Narrow scope beats vague coverage
Solo 5500 is useful only when the facts match the supported workflow. The product says no before it stretches into advice.
Back to Solo 5500 Desk
About the product
Built for the plan owner who has records, not a department.
Solo 5500 Desk exists because simple one-participant plans are often stuck between two bad options: read a dense government instruction set alone, or buy a service designed for more complex plans.
The story
Self-preparation, with a smaller promise.
The product started from a small frustration: a Solo 401(k) owner with ordinary year-end records does not always need a full plan administration relationship just to prepare a Form 5500-EZ packet.
The official instructions still matter. The filer still reviews and signs. But the repetitive part can be made clearer: scope gates first, official-source prompts second, and an annual passport so next year is not a reset.
That is the lane here. The software does not become your TPA, fiduciary, adviser, EFAST2 transmitter, or representative. It helps organize a narrow packet when the facts stay simple.
Us vs the old way
The difference is the boundary.
The product is not trying to imitate a full-service firm. It is trying to make the repeatable part of a narrow filing workflow clearer, faster, and easier to review.
| The usual route | Our lane |
|---|---|
| Start with the full IRS/DOL instruction set and decide on your own what applies. | Start with hard-stop questions before the packet opens. |
| Pay for service layers that may be built for plans with employees, complex assets, or advice needs. | Pay one software fee for a narrow self-preparation packet. |
| Rebuild the same filing context every year. | Keep an annual passport from the prior packet. |
| Treat every edge case like a software problem. | Stop when the case needs official instructions or professional review. |
Official sources beat memory
Deadlines, method rules, and filing limits are tied back to government sources, with review dates shown in the product.
Local drafts beat account lock-in
The working pattern is no account by default, browser-saved drafts, a one-shot software fee, and a reusable annual passport.
A packet is not representation
The user reviews, signs, files, and pays through the official channel unless a future service explicitly says otherwise.
Publisher
Yann Lephay
Independent software maker and publisher
Builder of narrow self-preparation software for recurring compliance paperwork: official sources first, local drafts, public limits, and no account lock-in.
The same operating pattern that shaped LMNP Facile is used here: publish the limits, cite the official sources, keep drafts local, charge once, and stop before software pretends to give individualized professional advice.