For small and mid-sized firms, offering a 401(k) plan has historically been expensive, complex, and difficult to manage. Traditional retirement plan providers required high account balance minimums, charged many fees and, and required employers to complete a lot of administrative work. Consequently, for decades – especially for workers at smaller companies – a significant portion of the American workforce was locked out of private, employer-sponsored retirement savings accommodations.
Human Interest was created to solve the administrative burden and complexity of offering 401(k) plans. Their commitment to a high level of automation, transparent pricing, and seamless payroll integrations has established them as one of the most prominent providers of modern 401(k) plans. Is Human Interest the right fit for small business owners, though? How do the fees compare to traditional companies? What is most important to know about them?
This guide offers the most complete compilation of information and insight for Human Interest plans in 2025. You’ll benefit from the Pricing & Plan Features breakdown, an analysis of Pros & Cons, testimonials from actual clients, and a comparison to competitors. If you’re an employer considering a different retirement plan, or if you’re an HR professional assessing new alternatives, there is value in this analysis.
What Is Human Interest?
Founded in 2015, Human Interest is a technology driven provider of retirement plans, focused on providing low-cost, automated 401(k) plans to small and medium-sized businesses. Human Interest has gained a large market share for retirement plan administration due to their rapid focus on streamlining and simplifying the processes.
Instead of traditional financial institutions which use time-consuming, manually driven processes, Human Interest utilizes a fully automated process. They bypass administrative tasks manually, engage in automated systems interfacing with payroll providers, and take care of heavy compliance which tends to overwhelm many employers.
Human Interest believes that every business should have access to retirement plan benefits, which is why their focus is on any size of small businesses.
Why Human Interest Became Popular
Human Interest has been able to develop a strong customer base due to the following:
1. Accessibility for Small Businesses
Human Interest is focused on businesses with less than 100 employees, a segment that has been overlooked by traditional 401(k) providers.
2. Low, Transparent Pricing
With simple tiered pricing with monthly fees and no fees for transactions, it is easy for businesses to estimate and plan their expenses.
3. Payroll Automation
Human Interest has 100s of payroll provider partners to streamline their processes and reduce the risk of errors.
4. Compliance Support
Human Interest takes care of IRS submission, preparation of audits, getting records ready, testing for nondiscrimination, and responsibilities required of a trustee (depending on the plan tier).
5. Employee Experience
Employees enjoy a user-friendly dashboard, assorted calculators, various investments, and auto-managed portfolios.
This includes offerings that are computerized and made Human Interest a desired choice for many companies, assisting and upgrading, the offerings on a 401(k) plan.
Human Interest 401(k) Pricing (2025 Breakdown)
Cost is a huge consideration for business owners while comparing a 401(k) provider. With Human Interest, there are three primary levels of service, each of which is structured to meet the needs of companies of certain sizes and administrative complexities.
Although underlying cost structures may change due to company size or specials, the overall model remains constant:
1. Essentials Plan
This entry-level plan includes:
- Establishment of plan and onboarding of employees
- Administration and record keeping
- Payroll synchronization
- Dashboards for employees and their investment options
- Basic reports
This forever keeps with an entry-level plan suitable for tight budgeted small companies needing a compliant and functioning 401(k).
2. Complete Plan
The mid-tier plan includes everything from Essentials plus:
- Full 3(16) fiduciary services
- Nondiscrimination testing
- Error correction assistance
- Management of compliance documents
Due to the fact that it removes administrative and compliance burdens from the employers, this tier is the most common choice among small and midsize companies.
3. Concierge Plan
The most exclusive plan includes:
- An allocation of a Dedicated Account Manager
- Priority Support
- Increased Audit Support
- Compliance, Plan Design, and Support
This plan is most suitable for firms that have complicated/complex HR issues or for firms that are growing significantly in size and or revenue.
No Transaction Fees:
This is one of the most distinguishing features of Human Interest. Unlike most 401(k) providers, Human Interest does not charge employees transaction fees for:
- Trades
- Rebalancing
- Movement of funds within an account
- Loan origination
- Account withdrawals
Employees are not charged fees every time they rebalance or make adjustments to their contribution levels. Over time, employees can be considerably better off financially due to Human Interest’s no transaction fee model.
Human Interest Features and Services
We allow employers to spend less time on retirement plan administration while trying to help employees be more retirement ready.
