Guideline Pricing Overview

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Starter

$49.00

49 per month + $6/mo per active participant Per Month

A simplified 401(k) with limited features and easy administration.

Enterprise

$179.00

174 per month + active participant fee Per Month

Our most custom 401(k) with flexible pricing options and dedicated support.

Core

$119.00

119 per month + 8/mo per active participant Per Month

A foundational 401(k) with robust features and broad plan design options.

Guideline prices are low-cost and high-value. Our fees are 6x lower than the industry average,* and we don’t charge transaction fees—period. Plus get custom pricing options to meet your needs.

All our plans come with end-to-end administration, including recordkeeping, 5500 prep and filing,** ongoing compliance monitoring,*** 3(16) and 3(38) fiduciary services.****

Guideline has 3 pricing editions, from $49 to $179. Look at different pricing editions below and see what edition and features meet your budget and needs.

Pricing information for Guideline is supplied by the software provider or retrieved from publicly accessible pricing materials. Final cost negotiations to purchase Guideline must be conducted with the seller.

*Third-party auditor fees will apply to large plans where an audit is required. These fees are not charged by Guideline.
** This information is provided for illustrative purposes only, and is not intended to be taken as investment or tax advice.. The average investment expense of plan assets for 401(k) plans with 25 participants and $250,000 in assets is 1.37% of assets, according to the 24th Edition of the 401k Averages Book, with data updated through September 30, 2023, and is inclusive of investment management fees, fund expense ratios, 12b-1 fees, sub-transfer agent fees, contract charges, wrap and advisor fees or any other asset based charges. Guideline’s managed portfolios have blended expense ratios ranging from 0.067% to 0.069% of assets under management. When combined with an assumed account fee of 0.15%, the estimated total AUM fees for one of Guideline’s managed portfolios can be under 0.22%. Alternative account fee pricing is available ranging from 0.15% to 0.35%. See our Form ADV 2A Brochure for more information regarding fees. Expense ratios for custom portfolios will vary. These expense ratios are subject to change by and paid to the fund(s). View full fund lineup.
*** Guideline's 3(16) fiduciary services are only available to clients who utilize an eligible payroll provider.
****All plans of related entities must be administered by Guideline in order to provide compliance testing.
***** May be adjusted annually by the IRS to account for cost-of-living adjustments. Learn more.

Pricing information was last updated on February 23, 2026

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Guideline Pricing Reviews

(2)

René V.

CFO

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

9/19/2025

"Easy and effective platform"

5/5

What do you like best about Guideline?

Customer service is very diligent and also the withdraw breakdown is informative enough to understand the charges and where the money is going to. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Guideline?

It should be great if they can handle multi companies in the same portal Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Josh A.

CEO

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5/6/2025

"Once we signed, prices immediately went up"

0/5

What do you like best about Guideline?

The integration with Gusto works well and the UI overall is good Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Guideline?

When we first signed up and switched everything over to guideline, we asked a lot of questions to confirm the pricing. Within a few months of switching, Guideline meaningfully increased the pricing we pay.

And that pattern has continued. Five days ago, they enacted an 87%(!!!) increase on the AUM fee each of our employees pay.

They know its a pain to switch and they certainly leverage it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Guideline Team of Guideline

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Thank you for sharing your feedback. Your experience is important to us and plays a key role in helping us improve.

Please be assured that we’re still committed to our philosophy of straightforward, transparent fees and strive to keep our investment costs below industry standards.

Feel free to contact our team at [email protected] with any specific questions related to this change, and we would be happy to discuss your concerns further.

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