Solo 401(k) / MEAP

The Retirement Plan Built for the Self-Employed

If you’re meap-solo-401k, a sole proprietor, 1099 contractor, or single-member LLC, you have access to one of the most powerful retirement savings vehicles in the tax code. The Solo 401(k) allows you to contribute as both employer and employee, potentially sheltering well over $70,000 per year from federal income taxes.

Sole proprietors · 1099 contractors · Single-member LLCs

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What is the MEAP?

A Solo 401(k) that is actually administered.

The Solo 401(k), also known as an Individual 401(k) or Owner-Only 401(k), lets you contribute as both employer and employee. Most people set one up at a brokerage and call it done. That works until it doesn’t: until the plan grows large enough to require an independent audit, until a compliance question arises, or until the IRS starts asking about late Form 5500 filings.

TPA People, Inc. offers the MEAP, a professionally administered Solo 401(k) program designed for meap-solo-401k individuals who want institutional-quality plan management without the institutional overhead. We handle the documents, the compliance calendar, the annual filings, and the administration. You focus on your business.

Sole Proprietors

Schedule C filers and independent professionals looking to maximize pre-tax retirement savings.

1099 Contractors

Freelancers, consultants, and gig workers with self-employment income and no W-2 employees.

Owner-Only LLCs

Single-member LLCs and partnerships where all partners are owners with no eligible non-owner employees.

Who it’s for

Is the MEAP right for you?

The MEAP is designed for meap-solo-401k individuals with earned income and no full-time employees other than a spouse. Ideal candidates include:

Sole proprietors and single-member LLCs
1099 contractors and independent professionals
Owner-only businesses (a spouse on payroll is fine)
High earners who want to shelter more than $70,000 a year
DIY Solo 401(k) owners who have outgrown a brokerage setup
Anyone facing a Form 5500 filing requirement for the first time
MEAP vs. DIY brokerage Solo 401(k)

Why professional administration matters

A brokerage account opens the plan. It doesn’t keep it compliant. Here’s the difference once the plan starts to grow.

What it takes to run the plan
With the MEAP
DIY brokerage
Plan document & required restatements
 Drafted and maintained for you
Your responsibility
Compliance calendar & deadlines
 Tracked and managed
You track it
Form 5500 filing
 Prepared and filed
You file it, penalties if late
Independent audit support
 Included when required
On your own
Cash balance / DB overlay
 Designed and administered
Not available
Someone who answers your questions
 A real administrator
A general help line
2026 contribution limits

How much can you contribute?

A Solo 401(k) lets you contribute as both employer and employee, which is what pushes the total so high.

Employee elective deferralWhat you defer as the employee
$24,500
Employer profit-sharingAs the employer, up to 25% of compensation
Up to 25%
Combined employee + employerTotal annual additions limit
$72,000
Age 50–59 and 64+ catch-upAdded on top of the combined limit
+$8,000
Age 60–63 catch-upThe higher SECURE 2.0 catch-up, instead of the above
+$11,250
Eligible compensation limitMaximum pay counted for the plan
$360,000

2026 figures, per the IRS cost-of-living adjustments. Limits change annually. Confirm current limits with your plan administrator.

Ready to build, fix, or move a retirement plan?

Let’s talk. Tell us where your plan stands today and we’ll tell you, straight, what good administration looks like from here.

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