Profit Sharing Plans Overview

Profit Sharing Plans

 

Why Profit Sharing Plans

Profit sharing plans can be a powerful tool in promoting financial security in retirement. They are a valuable option for businesses considering a retirement plan, providing benefits to employees and their employers.

A profit-sharing plan accepts discretionary employer contributions. There is no set amount that the law requires you to contribute. If you can afford to make some amount of contributions to the plan for a particular year, you can do so. Other years, you do not need to make contributions. Also, your business does not need profits to make contributions to a profit-sharing plan.

If you do make contributions, you will need to have a set formula for determining how the contributions are divided. This money goes into a separate account for each employee.

One common method for determining each participant’s allocation in a profit-sharing plan is the “comp-to-comp” method. Under this method, the employer calculates the sum of all of its employees’ compensation (the total “comp”). To determine each employee’s allocation of the employer’s contribution, you divide the employee’s compensation (employee “comp”) by the total comp. You then multiply each employee’s fraction by the amount of the employer contribution. Using this method will get you each employee’s share of the employer contribution.

If you establish a profit-sharing plan, you:

  • Can have other retirement plans
  • Can be a business of any size
  • Need to annually file a Form 5500

As with 401(k) plans, you can make a profit-sharing plan as simple or as complex as you want. You may purchase a pre-approved profit-sharing plan document from a benefits professional or financial institution to cut down on administrative headaches.

 
 


Find out if a Profit Sharing Plan makes sense for your business,
contact Vermillion Financial Advisors today.

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