---
title: "Choosing A 401(k) TPA: A Guide To Complete Payroll Solutions’ Options"
description: Ready to offer your employees a 401(k)? Check out Complete Payroll Solutions’ 401(k) TPA offerings to see if we’re a good fit for your business.
image: https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/hubfs/401(k)%20TPA%20Complete%20Payroll%20Solutions.jpg
---

[![CPS Logo_rgb-2](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/hubfs/CPS%20Logo_rgb-2.svg "CPS Logo_rgb-2")](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com)

- Solutions 
    - - [Payroll Payroll tax filing, automated and integrated processing, paperless reporting and more.](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/payroll-outsourcing)
          - [Talent Management Personalized recruiting, onboarding, performance management, training and offboarding.](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/talent-management)
          - [HR Solutions HR support, handbook development, training, safety and compliance — all the daily tasks of people management.](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/hr-outsourcing)
    - - [Benefits Comprehensive and affordable medical, dental, retirement, workman’s comp and pre-tax savings plans.](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/employee-benefits)
          - [Time & Attendance Integrated time and attendance tracking, PTO request and accrual management, scheduling and reporting.](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/time-and-attendance)
          - [Employee Engagement Custom experiences designed to attract, engage, and retain talent to get the best from your staff.](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/employee-engagement)
    - - See How It Works
          - ![Executive Dashboard](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2021%20Website%20Update%20Images/Images/Nav-Demo-Thumbnail.png?width=250&name=Nav-Demo-Thumbnail.png)
          - [![Request a Demo](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/1885176/b949a8d0-722d-43f0-bed8-a62983a06b31.png)](https://resources.completepayrollsolutions.com/demo-request)
- Who We Serve 
    - - [Startups Start strong with personal service that will grow with you as you scale your business.](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/payroll-and-hr-startups)
          - [Small & Medium Businesses Grow and evolve with strategic guidance and all-in-one solutions for payroll, HR and benefits.](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/small-medium-business-payroll-benefits)
          - [Large & Enterprise Businesses Discover custom systems and integrations with industry-leading technology to help reduce administrative burden and increase your bottom line.](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/payroll-and-hr-outsourcing-large-business)
    - - [Industries Get an experienced partner with the insider info you need to stay compliant and ahead of the curve.](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/who-we-serve)
          - [Our Partners Close relationships with top-tier companies within their industries.](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/partnerships)
- Resources 
    - - [Blog Smart articles and lots of answers to your most asked questions.](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog)
          - [Learning Center In-depth resources designed to make your payroll, HR, and benefits experience easier.](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/resources)
          - [Employee, Federal & State Forms Up-to-date documents and links at your fingertips.](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/employee-federal-state-forms)
    - - [Tax Guide & Calendar](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/hubfs/2023TaxCalendar_FINAL_20230103.pdf)
          - [![Tax Guide & Calendar](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2023%20Tax%20Calendar%20Image.png?width=200&name=2023%20Tax%20Calendar%20Image.png)](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/hubfs/2023TaxCalendar_FINAL_20230103.pdf)
- Who We Are 
    - - [Contact Speak with an industry expert or connect with your CPS Consultant.](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/contact-us)
          - [About Us CPS is your *people partner*. Find out what that means.](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/about-us)
    - - [Careers Join CPS and become one of our people.](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/careers/)
          - [Data Security & Privacy Details about how we protect the privacy of your business and employees.](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/data-security)
- [CPS Data Events](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/hubfs/2025-announcements/cps-web-notification-event-20250310%5B87%5D.pdf)

- [Contact](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/contact-us)
- [Login](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/portal)

[Home](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/) / [Benefits](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/topic/benefits) / Choosing A 401(k) TPA: A Guide To Complete Payroll Solutions’ Options

# Choosing A 401(k) TPA: A Guide To Complete Payroll Solutions’ Options

 by [Kevin Schuler](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/author/kevin-schuler) on May 25, 2023 11:15:36 AM

[![A group of people having a discussion in a brightly lit office.](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/hs-fs/hubfs/401(k)%20TPA%20Complete%20Payroll%20Solutions.jpg?width=500&name=401(k)%20TPA%20Complete%20Payroll%20Solutions.jpg)](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/complete-payroll-solutions-401k-tpa)

If you’re ready to offer a 401(k) plan to help recruit, reward, and retain talented employees and have narrowed your choices down to just a few 401(k) TPA providers, including Complete Payroll Solutions, you may be wondering just what we can offer you and your employees. Here, we’ll dig into the options we provide.

