Bottom line on IRA Financial
A ROBS, or rollover as business startup, generally uses a C corporation that sponsors a qualified retirement plan. Eligible retirement assets move into that plan, and the plan buys stock in the C corporation. The company receives operating capital, and the retirement plan receives employer stock rather than a diversified portfolio position.[1][2]
IRA Financial's public ROBS page says it sets up the C corporation and qualified plan, guides the final application steps with a ROBS specialist, provides ongoing maintenance, and offers live chat and phone support during business hours.[5] That is a meaningful service description, but it does not replace the business owner's plan-sponsor and fiduciary duties. The DOL says fiduciaries must prudently select and monitor service providers, understand reasonable fees, follow plan documents, provide participant information, and handle reporting and disclosure duties.[3][4]
Fees, promotion, and renewal-price questions
The reader-facing fee answer is straightforward for year-one inputs and cautious for renewals. IRA Financial's ROBS page lists a $3,500 setup fee and displayed a $1,000 first-year price with $1,200 crossed out under promo code SUMMER200.[5][7] The May 2026 fee schedule also lists ROBS at $3,500 one-time setup and $1,200 annual fee, plus activity fees.[6]
| Item | Amount | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | $3,500 | The ROBS page and fee schedule both list a $3,500 ROBS setup fee. |
| Displayed first year | $1,000 | The ROBS page showed $1,200 crossed out and $1,000 for the first year under SUMMER200. |
| Promotional first-year arithmetic | $4,500 | $3,500 setup + $1,000 displayed first-year promotional price = $4,500 before other costs, if the promotion applies. |
| Renewal or ongoing fee | Confirm in writing | The fee schedule lists a $1,200 annual ROBS fee, while the ROBS page displayed a first-year promotional price. Renewal timing and the charge that applies after year one should be written into the contract. |
The ROBS page and fee schedule both list a $3,500 ROBS setup fee.
The ROBS page showed $1,200 crossed out and $1,000 for the first year under SUMMER200.
$3,500 setup + $1,000 displayed first-year promotional price = $4,500 before other costs, if the promotion applies.
The fee schedule lists a $1,200 annual ROBS fee, while the ROBS page displayed a first-year promotional price. Renewal timing and the charge that applies after year one should be written into the contract.
The independent arithmetic is $3,500 + $1,000 = $4,500. That is not a quote and should not be treated as a complete first-year cost. It excludes state filings, custodian costs, wire fees, expedited processing, valuation work, employee events, correction work, audit costs, professional advice, termination, exit, payroll, bookkeeping, and corporate income tax unless the signed agreement includes them.[5][6][7]
Service scope and what the contract should define
IRA Financial describes itself as a ROBS provider that helps open the account, completes final setup steps with a specialist, and establishes the C corporation and new 401(k) on the client's behalf.[5] For a consumer, the practical question is how that broad support translates into annual tasks after funds move and the business is operating.
Ask for a written task list for Form 5500, employee eligibility, coverage and nondiscrimination testing, participant notices, individual benefit statements, Summary Annual Reports, Form 8955-SSA, Form 1099-R, Form 945, plan amendments, annual valuation support, fidelity bonds, data corrections, and plan termination. DOL materials make clear that hiring a provider can help with administration, but selecting and monitoring that provider is itself a fiduciary function.[3][4]
Who IRA Financial may fit, and who should compare alternatives
IRA Financial may fit a prospective owner who wants a lower published setup fee than many full-service ROBS providers, values a retirement-account platform with chat and phone support, and wants audit-protection language in the contract discussion.[5] It may also fit someone who is comfortable coordinating outside professionals for legal, tax, accounting, valuation, lender, and franchise diligence because IRA Financial's terms draw professional-advice boundaries.[7]
ROBS risks and IRA Financial's audit-protection wording
The strongest legal and fiduciary claims here come from IRS and DOL sources, not provider marketing. IRS materials say ROBS arrangements are not treated as abusive per se, but they raise case-by-case issues including discrimination, prohibited transactions, valuation, promoter fees, missed Form 5500/Form 1120 filings, employee access, business failure, and Form 1099-R questions.[1][2] DOL materials add the fiduciary process: plan documents, trusts, records, participant disclosures, reasonable fees, service-provider monitoring, employer-stock rules, prohibited transactions, bonding, corrections, and reporting.[3][4]
IRA Financial's ROBS page states "Guaranteed IRS audit protection."[5] Read that as a provider-stated promise to define in the engagement documents, not as a guarantee of audit outcome or a substitute for legal advice. The public sources reviewed here do not define whether the protection covers IRS correspondence only, full examination representation, DOL investigations, attorney or CPA fees, valuation disputes, missed filings, owner-caused errors, taxes, penalties, prohibited-transaction excise taxes, correction fees, or support after termination.