1. Automated Payroll
One of the most profitable aspects of the company is the partnership they have with over 500 payroll providers. Human interest:
- Ensures contribution adjustments are done automatically and in real time
- Minimizes administrative errors
- Speeds up onboarding
- Improves monitoring and reporting accuracy and efficiency
With HR teams and business owners, payroll integration eliminates the repetitive work typically associated with retirement plan administration.
2. Built-in Fiduciary Services
For companies with no benefits experience, the fiduciary obligation, especially regarding ERISA, can easily become overwhelming. Human Interest takes on some of this burden in the following ways:
3(38) Investment Management
Human Interest, through its IRA affiliate, makes the selection of funds available to employees and manages those funds.
3(16) Administrative Fiduciary
Available on the higher tiered plans, this includes:
- Managing IRS Form 5500
- Signing various compliance documents
- Managing and rectifying plan level errors
- Managing and maintaining timeliness of the plan’s compliance calendar
These services defend employers against penalties of several costly ERISA breaches.
3. Investment Choices
Human Interest provides a thoughtfully constructed and limited choice of low-cost funds offered by reputable asset managers. This typically includes:
- Index funds
- Target and date funds
- Equity and bond funds
- ESG offered (depending on availability)
Automated portfolio rebalancing is offered based on the selected risk. Overall, employees are forced to make a choice within a simplified selection rather than paralyzed by a gigantic fund lineup.
4. Plan Administration and Compliance
Human Interest provides the following:
- IRS Form 5500
- Nondiscrimination testing (ADP/ACP)
- Preparation and maintenance of plan documents
- Tracking employee eligibility
- Managing plan distributions and loans
These firms experience a considerable decrease in administrative work, with an automation of these procedures.
5. Employee Experience and Benefits
Some benefits include:
- Intuitive dashboards
- Mobile access
- Retirement calculators
- Educational content
- Automatic contribution scheduling
- Easy rollover options
The platform aims to help new and seasoned investors make retirement decisions.
Human Interest Audit Relief
Human Interest offers one of the most innovative services within the industry – automated audit support (or Audit Relief). Managing a 401(K) audit for companies with 100+ employees can be costly, with 401(k) audits ranging in price from thousands of dollars.
Human Interest simplifies alleviating this with:
- Merged payroll and plan data
- Crafting audit-ready files
- Lessening the volume of manual data requests auditors usually make
- Reducing duration of audit cycles
This service can help growing companies save a lot of money and relieve a lot of worries.
Pros and Cons of Human Interest 401(K)
No retirement plan provider is without their hassles. The following is a reasonable assessment of the good and the not-so-good.
Pros
1. Transparency in their pricing – predictable and no surprises
Budgeting is more streamlined due to the fixed monthly pricing and absence of transaction fees.
2. Decreased administrative work from payroll integration
Minimizing errors and workloads due to the automatic syncing with hundreds of providers.
3. Strong fiduciary support
Human Interest assumes the bulk of the compliance work.
4. Ease of onboarding
Employees can register and get set up extremely quickly, even if they lack experience with finances.
5. Modern, easy-to-use software
The simple design of the software is appreciated by both users and companies.
6. Automated features help participation
Employee save rates are improved by auto-escalation and auto-enrollment.
The Cons
1. Setup fees may be perceived as expensive
One-time onboarding fees may be a barrier for some smaller enterprises.
2. Customer support experiences are inconsistent
Response times appear to be the primary issue for many users, both for the better and for the worse.
3. Plan design flexibility is limited
Other long-standing service providers may deliver more flexibility with plan design.
4. Some payroll integrations might need manual changes
Integration is indeed aligned, although no provider can assure effortless syncing with every system.
5. Not suited for very large, complex organizations.
Human Interest may not be able to meet the need for more flexibility larger companies typically want.
Who is a Good Fit for Human Interest?
Many types of businesses can with Human Interest, but the following types of establishments may benefit the most.
1. Small Businesses Providing Their First 401(k)
Retirement plans providers for the first time are able to appreciate:
- Low expense
- Minimal paperwork
- Quick setup
- Automated compliance
Human Interest’s vision perfectly fits with these employers.
2. Expanding Firms with Close to 100 Employees
Human Interest’s automated audit support can be a major benefit as moving over the 100 employee mark requires annual 401(k) audits.