In this article, we’ll describe our two different retirement plan services and how they compare in terms of cost, features, and services. After reading this, you’ll be prepared to decide which Complete Payroll Solutions’ 401(k) TPA offering is right for you so you can pick the best solution for your company.

## What 401(k) TPA solutions does Complete Payroll Solutions offer?

Depending on the level of support you need for your 401(k), Complete Payroll Solutions offers two different options.

### *Third-party Administration Only*

Complete Payroll Solutions’ 401(k) offerings include retirement plan administration by acting as a third-party administrator (TPA). If you’re planning to offer a 401(k) plan and want to outsource the day-to-day tasks involved with maintaining it, a TPA like Complete Payroll Solutions can take some of the responsibility off your plate.

Because of the complexities involved in managing a 401(k), relying on a TPA can be particularly valuable to small and mid-sized companies who lack the time and expertise in-house to take on these responsibilities needed to stay in compliance with the[Employee Retirement income Security Act of 1974](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/erisa-violations/) (ERISA).

### *Comprehensive 401(k) Services with CompleteK*

While you may be considering only our TPA services to help you manage your plan, another option you have with Complete Payroll Solutions is to take advantage of our full-service retirement plan services. We refer to this fully-bundled offering as CompleteK.

## What’s included with CPS’ service offerings?

The services we provide depend on which of our two offerings you choose.

### *Third-party Administration Only*

The 401(k) administrative tasks that we handle include:

- preparing and providing informational materials and statements to participants
- approving plan withdrawals and 401(k) loans
- compliance activities like annual nondiscrimination testing and Form 5500 filing

In addition, our 401(k) plan administrator offering features:

- **Custom plan design**: As you design your plan, we’ll help you select employee eligibility, vesting and contribution parameters as well as any employer matching or profit-sharing contributions you may decide to offer.
- **3(16) fiduciary**: In addition to serving as your 401(k) TPA, we can also act as a [3(16) fiduciary for your 401(k), assuming full discretionary control and taking on the liability](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/316-fiduciary-for-401k).
- **Easy setup**: We’ll draft the required IRS-approved plan documents and communicate with your employees to ensure they understand your 401(k).
- **Dedicated staff**: You’ll have an experienced and knowledgeable retirement professional as a dedicated point of contact who will work with you one-on-one to make sure you have access to the support you need every step of the way.
- Payroll integration: We provide a seamless solution by linking directly with the recordkeeper on your plan for [automatic and easy contribution processing to reduce potential regulatory penalties](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/401k-payroll-integration-benefits).
- **Year-end data collection**: Complete Payroll Solutions will handle gathering your employee census data for plan contribution and testing purposes.

If you choose to partner with Complete Payroll Solutions for 401(k) administration, it’s important to note that you’ll also need to work with a recordkeeper. We can team with any recordkeeper and even help you find one that’s best for your business.

### *Comprehensive 401(k) Services with CompleteK*

With this approach, we’ll handle 4 primary tasks associated with managing your 401(k).

- **401(k) Plan Administration:** With CompleteK, we’ll act as the 401(k) third-party administrator for your plan and take care of **all of the administrative services we just described**. The main difference with CompleteK is that instead of having to select a separate recordkeeper, we bundle these services together.
- **Recordkeeping:** One of the advantages of Complete K is that it provides integrated recordkeeping services. A recordkeeper is like a bookkeeper for your plan that uses a platform to value your employees’ 401(k) accounts on a daily basis. Employees will log into this platform to access information about their plan. Recordkeeping is also integrated with a trading platform so the recordkeeping fee paid by employees covers trading as well. 
  
