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ROBS monthly administration fees

ROBS Monthly Administration Fees: What They Cover and How to Compare

By Dennis ShirshikovPublished 2026-07-31Reviewed July 31, 2026

Monthly ROBS administration fees pay for recurring qualified-plan administration after the setup and stock-purchase steps. The base rate is only useful when it is converted to a year-one and multi-year number, tied to a written service scope, and checked against participant tiers, event charges, payer rules, and fiduciary boundaries.

Compare current rates See the formulas

Direct answer

A $99 to $165 monthly quote equals $1,188 to $1,980 per year before setup, employee add-ons, bond, valuation upgrades, audit, correction, distribution, sale, or termination work.

Sources were reopened on July 31, 2026. Provider facts are provider-reported and current only to that access date.

Direct answer: what the monthly fee pays for

A ROBS administration fee is the recurring charge for operating the retirement plan after the C corporation has been formed, the qualified plan has received rollover assets, and the plan has purchased employer stock. It is different from the one-time setup fee. The monthly lane commonly includes recordkeeping, compliance testing, annual filings, participant statements, employee eligibility work, routine employer-stock valuation support when included, plan-document updates, and transaction documentation.[1][2][3][4][5]

The fee does not make the provider the universal fiduciary, attorney, CPA, valuation firm, payroll company, or business advisor unless the written agreement says so. DOL materials treat service-provider selection and monitoring as fiduciary functions, require reasonable plan expenses, and say plan expenses may be paid by the employer, the plan, or both only as the plan document and allocation method support.[4][5]

What monthly administration covers in a ROBS plan

Monthly administration is the recurring qualified-plan operations lane. It should connect the provider fee to specific deliverables, responsible parties, and documents, not just to a general promise of compliance support.

The core work usually falls into six buckets:

Base recordkeeping and reconciliation

Tracking plan balances, transactions, contribution history, rollover records, employer-stock records, participant statements, and annual plan files.[3][4][5][7][9][10][11]

Compliance testing and employee administration

Eligibility, census review, enrollment support, coverage/nondiscrimination/top-heavy testing, vesting, notices, and employee participation when workers meet the plan's terms.[1][2][3][4][7][9][10][11]

Annual filings and reports

Form 5500 support, Form 1099-R when distributions or rollovers require reporting, Form 945 where withholding applies, Summary Annual Report, and benefit statements.[1][3][4][7][9][11]

Employer-stock valuation support

Routine annual support may be included by some providers, but transaction-level sale, redemption, financing, or dispute valuations may require a separate valuation professional.[1][2][4][6][7][8][9]

Plan-document maintenance

Required amendments, restatements, SPD/SMM updates, and document alignment when plan officials, provisions, participants, or business facts change.[3][4][7][9][11]

Audit and correction coordination

Provider help may organize documents or consultations, but fiduciary decisions, legal defense, tax positions, correction submissions, and representation boundaries must be explicit in writing.[1][4][5][6][7][11]

Employee work matters because a ROBS-funded company sponsors a real retirement plan. IRS materials identify employee-notification and participation failures as recurring ROBS problems, and IRS 401(k) operating guidance covers participation, vesting, nondiscrimination, participant disclosures, reporting, distributions, and correction programs.[1][3]

Current first-party recurring prices and scope

The table converts provider-published recurring prices to comparable annual and five-year figures. It preserves the provider's own billing unit and scope conflicts rather than forcing every quote into a monthly label.

Accelefund

Published recurring price

$99/month[11]

Annualized base

$1,188

Five-year base math

$99 × 60 = $5,940

Scope

Recordkeeping, testing, Form 5500/8955-SSA, census/enrollment, amendments/restatements, audit help; fidelity bond is facilitated but about $100/year for most clients.

Pango Financial

Published recurring price

$129/month[10]

Annualized base

$1,548

Five-year base math

$129 × 60 = $7,740

Scope

Form 5500, testing, documentation, reconciliation, participant statements, vesting/eligibility, plan design; page says fees cannot be paid directly from retirement funds.

Guidant Financial

Published recurring price

Starting at $149/month[6]

Annualized base

$1,788

Five-year base math

$149 × 60 = $8,940

Scope

Compliance review, amendments, business valuation, lifelong business support; starting price and adjacent service lines require written scope confirmation.

Benetrends Rainmaker

Published recurring price

$155/month[8]

Annualized base

$1,860

Five-year base math

$155 × 60 = $9,300

Scope

Ongoing administration, recordkeeping, annual required reports, and fair-market-value assistance; Roth Advantage is $195/month.

