What Steidle Pension Solutions does

Steidle Pension Solutions (SPS), founded in 1991 and headquartered in Lebanon, New Jersey, is a national Third Party Administration (TPA) firm providing retirement plan administration services exclusively to the small to mid-size employer market — defined as plans with fewer than 50 participants. The company administers 401(k), Profit Sharing, Cash Balance, Defined Benefit, and 403(b) plans, with core offerings spanning plan setup and onboarding, annual third-party administration (compliance testing, Form 5500/SAR preparation, year-end contribution calculations, participant notices), Cash Balance and Defined Benefit plan design with actuarial services, 3(16) Administrative Fiduciary Services, recordkeeping for self-directed brokerage accounts, ancillary compliance work (delinquent filer remediation, plan termination, lost participant location), and a Payroll Integration Service that automates contribution transmission directly from employer payroll systems to recordkeepers. The underlying technology is a web-based TPA platform with payroll integration connectors supporting 180°/360° data transmission, a Plan Sponsor portal for client self-service, and automated compliance testing systems. SPS does not build proprietary AI capabilities; automation is deterministic workflow-based.

The firm generates revenue primarily through recurring annual administration fees ($1,200–$2,100 base, billed as a single annual invoice) plus one-time establishment fees of $425 and optional recordkeeping add-ons. Go-to-market is hybrid: direct sales via website Request-a-Proposal forms and phone (800-630-4015) combined with an extensive channel-partner network of financial advisors, CPA firms, wholesalers/recordkeepers, and payroll providers who refer plan sponsor clients. The company explicitly differentiates through transparent published pricing, dedicated human administrators, and a small-plan specialization that avoids large-plan fee cross-subsidization. SPS has grown 100% organically since 1991 without mergers, acquisitions, or external funding, operates as a private LLC governed under New Jersey law, and offers staff a pathway to equity in the firm. Keith Steidle serves as Managing Director. The firm has been recognized as a Top Retirement Plan Service Provider 2023 by Manage HR Magazine and a Best Places to Work 2020.

Name

Steidle Pension Solutions

Legal name

Steidle Pension Solutions, LLC

Website

https://sps401k.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Steidle Pension Solutions is a national Third Party Administration firm founded in 1991 that administers 401(k), Cash Balance, and Defined Benefit plans exclusively for small to mid-size employers under 50 participants, distributing through financial advisors, CPAs, and payroll-provider partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Plan Third Party Administration

NAICS

Pharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (524292)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension) (FSAEABAE)

Keywords

• 401(k) plan administration
• Third party administration
• Retirement plan services
• Cash balance plans
• Defined benefit administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Lebanon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Plan Administration Fees: Annual fees for ongoing 401(k), Cash Balance, and Defined Benefit plan administration. Fees are billed annually (one invoice per year) with no monthly billing. Base fees range from $1,200-$2,100 depending on plan type and services included.
2. Plan Establishment/Setup Fees: One-time fees for new plan installation or existing plan transitions. Establishment fee is $425 for start-up plans or existing plan transitions.
3. Recordkeeping Services: Additional recordkeeping services provided for plans using self-directed brokerage or pooled accounts with discount/retail brokerages that do not provide recordkeeping. Added to base administration fee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Steidle Pension Solutions is a national Third Party Administration firm that provides 401(k), Profit Sharing, Cash Balance, Defined Benefit, and 403(b) plan administration services for small to mid-size employers (under 50 participants). Core offerings include plan setup, annual administration, compliance testing, Form 5500 preparation, 3(16) administrative fiduciary services, recordkeeping for self-directed brokerage plans, and a proprietary payroll integration service that automates contribution transmission from payroll providers to recordkeepers.

Product overview

Steidle Pension Solutions (SPS) is a national Third-Party Administration (TPA) firm offering retirement plan administration services since 1991, specializing in the small to mid-size plan market (under 50 participants). The core offering is the 401(k) Plan Administration suite, comprising Plan Setup and Annual Administration as the primary service modules, supplemented by Cash Balance and Defined Benefit Plan services. Add-on modules include 3(16) Administrative Fiduciary Services, Recordkeeping Services (for self-directed brokerage plans), and a Payroll Integration Service that automates contribution transmission directly from payroll providers to recordkeepers. Ancillary services cover plan termination, delinquent filer remediation, document amendments, and participant location. SPS also provides 403(b) plan administration and partners with all major recordkeepers and custodians.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 401(k) Plan Setup New plan installation and onboarding services for employers including plan design consultation, plan document preparation, participant enrollment materials, payroll upload, and website training. Covers both new plan establishment and transition of existing plans from another administrator.
• 401(k) Plan Administration Annual third-party administration for 401(k) and Profit Sharing plans including compliance testing, year-end contribution calculations, Form 5500 and Summary Annual Report preparation, participant notices, and plan document maintenance to keep plans ERISA-compliant.
• Cash Balance and Defined Benefit Plans Cash Balance and Defined Benefit plan design, installation, and annual administration combining the high contribution limits of a traditional DB plan with 401(k) portability. Includes new plan setup with contribution studies, actuarial valuation, Form 5500/Schedule SB preparation, and PBGC filing.
• 3(16) Administrative Fiduciary Services Outsourced administrative fiduciary services for plan sponsors including signing Form 5500, distributing participant notices and disclosures, approving distributions and loans, reviewing compliance testing, and monitoring plan data on behalf of plan sponsors.
• Recordkeeping Services Source-level plan recordkeeping for plans using self-directed brokerage or pooled accounts where the custodian does not provide recordkeeping. Includes annual recordkeeping by source, participant statements, and loan balance accounting.
• Payroll Integration Service Automates 401(k) contribution transmission directly from the employer's payroll system to the 401(k) recordkeeper each payroll period, eliminating manual data entry, check mailing, and census-gathering forms. Supports 180-degree and 360-degree payroll data integration.
• Ancillary Plan Services Supplementary plan services including plan termination (closing), delinquent filer services (late 5500 preparation and IRS abatement), plan document amendments and restatements, and lost participant location services.