3. Organizations With No Human Resources Of Benefits Administration
Such companies have many administrative and compliance work, which makes Human Interest most suitable for:
- Startups
- Family-owned businesses
- Mid-sized companies without benefits experts
4. Companies That Have Advanced Payroll Systems
For companies with cloud-based payroll systems, there’s a bigger advantage for automated syncing.
Human Interest Compared To Other Large Retirement Providers
To know if Human Interest is a good fit, it is valuable to look at it practically through the lens of other financial institutions and bigger retirement vendors.
Cost
Some, if not all, of the costs of traditional 401(k) vendors include:
- Asset-based fees
- Transaction fees
- Unique fees for compliance
- Extra fees for maintenance of the plan
- Cost for the plan to be altered
For small companies, the fee system that Human Interest uses is considerably less expensive.
Technology And Innovation
Unlike Human Interest, traditional vendors will conduct much of their work using a manual approach which is much more work intensive.
Adaptability
While old providers will usually have greater variety of funds and more customizable options, the extra complexity is often worthless to smaller businesses where it will lead to confusion and wasted money.
Assistance
Human Interest’s approach is designed for companies without deep HR expertise, which is a lower assumption than traditional providers. Modern providers expect more internal knowledge on benefits than Human Interest to be the case.
How to Identify if Human Interest Aligns with Your Business Needs
There are some criteria to consider when choosing a retirement plan provider:
1. What is your funding capacity?
Consider one-time setup fees together with ongoing monthly costs.
2. What is your required level of management assistance?
If you would rather have less participation, you should select a higher tier plan with fiduciary services.
3. Do you have a payroll system compatible with Human Interest?
Payroll integration saves a lot of time on manual work.
4. What is the size of your company?
Companies approaching 100 employees may receive the most benefits from audit assistance.
5. How much do you value flexibility?
If you expect to have to deal with complicated plan designs, you need to consider Human Interest against its competitors.
How to Configure a Human Interest 401(k) Plan
It is a simple, straightforward procedure providing you with these services:
Step 1: Book a consultation
A business specialist assesses your company needs and provides a detailed quotation.
Step 2: Choose a plan tier
Support levels dictate whether you select Essentials, Complete, or Concierge.
Step 3: Link payroll
To automate employee contributions, Human Interest will connect with your payroll system.
Step 4: Set plan parameters
Select the eligibility criteria, employer matching, and auto-enrollment preferences.
Step 5: Onboard employees
Employees can easily sign up through the invitations they receive, and the process takes only a few minutes.
Step 6: Continuation Overseeing
Human Interest manages reporting, compliance, payroll syncing, and changes.
Human Interest 401(k) FAQs
1. Is Human Interest Secure?
Human Interest is a licensed retirement plan provider. Also, Human Interest employs commercial standards. Human Interest does not hold client funds.
2. Is there a cost for employees?
There is no transaction fee, but on some plans, there could be participant advisory or plan administrative fees.
3. Can companies offer their employees a customized 401(k)?
Yes, but you can only add a few more than what the large legacy providers can offer.
4. What is the time frame to set everything up?
Once the payroll sync is set up, most companies will have a plan fully operational in a few weeks.
5. Are the investment options suitable for beginners?
Yes, the fund lineup is designed to be simple to help ease the employees’ overwhelm.
6. Does Human Interest allow rollovers?
Most plans allow employees to easily roll funds in or out.
7. Is Human Interest designed for really large companies?
It is designed for small to medium companies. Larger companies will likely require more customization.
Should You Remain With Human Interest in 2025?
Over the past few years, Human Interest has grown and become a popular choice 401(k) provider for small and mid-sized businesses, and rightfully so, as they provide a flexible and user-friendly platform with automated payroll services, fiduciary duty, and transparent pricing, making administrative hassles for the employer on setting up and maintaining retirement accounts easy.
Every provider has its pros and cons, and Human Interest is no exception, as they sometimes lack customer support, and is less customizable than legacy providers, but they outshine the competition in the most pivotal and important areas for small businesses ie., Pricing, automation and usability.
If your business requires a less labor-intensive, and modern 401(k) with higher employee participation rates, Human Interest is a company to consider for your needs. Just as with any important business decision, be sure to vet similar services, think strategically about your business’s future, and make sure to ask constructive questions in your consultation.
There are a myriad of solutions strategically, and with the right retirement service provider, implementing a retirement plan can be a great investment for your company and its employees, and with minimal risk.