Company Retirement Account

If you're the administrator of an established customized retirement plan, a Schwab Company Retirement Account (CRA) might be right for you. A Schwab CRA (also known as a "pension trust") holds your plan’s assets, gives you expanded investment options, and lets you access Schwab’s retirement planning tools, research, and resources.

Overview

  • What are the fees and commissions?

    • $0 account open or maintenance fees. Other account fees, fund expenses, and brokerage commissions may apply1.
    • $0 per online listed equity trades.

  • What are the benefits of a Company Retirement Account?

    Every Schwab account comes with investment help and guidance. With this account, you can also get:

    • A full range of investment options
    • Flexibility to invest the plan’s assets in a single account, or establish a separate account for each plan participant for self-directed investments2
    • Professional-level proprietary and third-party research and tools
    • Expert perspective on today's markets
    • 24/7 service and support

Account Pricing

  • $0 Minimum opening deposit. Other fees may apply. Learn more about our fees and minimums.

  • $0 Account open or maintenance fees. Other account fees, fund expenses, and brokerage commissions may apply1.

Related questions

Have questions about our Company Retirement Account? Here are responses to some of the most common questions we hear. If you have a question about your specific situation that is not answered here, please call us at 800-435-4000.

No. A CRA is a brokerage account that holds the assets of a customized retirement plan that you have established elsewhere. Opening a CRA does not establish a retirement plan, but certifies that you have established your plan using an individually designed or standard plan document.

If you have already established a customized retirement plan and you wish to open a Company Retirement Account, see the Establish Your Account section for detailed instructions.

A CRA may be right for:

  • A business owner or plan administrator with an established retirement plan
  • Companies interested in using a customized plan document or working with a specific plan administrator
  • Businesses that have their own retirement plan or trust document and want to invest all or part of the plan assets at Schwab

As an employer, you can establish your CRA in one of two ways:

  • You can manage all of your plan assets in a single Master Account for your trust.
  • Or, you can open a separate account for each of your plan participants. You can also allow them to manage their own investments.1

Your plan administrator or trustee is responsible for tracking contributions and distributions and for any necessary IRS reporting. As the custodian of CRA assets—not the plan sponsor—Schwab does not provide any tax reporting or plan administration on these accounts.

It is important to consult with your plan administrator prior to withdrawing funds from your Schwab CRA. He or she can tell you whether the withdrawal will be considered a prohibited transaction under the guidelines of the plan document, and can also make sure the withdrawal is properly reported.

Establish Your Account

Follow these instructions to establish your Schwab Company Retirement Account or call  for assistance.

Step 1 – Review the Schwab ERISA 408(b)(2) Disclosure
If you are establishing a new Company Retirement Account, review the Schwab ERISA 408(b)(2) Disclosure before opening the account.

If you would like additional fee information about specific funds for your plan, call 800-310-6898.

Step 2 – Open your Company Retirement Account
Download, print, complete, and sign the Master Account Application.

Step 3 – Establish account for participants
(Please note you must establish a master account in Step 2 prior to opening participant accounts.)

If your plan allows for participant-directed accounts or to set up separate accounts for each participant, download, print, and distribute the following documents to each eligible participant.

  1. Participant Application
  2. Charles Schwab Pricing Guide

Ask each participant to complete, sign and return the participant application to your plan administrator.

Step 4 – Return required documents to Schwab
Return the completed Schwab CRA Master Account Application, and if applicable, the Schwab CRA Participant Account Application(s) (for each employee including yourself if you are the employer) to your nearest Schwab Operations Center.

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
P.O. Box 628291
Orlando, FL 32862-8291

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
P.O. Box 982600
El Paso, TX 79998-2600

Step 5 – Make Contributions
If you are establishing a new Company Retirement Account, review the Schwab ERISA 408(b)(2) Disclosure before opening the account.

  1. Trustee-Directed Structure: Send in a check for the total contribution. Include your Master Account number.
  2. Participant-Directed Structure: Send in a check for the total contribution, along with allocation instructions for participant accounts. A trustee listed on the Master Account must sign all deposit instructions.

Make checks payable to: CS&Co., Inc. FBO "Your Company Name".

Send to your nearest Schwab operations center using one of the addresses in step 4.

If you have any questions about the Schwab CRA or you need assistance completing the forms, please call us at 800-435-4000.

Contact

  • Take the next step.

    Open a Company Retirement Account today.

    Get details above in Establish Your Account.

    Request a Company Retirement Account application by calling 800-435-4000.

    See all Schwab accounts.