Have you started a business but haven’t yet set up a tax-advantaged retirement plan? Fortunately, it’s not too late to set one up and save money on your 2019 taxes. You can still set up a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) for 2019, and you can make contributions that you can deduct on your 2019 tax return. Better yet, SEPs keep administrative expenditures to a minimum.
A SEP can be started as late as the due date (including extensions) of your income tax return for the tax year in which the SEP will be used for the first time. That means you can set up a SEP for 2019 in 2020 as long as you do it before the deadline for filing your 2019 tax return. You still have until the same deadline to make 2019 donations and claim a possibly large deduction on your 2019 tax return.
In order for 2019 contributions to be paid, most other forms of retirement plans would have to be established by December 31, 2019. (though many of these plans do allow 2019 contributions to be made in 2020).
You can choose how much to contribute each year with a SEP. You are not obligated to make any minimum donations each year.
What is the deadline to open a SEP IRA for 2019?
For sole proprietors and independent contractors who file their company returns on schedule C of their personal 1040 tax return, the SEP IRA contribution deadline is April 15th for prior year contributions. The April 15th deadline for 2020 has been pushed back to May 17, 2021. If the business return for the company that supports the SEP IRA is extended, the SEP IRA contribution deadline can always be extended. That would be the personal 1040 tax returns (schedule c) for sole owners, which can be prolonged 6 months to October 15th each year. The deadline for partnerships and s-corps is March 15th (company returns due), however it can be extended for another six months to September 15th. As a result, a sole owner who has extended their personal return can contribute to a SEP IRA in 2020 until October 15, 2021.
How much can I contribute to my SEP?
You can’t contribute more than the lesser of the following amounts to each employee’s SEP-IRA each year:
- $61,000 in 2022 ($58,000 in 2021; $57,000 in 2020; and later years subject to annual cost-of-living increases).
These limits apply to all defined contribution plans, including SEPs, that you design for your employees. Employee compensation of up to $305,000 in 2022 ($290,000 in 2021; $285,000 in 2020; subject to cost-of-living increases for succeeding years) may be considered. If you’re self-employed, you’ll need to do some extra math to figure out your own contributions.
Find out how to fix it if you’ve contributed more than the annual restrictions to your SEP plan.
How much can I contribute if I’m self-employed?
Contributions to SEP-IRAs made by workers are subject to the same limits as contributions made by self-employed people. When calculating the maximum deductible contribution, however, certain criteria apply. Details on calculating the contribution amount can be found in Publication 560.
Must I contribute the same percentage of salary for all participants?
The IRS model Form 5305-SEP, like most SEPs, requires you to make allocations commensurate to your employees’ salaries/wages. This means that everyone’s share of the salary is the same percentage.
Find out what you may do if you haven’t made contributions to participants’ SEP-IRAs equal to the same percentage of each participant’s remuneration.
If you’re self-employed, deduct your SEP contribution from your net profit, minus one-half of the self-employment tax. For information on calculating the contribution amount, see IRS Publication 560.
If I participate in a SEP plan, can I also make tax-deductible traditional IRA contributions to my SEP-IRA?
If your SEP-IRA allows non-SEP contributions, you can make normal IRA contributions to your SEP-IRA up to the maximum yearly limit (including IRA catch-up contributions if you are 50 or older). However, because of your membership in the SEP plan, the amount of your ordinary IRA contribution that you can deduct on your tax return may be decreased or eliminated.
If I participate in a SEP plan, can I contribute to a Roth IRA in addition to receiving contributions under the SEP plan?
A traditional IRA that holds contributions provided by an employer under a SEP plan is known as a SEP-IRA. You can contribute to a standard or Roth IRA on a regular basis and receive employer contributions to a SEP-IRA. Employer contributions to a SEP plan have no bearing on the amount you can put into an IRA on your own.
Because a SEP-IRA is a typical IRA, you may be allowed to contribute to it on a yearly basis rather than starting a new IRA account. Any money you put into a SEP-IRA, however, will restrict the amount you can put into other IRAs, including Roth IRAs, for the year.
Example 1: JJ Handyman, Nancy’s employer, contributes $5,000 to Nancy’s SEP-IRA at ABC Investment Co. based on the JJ Handyman SEP plan’s provisions. Nancy, 45, is allowed to contribute $3,000 to her SEP-IRA account at ABC Investment Co. through regular IRA contributions. If Nancy wishes to contribute to her Roth IRA at XYZ Investment Co. for 2019, she has until April 15, 2020 to do so ($6,000 maximum contribution minus $3,000 previously put into her SEP-IRA).
