Form 5500-EZ deadline and $250,000 threshold calculator
Enter year-end Solo 401(k) facts to check the ordinary filing trigger, final-return trigger, deadline, and filing method before preparing a Form 5500-EZ packet.
Direct answer
A one-participant Solo 401(k) usually checks Form 5500-EZ when combined one-participant plan assets exceed $250,000 at year end or when the plan has a final plan year. Separately, IRS e-filing rules can require electronic Form 5500-EZ filing when the filer meets the 10-return threshold.
Inputs
Use year-end plan records and any other one-participant plans maintained by the same employer. This public tool is for simple owner-only Solo 401(k) facts.
Free Form 5500-EZ check
A Form 5500-EZ filing is usually triggered because combined one-participant plan assets are over $250,000 at year end. Confirm the official IRS instructions before filing. Solo 5500 Desk prepares a review packet only; it does not submit, sign, or transmit the return.
A Form 5500-EZ filing is usually triggered because combined one-participant plan assets are over $250,000 at year end.
What this free calculator decides
It checks the two common Form 5500-EZ triggers for a simple one-participant Solo 401(k): more than $250,000 in combined plan assets at year end, or a final plan year. It also shows the ordinary deadline for the selected plan year and prompts the filing-method check.
Output you can use
The result is a filing-status note, deadline reminder, filing method prompt, and hard-stop warning list. Solo 5500 Desk turns the same facts into a self-review packet and filing checklist for the official IRS/DOL path.
When to use a professional
Stop for late filings, non-owner employees, defined benefit or cash balance plans, foreign-plan facts, actuarial schedules, CP214 or penalty-response work, plan-administration questions, hardship-waiver questions, or uncertain asset valuation. Use a TPA, CPA, EA, attorney, or official instructions.
Example: final year below $250,000
A Solo 401(k) with $82,000 at the start of the year rolls all assets to an IRA and ends the plan. The ending balance may be $0, but the sponsor still checks the final-return Form 5500-EZ requirement because final-year status is separate from the ordinary $250,000 ongoing-plan threshold.
Example: 10-return e-filing method
If a filer is required to file at least 10 returns with the IRS during the relevant calendar year, Form 5500-EZ may need to be filed electronically through EFAST2. That filing-method check is different from deciding whether the plan must file at all.