Principal Financial Group
Principal Financial Group Pricing
Principal Financial Group pricing from the vendor’s own pricing page: 3 plans, cost by headcount, and the extra fees to budget for.
- starting price
- $145/mo + $6/employee1
Principal Financial Group plans
Simply Retirement by Principal (with a TPA, TPA fees extra)
$6/employee/mo + $145/mo base2
Billed quarterly: $435 plus per-participant fees
- Flat-fee recordkeeping
- Online setup
- TPA fees additional
Simply Retirement by Principal (bundled)
$6/employee/mo + $185/mo base2
Billed quarterly: $555 plus per-participant fees; $500 one-time setup fee
- Automatic enrollment
- Wilshire Advisors as 3(38) investment fiduciary
- IRS compliance testing and participant notices
Principal 401(k), 403(b), 401(a) and pooled employer plans
Quote only2
Quoted
- Principal Intelligent QDIA
- Managed account service
- Plans for large institutions
Price at a glance
Principal Financial Group cost by company size
- Simply Retirement by Principal (with a TPA, TPA fees extra)$145/mo base + $6/employee/mo
- Simply Retirement by Principal (bundled)$185/mo base + $6/employee/mo
| Employees | Simply Retirement by Principal (with a TPA, TPA fees extra) | Simply Retirement by Principal (bundled) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $151/mo$5,436 over 3 yrs | $191/mo$6,876 over 3 yrs |
| 5 | $175/mo$6,300 over 3 yrs | $215/mo$7,740 over 3 yrs |
| 10 | $205/mo$7,380 over 3 yrs | $245/mo$8,820 over 3 yrs |
| 25 | $295/mo$10,620 over 3 yrs | $335/mo$12,060 over 3 yrs |
| 50 | $445/mo$16,020 over 3 yrs | $485/mo$17,460 over 3 yrs |
| 100 | Not offered | Not offered |
List prices before discounts and add-ons.
Extra and hidden costs
Price comparison
| Product | Starting price | Pricing model | Pricing details |
|---|---|---|---|
 Fidelity Workplace Investing | $100/mo4 | Base fee + per employee | Fidelity Workplace Investing plans and prices |
 Human Interest | $80/mo + $5/employee/mo5 | Base fee + per employee | What Human Interest costs |
 Betterment at Work | $100/mo + $5/employee/mo6 | Base fee + per employee | Betterment at Work pricing |
 Principal Financial Group | $145/mo + $6/employee/mo1 | Base fee + per employee | Principal Financial Group pricing |
| Vanguard Workplace Solutions | See plans | Base fee + per employee | What Vanguard Workplace Solutions costs |
 Empower | Quote only | Empower 401k pricing |
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.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Principal 401(k) cost?
Simply Retirement by Principal costs $145 a month with a TPA (TPA fees extra) or $185 a month bundled, plus $6 per participant a month; bundled plans add a $500 setup fee.
What plans does Principal offer employers?
401(k), 403(b), 401(a) and pooled employer plans; for businesses with fewer than 100 employees, Simply Retirement by Principal offers a 401(k) set up online.
Is there a setup fee for Simply Retirement by Principal?
Bundled Simply Retirement plans have a one-time startup fee of $500.
What other fees apply to a Principal 401(k)?
Custodial and investment fees apply, plus financial professional and TPA fees when a plan uses them.
Who is the investment fiduciary on Simply Retirement plans?
Wilshire Advisors LLC acts as the plan’s 3(38) investment fiduciary.
What do alternatives to Principal Financial Group cost?
Employer fees at 25 employees: $335 a month for Principal bundled, $205 a month at Human Interest Essentials, $225 a month at Betterment Essential and $100 a month at Fidelity Advantage, whose participants also pay recordkeeping fees.
How much does Principal Financial Group cost per month?
On its lowest published plan ($145 plus $6 per head), Principal Financial Group comes to about $205 a month for 10 employees and $445 for 50, at list price before add-ons and taxes; the Simply Retirement by Principal (with a TPA, TPA fees extra) plan lists at $6/employee/mo + $145/mo base. How that compares across the category: What 401(k) providers costs.
What does Principal Financial Group charge beyond the subscription?
Principal Financial Group lists 3 extra costs: Custodial fees, Investment fees, and Financial professional and TPA fees.
Does Principal Financial Group charge an implementation fee?
Yes. Principal Financial Group lists an implementation fee: $500.
Who makes Principal Financial Group?
Principal Financial Group (a 401(k) providers provider) is made by Principal. Principal was founded in 1879 and is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, USA.
How this page was made
What it is built from
14 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 1.5. Read the methodology
Independent review
Our independent review of Nov 13, 2026 asked for changes. How we review
Hands-on testing
We have not tested Principal Financial Group 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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Principal Financial Group Pricing
Sources
The 8 pages this page's facts come from. The date beside each is our last check of the facts taken from it (the oldest, when they differ). The numbers beside the figures above link here.
Quotes from the sources
- Principal simplyretirement.com/business-owners/why-simply-retirement“There’s a one-time startup fee of $500 for bundled plans, a monthly recordkeeping fee as low as $145 ($435 billed quarterly), and a $6 monthly fee per participating employee.”
- Principal simplyretirement.com/business-owners“With bundled pricing, the recordkeeping fee is $185 per month ($555 billed quarterly) plus per-participant fees.” “Pricing shown applies when working with a third party administrator (TPA).”
- Principal principal.com/businesses/protect-my-employees/retirement-plans/401k-403b-plans“Get a quote in just a few minutes”
- Fidelity Investments fidelity.com/retirement-ira/small-business/401k-plans“$100 monthly fee”
- Human Interest humaninterest.com/pricing“Per eligible employee $5 / mo”
- Betterment betterment.com/work/pricing“monthly record-keeping fee per participant”
- Principal principal.com/about-us/our-company/profile-and-offerings“We were founded in 1879 as an insurance company.”
- Principal principal.com/finpro/retirement/small-business-retirement-plans“Principal Life, and Principal Securities are members of the Principal Financial Group®, Des Moines, Iowa 50392.”