plans if you have multiple accounts) and the new plan.

“The average 401(k) plan only has about 15 to 20 investment options, so we want to look at those options: ‘Are they good? Do we want to have our money in this?’” said Weiss. “At the end of the day, when your accounts get to a certain size, you really want to make sure you have the ability to invest well and be broadly diversified.”

I told him my money was invested in a target-date retirement fund, which he approved: “For people without a financial advisor, I think target-date funds are great because you're getting a fully diversified strategy. If you pick the right retirement date or target date, it should be risk-appropriate for you, and it's low cost and automatically rebalances. All you have to do is contribute to the plan, and everything else is taken care of.”

2. What are the fees?

The next question to ask about your new plan is, what are the fees? 

High fees can be devastating to your 401(k) savings over a long period of time. The main ones to look into are plan administration fees, individual service fees, and investment fees.

Figuring out your fees requires a little bit of digging. Your employer is required to provide you with information on the company 401(k) plan, including the fee structure. You also can check your plan's prospectus online.

It’s worth looking into your plan fees even if you’re not doing a rollover. In some cases, high fees can outweigh the benefit of using a retirement account instead of a standard investing account.

While I didn’t ask either of these questions before initiating a rollover, I lucked out.

"Since you're with Vanguard — they're one of the lower-cost providers and they also give you some really good investment options — my guess, without seeing your account or understanding your plan, is yes, it was a great move," Weiss told me. "But it is plan-specific when I say 'yes' or 'no' to rolling the money into a new 401(k)."

If my old plan had lower fees or more favorable investment options than the new one, I would have been better off leaving my money there, he said.

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Watch: Mark Cuban explains why a 401(k) is a no-brainer

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COMMENTS

  1. Profit Sharing 401(k) Plans Guide: Rules, Limits, Basics

    Under a 401 (k) profit share plan, as with a regular 401 (k) plan, an employee can allocate a portion of pre-tax income into a 401 (k) account, up to a maximum of $20,500 per year in 2022. At year's end, employers can choose to contribute part of their profits to employee's plans, tax-deferred.

  2. Profit-Sharing Plan: What It Is and How It Works, With Examples

    A profit-sharing plan is a retirement plan that gives employees a share in the profits of a company. Under this type of plan, also known as a deferred profit-sharing plan (DPSP), an...

  3. 401(k) vs Profit Sharing: What You Need to Know

    26.Jan.2024 💡 Key takeaways: 401 (k) plans and profit sharing plans are both forms of employer-sponsored retirement benefits. The primary difference between profit sharing and 401 (k) contributions is who is contributing to the plans. Profit sharing can boost employees' retirement savings without increasing their annual taxable income.

  4. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plans: How they Work for Everyone

    Jeff Rosenberger, PhD 04.Dec.2023 Despite its name, profit sharing in a 401 (k) plan doesn't necessarily involve your company's profits. So what is it? Profit sharing in a 401 (k) plan is a pre-tax contribution employers can make to their employees' retirement accounts after the end of the year.

  5. Choosing a Retirement Plan: Profit-Sharing Plan

    As with 401 (k) plans, you can make a profit-sharing plan as simple or as complex as you want. You may purchase a pre-approved profit-sharing plan document from a benefits professional or financial institution to cut down on administrative headaches. Pros and cons Flexible contributions - contributions are strictly discretionary

  6. Share the Wealth: Everything you need to know about profit sharing 401

    What is a profit sharing 401 (k) plan? A 401 (k) with profit sharing enables both you and your employees to contribute to the plan. Here's how it works: The 401 (k) plan allows employees to make their own salary deferrals up to the IRS limit.

  7. Profit-Sharing Plan vs. 401(k)

    What Is a Profit-Sharing Plan? Like 401 (k) plans, profit-sharing plans are tax-advantaged retirement accounts that an employer runs for their employees. They share the same structure in that a standard profit sharing is generally an investment portfolio holding a mix of mainstream securities assets. The difference is in how contributions are made.

  8. Retirement topics: 401(k) and profit-sharing plan contribution limits

    Retirement topics: 401 (k) and profit-sharing plan contribution limits Retirement topics: 401 (k) and profit-sharing plan contribution limits Two annual limits apply to contributions: A limit on employee elective salary deferrals. Salary deferrals are contributions an employee makes, in lieu of salary, to certain retirement plans: 401 (k) plans

  9. What Are Profit Sharing Plans? Employee Retirement Plan Type

    A profit sharing plan is a type of retirement savings plan that enables workers to share in their company's profits. Businesses of all sizes can offer profit sharing plans. But,...

  10. Profit-Sharing Plans: What Are They And How Do They Work?

    A profit-sharing plan is a retirement plan that allows an employer or company owner to share the profits in the business, up to 25 percent of the company's payroll, with the...

