AET

For Recordkeepers, TPAs, and Plan Sponsors

Safe Harbor IRAs for Every Plan You Run

Automatic rollovers from ongoing plans and missing participants from terminated plans go to one custodian. Send the file, and we open the accounts.

Talk to Our Team
Plan administration team working at their desks

When a Safe Harbor IRA Applies

Automatic Rollovers

A terminated participant with $7,000 or less who never makes an election can be rolled out of an ongoing plan into a safe harbor IRA.

Plan Terminations

When a plan shuts down, missing and nonresponsive participants can go to a safe harbor IRA at any balance so the plan can close.

Balances of $1,000 or Less

Plans can mail a check for the smallest balances. Many choose a safe harbor IRA instead, so the money stays saved and uncashed checks stop piling up.

Step by Step

Set up the agreement once. After that, every eligible participant has a place to go.

1
Sign the IRA Agreement
The plan enters a written safe harbor agreement with AET. We work with the sponsor, the recordkeeper, and the TPA to set it up.
2
Send the Participant File
Send eligible participants by Trust API or bulk file, on your monthly schedule or at plan termination.
3
We Open the Accounts
Each participant gets an IRA that matches the source money. Pre-tax balances go to a traditional IRA, and Roth 401(k) balances go to a Roth IRA.
4
The Funds Arrive as Cash
The recordkeeper liquidates the account and sends cash. We post it to a default investment designed to preserve principal.
5
Participants Claim Their Accounts
When a participant turns up, they verify their identity online and choose to keep the IRA, roll it elsewhere, or take a distribution.
Read: Safe Harbor IRAs When a 401(k) Plan Terminates →

Built for Recordkeepers and TPAs

Connect to AET through our Trust API and move safe harbor participants out of your system on a schedule. Our own engineers build and run the platform, and our trust company holds the accounts, so there is no outside vendor between your file and the custodian.

  • Open safe harbor and automatic rollover IRAs by API
  • Send participant files in bulk
  • AML and KYC results returned as structured responses
  • Statements, tax forms, and audit trails on demand
  • Sandbox and full documentation
Explore the Trust API →
AET Trust API for recordkeepers and TPAs

The Plan's Adviser Can Stay Involved

Some plan advisers want to keep working with participants after they leave. When a participant claims a safe harbor IRA, they can stay with the plan's adviser, and the adviser sees every account in a white-labeled Business Portal.

  • Fully white-labeled under the adviser's brand
  • See which safe harbor accounts have been claimed
  • Rollover IRAs for participants who do respond
  • Old 401(k)s found through Beagle roll into the same IRA
See Plan Rollovers for Advisers →
Plan adviser reviewing safe harbor accounts in the AET Business Portal

Why Plans Choose AET

Choosing a safe harbor IRA provider is a fiduciary decision. We are a Nevada-chartered trust company, regulated by the Nevada Financial Institutions Division, and we hold IRAs for clients every day.

  • Both automatic rollovers and plan terminations with one custodian
  • Fees no higher than our comparable IRAs, as the DOL rules require
  • Traditional and Roth safe harbor IRAs
  • Online claims with identity verification
  • SOC 1 Type II and SOC 2 Type II audited controls
Download: Plan Termination Checklist (PDF) →
Plan sponsor and AET team reviewing a safe harbor agreement

Safe Harbor and Automatic Rollover IRAs

Clear Out Small and Missing Balances

Talk to Our Team Explore the Trust API →
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