A traditional IRA or a Roth IRA are best for people with relatively low self-employment incomes, while a Self-Directed Gold IRA is a great option for those looking to maximize their retirement contributions. SEP IRAs work best for self-employed people who don't plan to have employees in the future and who want to maximize their retirement contributions. An SEP IRA is a traditional type of IRA for self-employed people or small business owners. SEP stands for Simplified Employee Pension. Contributions, which are tax-deductible for the company or individual, are deposited in a traditional IRA held in the name of the employee.
The company's employees cannot contribute, the employer can. Like a traditional IRA, the money in an SEP IRA isn't taxed until retirement. Anyone with earned income can open and contribute to an IRA, including those who have a 401 (k) account through an employer. The only limitation is on the total contributions to your retirement accounts in a single year.
Unlike SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs allow employees to make contributions to their accounts and the employer is also required to make contributions. A simplified employee pension IRA (SEP) is designed for self-employed workers and small business owners. The IRA is primarily designed for self-employed people who don't have access to workplace retirement accounts, such as a 401 (k), which is only available through employers. However, the contribution limits for the SIMPLE IRA are significantly lower than those of an SEP IRA or an individual 401 (k), and you may have to make mandatory contributions to employee accounts, which can be expensive if you have a large number of employees participating.
A Roth IRA is a type of retirement account that allows people to contribute after-tax money to an account. Self-employed individuals, such as independent contractors, freelancers, and small business owners, can set up SEP IRAs. Because IRAs are designed to save for retirement, there is usually a 10% early retirement penalty if you withdraw money before age 59 and a half. Therefore, money deposited in an IRA cannot normally be withdrawn before age 59 and a half without incurring a hefty tax penalty of 10% of the amount withdrawn (in addition to the normal taxes due).
However, keep in mind that contribution limits for accounts with tax requirements, such as IRAs, are not considered separately. If you don't have a retirement plan at work, your traditional IRA contributions are fully deductible. Individual taxpayers can set up traditional and Roth IRAs, and small business owners and self-employed individuals can set up SEP and SIMPLE IRAs. IRA plans allow for some early retirement exceptions (for things like some higher education expenses or health insurance premiums if you're unemployed).
Maintaining an SEP IRA is easier than an individual 401 (k) because it involves a low administrative burden, with limited paperwork and no annual reporting to the IRS, and has equally high contribution limits. Depending on the type of IRA you use, an IRA can lower your tax bill when you make contributions or when you withdraw money when you retire. Business owners who set up SEP IRAs for their employees can deduct contributions they make on behalf of employees. There are annual income limits for deducting contributions to traditional IRAs and contributing to Roth IRAs, so there is a limit to the amount of taxes you can avoid investing in an IRA.