  At Complete Payroll Solutions, our recordkeeping services include:
  
    - daily valuation accounting
    - unlimited intra-account transfers
    - integrated contribution processing
    - quarterly account statements 
- **Fiduciary Oversight:** As a plan sponsor, you are responsible for making sure you’re acting in the best interests of the participants. That includes offering a diverse mix of investment options and ensuring reasonable plan fees for your employees. If you lack the time and knowledge to handle this aspect of managing your 401(k), Complete Payroll Solutions can offer a[3(21) or 3(38) fiduciary](https://401kspecialistmag.com/erisa-338-and-321-whats-the-difference/) service. A 3(21) fiduciary advisor can recommend investments but doesn’t have control or discretion over them while a 3(38) fiduciary advisor can help you minimize your fiduciary liability by having full authority to make decisions about your funds.
- **Trading:** When it comes to investment options with CompleteK, we provide a diverse array of over 2,000 no-load fund choices from dozens of the most respected names in the mutual fund industry such as American Funds, Fidelity, and Vanguard. That means employees can choose from a variety of investment categories and styles to build a diversified retirement portfolio. To make it easier for participants to make investment decisions, we offer online fund data, financial planning software, and other interactive tools.

## What do Complete Payroll Solutions’ TPA services cost?

The costs of our 401(k) third-party administration services vary based on how you choose to partner with us.

### *Third-party Administration Only*

[Fees for 401(k) administration usually range from $750 to $3,000 a year](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/401k-cost) plus a per-participant fee that may run between $15 and $60 a year for each person enrolled. At Complete Payroll Solutions, **we charge a one-time $500 set-up fee and a quarterly plan administration fee of $400 plus $8 per participant**.

In addition, there may be other costs involved depending on your plan activity. Our additional 401(k) TPA fees include **$150 per amendment of the plan document**, payable at the time the amendment is completed. We also charge a **$75 one-time fee for distribution processing and a $150 one-time fee for loan processing**, both payable from the participant’s account proceeds.

### *Comprehensive 401(k) Services with CompleteK*

Since there are various service components to CompleteK, we’ll break down the cost by each category.

- **Administration**: As we described earlier, we charge a **one-time set-up fee of $500** when you decide to offer a plan with Complete K. We also charge a **quarterly plan administration fee of $400 plus $8 per participant**. Keep in mind that age-weighted and new comparability plans incur an additional $200 annual fee. Other additional fees include $150 per amendment of the plan document, payable at the time the amendment is completed, a $75 one-time fee for distribution processing, and a $150 one-time fee for loan processing, both payable from the participant’s account proceeds.
- **Recordkeeping and Trading**: To serve as the recordkeeper for your plan, we charge an **annual fee of 0.10%-0.50% of the plan assets**. This fee is paid for by the plan participants but you still have a fiduciary responsibility to make sure what they’re charged is reasonable and validated.
- **Investment Management**: Any mutual fund your employees invest in will have fund management fees from the mutual fund company that are taken out of the returns of the mutual funds. **The type of fund(s) your employees select will dictate the fee**. For example, an index fund may be less costly for employees than an actively managed international fund because there’s less trading.
- **Fiduciary Oversight**: If you choose to utilize our 3(21) or 3(38) fiduciary oversight service on your plan-level investment choices, there is an **annual charge of 0.05% of plan assets**.

## Choosing the Right 401(k) Solution for Your Business

With two different 401(k) approaches to choose from, one standalone and one bundled, we know it can be challenging to know what Complete Payroll Solutions 401(k) offering is best for your business. 

Our 401(k) TPA-only services are a good choice if you:

- already work with a recordkeeper
- want an administrator who specializes in meeting your legal obligations
- provides seamless uploads of 401(k) contributions to your product provider

Complete Payroll Solutions’ CompleteK may be right for you if you want:

- to work with one company for your 401(k) plan
- an affordable plan for your company
- flexible plan design and cutting edge technology

Does one of these solutions sound like a good fit for you? The next step is to view our detailed[pricing page](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/pricing/).

