ROBS Setup Fees: What Is Included, Excluded, and Paid When

A ROBS arrangement does not have a government-mandated provider setup fee. The required work is the coordinated transaction: create or use a C corporation, establish a qualified retirement plan and trust, move eligible retirement assets into that plan, have the plan buy employer stock for supportable value, and hand the new plan to ongoing administration. IRS materials describe that sequence and identify recurring concerns with promoter fees, valuation, employee access, Form 5500, Form 1120 and Form 1099-R reporting.^[1][2]

Providers package that work differently. In the first-party pages reopened on July 31, 2026, common published base setup prices run from $3,000 to $5,495, and Benetrends publishes a separate $9,995 Rainmaker Roth Advantage setup option. Those numbers should be compared only after the quote states whether C corporation filing, state fees, registered-agent service, plan and trust documents, rollover forms, stock certificates, initial valuation support, attorney consultation, bank-account support and first-year administration are included or excluded.^{[5][6][7][8][9][10]}

The setup period is a handoff chain across the C corporation, qualified plan, trust, rollover, stock purchase and administration file. Each step must create authority and records for the next step; a provider may perform the work, prepare templates, coordinate with a third party, or require the buyer to complete an item separately.

Payer is not a formatting detail. The individual, the C corporation, the plan, a lender, a seller and a service provider are different actors. DOL guidance says plan expenses may be paid by the employer, the plan, or both, and the plan document should specify how fees are paid. It also says fiduciaries should compare providers using complete and identical information and pay only reasonable plan expenses.^[3][4]

A safe quote table has columns for service recipient, invoice recipient, cash source, due date, refund rule and whether the charge is fixed, variable or conditional. A setup deposit due before incorporation is not the same as a plan-administration fee charged after the plan exists. A state filing fee paid to a Secretary of State is not the same as a provider setup fee. A lender packaging fee is not a ROBS setup cost even if the ROBS provider also offers loan packaging.

These provider-controlled pages were reopened on July 31, 2026. They establish only what each provider publishes about its own pricing or scope on the checked page. Fees can change, promotions can expire, and the signed agreement can add limits or exclusions.

Pango requires special handling because the same checked page states a $4,695 DreamSpark setup fee and later describes a flat setup fee of $3,995. Use the higher displayed setup amount when modeling conservatively unless the written quote resolves the current price for the actual package.^[9]

A clean ROBS budget is a sources-and-uses model, not a pile of ROBS-adjacent invoices. Keep these items outside the intrinsic setup-provider subtotal unless the quote prices and includes them expressly.

Use the same worksheet for every provider. DOL fee guidance recommends giving prospective providers complete and identical information so the comparison is meaningful.^[3][4]

1. Define the transaction facts. Rollover amount, source accounts, state of incorporation, franchise or acquisition status, employee count, expected hiring date, other financing and desired closing date.
2. Normalize setup scope. Mark included, excluded, pass-through or unknown for C corporation, plan, trust, rollover, stock purchase, valuation, bank and brokerage instructions, attorney consultation and first-year handoff.
3. Convert recurring charges. Year-one provider cash = setup fee + required monthly or annual administration due in year one + mandatory priced extras due in year one - credits actually stated in writing.
4. Separate non-intrinsic project costs. Acquisition diligence, franchise fee, SBA packaging, loan interest, payroll, bookkeeping, tax return, legal review, permits, equipment, inventory, insurance and working capital stay outside setup-fee math.
5. Stress-test payer and timing. The quote should identify whether the individual, corporation, plan, or another actor pays each amount and whether it is due before incorporation, before rollover, at funding, monthly, annually, or only if an event occurs.

These examples are arithmetic illustrations using stated assumptions. They do not judge provider quality, legal compliance, valuation, tax treatment, investment suitability or business viability.

A setup provider can reduce coordination burden, but it does not replace the buyer’s duty to understand the transaction boundaries. Professional review is especially important when a plan asset may pay an invoice, the business is being acquired from a seller, employer stock is valued above a simple cash-in-shell-corporation fact pattern, outside investors or partners are involved, employees may enter soon, SBA debt is added, or the quote includes legal, tax, payroll, valuation or audit-support language without a separate engagement scope.

Use these answers to pressure-test the written quote before treating a setup fee as the full cost of the transaction.

Sources were reopened on July 31, 2026. IRS and DOL sources support transaction mechanics, fiduciary fee boundaries, provider comparison discipline and known ROBS concern areas. Provider sources support only first-party published pricing and scope statements as of the checked date.

1. [1] IRS ROBS Compliance Project

   ROBS definition, C corporation stock-purchase structure, determination-letter limitation, promoter-fee concern, valuation concern, employee-participation problems, Form 5500/Form 1120 issues, Form 1099-R concern, and business-failure findings.

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

   Typical ROBS setup sequence, case-by-case analysis, C corporation, qualified plan, rollover, employer-stock purchase, promoter-fee fact pattern, valuation concern, nondiscrimination, and prohibited-transaction development.

3. [3] DOL Meeting Your Fiduciary Responsibilities

   Written plan, trust, recordkeeping, fiduciary prudence, reasonable plan expenses, service-provider comparison, payer allocation, fidelity bond, prohibited transactions, employer-stock considerations, participant disclosures, Form 5500 reporting, and correction programs.

4. [4] DOL Understanding Retirement Plan Fees and Expenses

   Plan administration, investment, and individual service fee categories; bundled and unbundled services; employer or plan payment; identical-information quote comparison; compensation and conflict review; and ongoing monitoring.

5. [5] Guidant Financial pricing

   Provider-published 401(k) Business Financing starting at $5,495 and separate 401(k) Plan Administration starting at $149 per month; listed audit-protection, ERISA attorney access, valuation, payroll, tax, bookkeeping, and SBA packaging context.

6. [6] FranFund pricing

   Provider-published $4,995 one-time setup fee, included corporation formation, organizational documents, federal tax ID, plan and corporate checking account assistance, asset-transfer assistance, stock certificates, attorney consultation, and separate $165 monthly TPA service scope.

7. [7] Benetrends ROBS/RAPS cost article

   Provider-published Rainmaker setup fee of $4,995 and $155 monthly administration fee; Rainmaker Roth Advantage setup fee of $9,995 and $195 monthly administration fee; stated inclusion of incorporation, legal, administrative, state filing, minutes, bylaws, stock issuance, plan customization, transfer coordination, appraisal assistance, and ongoing reports.

8. [8] My Solo 401k Financial pricing

   Provider-published $3,000 setup fee including first-year annual support, corporation formation, state registration fees, bylaws, business-financing 401(k)/PSP, EINs, bank and brokerage-account instructions, transfer forms, and $899 annual fee beginning 12 months later.

9. [9] Pango Financial common questions

   Provider-published DreamSpark setup fee of $4,695 with listed setup inclusions, separate flat setup-fee statement of $3,995, $129 monthly maintenance, payment-source restriction, C corporation requirement, employee eligibility, and initial valuation statements.

10. [10] Accelefund pricing

    Provider-published $4,500 one-time setup fee with $1,000 deposit, state-fee reimbursement note, partner add-on, corporation establishment, plan setup, asset-transfer facilitation, plan and trust documents, stock subscription agreements, initial cash-value appraisal, and $99 monthly plan administration.

Use this material for education only, not as legal, tax, investment, fiduciary, valuation, accounting, lending, payroll, securities, or transaction advice.