Commercial neutrality and referral credits
IRA Financial operates referral promotions. Its terms and refer-a-friend page describe a $100 first-year credit for an eligible referred friend and a $300 credit toward the referrer's future annual account fee after an eligible account is opened, funded, and verified; credits are not cash and can be subject to restrictions or modification.[7][8]
401kROBS.com may receive referral or advertising compensation from some providers. Commercial compensation does not determine this review's conclusion, and referral credits do not prove service quality, suitability, legal compliance, audit results, business success, or ranking. Provider pages support what IRA Financial says it offers; IRS and DOL pages control legal, filing, valuation, employee, and fiduciary context.
Questions to get answered before signing
Use these questions in the same written diligence process with IRA Financial and any competing ROBS provider. The goal is to turn broad service language into an engagement scope that a business owner, attorney, CPA, lender, and plan professional can understand.
- What annual fee applies after the first year, when is it billed, and does the written agreement override or incorporate the May 2026 fee schedule?
- Does annual maintenance include Form 5500 preparation, testing, employee eligibility tracking, participant notices, Summary Annual Reports, Form 8955-SSA, Form 1099-R, Form 945, amendments, restatements, and data corrections?
- Who prepares the initial and annual valuation support, is it independent, and what changes for an acquisition, new financing, sale, insolvency, or stock redemption?
- What exactly does guaranteed IRS audit protection cover: correspondence, examination representation, attorney or CPA time, penalties, taxes, prohibited-transaction excise taxes, valuation disputes, missed filings, correction fees, and post-termination support?
- Who signs as plan sponsor, trustee, named fiduciary, and corporate officer, and which duties remain with the business owner after IRA Financial completes setup?
- What are the refund, cancellation, promotion-clawback, termination, exit, wire, expedited-processing, delinquent-balance, minimum-cash-balance, state filing, registered-agent, custodian, payroll, and corporate-tax charges?
- If an SBA lender, franchisor, seller, attorney, CPA, valuation professional, or plan administrator asks for documents, what does IRA Financial provide and on what timeline?
Frequently asked questions
These answers repeat the decision points readers most often need before comparing IRA Financial with another ROBS provider.
What does IRA Financial charge for ROBS?
IRA Financial's ROBS page lists a $3,500 setup fee and displayed $1,200 crossed out with $1,000 for the first year under SUMMER200. The fee schedule lists a $1,200 annual ROBS fee, but the renewal amount, billing date, and promotion effect should be confirmed in the signed agreement.
Is the $4,500 first-year promotional total a quote?
No. It is only arithmetic from two public inputs: $3,500 setup + $1,000 displayed first-year promotional price = $4,500. It excludes state, custodian, transaction, employee, valuation, audit, correction, termination, exit, tax, legal, payroll, and corporate costs unless the written contract includes them.
Does IRA Financial provide legal or tax advice?
IRA Financial's terms say it is not a law firm and does not provide legal, financial, investment, accounting, or tax advice. Treat its service descriptions as implementation claims and use a qualified professional for fact-specific legal, tax, accounting, fiduciary, lender, or valuation questions.
Does guaranteed IRS audit protection cover DOL issues?
The public ROBS page says guaranteed IRS audit protection. The official source set reviewed here did not define DOL coverage, covered professionals, owner-error exclusions, taxes, penalties, prohibited-transaction excise taxes, valuation disputes, correction costs, or support after plan termination.
