The retirement plan a business owner selects can be one of the more important tax decisions of their career. The right plan may allow substantial tax-deductible contributions while building retirement assets over time. The wrong plan, or no plan, can leave the owner paying current-year tax on income that may have been eligible for deferral under an appropriate retirement strategy.
AE Tax Advisors, the Billings, Montana tax advisory firm specializing in business owner and high-income tax strategy, has built specific expertise around retirement plan design for business owners and self-employed professionals. The work involves matching the specific plan structure to the business’s operational profile, the owner’s income level, employee headcount and demographics, and the owner’s longer-term retirement and exit goals.
The plan options available to business owners fall into several distinct categories.
Solo 401(k)
The Solo 401(k) is available to business owners with no employees other than a spouse. The plan allows the owner to contribute as both employee, up to the annual elective deferral limit plus catch-up contributions if age 50 or older, and as employer, up to 25 percent of compensation, subject to overall limits.
For a business owner with sufficient income, the combined contribution can exceed $70,000 annually under current limits. AE Tax Advisors works with eligible business owners to structure the Solo 401(k) and integrate the contributions into the broader tax planning relationship.
SEP IRA
The SEP IRA is simpler administratively but generally produces lower maximum contributions than the Solo 401(k). SEP contributions are limited to 25 percent of compensation up to the annual limit, with no employee deferral component.
The plan is often useful for business owners who want simplicity and are willing to accept the lower contribution ceiling, or for those with W-2 income from another source who can use the SEP only for self-employment income.
Defined Benefit Plan
The Defined Benefit Plan is one of the highest-contribution retirement plan options available to business owners. Defined benefit plans are designed to produce a specific monthly benefit at retirement, and the contribution required to fund that benefit is calculated actuarially based on the owner’s age, projected retirement date, and expected investment returns.
For an older high-earning business owner, a defined benefit plan may allow or require contributions of $150,000, $200,000, or even $300,000 or more annually, depending on the specific facts and applicable rules. These contributions may be tax-deductible at the business level when properly structured and administered.
Cash Balance Plan
The Cash Balance Plan is a hybrid structure that combines features of defined benefit and defined contribution plans. Cash balance plans are often deployed alongside a 401(k) profit-sharing structure to increase the combined deductible contribution opportunity.
The structure can be particularly useful for established business owners in their 40s, 50s, and 60s who want to accelerate retirement savings while reducing current-year tax exposure, subject to plan design, testing, funding requirements, and administration rules.
AE Tax Advisors’ Retirement Plan Selection Process
AE Tax Advisors’ approach to retirement plan selection involves working through the specific factors that determine which plan structure may produce the most appropriate outcome for each business owner.
The first factor is income level. Higher income generally favors more complex plans with higher contribution ceilings, such as defined benefit or cash balance structures for the highest earners.
The second factor is the owner’s age. Older owners may benefit from defined benefit and cash balance plans, which can allow front-loaded contributions to make up for compressed retirement timelines. Younger owners may benefit from the longer compounding horizon of Solo 401(k) structures.
The third factor is employee headcount and demographics. Plans that include employees other than the owner or spouse require careful nondiscrimination testing and may require contributions for employees that change the economics of the plan for the owner. AE Tax Advisors works through the employee impact analysis for plans involving more than the owner.
The fourth factor is the business’s expected income trajectory. A business owner with significant near-term income, perhaps because of an anticipated exit or sale, may benefit from front-loaded plan contributions in current years. A business owner with steady ongoing income may benefit from more level annual contributions.
The fifth factor is integration with the broader exit and estate plan. Retirement plan assets have specific characteristics in business sale planning, estate planning, and wealth transfer that should be considered when selecting the plan structure. The annual $7,800 advisory engagement at AE Tax Advisors includes integration of retirement plan strategy with broader long-term planning across the client’s situation.
Technical Coordination and Plan Administration
The firm’s team, including IRS Enrolled Agents and licensed CPAs led by Christina Nortman, has built experience in retirement plan design across multiple plan categories. The work is technical; the plan administration must be handled correctly, and coordination with plan administrators and actuaries, especially for defined benefit and cash balance structures, is part of the value AE Tax Advisors delivers.
For business owners who have not formally evaluated whether their current retirement plan structure is well aligned with their income level and stage, a retirement plan review can be one of the more meaningful tax planning conversations available. The contribution ceilings matter. The plan selection matters. And the difference between an intentionally designed plan and a default structure can compound significantly across years of business operation.
Disclaimer: This article is intended for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not provide tax, legal, accounting, financial, investment, retirement planning, estate planning, or business advice, and it should not be relied upon as a substitute for guidance from a qualified professional. Retirement plan eligibility, contribution limits, deductible contribution amounts, nondiscrimination testing, funding requirements, tax treatment, and plan administration rules can vary based on business structure, income, employee demographics, age, jurisdiction, and individual circumstances. Business owners should consult a licensed CPA, Enrolled Agent, tax attorney, financial advisor, retirement plan administrator, actuary, or other qualified professional before establishing, changing, or contributing to any retirement plan.
