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How to Open a Fidelity Account for the Solo 401k
How to Open a Fidelity Account for the Solo 401k
Updated over 8 months ago

Each brokerage house is different in how they classify their investment-only accounts and applications can update at any time. We have made our best efforts to provide you the most up to date applications here, but please check with Fidelity to ensure you have the right application to open an investment-only brokerage account under your Solo 401k plan and trust.

It's important to remember you're not opening a Fidelity 401k. Rather, your 401k plan and trust are opening an investment-only account with Fidelity.

Fidelity calls these types of accounts "non-prototype retirement accounts" and they are designed to work with your Solo 401k.

How to Open a Fidelity Non-Prototype Investment-Only Account for your Solo 401k

Alert: NOTE: Fidelity documents are subject to change at any time. Please visit Fidelity.com to ensure you have the most up to date application. This guide is for informational purposes only and is not a replacement for tax, legal or investment advice. If you have any questions on completing the Fidelity application or successfully completing your rollovers, we strongly suggest you reach out to Fidelity directly at (800) 544-6666.

Section 1: Account Setup

Tip: Access the Fidelity non-prototype retirement account (also known as an investment-only account) by visiting: https://www.fidelity.com/bin-public/060_www_fidelity_com/documents/applications/np_application.pdf

Enter your business and plan information

  • Sponsoring Company Name: Input your Adopting Employer name

  • Plan Name: Input your plan nam
    Please note, Fidelity wants your 401k plan name, not the trust name.

  • Plan's Permanent Address: This is your "Employer Address"

  • Mailing address: Input your business mailing address, if different than your principal business address

  • State/Country of organization: List where your business is located

  • Date Plan Established: Input the date you established your Solo 401k plan with Nabers

  • Plan Tax Identification Number: Use your Trust Tax ID number found in the EIN letter on https://app.solo401k.com/user/documents

Choose Option B and enter your information as plan participant

  • Fidelity suggests you select "Option B" (participant directed) and enter the Name and SSN of the Participant.

NOTE: If you and your spouse are co-participants and/or co-trustees in your Solo 401k, you will each open a separate non-prototype retirement account with Fidelity.

Choose "401k" as type of plan

Enter the plan trustee (your) information

Complete your citizenship and employment information

  • Use the Employer's name as listed in your plan documents for the Adopting Employer.

  • NOTE: If you and your spouse are co-trustees in the Solo 401k plan, you must list both of your names on the application, even if the Fidelity account is only for one of you.

  • Example: John & Sally are co-participants and co-trustees in their Solo 401k plan.

    • John and Sally each decide to open a Fidelity investment-only account.

    • In John's application, he's listed as participant, but both he and Sally are listed as Trustee 1 and Trustee 2

    • In Sally's application, Sally is listed as participant but both she and John listed as Trustee 1 and Trustee 2.

Unless you are affiliated with an SEC registered investment advisor or broker dealer, you can leave this section blank

Fill out the information for Trustee 2 if your spouse is listed as a trustee in your Solo 401k plan.

If your spouse is not listed as a co-trustee, leave this section blank.

Section 2: Financial Profile

Complete your financial profile and investment objectives

Section 3: Funding your account

Determine how you'll fund your account. Either check (rollover) or wire (contribution) is most common

Section 4: Account Features

Tick the box for checkwriting to receive checks for your Fidelity investment-only account

Section 5: Account Signatures

Sign and date the application

You can leave the trusted contact authorization form and account authority forms blank.

If you have a Fidelity IRA, you may need to complete a one-time withdrawal form

If you are transferring funds from a Fidelity IRA, you may need to complete a one-time withdrawal form here: https://www.fidelity.com/bin-public/060_www_fidelity_com/documents/customer-service/withdrawals-ira-one-time.pdf

One-time withdrawal form Section 1: Account Owner

Enter your name, Fidelity IRA account number, Social security number and primary phone number

One-time withdrawal form Section 2: Request Reason

In section 2, your withdrawal reason should be a direct rollover to a workplace retirement plan.

