SEP IRA: Simplified Employee Pension Plan
Simplified Employee Pension Plans (SEP IRAs) help self-employed individuals and small-business owners get access to a tax-deferred benefit when saving for retirement.
Plan features
| Tax advantages |
Tax-deferred growth potential Tax-deductible contributions |
|---|---|
| Eligibility |
Must be sole proprietor, a business owner, in a partnership, or earn self-employment income by providing a service |
| Contribution rules |
Must be made by the employer Can vary each year between 0% and 25% of compensation (maximum $52,000 for 2014 and $53,000 for 2015), and each eligible employee must receive the same percentage Calculate how much you can contribute using our Self-Employed Contribution Calculator. You also can use our SEP IRA Contribution Worksheet (PDF). |
| Establishment deadline |
April 15 tax filing deadline for most self-employed individuals and small-business owners (including any extensions) |
| Administrative
responsibilities |
Employee notification of employer's contribution Employers must fill out and retain Form 5305 SEP (PDF) in their records. No plan tax filings with IRS |
| Employee
responsibilities |
Each employee must open an individual SEP IRA account. |
| Withdrawals |
Minimum required distributions starting at age 70½ 10% early withdrawal penalty if under age 59½, subject to certain exceptions |
| Investment options |
A wide range of mutual funds, stocks, bonds, ETFs, and FDIC-insured CDs |
| Support and guidance |
One-on-one guidance—in person, online, or over the phone Research and tools to help you create a long-term plan and choose investments |
Fees
| Account fees |
No annual fees, no establishment fees1 |
|---|---|
| Trading fees |
$7.95 for online U.S. equity trades2 |
Next steps
Open a SEP IRA online
or call 800-544-5373 and select option 3 to speak with a small-business retirement specialist.
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5508tridion
Rated 4.3 out of 5 by 139
reviewers.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Packfan1 Satisfied
I rate my SEP plan excellent in all categories, although customer service will always stand out as the very best. When I was trying to transfer money from another account, Fidelity was easy to work with and did all they could do to move the transaction along when I was getting delays in the process.
October 2, 2014
Rated 5 out of 5 by Fabi Great investment opportunity for self employees with SEP IRA
I'm a realtor and need to plan my retirement wisely. Because I'm self employed, I think SEP IRA is one of the best retirement options and Fidelity has low fees and the web site is easy to navigate for either checking the balance or trading stocks or bonds.
October 1, 2014
Rated 5 out of 5 by NJW Simple and Convenient
After several years of self-employment, I decided that the regular IRA was not adequate for me. I researched the different types of retirement savings and decided at the last minute that I needed to use the SEP-IRA. It was very quick and simple to set up the account and transfer funds from my other Fidelity account. Then I allocated the funds at my convenience.
October 1, 2014
Rated 5 out of 5 by Sanborn23 Easy to Navigate
I have moved two accounts into one Fidelity SEP-IRA. Great value and great information at my fingertips. Customer service is also terrific.
July 29, 2014
Rated 5 out of 5 by Haleyi25 Easy and Fun!
Setting up my SEP-IRA was quick and easy. Everyone at Fidelity took great care of me!
June 24, 2014
Rated 5 out of 5 by EduCoach I love my SEP!
I started my SEP IRA with Fidelity to maximize the ability to save money as a small business owner, and plan for a secure future. Accounts at Fidelity are easy to manage. One can be hands-on or hands-off. I am definitely a hands-on, active investor, and my SEP has provided a tax saving advantage for my small business that gives me the peace of mind to know I am building for my future by maximizing contributions towards my retirement. The availability of choices at Fidelity, from mutual and index funds, to ETFs, to individual stocks, make this SEP a clear winner over companies in which plan investments are limited. I recommend Fidelity every day to colleagues, friends, and family.
February 23, 2013
Rated 5 out of 5 by MichaelT SEP IRA Rev
Amazing. One of the best things I could have done as a small business owner. I owned a small business for 18 years and the SEP IRA was such a benifit people know all the time. The SEP is a perk all small business owners should take advantage of. I used to love the day when,prior to tax time, I wrote my SEP contribution check I let people know all the time.
February 20, 2013
Rated 5 out of 5 by Ken999 Convenient, Low Cost, Effective
The simplicity of working with the SEP IRA account is the first quality that comes to mind. Understandability and simplicity of the statements and full functionality via the web interface are excellent in all regards. As with all of my accounts with Fidelity, I am confident that they are secure.
February 18, 2013
Rated 4 out of 5 by MissBelgravia Good Experience
I had a great meeting with the agent who set up my accounts, and customer service has been perfect ever since. The only issue I have is that I have to reset my password every time I come onto the site. The solution I was given by a customer service agent didn't work. If it's because I use a MAC instead of a PC, I wish that could be fixed. But that's a small inconvenience, and I'm very happy with Fidelity.