- Share Post:
- <https://twitter.com/share?text=Choosing%20A%20401(k)%20TPA:%20A%20Guide%20To%20Complete%20Payroll%20Solutions’%20Optionsurl=https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/complete-payroll-solutions-401k-tpa>
- <https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/complete-payroll-solutions-401k-tpa>

 in ![Tag Icon](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/hubfs/tags.png) [Benefits](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/topic/benefits) , [401(K)](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/topic/401k) , [Retirement](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/topic/retirement) , [CPS](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/topic/cps)

[❮ HR Outsourcing Costs: What Employer...](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/hr-outsourcing-costs)

[How To Pay Remote Workers: A Compen... ❯](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/how-to-pay-remote-workers)

Subscribe

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

 Categories

- [Benefits](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/topic/benefits)
- [Compliance](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/topic/compliance)
- Events
- General
- [HR](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/topic/hr)
- Industry
- News
- [Payroll](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/topic/payroll)
- Press Releases
- Time & Attendance

![CPS Logo](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/hubfs/CPS%20Logo_rgb-2.svg "CPS Logo")

Solutions

- [Payroll](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/payroll-outsourcing)
- [Talent Management](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/talent-management)
- [Benefits](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/employee-benefits)
- [HR Solutions](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/hr-outsourcing)
- [Time & Attendance](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/time-and-attendance)
- [Employee Engagement](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/employee-engagement)

Who We Serve

- [Startups](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/payroll-and-hr-startups)
- [Small & Medium Businesses](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/small-medium-business-payroll-benefits)
- [Large & Enterprise Businesses](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/payroll-and-hr-outsourcing-large-business)
- [Industries](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/who-we-serve)
- [Our Partners](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/partnerships)

Resources

- [Blog](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog)
- [Learning Center](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/resources)
- [Employee, Federal & State Forms](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/employee-federal-state-forms)

Who We Are

- [Contact](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/contact-us)
- [About Us](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/about-us)
- [Careers](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/careers/)
- [Data Security & Privacy](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/data-security)

Solutions

- [Payroll](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/payroll-outsourcing)
- [Talent Management](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/talent-management)
- [Benefits](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/employee-benefits)
- [HR Solutions](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/hr-outsourcing)
- [Time & Attendance](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/time-and-attendance)
- [Employee Engagement](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/employee-engagement)

Resources

- [Blog](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog)
- [Learning Center](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/resources)
- [Employee, Federal & State Forms](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/employee-federal-state-forms)
- [Pricing](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/plans-and-pricing)

Who We Serve

- [Startups](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/payroll-and-hr-startups)
- [Small & Medium Businesses](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/small-medium-business-payroll-benefits)
- [Large & Enterprise Businesses](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/payroll-and-hr-outsourcing-large-business)
- [Industries](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/who-we-serve)
- [Our Partners](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/partnerships)

Who We Are

- [Contact](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/contact-us)
- [About Us](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/about-us)
- [Leadership](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/management-team)
- [Careers](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/careers/)
- [Data Security & Privacy](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/data-security)

100.114.176.250

https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/complete-payroll-solutions-401k-tpa

Choosing A 401(k) TPA: A Guide To Complete Payroll Solutions’ Options

2026-07-15 11:31:17

© Copyright 2024 Complete Payroll Solutions: HR, Payroll, and Benefits | [Privacy Policy](https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/privacy-policy/) | One Carando Drive, Springfield, MA 01104

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Kevin Schuler",
    "url" : "https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/author/kevin-schuler"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2023-07-10T19:46:46.124Z",
  "datePublished" : "2023-05-25T15:15:36.000Z",
  "headline" : "Choosing A 401(k) TPA: A Guide To Complete Payroll Solutions’ Options",
  "image" : [ "https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/hubfs/401(k)%20TPA%20Complete%20Payroll%20Solutions.jpg" ],
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/blog/complete-payroll-solutions-401k-tpa",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://www.completepayrollsolutions.com/hubfs/CPS%20Logo_rgb.png"
    },
    "name" : "Complete Payroll Solutions"
  }
}
```