Avoid the PDF black hole. Solo 401k HQ helps you organize eligibility, provider paths, account steps, documents, deadlines, and CPA questions before you open anything.
This is educational setup guidance, not tax, legal, fiduciary, brokerage, custody, or investment advice.
Providers give you checklists, PDFs, and account portals. You still have to figure out what path fits your facts, what accounts to open, what order steps happen in, what documents matter, and when you are actually done.
The problem is not that information is missing. The problem is that it is scattered, uneven, and hard to turn into a clean setup sequence.
Most people do what smart people always do when the topic is confusing: they keep researching and still do not feel confident enough to move.
This site should help them get setup clarity, not just collect more tabs.
A static-first planning workspace for self-employed people who want to understand the setup path before they open a plan, pick a provider, title accounts, or move money.
The value is not “information exists.” The value is knowing what to clarify before you act.
Contribution treatment depends on plan design and your facts. Use this estimate to prepare better questions for a qualified tax professional before making setup or funding decisions.
Want the setup sequence first?
The roadmap turns eligibility, provider paths, documents, deadlines, and CPA questions into one clear planning page before checkout or provider signup.
Use the qualifier and calculator as educational prompts. Then build a setup roadmap and confirm the specifics with qualified professionals.
Do you have self-employment, freelance, or 1099 income?
This includes contract work, consulting, DAO contributions, protocol work, freelance dev, trading as a business, content creation — any income not from a W-2.
Do you have full-time W-2 employees (other than a spouse)?
Solo 401(k)s are for owner-only businesses. A spouse can be a plan participant. Independent contractors don't count as employees.
Do you invest in cryptocurrency?
Any crypto holdings count — whether you're actively trading, staking, providing liquidity, or just holding.
Approximate annual self-employment income?
This affects estimated contribution room. The 2026 overall annual additions limit is $72,000 before catch-up contributions, subject to compensation and plan rules.
Contribution estimates based on 2026 IRS limits. Growth projections use a hypothetical 8% annual return and are not guarantees. Actual limits depend on your specific income and situation. Consult a qualified tax professional.
If this looks relevant, the next step is a setup roadmap — not another week of scattered research.
Not a fit yet? Use the free guides first and bring your facts to a qualified tax professional before acting.
Timing varies by provider, plan design, documents, banking, and professional review.
The roadmap shows the questions to resolve before you open accounts or move money.
Solo 401(k)s are established retirement-plan structures, but setup details, contribution limits, investment access, and prohibited transaction rules still need careful review.
Solo 401(k)s are established retirement-plan structures for owner-only businesses, or an owner and spouse. Whether a specific plan can hold a specific asset depends on plan documents, provider support, custody, prohibited transaction rules, and your facts.
Yes — if you also have self-employment income (freelancing, consulting, 1099 work, a side business). The Solo 401(k) covers the self-employment income only. Your W-2 401(k) is separate.
It depends on your tax situation and plan design. Employee deferrals are subject to annual limits and may be pre-tax or Roth if the plan allows it. Employer contributions have separate rules. Confirm the split with a qualified tax professional.
This is one of the main risks. Keep plan and personal assets separate, avoid transactions with disqualified persons, and confirm gray areas before acting. The roadmap helps you prepare questions, but it does not replace professional review.
Strongly recommended. A qualified CPA or retirement-plan professional can help with contribution calculations, deadlines, compliance, and Form 5500-EZ questions when relevant.
Often several weeks, but it depends on provider process, plan design, documents, banking, and professional review. The roadmap helps you see which steps can become bottlenecks.
Crypto activity inside retirement plans can raise custody, prohibited transaction, UBIT, valuation, and recordkeeping questions. Treat staking and DeFi as professional-review topics before acting.
Setup fees and annual maintenance vary by provider and plan structure. Compare current provider pricing directly and factor in professional review, banking, administration, and annual filing support.
Checkout is still closed while payment and delivery are verified. The playbook remains a secondary deeper guide, not the primary setup action.
Checkout opens only after payment, delivery, refund, and support flows are verified.
The roadmap is the primary next step. These guides help with contribution limits, provider research, and self-directed questions.
Comparing provider paths?
Use provider links as research starting points only. Confirm current pricing, features, affiliate status, and plan fit directly before opening anything.
External provider links. Some links may become affiliate or referral links if relationships are active and disclosed.