401(k) Providers
How Much Do 401(k) Providers Cost?
Real list prices from 4 401(k) products that publish them, cost by headcount, the pricing models you will meet and the fees that are easy to miss.
How much 401(k) providers cost
Published prices for 401(k) providers range from $80–$145 per month in base fees and $5–$6 per employee per month. At 25 employees, the median list cost across 4 products is $215 per month.
List prices before discounts, taxes and add-ons; quote-only vendors are not included.
Cost by company size
Betterment at Work Essential$100/mo1 + $5/employee/mo1
Human Interest Essentials$80/mo2 + $5/employee/mo2
Principal Financial Group Simply Retirement by Principal (with a TPA)$145/mo3 + $6/employee/mo4
| Employees | Betterment at Work Essential | Human Interest Essentials | Principal Financial Group Simply Retirement by Principal (with a TPA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $105/mo | $85/mo (lowest) | $151/mo |
| 10 | $150/mo | $130/mo (lowest) | $205/mo |
| 25 | $225/mo | $205/mo (lowest) | $295/mo |
| 50 | $350/mo | $330/mo (lowest) | $445/mo |
| 100 | $600/mo | $580/mo (lowest) | $745/mo |
| 250 | $1,350/mo | $1,330/mo (lowest) | $1,645/mo |
The lowest monthly cost in each row is highlighted.
Pricing models explained
- Flat fee. A fixed monthly or yearly base fee paid by the company for plan administration, common with providers aimed at small businesses.
- Per participant. A monthly or yearly charge for each participant or active employee, often added on top of a base fee.
- Percentage of assets. Investment management, and sometimes recordkeeping, charged as a share of plan assets and usually deducted from participant accounts.
- Tiered plans. Editions that add services such as fiduciary support, safe harbor design, advisor access or additional plan features at higher tiers.
- Custom quote. Larger plans or plan conversions are priced after the provider reviews assets, headcount and plan design.
Price comparison
| Product | Starting price | Pricing model | Pricing details |
|---|---|---|---|
 Fidelity Workplace Investing | $100/mo5 | Base fee + per employee | What Fidelity Workplace Investing costs |
| Human Interest | $80/mo + $5/employee/mo2 | Base fee + per employee | Human Interest pricing |
| Betterment at Work | $100/mo + $5/employee/mo1 | Base fee + per employee | Betterment at Work plans and prices |
| Principal Financial Group | $145/mo + $6/employee/mo4 | Base fee + per employee | What Principal Financial Group costs |
| Vanguard Workplace Solutions | See plans | Base fee + per employee | Vanguard Workplace Solutions pricing |
 Paychex Retirement Services | Quote only | Quote only | Paychex Retirement Services pricing |
 Empower | Quote only | Empower plans and prices |
Lowest published monthly price of a plan for 401(k) providers, cheapest first at 25 employees. “See plans”: priced on another basis; “Quote only”: no published price.
Extra and hidden costs
Human Interest
Recordkeeping and custody fee of 0.05% of plan assets, paid by employees, Investment advisory fee of 0.01% (3(38)) or 0.018% (3(21)) of plan assets, Fund expense ratios, Optional automatic rollover add-on at $10 a month2
Betterment at Work
0.25% annual advisory fee on participant assets, Additional fees or hourly charges for some compliance consulting services, Financial Coaching as a paid add-on (Pro)6
Fidelity Workplace Investing
Participant recordkeeping fee under $10 a month ($25 a quarter), 0.125% investment advisory fee on participant balances7
Principal Financial Group
Custodial fees, Investment fees, Financial professional and TPA fees, if applicable3
Vanguard Workplace Solutions
Plan installation and setup fees, Participant transaction fees for distributions and loans, Ancillary services such as self-directed brokerage accounts and financial wellness, Conversion fee, Fund expense ratios8
What drives the price
- Number of participants and eligible employees
- Plan assets and the expense ratios of the fund lineup
- Plan design, such as safe harbor, profit sharing or automatic enrollment
- Fiduciary services the provider or a partner takes on
- Payroll integration and the number of payroll systems
- Conversion work when moving from another provider
Fees to ask about before you sign:
- Fund expenses and revenue sharing deducted from participant accounts
- Setup, plan amendment and termination fees
- Per-transaction fees for loans, distributions or rollovers
- Correction costs for late deposits or failed tests
- Advisor fees billed separately from the provider
- Independent audit fees once the plan requires one
More on 401(k) providers
- All 401(k) providers, ranked
The full ranking, top picks and how to choose.