February 23, 2015
Rated 5 out of 5 by VWS CEO Veteran Writing Services LLC
As a new small business owner, Fidelity provided the exact information I needed to make a decision on the right plan for my situation. The agents were very knowledgeable and courteous and walked me through all options. This could not have been any easier. I look forward to doing business with my new partner.
February 11, 2015
Rated 5 out of 5 by Alydog SEP/IRA, Reliable
I am fairly self-sufficient and I find that this Fidelity program works well with what I use it for. I have this on my Fidelity App also and can easily review each day while not at the office.
I have several Watch Lists, one is the SEP, one is the Joint and one is a looksee of various stocks and funds that I watch out for. So without logging in it is a great convenience for me.
February 10, 2015
Rated 5 out of 5 by Adam Great but one comment
Love it, but one comment would like more options to toggle the view / default view on my 'positions' page. I want to see how its performed $/time ie change since purchase isn't very helpful when i've bought things at different times. Annualized return since purchase or something similar would be a more effective metric. Also a better easy view of overall performance (say in the last month or year) including sold assets.
February 2, 2015
Rated 5 out of 5 by JRS Better than other brokerage accounts
As a recently retired financial adviser I have seen many brokerage accounts. The Fidelity account is much easier to use and is more feature rich.
December 26, 2014
Rated 5 out of 5 by John P No Complaints. Great Value.
I am totally satisfied with my Fidelity SEP IRA. Fidelity made it easy to transfer to Fidelity and were there to answer all questions and guide me as necessary. Good Job!!
December 9, 2014
Rated 4 out of 5 by Stacypay Almost Perfect
Great option for retirement, easy to open, however you can not transfer money to this account online. You must call to add a new contribution each time.
November 23, 2014
Rated 5 out of 5 by sep My money is safe here.
Fidelity is such a pleasurable company to work with. They listen to what their clients want. Simply the best.
Lee Cantor
November 11, 2014
Rated 4 out of 5 by Jumbo A place to put retirement money
My SEP is like an unknown to me. I put money in and hope for the future.
October 22, 2014
Rated 1 out of 5 by Alan H. SEP-IRA
The worst product on the market coupled with terrible customer service. No matter how many times I request the EFT option to transfer funds from my bank to my SEP-IRA, fidelity can't seem to make it happen. Basically, you're left with an account that you can't use unless you want to make a phone call every time you want to transfer funds. It really makes saving for retirement extremely inconvenient.
October 14, 2014
Rated 4 out of 5 by Eileen Efficient
Easy to quickly open and fund an account. Consistent communications regarding investment strategies.
October 7, 2014
Rated 4 out of 5 by Joe SEP-IRA
The only slightly negative would be the lack of being able to electonically transfer funds into account.
September 27, 2014
Rated 1 out of 5 by D No Idea!
I went to the Paramus, NJ branch to get this set up and have reached out a handful of times to figure out how to get it set up and can't get anyone to help.
September 17, 2014
Rated 3 out of 5 by MM annoyed.
it's annoying i can't have a monthly sweep from my bank account to Fidelity. i'm supposed to call in every month and you know i don't do it.
September 16, 2014
Rated 5 out of 5 by lkgh very happy with SEP-IRA
Fidelity staff was very helpful & knowledgeable. Was as easy as could be and investment options are virtually unlimited. Highly recommended.
August 29, 2014
Rated 5 out of 5 by Responder Fast and Easy
The website is pretty easy to navigate and loaded with research.
August 8, 2014
Rated 5 out of 5 by Ensign Jack SEP IRA
My experience with Fidelity has been good.
The web site works quite well.
July 29, 2014
Rated 3 out of 5 by Savings Blah
Have not heard back from my investment professional after several attempts.
July 15, 2014
Rated 4 out of 5 by skk13 SEP IRA Review
The convenience is that I have most of my retirement in Fidelity 401K so great that an SEP IRA was available as its my current employers retirement vehicle. I have not been active in managing this and am not sure if its invested properly - or even if I have options to do so.
June 10, 2014
Rated 3 out of 5 by Michael C. SEP IRA capability terrific; online reporting miserable
I like everything about the functionality of the Fidelity SEP IRA. However, up-to-date information about current year withdrawals, deposits & ROTH conversions do not exist. The only way to get the information is thru the excruciating process of reviewing the detailed transaction history.
May 30, 2014
Rated 5 out of 5 by Jim Quick and Competent
Very easy to open an IRA-SEP at Fidelity, and the prompts are easy to understand.
May 21, 2014
Rated 4 out of 5 by SmBiz67 Good plan for small business
The Fidelity SEP IRA is a good choice for my small business, as it gives me the necessary flexibility while still providing a good alternative to a 401K. The only downside that I currently see is that to transfer monies into the account, I need to send a check or call a representative to have the electronic transfer initiated from the Fidelity side. I'd prefer to be able to initiate the electronic transfer myself.
May 14, 2014