Home › Industries › Dental Practices

UPDATED FOR 2026 · 17 STATES · STATUTE-VERIFIED

Retirement mandates for dental practices, handled.

Your hygienists and assistants count toward the mandate — and a real 401(k) is a hiring edge, not just a compliance box.

Check your exposure Book a free 15-min audit

Verified to state statutes 17 states covered No obligation

Dentist and assistant conferring at the bright front desk of a modern dental practice

Compliant & covered17 states · 2026

Example exposure · VA · 21 staff

$4,200/yrCovered*

Do nothing → penalty · your plan → covered*

// why dental practices get caught out

Where the mandate bites businesses like yours.

Your clinical staff count

Hygienists, assistants, and front-desk staff are W-2 employees that count toward the threshold.

A 401(k) is a hiring edge

You compete for hygienists in a tight market — a real 401(k) with a match is a genuine recruiting advantage.

Clinicians first, admins never

Practice owners are clinicians first. Benefits administration is exactly the kind of deadline that slips.

Penalties scale with the team

Per-employee penalties add up quickly across a full practice — doctors, hygienists, assistants, and admin.

// 60-second check

What does your state actually require?

Pick your state and headcount for your real exposure — data verified against each state's own statute.

Your state

Number of employees

Informational only, not legal or tax advice.

Annual exposure · Virginia

$4,200

RetirePath Virginia · applies at 5+ employees

Get your full breakdown + a private-plan savings estimate:

// state plan vs your own

You can comply two ways. Only one builds anything.

The state auto-IRA

Compliance, nothing else

No employer match allowed
Low Roth-IRA contribution limits
One-size-fits-all investments
No tax credits for your business

RECOMMENDED

Your own 401(k)

Compliant — and working for you

Match if and when you want
Far higher contribution limits
SECURE 2.0 credits offset setup
A real recruiting & retention perk

// the part nobody tells you

Credits can offset much of the startup cost for eligible employers.

Under SECURE 2.0, small employers starting a plan can claim credits toward setup and contributions. The amount depends on your size and phases out over the first years — we model your real number, not a headline.

See what you'd qualify for

$5,000/yr

Startup credit toward administration costs, up to three years.

$1,000/emp

Toward employer contributions for smaller employers, phasing down as you grow.

Low net cost

Credits can offset much of the startup cost for eligible employers. We model your real net.

// dental practices faq

Asked by owners like you.

Do part-time hygienists count toward the threshold?

Generally yes — most state programs count W-2 employees regardless of hours. Your state's exact definition is what matters, and we verify it against the statute.

We already offer a SIMPLE IRA. Are we exempt?

A qualifying employer-sponsored plan (401(k), SIMPLE IRA, SEP, pension) generally exempts you — but most states still require you to formally certify the exemption, which we handle.

Is the state auto-IRA good enough for a practice like ours?

It satisfies the mandate, but contribution limits are IRA-level and there's no employer match — which limits its value for retention. We model both routes so you can decide with real numbers.

Find out where your dental practices business stands.

Book a free 15-minute compliance audit. We'll show your exact requirement, your real exposure, and whether your own plan saves you money.

100% freeNo obligation15 minutes

Get your free audit

Takes 30 seconds. We'll reach out to schedule.

Or call 848-400-4899