- 401(k) Providers comparison table
Every product side by side: score, price and verified features.
- 401(k) providers for mid-sized companies
The ranking reweighted for mid-sized companies.
- 401(k) providers for small business
The ranking reweighted for small business.
- 401(k) providers for enterprises
The ranking reweighted for enterprises.
- 401(k) providers for government
The ranking reweighted for government.
- HR software pricing index
Median published prices in every HR category, free to reuse.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a 401(k) plan cost an employer?
It depends on the pricing model and who pays. The Department of Labor describes administration fees, investment fees and individual service fees, and says administrative costs may be paid by the employer, charged to plan assets or covered through investment fees. Compare the total cost of each quote, including fund expenses charged to participants, not only the company's base fee.
How much do 401(k) providers cost per employee?
Published per-employee prices run from $5 to $6 per employee per month across 3 products, with a median of $5. List prices, before discounts and add-ons.
What is the cheapest 401(k) providers?
At 25 employees, the lowest published list prices are Fidelity Workplace Investing ($100/mo), Human Interest ($205/mo), and Betterment at Work ($225/mo). List prices, before discounts and add-ons.
How much do 401(k) providers cost for 50 employees?
For 50 employees, the median published list price across 4 products is $340/mo; the lowest are Fidelity Workplace Investing ($100/mo), Human Interest ($330/mo), and Betterment at Work ($350/mo). List prices, before discounts and add-ons.
Do 401(k) providers publish their prices?
Of the 7 401(k) providers we track, 4 publish a list price we can compare and 2 are quote-only (Empower and Paychex Retirement Services).
Do 401(k) providers charge an implementation fee?
Betterment at Work, Fidelity Workplace Investing, Human Interest, Principal Financial Group, and Vanguard Workplace Solutions list one; ask for it in writing with the quote.
How much does 401(k) providers cost for 10 employees?
For a 10-person team the lowest published list prices are Fidelity Workplace Investing at $100, Human Interest at $130, and Betterment at Work at $150 a month; 4 products publish a price we can compute at that size.
How this page was made
What it is built from
17 verified facts, each checked against the vendor's own pages or another primary source, most recently on Oct 24, 2026.
Method
Scored and compared with the LeadChange methodology, version 1.3. Read the methodology
Independent review
Not reviewed yet by our independent reviewer. How we review
Hands-on testing
We have not tested these products hands-on: this page uses public information only.
Who made it
The LeadChange Research Team, following a written research process. No named expert has reviewed this page. About us
Independence and errors
Who pays us never changes a score or a rank. If something here is wrong, tell us and we correct it publicly. Request a correction
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Sources
The 8 pages this page's facts come from, with the day we last checked each one. The numbers beside the figures above link here.
Quotes from the sources
- Betterment betterment.com/work/pricing“monthly base fee, billed each calendar year annually ($1,200)” “monthly record-keeping fee per participant”
- Human Interest humaninterest.com/pricing“Base fee $80 / mo” “Per eligible employee $5 / mo”
- Principal simplyretirement.com/business-owners“Pricing shown applies when working with a third party administrator (TPA).” “Custodial fees, investment fees, and financial professional and TPA fees (if applicable) are additional.”
- Principal simplyretirement.com/business-owners/why-simply-retirement“a $6 monthly fee per participating employee”
- Fidelity Investments fidelity.com/retirement-ira/small-business/401k-plans“$100 monthly fee”
- Betterment betterment.com/work/401k-compliance“For the above referenced services, additional fees and/or hourly charges may apply.”
- Fidelity Investments fidelity.com/retirement-ira/small-business/401k“$25 per quarter for record keeping”
- Vanguard workplace.vanguard.com/content/dam/inst/iig-transformation/offers/vrpa/pdf/build-your-retirement-business-with-Vanguard-Retirement-Plan-Access-Advisor-pricing.pdf“participant-incurred transaction fees for using certain services (e.g., distributions and loans), and fees for ancillary services that may be used”