There are two types of fees to understand: a one-time setup fee when you establish your plan and a monthly administrative subscription that continues for the life of the plan. A full schedule of current fees is available on our Plans page.
Our fee structure is designed to lower the barrier to self-directed investing. Setup and subscription fees run at roughly half the industry average, so the cost of maintaining your plan doesn't erode the returns you're working to build.
The setup fee covers the work of building your plan structure from the ground up. For IRA-based plans (IRA LLC and IRA Trust), this includes the account establishment fee charged by our IRA custodian, IRA Resources. You pay the setup fee once, and it is not recurring.
If you choose an IRA LLC, two additional one-time costs apply at setup: the state filing fee to form your LLC and, if you elect it, a registered agent service fee. These costs vary by state and are separate from our setup fee.
All plans include a monthly administrative subscription. What that subscription covers depends on your plan type.
For IRA-based plans (IRA LLC and IRA Trust), the monthly fee covers the base IRA account administration charged by IRA Resources and access to our support services. For the Solo 401(k), the monthly fee covers ongoing plan document maintenance, including amendments and restatements required to keep the plan compliant over time, and access to our support services.
Beyond setup and the monthly subscription, a few additional fees may apply depending on how you use your plan.
IRA account holders should expect transaction fees from IRA Resources on certain custodial actions. These include inbound wires for IRA transfers, Roth conversions, and moving funds between the IRA and the plan entity, such as buying or selling the IRA's ownership interest in the LLC or Trust. These are standard custodial transaction fees and are not charged by Self-Directed Plans.
All plan types, including the Solo 401(k), may also encounter standard banking fees associated with the plan's business or trust bank account. Wires and other routine banking transactions may carry fees set by your bank.
There are no fees based on the number of assets you hold or the value of your account. There are also no plan-level fees for making investments through your plan-owned LLC or Trust. Your cost stays flat regardless of how active or how large your portfolio becomes.
Does Self-Directed Plans charge a fee every time I make an investment?
No. There are no fees associated with making investments through your plan-owned LLC or trust. The only potential exception is a bank wire fee if you use a wire to direct funds into an investment, which is a standard cost set by your bank.
Are fees the same for all plan types?
Setup fees vary by plan type because each plan involves different work and different third-party costs. Monthly subscription fees also differ by plan type. See the Plans page for the current fee schedule for each plan.
Do IRA LLC fees include the state LLC filing fee?
The LLC state filing fee is a pass-through cost and is not included in our setup fee. It varies by state and is collected separately at the time of application.
This information is provided for educational purposes only and should not be interpreted as tax, legal, or investment advice. Readers are encouraged to consult a qualified professional who can offer guidance based on their personal situation.