About SEP Plans

A simplified employee pension plan is an employer sponsored, tax-favored retirement plan. Unlike a traditional qualified plan, a SEP plan doesn’t need an extensive written plan document and has minimal reporting and disclosure requirements for compliance. The employer deposits contributions into the IRA account of each plan participant, not into an employer trust account, thereby simplifying the accounting process.

Establishing a SEP plan

Any type of business entity (sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation), as well as certain tax-exempt organizations, can establish a SEP plan for its employees. This is done by executing a SEP plan document, usually provided by a SEP IRA custodian. Then, each eligible employee opens a SEP IRA account with an approved custodian and the employer makes contributions to those accounts on behalf of the employees. To be valid for any given tax year, the SEP plan document must be executed and the SEP IRA accounts established and funded by the due date of the employer’s tax return, including extensions.

Investment alternatives for the employees’ SEP IRA accounts will depend on where the accounts are established. Your financial advisor can explain these alternatives to you and your employees.

SEP Plan Contributions

A SEP plan is funded by the employer and is 100% vested at all times. The SEP contribution limit is 25% of an individual employee’s compensation or $46,000 ($45,000 for 2007) and is generally allocated on a straight salary ratio basis. Social Security integration is allowed in SEP plans (only if a prototype plan is used), but this increases the administrative complexity and cost of the plan.

A SEP plan is an alternative to a profit sharing plan for a small business starting a retirement plan because contributions limits are the same. An advantage of the SEP plan is that no annual reporting of IRS Form 5500 is required.

Eligibility

Any employee who is at least 21 years old and has worked for the employer in any three of the preceding five years must have contributions made on his or her behalf, provided that in the year they become eligible, they earn in excess of the minimum indexed compensation amount ($500 in 2007 and 2008). This includes part-time employees. The employer may set less restrictive age or service requirements, but the eligibility rules must be applied on a consistent basis to all employees, including owner-employees.

Frequently Asked Questions About SEP Plans

Q. If a business owner later decides that another type of plan best suits his or her needs, can the amounts in the employees’ SEP IRA accounts be rolled over into a qualified retirement plan?
A. Yes. SEP IRA assets can be rolled over into a qualified retirement plan provided the plan accepts rollovers.

Q. If a person has a side business, but is covered by a retirement plan at his or her regular job, can he or she deduct SEP IRA contributions made based on his or her compensation from the side business?
A. SEP contributions are fully deductible (within allowable limits) regardless of active participant status in another company sponsored plan.

Q. If the business owner is self-employed, can he or she contribute 25% of his or her Schedule C earnings?
A. Not exactly. The amount that the business owner can contribute can be calculated using the three-step process illustrated below.

Calculating a Self-Employed Business Owner’s Contribution

Step one: Subtract one-half of the owner’s OASDI self-employment tax (Schedule SE) from the net profit reflected on Schedule C to arrive at the adjusted net profit (ANP).

Step two: Divide the ANP by one plus the contribution rate (1.25 for a 25% contribution). The result is earned income.

Step three: Multiply earned income by the contribution rate to determine the owner’s contribution.

Example: A business owner decides to make a 25% SEP contribution. Contributions for eligible employees have already been made, leaving Schedule C earnings of $100,000.

Advantages of a SEP plan

• Easy to set up. A SEP plan is like a “corporate IRA” established by an employer for the benefit of each employee. There are no requirements for a separate employer trust account, because each employee establishes his or her own SEP IRA.
• Tax advantages. SEP contributions are tax deductible to the employer, and all earnings are tax-deferred for the employee.
• Minimal administrative costs. Employers sponsoring SEP plans are not required to file annual plan returns like those sponsoring qualified pension or profit sharing plans.
• Contribution flexibility. An employer can make a discretionary contribution each year of up to 25% of each eligible employee’s compensation.
• Tax planning flexibility. The employer can establish a SEP plan up until the tax filing deadline (including extensions), unlike qualified pension or profit sharing plans which must be in place no later than the last day of the plan year.
• Investment flexibility. Since the employees can choose where the accounts are established, they may have a wide range of investments from which to choose.
• Limited liability. The employer’s fiduciary duty is reduced because participants in a SEP choose their own investments after establishing their SEP IRA accounts.

Helping You Establish Your SEP Plan

Based on our experience in growing our firm – and choosing and implementing benefit plans for our own associates – we at Raymond James have developed a broad base of knowledge of the needs of employers and their employees.

Your financial advisor will help you establish your SEP plan. Raymond James, as custodian, will receive contributions, provide detailed records of transactions, prepare statements reflecting all assets, make distributions and handle the tax reporting. You and your employees will receive consolidated statements reflecting all pertinent account activity during the year.

Additionally, your Raymond James financial advisor can provide ongoing support to you and your employees. This support can include listening to you and reviewing your needs, goals and objectives annually. Each employee who is eligible to participate in your SEP plan will have his or her own personal account under the plan. The account offers a variety of investment choices, including common and preferred stocks, corporate bonds, government securities, open- and closed-end mutual funds, variable annuities, CDs and REITs. These choices provide the flexibility and diversification necessary to respond to changes in both the financial markets and in every investor’s needs and objectives.

At your request, your Raymond James financial advisor can provide ongoing assistance to help you and your employees choose appropriate investments for your individual accounts. These choices would be based on a number of factors, including but not limited to age and (number of years until retirement), market conditions and risk tolerance.

Please consult with your financial advisor or tax planning professional for additional information