403(b)(9) plans reimagined

Retirement plans designed for the people who serve your church.

A modern 403(b)(9) platform with lower fees, automated payroll funding, and housing allowance done right. Because the people who care for your church deserve a retirement plan that cares about them.

Get started Give your team the retirement they deserve.
The problem

Church retirement plans can be simpler.

Church retirement plans have historically meant opaque fees, manual processes, and limited technology. We saw an opportunity to change that.

Hidden, layered fees

Low-cost index funds can save pastors tens of thousands of dollars over a ministry career. That's why we built our lineup around them.

Paper checks in 2026

Physical checks and manual reconciliation take real time every pay period. Payroll integration eliminates that work entirely.

Housing allowance, overlooked

The ministerial housing allowance is one of the most valuable retirement benefits pastors have — and it should be a core feature of any church retirement plan.

How it works

A retirement plan that runs itself.

Shorebird brings modern technology, thoughtful design, and fiduciary care together in one place — so your church can offer a better benefit without the administrative burden.

01

Simple setup

We handle the plan documents, custody setup, and onboarding. You get clarity from day one.

02

Payroll integration

Connect your payroll system once. Contributions flow automatically after every pay run.

03

Low-cost investing

Curated, low-cost index funds. No proprietary products, no layered fees, no surprises.

04

Housing allowance, built in

Distributions designated as housing allowance in retirement — the way a church plan should.

Why Shorebird

A modern approach to church retirement.

We work with churches every day, and we saw an opportunity: lower fees, modern tools, and the church-specific details handled with its staff in mind.

Transparent pricing

Choose whether the church covers the cost or participants do. Either way, our fees are flat, simple, and low — and you'll always know exactly what you're paying.

Automated funding

No more physical checks. No more manual reconciliation. Contributions flow from payroll to participant accounts automatically, every pay period.

Modern participant experience

A clean, mobile-friendly dashboard that your staff can actually understand and use — designed for how churches work today.

Fiduciary-led investing

Shorebird is a registered investment advisor. We act as a fiduciary on behalf of your participants, selecting investments with their long-term interest in mind.

ERISA-exempt by design

403(b)(9) church plans are exempt from ERISA — which means less compliance burden and lower cost. We built everything around that reality from day one.

Housing allowance as a first-class feature

Pastors receive housing allowance designations on retirement distributions without the paperwork shuffle. It's how a church plan should work.

Our mission

Built by people who serve churches every day.

Shorebird began because we saw an opportunity. We work with churches of every size, and every time we looked at their 403(b)(9) plan, we knew there was a better way — simpler processes, clearer fees, modern tools, and housing allowance handled the way it should be.

Pastors and church staff pour everything into the people they serve. They've earned a retirement plan that does the same for them. That's what we've built.

Get started

Your church's retirement plan, reimagined.

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