FranFund

Published recurring price

$165/month[7]

Annualized base

$1,980

Five-year base math

$165 × 60 = $9,900

Scope

Broad TPA scope including testing, filings, valuation support, notices, statements, audit assistance, transactions, projections, plan design, and QDRO review.

My Solo 401k Financial

Published recurring price

$899/year after first 12 months[9]

Annualized base

$899 effective renewal year

Five-year base math

$899 × 4 = $3,596 after bundled first year

Scope

Annual, not monthly; first 12 months included in setup; first 10 participants included, then $75 per additional participant.

Benetrends publishes two monthly rates: $155 for Rainmaker and $195 for Rainmaker Roth Advantage. Pango's page contains both a $4,695 setup-fee statement and a separate $3,995 flat setup-fee statement, but both statements place ongoing maintenance at $129 per month; the monthly rate is the recurring figure used here.[8][10]

How to normalize a ROBS administration quote

Use the same denominator for every quote: recurring base fee, included participant count, added-participant fee, included filings, included valuation level, mandatory add-ons, pass-through costs, event fees, cancellation terms, and price-change triggers. DOL recommends giving providers complete and identical plan information before comparing estimates and then reviewing compensation, covered services, conflicts, and ongoing reasonableness.[4][5]

Monthly equivalent = annual fee ÷ 12
Year-one recurring cost = monthly fee × months charged
Five-year base = monthly fee × 60 or annual fee × renewal years
Participant-adjusted total = base + participant add-ons
Event-adjusted total = base + add-ons + one-time event fees
Fee ratio = total modeled fees ÷ rollover stock purchase × 100

Services and event charges that may sit outside the base fee

A monthly administration fee may not include setup, state annual reports, registered-agent renewal, payroll, bookkeeping, corporate income-tax preparation, lending support, acquisition diligence, third-party certified valuation, legal representation, correction filings, fiduciary decision-making, QDRO work, plan loans or distributions beyond included transactions, business sale support, stock redemption, final Form 5500, or plan termination. The provider table shows why: some providers list valuation, amendments, audit help, or transaction documentation inside the recurring scope; others describe them differently or state only a broad category.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]

Do not compare only the base rate.

A lower base fee can still cost more if employee tiers, annual bond, valuation upgrades, plan amendments, transaction paperwork, or exit work are separate. A higher base fee can be reasonable if the agreement clearly includes services the plan actually needs.

Who may pay and where fiduciary boundaries sit

DOL states that plan expenses may be paid by the employer, the plan, or both, and that plan documents should specify how fees are paid. When plan assets pay fees, fiduciaries must understand the services, compensation, allocation method, conflicts, and reasonableness. Pango separately states that DreamSpark setup and ongoing maintenance fees cannot be paid directly out of retirement funds. That provider-specific statement should not be generalized to every invoice, but it shows why the payer must be confirmed in writing.[4][5][10]

Professional boundaries also belong in the agreement. Attorneys, accountants, and actuaries generally are not fiduciaries when acting solely in professional capacities, while fiduciary status depends on functions performed. A ROBS owner should identify who is the named fiduciary, trustee, plan administrator, recordkeeper, TPA, attorney, CPA, valuation provider, custodian, and corporate officer for each recurring task.[4]

Fee-change triggers to ask about before signing

Administration fees can change when the plan stops looking like a one-owner startup plan. Employee census changes, plan-design decisions, distributions, corrections, and exit events can move work outside the quoted base rate.

Ask whether these events change the fee, require a separate invoice, or require outside professional review:

Employees become eligible or participant count crosses the included tier

Employer contributions, matching, safe-harbor design, or profit-sharing features are added

A Form 1099-R, Form 945, loan, distribution, QDRO, or beneficiary event occurs

The plan needs an amendment, restatement, correction submission, or late-filing cleanup

The company raises capital, redeems stock, sells assets, shuts down, or terminates the plan

The provider changes its rate schedule, scope, ownership, subcontractors, or cancellation terms

Three independently reproducible scenarios

Scenario 1: convert a monthly quote into year-one and five-year administration cost

Inputs
Quoted monthly administration fee $165; setup fee excluded; owner-only plan; no added participant charge; no separate annual bond, valuation upgrade, amendment, distribution, QDRO, audit, correction, payroll, bookkeeping, or tax service.
Assumptions
The $165 rate remains unchanged for 60 months and begins immediately after funding. Dollar outputs are rounded to whole dollars; percentages round to one decimal place.
Formula
Year-one recurring administration = $165 × 12 = $1,980. Five-year recurring administration = $165 × 60 = $9,900. On a $150,000 rollover stock purchase, five-year recurring-fee ratio = $9,900 ÷ $150,000 × 100 = 6.6%.
Result
$1,980 in year-one administration; $9,900 over five years; 6.6% of a $150,000 stock-purchase amount before excluded event charges.
Relevant omissions
No setup fee, provider-quality adjustment, investment return, business tax, C corporation annual report, employee contribution, fidelity bond, valuation upgrade, exit, correction, or audit cost.