Quantifiable outcome

• SPS sponsors mutual events to connect wholesalers with advisors, CPAs, and Plan Sponsors
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• American FundscoreTechnology or IntegrationSPS administers 401(k) plans using American Funds as the investment provider. American Funds is one of the named recordkeepers and custodians that SPS supports for plan administration.
• AscensuscoreTechnology or IntegrationSPS works with Ascensus as a recordkeeping platform for retirement plans. Ascensus is one of the approved TPAs that financial institutions hold plan assets with.
• Charles SchwabcoreTechnology or IntegrationSPS administers plans custodied at Charles Schwab, including plans using self-directed brokerage or retail/discount brokerage accounts. SPS supports SDBA arrangements with major wire houses and discount brokerages.
• Employee FiduciarycoreTechnology or IntegrationSPS partners with Employee Fiduciary as a retirement plan recordkeeper and service provider.
• Empower Financial (Great-West)coreTechnology or IntegrationSPS administers plans using Empower Financial (formerly Great-West) as the recordkeeper and investment platform provider.
• JP Morgan ChasecoreTechnology or IntegrationSPS administers plans custodied at JP Morgan Chase, providing TPA services for plans using this financial institution.
• JulycoreTechnology or IntegrationSPS partners with July as a recordkeeper and service provider for retirement plans.
• Lincoln FinancialcoreTechnology or IntegrationSPS administers plans using Lincoln Financial as the recordkeeper and investment provider for 401(k) and retirement plans.
• Manulife - John HancockcoreTechnology or IntegrationSPS partners with Manulife John Hancock for plan administration services, supporting plans custodied at this financial institution.
• MassMutualcoreTechnology or IntegrationSPS administers plans using MassMutual as a recordkeeper and retirement plan service provider.
• NationwidecoreTechnology or IntegrationSPS works with Nationwide as an approved recordkeeper and custodian for retirement plan administration.
• PCS RetirementcoreTechnology or IntegrationSPS partners with PCS Retirement as a recordkeeping platform for retirement plan administration services.
• T. Rowe PricecoreTechnology or IntegrationSPS administers plans custodied at T. Rowe Price, supporting retirement plan administration for plans using this provider.
• TransamericacoreTechnology or IntegrationSPS works with Transamerica as a recordkeeper and investment provider for 401(k) and retirement plans.
• Voya FinancialcoreTechnology or IntegrationSPS administers plans using Voya Financial as the recordkeeper and service provider for retirement plan administration.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sentinel Pension & Actuarial Services: Independent TPA offering 401(k), defined benefit, cash balance, and 403(b) plan administration to small and mid-size employers. Highly comparable to SPS in customer segment, plan-type mix, and service-led GTM.
• July Business Services: Small-plan-focused recordkeeper and TPA for 401(k), SEP, and SIMPLE plans. Listed as a recordkeeper partner of SPS, but also competes directly for the same small-business employer segment with bundled recordkeeping + administration services.
• Employee Fiduciary: Low-cost 401(k) recordkeeper and TPA focused on small businesses, known for transparent flat fees. Named as an SPS partner but competes head-to-head in the same transparent-fee, small-plan, advisor-referred niche.
• DWC - The 401(k) Experts: National TPA specializing exclusively in small 401(k) plans, with a similar pricing-transparent, service-led approach. Targets the same under-50-participant employer segment through advisor and CPA referral channels, making it a like-for-like competitor on GTM and customer profile.

Broad incumbents

• Ascensus: Largest independent TPA/recordkeeper in the US, serving retirement, education, and health savings plans. Directly overlaps with SPS on 401(k), Cash Balance, and Defined Benefit administration, but operates at national scale across all plan sizes — a much broader footprint than SPS's small-plan focus.
• ADP Retirement Services: Major payroll provider with bundled 401(k) plan services targeting small and mid-size employers. Directly competes with SPS by leveraging its payroll relationships to offer integrated 401(k) administration — the same problem SPS solves via payroll integration.
• Empower Retirement: Second-largest US retirement plan recordkeeper with full TPA and 3(38)/3(21) services through Empower's Great-West platform. SPS administers plans held at Empower but competes for the same small-plan employer if Empower bundles TPA in-house.
• Charles Schwab Retirement Plan Services: Large recordkeeper and custodian serving small, mid, and large plans; SPS administers plans custodied at Schwab. A structural partner today but a competitive threat if Schwab deepens in-house TPA offerings for the small-plan market.
• T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services: National recordkeeper with bundled recordkeeping and discretionary trustee services for 401(k) plans. Functions as both a partner (SPS administers plans custodied at T. Rowe Price) and a potential in-house substitute if it expands small-plan TPA capabilities.
• Fidelity Retirement Plan Services: National recordkeeper and bundled retirement services provider with proprietary TPA capabilities for plans of all sizes. Represents both a referral source for recordkeeping and a competitive threat if Fidelity expands its small-plan in-house TPA offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/steidle-pension-solutions-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Steidle Pension Solutions