Example 2: JJ Investment Advisors is owned and operated by Nancy, who is 45 years old. Nancy puts the maximum amount to her SEP-IRA for the year, which is $56,000. Nancy can also contribute to her SEP-IRA on a monthly basis, if her SEP-IRA allows it, or to her Roth IRA at XYZ Investment Co. Her total conventional IRA and Roth IRA contributions for 2019 can’t exceed $6,000, and they can’t be combined with her SEP contributions.
Can I make catch-up contributions to my SEP?
Employer contributions are the only source of funding for SEPs. Only employee elective deferrals are eligible for catch-up payments. You may be able to make catch-up IRA contributions if you are allowed to make traditional IRA contributions to your SEP-IRA account.
Must I contribute to the SEP every year?
No, you are not obligated to make a contribution each year. Contributions to the SEP must be made to the SEP-IRAs of all qualified employees in years when you contribute to the SEP.
Do I have to contribute for a participant who is no longer employed on the last day of the year?
If they are otherwise qualified for a contribution, you do. A need for work on the last day of the year cannot be included in a SEP. If the employee is otherwise eligible, they must contribute to the SEP. This includes employees who pass away or quit their jobs before the contribution is made. Find out how to remedy a mistake in your SEP plan if you haven’t made a contribution for an eligible employee.
Can I contribute to the SEP-IRA of a participant over age 70 1/2?
Even if they are past the age of 70 1/2, you must contribute for each employee qualified to participate in your SEP. However, the employee must also take minimal distributions. Find out how to make up for it if you haven’t contributed to your SEP plan for an eligible employee.
When must I deposit the contributions into the SEP-IRAs?
Contributions for a year must be deposited before the due date (including extensions) for filing your federal income tax return for the year. If you get a tax return extension, you have until the end of the extension period to deposit your contribution, regardless of when you actually file your return.
You are not authorized to deduct any SEP plan contributions on that year’s return if you did not request an extension to file your tax return and did not deposit the SEP plan contributions by the filing due date for that return. Contributions may be deducted from your tax return the following year.
You must file an updated tax return as quickly as possible if you wrongly deducted SEP plan contributions on your return.
How much of the SEP contributions are deductible?
The lesser of your payments or 25% of remuneration can be deducted on your business’s tax return for contributions to your employees’ SEP-IRAs. (Each employee’s compensation is limited and subject to annual cost-of-living adjustments.) There is a specific calculation to figure out the maximum deduction if you are self-employed and contribute to your own SEP-IRA.
What are the consequences to employees if I make excess contributions?
Employees’ gross income includes excess contributions. Employees who withdraw the extra contribution (plus profits) before the federal return due date, including extensions, avoid the 6% excise tax on excess SEP contributions in an IRA. After that period, any excess contributions left in the employee’s SEP-IRA will be liable to the 6% IRA tax, and the employer may be subject to a 10% excise tax on the excess nondeductible contributions. Find out what you can do if you’ve made a mistake by contributing too much to your employees’ SEP-IRA.
If my SEP plan fails to meet the SEP requirements, are the tax benefits for me and my employees lost?
If the SEP does not meet the criteria of the Internal Revenue Code, the tax benefits are usually lost. If you use one of the IRS correction programs to remedy the error, you can keep the tax benefits. In general, your correction should return employees to where they would have been if the failure had not occurred.
Can I open an IRA in 2020 for 2019 and contribute?
You can contribute to an IRA at any time during the calendar year, up until the next calendar year’s tax day. For example, taxpayers can contribute to an IRA for the 2020 tax year at any time during the year and have until the tax deadline (May 17, 2021) to do so. This means that not only must you open the account by the deadline, but you must also have funded it.
However, because of the extended contribution window, you can begin contributing for 2021 as soon as your 2020 contributions are completed, rather than scrambling towards the end of tax season in 2022.
What if you’ve already submitted your 2020 tax return? You can always re-file your taxes and make a gift if you haven’t already done so. That’s a little more labor, but the tax advantages make it worthwhile.
What is the SEP limit for 2020?
Employer contributions to an employee’s SEP-IRA cannot exceed the lesser of:
SEP plans do not allow for elective wage deferrals or catch-up payments.
Find out how to fix a mistake where you contributed more than the annual restrictions to an employee’s SEP-IRA.