Scenario 2: normalize an annual-fee quote against a monthly-fee quote

Inputs
Provider A charges $899 annually after the first 12 months and includes the first 10 participants; Provider B charges $99 per month; comparison horizon five years; both have no added event fees in the model.
Assumptions
Provider A's first 12 months are bundled into setup and not counted as recurring administration here. Provider B charges for all 60 months. Dollars round to whole dollars.
Formula
Provider A five-year recurring administration = $899 × 4 = $3,596. Provider A average over five years = $3,596 ÷ 60 = $59.93/month. Provider B five-year recurring administration = $99 × 60 = $5,940. Difference = $5,940 - $3,596 = $2,344.
Result
After normalizing the billing unit and the first-year bundle, Provider A is $2,344 lower over five years in this narrow recurring-fee model, with an effective five-year average of about $60 per month.
Relevant omissions
No setup-fee difference, participant count above 10, service-scope difference, valuation depth, state/corporate cost, support model, cancellation term, rate increase, or event charge.

Scenario 3: model employee and event triggers outside a base monthly rate

Inputs
Base fee $129/month; three added eligible participants; assumed $75 per additional participant per year; assumed required amendment $900 in year three; assumed separate transaction-level valuation $2,500 in year five; five-year horizon.
Assumptions
The $75 participant charge is an example input, not a Pango-published charge. Employees are eligible for all five years. The two event charges are paid once. Dollars round to whole dollars.
Formula
Base administration = $129 × 60 = $7,740. Participant add-on = 3 × $75 × 5 = $1,125. Event charges = $900 + $2,500 = $3,400. Five-year total modeled administration/event load = $7,740 + $1,125 + $3,400 = $12,265. Event share = $3,400 ÷ $12,265 × 100 = 27.7%.
Result
$12,265 over five years in the modeled case; one-time event charges represent 27.7% of that total, showing why the base monthly rate is not the whole agreement.
Relevant omissions
No employer contributions, payroll, bookkeeping, audit defense, correction filing, litigation, plan termination, stock redemption, corporate dissolution, or tax preparation.

Questions for invoices and service agreements

The service agreement should let an owner reproduce the invoice math and assign responsibility for every recurring task. If the answer is not written, treat it as unresolved.

Before comparing signatures, collect written answers to these agreement-level questions:

  • What exact services are included in the base monthly or annual fee?
  • How many participants are included and when do added-participant fees begin?
  • Which filings are prepared, which are filed, and who signs them?
  • Is routine annual valuation support included, and what is excluded from valuation scope?
  • Who pays each invoice: individual, corporation, plan, or allocated participant accounts?
  • What plan-document language supports the payer and allocation method?
  • What audit, correction, legal, tax, sale, distribution, QDRO, and termination work costs extra?
  • When can the provider change the fee, and what notice/cancellation rights apply?

FAQ

Short answers to the recurring questions owners should resolve before signing a monthly administration agreement.

What do ROBS monthly administration fees usually pay for?

They usually pay for the recurring plan-administration lane: recordkeeping, annual plan compliance work, employee census and eligibility support, required plan reports, participant statements or notices, plan amendments, routine valuation support when included, and transaction documentation. The exact scope is contractual, not implied by the phrase monthly administration.[3][4][5][7][9][10][11]

Are setup fees the same as monthly administration fees?

No. Setup fees cover formation and funding work before or during the rollover and stock purchase. Monthly or annual administration fees cover the ongoing qualified-plan work after the corporation sponsors the plan and the plan owns employer stock.[1][2][6][7][9]

Can ROBS administration fees be paid from retirement plan assets?

Sometimes plan expenses may be paid by the employer, the plan, or both, but the plan document, service recipient, reasonableness, allocation method, fiduciary process, and tax treatment matter. Do not assume a provider invoice can be paid directly from retirement assets; Pango expressly says its DreamSpark setup and maintenance fees cannot be paid directly from retirement funds.[4][5][10]

What can sit outside a monthly ROBS administration fee?