  11. Profit-Sharing vs. 401(k) Retirement Plans: Key Differences

    Some employers provide profit-sharing plans in conjunction with other retirement plans, such as a 401 (k). Related: Employer Profit-Sharing Plans: Definition and Benefits What is a 401 (k)? A 401 (k) is a type of retirement plan that allows employers and employees to make contributions.

  12. How a profit-sharing plan is different from a traditional 401(k)

    Key Takeaways Both 401 (k) and profit sharing plans are employer-sponsored retirement plans. In a profit-sharing plan, employees receive an amount from their employer based on company profits (rather than a specific amount outlined in a match formula).

  13. Are Profit Sharing Contributions Right for Your 401(k) Plan?

    Profit sharing contributions can help you meet your 401 (k) goals at the lowest cost! Because of their flexibility, profit sharing contributions can be used to meet a broad range of 401 (k) plan goals. You should understand their allocation options to decide if one can help your company meet its unique 401 (k) plan goals.

  14. PDF UNDERSTANDING 401(K) AND PROFIT SHARING PLANS

    There are three basic types of profit sharing plans: traditional, age-weighted and new comparability. The differences between the plans are the contribution allocation formulas used for each one. The following sections discuss the three types of plans. TRADITIONAL PROFIT SHARING PLAN

  15. The SECURE Act and Profit-Sharing Plans

    For example, say your company wants to start a new profit-sharing plan a few months into 2021 because they missed the deadline of Dec 31, 2020 to start a new 401(k) plan. The SECURE Act provision allows a business to retroactively make a contribution to their employees for 2020 through a profit-sharing plan, up to their corporate tax deadline.

  16. 401(k) Profit Sharing: What You Need to Know as a Small Business Owner

    In its most basic of definitions, 401 (k) profit sharing allows employers to choose whether or not to add additional contributions to employees' retirement accounts after a successful fiscal year.

  17. What Is a Profit Sharing Plan and How Does It Work?

    A 401 (k) plan with a profit-sharing component is quite common. Often the investment accounts for the employees contain both their own 401 (k) contributions and employer...

  18. Common Questions for Safe Harbor and Profit Sharing 401(k) Plans

    Contribution limits apply in the same manner towards profit sharing 401(k) plans as other 401(k) accounts. Are There Profit Sharing Options? Like most 401(k) plans, profit sharing plans come in a variety of forms. The right plan depends on the employer's capabilities and wishes regarding contribution amounts. In a pro-rata profit sharing plan ...

  19. Understanding the Solo 401(k) Employer Profit Sharing Contribution Rules

    The Solo 401 (k) plan contribution rules are the foundation of the Solo 401 (k) plan. There are three types of contributions that can be made to a Solo 401 (k) plan: (i) employee deferrals, (ii) employer profit sharing contributions, and (iii) after-tax contributions. Note - your plan adoption agreement must allow for after-tax and employer ...

  20. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan: Should You Offer One?

    With a 401 (k) profit-sharing plan, an employer sets aside a proportion of total profits each year to contribute to their employee's 401 (k)s. It allows employers to contribute up to $69,000 (or $76,500 for those age 50 and older) per year into employee accounts. Only the employer contributes to the retirement account, not the employee.

  21. Types of Profit Sharing Plans

    By sharing your profits with your employees with a profit sharing 401(k) plan, you are giving them a direct incentive to work harder and keep the company in the black. Profit Sharing Plan Rules. 401(k) plans with profit sharing have some key rules for maximum contributions, tax deduction limits, reporting, and timing: 3

  22. Profit Sharing Plan Rollover to 401(k)

    A profit sharing plan rollover to a 401(k) refers to the process of transferring funds from a profit sharing plan into a 401(k) retirement account. A profit sharing plan is an employer-sponsored retirement plan that allows employers to contribute a portion of the company's profits to employees' retirement savings .

  23. What is profit sharing?

    Profit sharing is a retirement plan benefit that your employer may choose to make toward employees' 401 (k) accounts after the end of the plan year. You can receive a profit sharing contribution as long as you are eligible to participate in the plan, even if you do not personally contribute. . The term "profit-sharing" can be misleading ...

  24. What you should know about: Profit-Sharing Plans

    A profit-sharing plan is very flexible. You can exclude employees who work less than 1,000 hours per year; exclude employees who are under age 21, use vesting to reward longer-term employees, allow participant loans, and provide lump-sum distributions. It may also be possible to exclude employees of related employers from your plan.

  25. 401(k) Rollover Process: Factors to Consider on Investment Plan, Fees

    Before moving your retirement money, consider the investment options at your current plan (or plans if you have multiple accounts) and the new plan. "The average 401(k) plan only has about 15 to ...

  26. Stellantis Employees Rewarded Nearly €1.9 Billion

    Additional Company matching contribution through new employee share purchase plan - Shares to Win - launched in late 2023 in France and Italy; expanding to up to 242,000 eligible employees in 2024