Form 5500-EZ example for a one-participant Solo 401(k)
An illustrative source-record example showing how a simple Solo 401(k) packet is organized before filing Form 5500-EZ.
Summary
Example: a calendar-year owner-only Solo 401(k) ended 2025 with $318,000 in plan assets, no non-owner employees, no liabilities, no participant loans and clean year-end statements. The $250,000 threshold means Form 5500-EZ should be reviewed. The example shows packet organization, not tax advice or official filing.
A good example ties every number to a record instead of making the form look like a guess.
| Plan year | Calendar year 2025Original deadline normally July 31, 2026. |
|---|---|
| Asset trigger | $318,000 ending assetsAbove the ordinary $250,000 exception for ongoing one-participant plans. |
| Example scope | Owner-only, on-time, no loansChange one of these facts and the workflow can change. |
Example facts
Plan sponsor: single-owner LLC with an EIN. Plan: owner-only Solo 401(k), plan number 001, effective before 2025. Plan year: 01/01/2025 through 12/31/2025. Return type: original, on-time, not first, not amended, not final, not short plan year. Records ready: prior return, plan documents, year-end brokerage statements and contribution records.
Threshold and deadline review
The plan ended 2025 with $318,000 in total plan assets. Because the amount is above $250,000 and the plan is an ongoing one-participant plan, the sponsor reviews Form 5500-EZ for plan year 2025. For a calendar-year plan, the ordinary original deadline is July 31, 2026, unless a valid extension changes the filing date.
Packet values in this example
The packet keeps the values traceable: beginning total assets reconcile to the prior-year ending record; ending total assets come from the December 31 statement; liabilities are zero only because records show no benefit claims, payables, acquisition debt or other liabilities; contributions are supported by payroll, bank, trustee or custodian records; loans are marked no only because no participant loan was outstanding at any time.
Filing method review
The example sponsor still checks the 10-return mandatory electronic filing threshold separately from the $250,000 asset trigger. If electronic filing is required or elected, the signer uses the official DOL EFAST2 IFILE path or approved software. Solo 5500 Desk does not collect credentials, sign or transmit.
What would break the example
The example stops being routine if the plan had non-owner employees, controlled-group questions, prior identity mismatches, hard-to-value assets, nonzero liabilities, participant loan problems, a final distribution, a late deadline, an amended return, an IRS notice or a request for plan-administration advice.
What Solo 5500 Desk prepares
Solo 5500 Desk turns the supported facts into a review packet, filing checklist and annual passport for $49. The sponsor remains responsible for reviewing the official form, signing, filing, preserving proof and using a professional when the facts are not simple.
Common questions
Can I copy the example numbers into my return?
No. The example shows structure only. Use your plan records, year-end statements, prior return, contribution records, loan records and official instructions.
What changes if ending assets were $240,000?
For an ongoing one-participant plan, the $250,000 exception may matter. A final plan year is tested separately, so a low or zero ending balance does not automatically mean no filing.
What changes if there was a participant loan?
Collect the loan agreement, amortization schedule, repayment record and year-end outstanding balance. Unclear, defaulted or deemed-distributed loans are outside a simple packet.
Check your own facts
Use the free calculator to separate threshold, final-year and filing-method questions before preparing a packet.
Open checkerRelated guides
Solo 401(k) $250,000 threshold for Form 5500-EZ
How the IRS $250,000 one-participant plan asset threshold works for Solo 401(k) Form 5500-EZ filing.
Solo 401(k) owner-only eligibility for Form 5500-EZ
The common-law employee question that decides whether a simple one-participant packet is still the right lane.
Which Solo 401(k) assets go on Form 5500-EZ?
How to organize beginning and ending plan assets before preparing an annual one-participant return.