Are you a small business owner or have involvement in a start-up company? If so, you may want to set-up a retirement plan that includes tax benefits for yourself and any employees. When looking for the best retirement plans for small business, there are several options that are eligible for tax advantages!

401(k) Plan

One of the best retirement plans for small business, and most common option, is the 401(k) plan. It provides for employer contributions made at the direction of employees. Specifically, the employee elects to have a certain amount of pay deferred and contributed by the employer on his or her behalf to an individual account. Employees can make contributions on a pretax basis. In doing so, this saves an employees current income tax from the contributing amount.

Employers may, or may not, provide matching contributions on behalf of employees who make elective deferrals to 401(k) plans. Establishing and operating a 401(k) plan means some up-front paperwork and ongoing administrative effort. Matching contributions may be subject to a vesting schedule. 401(k) plans are subject to testing requirements, so that highly compensated employees don’t contribute too much more than non-highly compensated employees. However, you can avoid these tests if you adopt a “safe harbor” 401(k) company retirement benefits plan.

Within limits, participants can borrow from a 401(k) account (assuming the plan document permits it).

For 2019, the retirement plan limit for contributing to a 401(k) is $19,000, plus a $6,000 “catch-up” amount for those age 50 or older as of December 31, 2019.

Other Tax-Favored Plans

Of course, there are other retirement plans best for small business other than 401(k)s. Here’s a quick rundown of two other alternatives that are simpler to set up and administer:

1. A Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRA. For 2019, the maximum amount of deductible contributions that you can make to an employee’s SEP plan, and that he or she can exclude from income, is the lesser of 25% of compensation or $56,000. Your employees control their individual IRAs and IRA investments.

2. A SIMPLE IRA. SIMPLE stands for “savings incentive match plan for employees.” SIMPLE IRA plans for small businesses eligibility is available to businesses with 100 or fewer employees. Under one, an IRA is established for each employee, and the employer makes matching contributions based on contributions elected by participating employees under a qualified salary reduction arrangement. The maximum amount you can contribute to a SIMPLE in 2019 is $13,000, plus a $3,000 “catch-up” amount if you’re age 50 or older as of December 31, 2019.

Annual contributions to a SEP plan and a SIMPLE are controlled by special rules and aren’t tied to the normal IRA contribution limits. Neither type of plan requires annual filings or discrimination testing. You can’t borrow from a SEP plan or a SIMPLE.

Many Choices

These are only some of the retirement savings options that may be available to your business. We can discuss the alternatives and help find the best retirement plans for 2019, according to your situation.