Input your 401k plan name as listed on your plan documents and Fidelity non-prototype retirement plan application

One-time withdrawal form Section 3: Distribution Amount

Enter your distribution amount. Choose "ENTIRE VALUE of your account in cash (all eligible securities will be sold)" to liquidate your IRA holdings and roll them over to your new investment-only account for your Solo 401k

One-time withdrawal form Section 4: Distribution Method

If your Fidelity investment-only (non-prototype) account is already opened, enter the account number to move funds from the Fidelity IRA into your Fidelity non-prototype retirement account

If you are moving a Fidelity IRA into an external account (such as a Nabers account or bank account), you can select "wire recipient" and input the receiving 401k bank details

One-time withdrawal form Section 5: Tax Withholding

If you are moving your Fidelity IRA directly into your Solo 401k investment account, you can elect not to have taxes withheld

One-time withdrawal form Section 6: Sign and Date

Sign and date - note if a medallion signature guarantee is required (see below)

Alert: A Medallion signature guarantee is required:

• to send a check to an alternate address or payee.
• to send a direct rollover to a workplace retirement plan AND the amount is greater than $100,000.
• to request a bank wire.
• if the address on the account has been changed within the past 10 days.
• if the withdrawal is going to a Fidelity account with no common owner.
• if the transaction is greater than $100,000.


Open Fidelity investment account: No rollovers

If you're simply opening the new investment-only account with Fidelity to get into traditional equities, then your work is done! Fund your Fidelity account with new contributions, calculated from your business income and you're ready to go!

Complete the non-prototype plan application:  Download application here

Include your full Adoption Agreement and your full trust document. These documents can be found in your 401k documents, located on your 401k dashboard.

Note: It is not required you fund the account when submitting the non-prototype retirement account application. 

Mail your application along with your full Adoption Agreement and full Trust Agreement to Fidelity at:
Fidelity Investments, P.O. Box 770001, Cincinnati, OH 45277-0036.

If you're opening the new investment-only account with Fidelity so you can transfer funds from a pre-existing Fidelity IRA or Fidelity 401k account, the please follow the transfer/rollover tips below.

There are different procedures for rolling in IRA funds or 401k funds. Let's cover rolling in IRA funds first.

Open Fidelity investment account: Rolling Over from a Fidelity IRA

  1. Open a non-prototype retirement account (application here). Include your full Adoption Agreement and your full trust document. These documents can be found in your 401k documents, located on your 401k dashboard.

  2. Complete the Fidelity IRA one-time withdrawal form (click here to open form)

  3. Complete the form to transfer between existing Fidelity accounts (transfer form here

  4. Personalize, complete and sign the rollover acceptance sample template (template sample found here): If you use this template, be sure to update the information in red to reflect your information. This simple document lets Fidelity know you are accepting the rollover as the 401k plan administrator.

Mail your application along with your full Adoption Agreement and full Trust Agreement to Fidelity at:
Fidelity Investments, P.O. Box 770001, Cincinnati, OH 45277-0036.

Note: It is not required you fund the account when establishing the non-prototype retirement account. Additionally, you can submit your transfer documents rolling over funds while you establish the new non-prototype retirement account.

What the above steps will accomplish is opening a new non-prototype retirement account, withdrawing the funds from the Fidelity IRA, transferring them to the new non-prototype retirement account with Fidelity and then accepting the rollover as your own plan administrator

Open Fidelity investment account: Rolling Over from a Fidelity 401k

  1. Open a non-prototype retirement account (application here). Include your full Adoption Agreement and your full trust document. These documents can be found in your 401k documents, located on your 401k dashboard.

  2. Complete the form to transfer between existing Fidelity accounts (transfer form here

  3. Personalize, complete and sign the rollover acceptance sample template (template sample found here): If you use this template, be sure to update the information in red to reflect your information. This simple document lets Fidelity know you are accepting the rollover as the 401k plan administrator.

Mail your application along with your full Adoption Agreement and full Trust Agreement to Fidelity at:
Fidelity Investments, P.O. Box 770001, Cincinnati, OH 45277-0036.

If you have any questions on completing your non-prototype retirement account application, please contact Fidelity at (800) 544-6666.

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