Illinois Safe Selection | Illinois Retirement Financial savings Program

A quarter of adults within the U.S. don’t have retirement financial savings. One purpose? Not all staff have entry to an employer-sponsored retirement program. Seeing this looming disaster, Illinois launched the Safe Selection Retirement Financial savings Program (Illinois Safe Selection).

Like different state retirement packages, Illinois Safe Selection mandates that each one companies with 5 or extra staff should facilitate Illinois Safe Selection or supply a retirement plan.

Are you an Illinois employer? If that’s the case, learn on to be taught the ins and outs of the mandate, together with deadlines, qualifying alternate options, and extra. 

4 Questions employers might have about Illinois Safe Selection

Illinois Safe Selection is the state of Illinois’ retirement financial savings program. Staff can use a default Roth IRA to contribute with after-tax {dollars} by way of payroll deductions. Nonetheless, program individuals can go for a standard IRA in the event that they select. Illinois companies with 5 or extra staff should facilitate Illinois Safe Selection or supply a professional retirement plan. 

Employers who select to facilitate Illinois Safe Selection must confirm further details about their collaborating staff and register with this system.

For workers, the (utterly voluntary!) Illinois Safe Selection program might revolutionize the best way they save. Earlier than Safe Selection, if an worker wished to begin an IRA on their very own, they must discover a monetary establishment that gives an IRA and arrange an account with them. However with this program, staff can save at work and contribute to a plan managed on their behalf.

By default, staff are enrolled with a 5% contribution charge right into a goal date fund primarily based on their anticipated retirement age. Nonetheless, staff can select to extend or lower their charge or opt-out anytime. 

1. How a lot can staff contribute? 

Like a standard Roth IRA, staff can contribute as much as $7,000 (in 2024) to their Safe Selection account. 

Staff who’re 50 or over can contribute as much as $8,000 (in 2024). 

2. Do I’ve to take part? 

Not all Illinois employers should take part within the state-mandated retirement program. You could facilitate Illinois Safe Selection if you happen to: 

1. Have 5 or extra staff,
2. Have been in operation for at the very least two years, AND
3. Don’t supply an employer-sponsored retirement plan

However once more, Illinois employers topic to the mandate do produce other choices. For those who don’t need to facilitate the state program, you may arrange one of many following qualifying retirement plans: 

• 401(a) or 401(ok) plan
• Certified annuity plan
• Tax-sheltered annuity
• Simplified Worker Pension (SEP) plan
• SIMPLE IRA plan
• Governmental tax-deferred compensation plan
• Taft-Hartley plan

Earlier than selecting between Illinois Safe Selection and a qualifying different, take into account what’s greatest for what you are promoting. 

3. Are there penalties for failing to register?

There are penalties for failing to register or supply a qualifying different. For those who fail to remit contributions to this system by your deadline, you can be penalized $250 per worker for the primary 12 months of noncompliance.

And if you happen to’re nonetheless not compliant after the primary 12 months, your penalty will increase to $500 per worker. For extra info on penalties, take a look at the statute.

4. How can I begin a qualifying retirement program? 

For those who’re an Illinois employer keen on organising a 401(ok) for small enterprise as an alternative of facilitating the state program, assist is on the market. 

Patriot and Vestwell have partnered to supply reasonably priced retirement plans for small companies in Illinois and throughout the US. Vestwell’s digital retirement platform instantly integrates with Patriot’s payroll software program, making it simpler so that you can supply and administer a company-sponsored 401(ok). 

Anxious about administration prices? You might be eligible to obtain as much as $16,500 in tax credit, which may help cancel out administration prices. You may be taught extra about eligibility for tax credit and the way to join a 401(ok) by way of Vestwell right here.

This text has been up to date from its authentic publication date of July 28, 2022.

This isn’t supposed as authorized recommendation; for extra info, please click on right here.