Sources checked
The review uses official IRS and DOL sources for ROBS mechanics, filing, fiduciary, valuation, employee, and prohibited-transaction context. It uses IRA Financial's own pages for provider facts, pricing displays, terms, promotion language, and referral-credit claims. No source proves individualized suitability, tax treatment, lender approval, audit outcome, service quality, business success, or editor approval.
- [1] IRS: Rollovers as Business Start-Ups Compliance Projecthttps://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/rollovers-as-business-start-ups-compliance-project
IRS page defining ROBS as retirement funds used for start-up costs through plan purchase of new C corporation stock; it discusses determination-letter limits, Form 5500/Form 1120 issues, valuation, employee access, promoter fees, business failure, and Form 1099-R concerns. Page last reviewed or updated November 16, 2025. Accessed July 30, 2026.
- [2] IRS: ROBS Examination Guidelineshttps://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/robs_guidelines.pdf
IRS Employee Plans memorandum dated October 1, 2008 describing the typical ROBS sequence, rollover or trustee transfer, employer-stock purchase, nondiscrimination, prohibited-transaction, valuation, and examination issues. Accessed July 30, 2026.
- [3] DOL EBSA: Meeting Your Fiduciary Responsibilitieshttps://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/about-ebsa/our-activities/resource-center/publications/meeting-your-fiduciary-responsibilities
DOL September 2021 publication covering written plan, trust, recordkeeping, participant information, fiduciary status, prudence, service-provider selection and monitoring, reasonable fees, employer stock, prohibited transactions, bonding, Form 5500 reporting, correction programs, and plan termination duties. Accessed July 30, 2026.
- [4] DOL EBSA: Form 5500 Serieshttps://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/employers-and-advisers/plan-administration-and-compliance/reporting-and-filing/form-5500
DOL page stating DOL, IRS, and PBGC jointly developed the Form 5500 Series for annual employee-benefit-plan reporting and that Form 5500 and Form 5500-SF filings are electronic through EFAST2. Accessed July 30, 2026.
- [5] IRA Financial: ROBS 401(k) Providerhttps://www.irafinancial.com/retirement-accounts/small-business/robs-401k/
IRA Financial ROBS page with 2026-07-21 modified metadata. It states the ROBS structure, $3,500 setup fee, displayed $1,000 first-year price with a crossed-out $1,200 figure under SUMMER200, August 31 promotional language, C corporation and qualified-plan setup, expert guidance, ongoing maintenance, live chat and phone support during business hours, 27,000+ clients, no hidden fees, and guaranteed IRS audit protection. Accessed July 30, 2026.
- [6] IRA Financial Fee Schedule, May 2026https://www.irafinancial.com/wp-content/uploads/IRA-Financial-Fee-Schedule-May-2026.pdf
IRA Financial fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, listing ROBS at a $3,500 one-time setup fee and $1,200 annual fee, plus activity fees such as account termination, wire, returned-item, delinquent-balance, minimum cash-balance, expedited-processing, and premium-enhancement fees. The public ROBS page separately displayed $1,000 for the first year under SUMMER200. Accessed July 30, 2026.
- [7] IRA Financial: Terms & Conditionshttps://www.irafinancial.com/terms-conditions/#promo
IRA Financial terms page with 2026-07-15 modified metadata. It states IRA Financial is a retirement account facilitator and document-filing/do-it-yourself document service, not a law firm, and does not provide legal, financial, investment, accounting, or tax advice; it includes SUMMER200 promotion terms, referral-program terms, website limitation language, cancellation-related promotion clawback language, and contact path. Accessed July 30, 2026.
- [8] IRA Financial: Refer a Friendhttps://www.irafinancial.com/refer-a-friend/
IRA Financial refer-a-friend page with 2026-04-19 modified metadata. It says current clients can get a $300 credit toward next year's annual fee for each successful funded referral and referred friends receive $100 off their first-year fee. Accessed July 30, 2026.