Published fee
$995 + state filing fees
Lean S-Corp Optimizer service fee, covering entity setup and the documentation your CPA needs to make an S-election. A standard business LLC without the S-Corp work is $795 plus the home-state filing fee.
State filing fees, payroll services, bookkeeping and the CPA work on the election and reasonable compensation are separate. We make no representation about tax outcomes.
See the full price listWhen to raise it
Signals it may be worth discussing
None of these mean an election is right for you. They mean the conversation with your CPA is worth having.
- Contractor or 1099 income has become consistent rather than occasional
- You already operate through an LLC and profit is meaningfully above what you would pay yourself as wages
- You are willing to run real payroll, with filings and deadlines, every period
- You have a CPA who will run the numbers on your actual figures
- You want plan compensation defined by W-2 wages rather than net self-employment income
Requirements
What it commits you to
These obligations arrive with the election and do not pause when business is slow.
- Reasonable compensation: the owner must be paid a defensible wage for the work performed
- Payroll: registration, withholding, deposits and quarterly and annual filings
- A separate business bank account and clean books, kept current
- A corporate tax return in addition to your personal return
- Ongoing accounting cost that must be weighed against any benefit
- Ownership and eligibility rules that limit who may hold shares
Coordination
How the LLC, the election and the Solo 401(k) fit together
The LLC is the container
In most cases the entity itself is an LLC. An S-election is a tax election made for that entity, not a different company. That is why the LLC application is the correct starting form.
Payroll defines plan compensation
Where an S-election is in place, Solo 401(k) contributions are generally calculated from W-2 wages rather than net self-employment earnings. Setting wages too low can reduce the contribution the plan can accept.
The plan sits above both
The Solo 401(k) is sponsored by the business. Employee deferrals come through payroll; employer contributions are made by the company. Deadlines follow the payroll and tax calendar.
We do not promise tax savings. Whether an S-election helps, hurts or makes no difference is a calculation for your CPA using your actual figures.
Fit
Who it may and may not suit
May be worth exploring
- Established 1099 professionals with steady profit and an active CPA relationship
- Owner-only businesses already running payroll for the owner
- Owners who want plan compensation defined by wages
Often not a good fit
- Early or irregular income where payroll cost outweighs anything gained
- Owners not prepared to run payroll properly and on time
- Businesses with ownership or eligibility facts that rule out an election
- Anyone hoping for a tax result nobody has actually calculated
Process
How we work it through
- 1
Consultation
We map your current structure, income pattern and whether an entity already exists.
- 2
Refer the tax question out
Whether an S-election is advantageous is a calculation your CPA performs on your real numbers. We do not make that call and we do not project savings.
- 3
Entity in place
If an entity is needed, it is formed through the LLC service. If one exists, we review what documents you already hold.
- 4
Election and payroll coordination
Your CPA or payroll provider handles the election filing and payroll registration. We coordinate on the details the retirement plan depends on.
- 5
Plan alignment
The Solo 401(k) is adopted or updated so deferrals, employer contributions and timing line up with the payroll you are actually running.
Scope
Roles and limitations
What Survival 401K does
- Explain in plain terms how LLC, S-election, payroll and a Solo 401(k) interact
- Coordinate entity documents through the LLC service
- Align plan documents and contribution mechanics with your payroll setup
- Work alongside your CPA and payroll provider so nothing contradicts
What we do not do
- Advise whether an S-election is right for you, or file the election
- Set or bless your reasonable compensation figure
- Run payroll, prepare returns or provide accounting services
- Promise tax savings, refunds or any specific outcome
Questions
S-Corp FAQs
Next step
Talk it through before anything is filed
Bring your income pattern and current structure to a consultation. If an entity is the next step, the secure LLC application is the correct form - the S-election itself is filed by your CPA.
The secure application opens on this site and is submitted over an encrypted connection to the Survival 401K secure application system.