SARSEPS (established before 1997)
Prior to 1997, participants in Salary Reduction Simplified Employee Pension (SARSEP) plans could make elective salary deferral contributions. A participant’s optional deferral contributions are limited to $20,500 in 2022 ($19,500 in 2020 and 2021) or 25% of their income, whichever is less, for these plans that are still in operation. This limit does not apply to catch-up contributions. The overall contribution limit is the same as the SEP maximum (containing both employer and employee contributions but excluding catch-up payments).
Is there a catch up contribution for SEP IRA?
SEP IRAs, which solely accept contributions from employers, do not allow catch-up payments. Employers can contribute to a typical IRA set up for their employees through a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) Plan.
Can I contribute to an IRA and a SEP in the same year?
Is it possible to make contributions to a SEP IRA, a traditional IRA, or a Roth IRA in the same year? Yes, you can contribute to a SEP IRA as well as a regular IRA or a Roth IRA in the same year (if you fulfill the income requirements). Employer contributions, not employee salary deferral, are the only sources of funding for the SEP IRA.
Can I open a SEP IRA?
A SEP IRA can be opened by any business owner with one or more employees, or anybody with freelance income. Contributions are made to a traditional IRA in the employee’s name, which are tax-deductible for the company or individual. The money in a SEP IRA, like that in a standard IRA, is not taxable until it is withdrawn.
Is SEP contribution deadline extended?
- The extended deadline for submitting federal individual tax returns for 2020 is October 15.
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak, the IRS has extended the customary April 15, 2021 filing date for 2020 individual tax returns until May 17, 2021. If you were unable to file your 2020 tax return by May 17 and have been granted an extension, it will expire on October 15, 2021. Late-filing fines may apply if you do not file before the extension period expires.
If you need a K-1 from a partnership, S-corporation, or fiduciary return, the deadline has been extended to September 15. (September 30 for fiduciary returns). So, if you haven’t received that information yet, you should probably inquire.
Individual federal returns that are not filed on time are subject to a penalty of 5% of the tax payable for each month, or part of a month, that the return is not filed, up to a maximum of 25% of the tax due. If you fail to file a state return when you are required to, the state will charge you a late-file penalty. Individual returns have an extension date of October 15 in most states.
Furthermore, interest continues to accrue on any outstanding debt, now at a rate of 3% per year. This rate is subject to change on a quarterly basis.
Additional deadlines of October 15, 2021 October 15 is the deadline for the following steps in addition to the last deadline for timely filing 2020 individual returns on extension:
- FBAR Filings – Taxpayers with overseas financial accounts worth more than $10,000 at any point in 2020 must file a Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Form 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts, electronically with the Treasury Department (FBAR). The deadline for the 2020 report was originally set for April 15, however people have been given an automatic extension until October 15, 2021.
- SEP-IRAs The deadline for setting up and contributing to a SEP-IRA for the year 2020 is October 15, 2021. The deadline for regular and Roth IRA donations for 2020 was May 17, 2021. Normally, the deadline for IRA donations for the previous year is April 15, however due to the Covid-19 problem, the deadline for 2020 contributions has been extended by a month. Because May 15 fell on a Saturday, the deadline was moved to the next working day, May 17th.
- Disaster Victims A Special Note If you live in a Presidentially declared disaster region, the IRS will extend your deadlines for filing returns and making payments.
Do I need an EIN for a SEP IRA?
Although an EIN is not legally required to open a SEP IRA, most brokers and institutions do. An EIN (Employer Identification Number) is a federal business identification number that may be obtained for free from the Internal Revenue Service. SEP IRAs are available to sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations.
Employees must be over the age of 21, earn over $600.00 per year, and have worked for at least three years in the previous five years to be eligible. This period of time does not have to be consecutive.
SEP IRAs belong to the employee, but the business owner must make contributions to the account. Each plan participant’s contributions are immediately 100 percent vested. Employers are not required to make annual contributions, but if a business owner contributes to their personal account, they must also contribute the same amount to each qualifying employee’s SEP IRA. Entrepreneurs and freelancers can deduct their contributions to a SEP IRA.
Each plan has its own set of criteria, so you should get advice from an attorney or a tax professional about your personal circumstances. This information is provided solely for educational and informative reasons and is not meant to provide ERISA, tax, legal, or financial advice. If you require investing advice tailored to your personal needs, you must get such advice apart from this instructional content.
Can an LLC have a SEP IRA?
A SEP IRA can be set up by an LLC for retirement savings. Depending on whether the LLC formed for a solo owner, a company, or has workers, the rules for contributions may differ.