Solo 5500 Desk logoSolo 5500 DeskStart packet
Usually the last day of the 7th month after the plan year ends, so July 31 for calendar-year plans.

Prepare your Solo 401(k) Form 5500-EZ packet when your records are ready.

For simple, on-time one-participant Solo 401(k) plans only. We organize the supported plan-year facts, scope checks, warnings, and filing checklist; you complete and review every required official-form field before filing through the IRS/DOL path.

Prepare my 5500-EZ packet · $49Not sure it fits? Check first
About 10 minutes

when records are ready

$49 one-time

software fee

No account

browser draft

Free Form 5500-EZ calculatorCheck the $250,000 threshold, final-year trigger, deadline, and filing method.Deadline calendarKey dates for IRS Form 5500-EZ.

Solo 5500 Desk is independent self-help software, not a law, tax, plan-administration, fiduciary, filing, or government service. You review and file through the official path.

Packet prepared

Form 5500-EZ preparation packet, filing checklist, and annual passport.

Scope checked first

Solo business owners, consultants, physicians, and creators with a one-participant 401(k).

Annual filing record

A reusable record for next year, not a locked account.

Our verdict

If your solo 401(k) plans held more than $250,000 on the last day of the plan year, or the plan ended, you owe Form 5500-EZ by the last day of the seventh month after the plan year ends (July 31 for a calendar-year plan); Solo 5500 Desk prepares the packet from your custodian statement for $49.

Do it yourself with us

File it yourself with us when you are the only participant (with your spouse at most), the money sits at one or two custodians, and you have the year-end statement. The return is one page of numbers you already have.

Hire a professional

Hire a CPA or TPA when you have an eligible employee, a controlled group, a missed prior year, plan assets like real estate or your own business stock, or an IRS penalty notice.

Who this is not for

Not for plans with common-law employees, ROBS arrangements, defined benefit plans, or late filers looking for penalty relief.

Supported cases

Simple first, hard stops before the packet.

The product keeps the fast path narrow. It checks the supported case, prepares the packet, and sends anything outside scope to the official source or a professional.

Domestic one-participant Solo 401(k), owner/spouse or partners/spouses only
Simple defined contribution plan, original on-time return, current supported form year
Combined one-participant plan assets checked against the IRS $250,000 threshold
Mandatory EFAST2 threshold checked from the sponsor's count of IRS returns
Simple year-end statement assets, no plan liabilities or valuation complexity
Self-preparation packet only; the user signs and files through the official channel

Why this price

The recurring admin pain, without the extra layers.

The product does not sell advice. It sells a clean self-preparation workflow: collect facts, calculate the narrow packet, keep a filing record, and point you to the official filing path.

Solo 5500 Desk

Price
$49
Tradeoff
Packet preparation only; no EFAST2 transmission or retirement plan advice

CPA or plan administrator

Price
$150-$350+
Tradeoff
Higher price and often a slower intake process

IRS instructions only

Price
$0
Tradeoff
No guided packet, no passport, no annual reminder

EFAST2 or paper workflow alone

Price
$0 service fee
Tradeoff
Official filing channel, but no eligibility gate, source-number review layer, or annual passport

Official sources

Grounded in official sources — no guesswork.

Each scope rule and checklist item points back to the current forms, instructions, and authority pages listed here. Open any source and verify it yourself — nothing here is invented.

IRS Form 5500-EZ filing noticesIRS states the $250,000 asset exception and the last-day-of-the-7th-month deadline. Official source reviewed for this MVP on June 11, 2026.IRS Instructions for Form 5500-EZOfficial instructions explain combined one-participant plan assets, final returns, and electronic filing requirements. Official source reviewed for this MVP on June 11, 2026.IRS one-participant plan project resultsIRS describes common one-participant plan filing mistakes, final-year filings, and failure-to-file penalties. Official source reviewed for this MVP on June 11, 2026.IRS mandatory electronic filing for Forms 8955-SSA and 5500-EZOfficial IRS guidance on the 10-return mandatory e-filing threshold and aggregation rules. Official source reviewed for this MVP on June 11, 2026.DOL EFAST2 filer helpOfficial DOL guidance on electronic filing, IFILE, credentials, and approved software requirements. Official source reviewed for this MVP on June 11, 2026.IRS Form 5558 extensionOfficial extension form context for Form 5500-series returns. Official source reviewed for this MVP on June 11, 2026.IRS Form 14704 late-filer transmittalOfficial transmittal schedule for the Form 5500-EZ Delinquent Filer Penalty Relief Program. Official source reviewed for this MVP on June 11, 2026.IRS Revenue Procedure 2015-32Official revenue procedure establishing the Form 5500-EZ late-filer penalty relief fee framework. Official source reviewed for this MVP on June 11, 2026.Fidelity: Form 5500 information guideCustodian page: one-participant plan administrators use Form 5500-EZ; the Annual Valuation Statement is published by April 30; the employer assigns the plan number. Reviewed October 27, 2026.Schwab Individual 401(k) plan pageCustodian page text: file IRS Form 5500 annually when plan assets reach or exceed $250,000 or when you terminate the plan (page blocked automated access on October 27, 2026; text as indexed).ASPPA: Vanguard exits Individual 401(k) business in Ascensus deal (April 2024)Ascensus took over recordkeeping and client service for Vanguard Individual 401(k) plans. Reviewed October 27, 2026.U.S. Department of Labor, Form 5500 seriesForm 5500-SF can no longer be used to file one-participant and foreign plan returns; those plans file Form 5500-EZ. Reviewed October 28, 2026.2025 Instructions for Form 5500-SFEligibility (fewer than 100 participants or 80-120 rule, secure investments, audit waiver), EFAST2 only, due date, Form 5558, Form 8955-SSA not attached. Reviewed October 28, 2026.IRS, About Form 5500-EZCurrent posted versions are the 2025 form and instructions; no 2026 version as of October 28, 2026. Reviewed October 28, 2026.

Is Solo 5500 Desk a TPA or CPA firm?

No. Solo 5500 Desk is self-preparation software that structures your packet from facts you provide.

Can I use it below $250,000 in assets?

Usually you only need Form 5500-EZ above the ordinary combined one-participant-plan threshold or in a final plan year. The checker flags that distinction before you continue.

Does the $250,000 threshold apply per plan?

The IRS instructions treat the threshold as a combined total for one-participant plans maintained by the employer. Solo 5500 Desk asks you to check that before relying on the ordinary exception.

Can this handle a late 5500-EZ correction?

Not in the MVP. Late filing relief and penalty questions are outside the self-preparation lane and should be reviewed with the official IRS process or a qualified professional.

Does Solo 5500 Desk file through EFAST2 for me?

No. The MVP is packet-only. If the mandatory e-filing rules require EFAST2, you use the official DOL system or an approved provider. Solo 5500 Desk does not request or store EFAST2 credentials.

What if I have an IRS notice or need to amend a prior return?

Stop and use a TPA, CPA, EA, or attorney. IRS correspondence, amended returns, and late filing relief are outside the safe self-preparation scope.