Most small business owners have too much to do. There are customers to serve and teams to manage, not to mention a dozen fires to put out. In that environment, offering a retirement plan can easily slide down the to-do list.

But avoiding the decision doesn’t avoid the consequences.

Waiting too long to offer a 401(k) can carry real costs. Some are financial. Others show up in morale, recruitment, and even how your business is perceived in the community.

Here are a few ways the cost of doing nothing adds up over time.

You Miss a Key Advantage in Hiring

Good benefits make it easier to attract good people. Job seekers are paying attention to 401(k) options, especially as more states begin requiring them. If your offer doesn’t include a plan, you’re giving up a competitive edge. And when another employer includes one, that advantage is hard to ignore.

Even if it’s a basic plan, having something in place signals that you’re thinking about your team’s long-term future.

You Risk Losing People You Want to Keep

Retirement benefits encourage people to stay. When workers feel like the company is invested in their future, they’re more likely to invest in yours. This is especially true for mid-career employees who are starting to take long-term financial planning more seriously.

A workplace without a plan creates uncertainty. Employees might not say it out loud, but they will look elsewhere if they feel like the company isn’t helping them build toward anything.

You Put Your Business at Legal Risk

Thirteen states now have retirement mandates on the books. More are coming. If your state requires a plan and you haven’t set one up, you could face compliance penalties. In some cases, that means hundreds of dollars per employee, per year.

No one wants to deal with avoidable fines, especially when the solution is relatively simple. Public programs exist. Private providers can help. But the longer you wait, the more you leave your business exposed.

You Create Extra Work for Your Team

The longer the delay, the more pressure builds on whoever ends up managing the plan. Many businesses that wait until the last minute wind up rushing through setup or choosing a provider that doesn’t actually integrate with payroll. That leads to manual uploads, confused employees, and time spent fixing mistakes.

Doing nothing often means doing more work later.

A Retirement Plan Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect. It Just Needs to Exist.

Your first plan doesn’t need to be fancy. The best 401(k) providers offer simple onboarding, payroll integration, and employee support that won’t burden your team.

You can always improve the plan over time, but not offering one at all comes with a cost.

Get it off your plate and into motion. See how Basic Capital works.