Common possible exclusions include setup, state filings, registered agent renewals, fidelity bonds, payroll, bookkeeping, corporate tax returns, transaction-level valuations, plan corrections, audit defense beyond stated support, QDRO work, loans or distributions beyond included transactions, sale or exit work, and plan termination.[4][5][6][7][9][11]

When do employee hires change monthly administration cost?

Employees can trigger eligibility tracking, enrollment, notices, participant statements, coverage and nondiscrimination testing, contribution allocation, additional participant charges, amendments, and correction risk. Compare quotes with the same census, anticipated hire dates, compensation, and contribution design.[1][2][3][4][7][9][10][11]

How should owners compare administration agreements?

Give every provider the same participant count, assets, employee census, transaction history, contribution plans, and expected events. Convert every recurring quote to annual, year-one, five-year, and participant-adjusted totals; then read the services, exclusions, rate-change clause, cancellation terms, and fiduciary boundaries before comparing price.[4][5]

Sources

Sources were reopened on July 31, 2026. Government sources support rules and duties. Provider sources support only the provider's own published prices and service descriptions.

  1. 1. IRS ROBS Compliance Project

    ROBS structure; recurring promoter fees, Form 5500/Form 1120 failures, recordkeeping, participant information, stock valuation, employee-participation problems, promoter fees, valuation, and Form 1099-R issues.

  2. 2. IRS Guidelines Regarding Rollovers as Business Start-Ups

    Typical C corporation, qualified-plan, rollover, employer-stock purchase sequence; case-by-case analysis; employee participation, nondiscrimination, prohibited-transaction, valuation, promoter-fee, Form 5500, and business-failure concerns.

  3. 3. IRS Operating a 401(k) Plan

    401(k) operating responsibilities: participation, contributions, vesting, nondiscrimination, investment monitoring, disclosure documents, Form 5500, Form 1099-R, distributions, and correction programs.

  4. 4. DOL Meeting Your Fiduciary Responsibilities

    Written plan, trust, recordkeeping, fiduciary status, reasonable plan expenses, service-provider selection and monitoring, employer/plan fee payment, participant disclosures, Form 5500 reporting, prohibited transactions, employer-stock considerations, and correction programs.

  5. 5. DOL Understanding Retirement Plan Fees and Expenses

    Plan-administration, investment, and individual service fee categories; bundled and unbundled arrangements; employer or plan payment; pro rata and per capita allocation; identical-information quote comparison; compensation and conflict review; ongoing monitoring.

  6. 6. Guidant Financial pricing

    Provider-published 401(k) Plan Administration starting at $149 per month; compliance review, plan amendments, business valuation, lifelong business support; separate 401(k) Business Financing starting at $5,495.

  7. 7. FranFund pricing

    Provider-published $165 monthly TPA fee required to remain in compliance; listed consultations, contribution allocation/reconciliation, testing, Form 5500/1099-R/Form 945, valuation support, SAR/benefit statements, employee census/enrollment, amendments/restatements, audit assistance, transaction documentation, notices, trustee webinars, projections, plan design, and QDRO review.

  8. 8. Benetrends ROBS/RAPS cost article

    Provider-published Rainmaker administration fee of $155 per month and Rainmaker Roth Advantage administration fee of $195 per month; stated ongoing administration, recordkeeping, annual reports, and annual fair-market-value assistance.

  9. 9. My Solo 401k Financial pricing

    Provider-published setup fee including first-year annual support; $899 annual fee starting 12 months later for first 10 participants; $75 per additional participant; listed Form 5500, 1099-R, routine valuation, mandatory amendments, participant statements, contributions/vesting monitoring, contribution computation, nondiscrimination, top-heavy, additions, and coverage.

  10. 10. Pango Financial common questions

    Provider-published $129 monthly plan maintenance; Form 5500, compliance testing, documentation maintenance, plan reconciliation, participant statements, vesting and eligibility tracking, plan-design assistance, credit-card payment, retirement-fund payment restriction, employee offering requirement, and fiduciary/trustee boundary statement.

  11. 11. Accelefund pricing

    Provider-published $99 monthly plan administration; recordkeeping, annual testing/contribution review, fidelity-bond facilitation, Form 5500 and 8955-SSA, SAR/benefit statements, employee census/enrollment, amendments/restatements, audit assistance, advisory group, and unlimited consultations; bond about $100 per year for most clients.

Next step: compare agreements, not just monthly prices.

Pair this page with the setup-fee guide so setup, recurring, annual, and event costs stay in separate lanes.

Read the setup-fee guide