Oregonsaves Retirement Savings Plan

Per the OregonSaves website, the program will notify employers when it’s time to register their business. To begin registration, employers must have either their Federal Employer Identification or Tax Identification Number plus the access code supplied in the notification.

If your new employer facilitates OregonSaves, it will notify you and begin payroll deductions at your new job unless you opt out. If your new employer offers an employer-sponsored retirement plan, then that employer is not required to facilitate the State’s program, but you may be eligible for their employer-sponsored retirement plan. You can also contribute directly to your OregonSaves account through your bank account or check. The survey reached out to all businesses that have enrolled in the program since it launched in 2017 to better understand employer perceptions of the benefits and challenges they may be experiencing. State policymakers created OregonSaves to encourage workers at employers that do not offer their own retirement plans to save.

Employer Filing For Exemption From Oregon

By this time next year, just about every employer in the state of Oregon will be required to offer their employees a retirement savings program to save in, regardless of how many employees they have—whether it be one or 100. A 401 plan offers advantages to company owners and their employees while giving each a meaningful benefit.

OregonSaves helps small businesses attract and retain good employees—with zero employer fees. Employers simply pass information along to employees and handle payroll deductions. Through OregonSaves, employers can help their employees take responsibility for their own financial futures.

Is Oregonsaves Effective?

One drawback of the OregonSaves plan is the limit to annual contributions. For those employers who are more able and desire to offer a broader array of benefits, a traditional 401 plan may be more in line with your company/employees’ needs. A 401 plan will allow your employees and your company more possibilities towards retirement savings. All funds contributed to the plan are from the employee and no employer contributions can be made. Contributions are also subject to the Roth IRA adjusted gross income phase out limitations going from $122,000 to $137,000 for single filers and $193,000 to $203,000 for married filing joint.

• OregonSaves is designed to combine some of the best features of employer plans and IRAs, making it easier to save by lowering the barriers that often keep people from saving.
• As we mentioned, employers are required to facilitate the program unless they choose to offer another qualified retirement plan.
• All employees who’ve been with the company for 60 days are eligible to participate in OregonSaves, and employers are responsible for facilitating the program for those employees.
• However, employees will be able to opt-out, or choose a different savings rate.
• Employers are not required to make contributions under OregonSaves.

While the employee is auto enrolled, they still have the option to “opt-out” of the program and forgo participation. By no means is the employee required to start at 5%, but are given the ability to adjust their contribution percentage up or down as deemed necessary. The State merely gives the 5% as a starting point for employees.

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It can be challenging for small business to offer an employer-sponsored retirement plan, and many don’t. Employers tell us this program lets them provide retirement savings to their employees in a manageable way.

To garner compliance with OregonSaves, the State requires all employers to register their company on the OregonSaves.com website whether or not the company has a retirement plan. Employers that do have a program such as a 401, 403, Simple IRA, Simplified Employee Pension are exempt from the program. However, Oregon does require a check-in with them to re-certify their plan every 3 years. As explained in our previous post, OregonSaves is a state-run program designed to assist the retirement saving efforts of Oregon employees. Yes, all employers, no matter how many employees they have, must facilitate the State’s program for their employees if they don’t offer an employer-sponsored retirement plan.

Also, employer contributions are not allowed so the company will not have that expense. This program helps get employees started on saving for retirement when these employees may not even be thinking about making such steps for their future. The plan also allows employees to take their account to another employer if they change employment. Oregon initiated the OregonSaves program in July 2017, in an effort to boost retirement preparedness and assist employees who may not have retirement programs with their employer. The program offers a Roth Individual Retirement Account where the employee can make contributions through payroll deduction. All employees, full and part-time who have worked at least 60 days, are required to be auto enrolled by the employer into plan starting at 5% of their compensation with that rate increasing by 1% each year to a maximum of 10%.

Any business with employees in Oregon that doesn’t offer an employer-sponsored retirement plan will be required to facilitate the State’s program for its employees. During each employer registration phase, the State will monitor compliance, reach out to employers, and provide technical assistance to help them meet deadlines and requirements. Employers who don’t already offer a retirement plan to employees will be required to either adopt a qualified plan or register to offer Oregon’s new state-run retirement program, OregonSaves.

Yes, all employers, no matter how many employees they have, need to facilitate the State’s program for their employees if they don’t offer a qualified retirement plan. Please note that very small employers will not be required to facilitate until the year 2020, and that OregonSaves is working with employers to consider how facilitation can be made as simple as possible.

All qualified retirement plans are subject to compliance testing. Whether you are able to contribute up to this level depends on the specifics of your plan. Working with an experienced retirement plan professional can yield tremendous benefits. On a positive note, OregonSaves is certainly an option for those small employers that do not have the financial means to adopt a company retirement plan. The program does not incur the administrative costs of a traditional 401 plan.

Customer service representatives are fully trained in all aspects of the program. They are dedicated to the Oregon program, and staff includes representatives with considerable training and expertise related to retirement plans.

Please note that very small employers will not be required to facilitate until the year 2021, and that OregonSaves is working with employers to consider how facilitation can be made as simple as possible. OregonSaves is a Roth IRA retirement savings program for employers that do not offer an employer-sponsored retirement plan, such as a 401K. Under the program, employers must register their company with OregonSaves or certify that the company is exempt from the program. While the OregonSaves plan does not allow for employer contributions, a 401 plan does. The IRS puts limits on how much of a benefit an employee can have contributed to their retirement plan on an annual basis. Employers can contribute up to another $37,000 as a tax deductible contribution in the form of a profit sharing or matching contribution or a combination thereof. This takes the individual contributions for an employee up to $56,000 for employees under 50 years of age and those employees 50 and over up to $62,000.

However, employees will be able to opt-out, or choose a different savings rate. Employers are not required to make contributions under OregonSaves. As we mentioned, employers are required to facilitate the program unless they choose to offer another qualified retirement plan. All employees who’ve been with the company for 60 days are eligible to participate in OregonSaves, and employers are responsible for facilitating the program for those employees. Business owners, their family members, and company shareholders are allowed to participate, but only if they’re also considered an employee of the business for tax purposes.

Oregon is in the process of considering appropriate enforcement actions should such actions be needed to enforce the mandate. New employers have continued to register with the program and started to process contributions for employees. Pew expects to publish a more complete analysis of the survey results this summer.

If you’re already providing a company-sponsored retirement plan, but still received a notification, you must certify your exemption from the program. Employers who sponsor qualified retirement plans can also facilitate participation for their employees in OregonSaves, if they so choose. Employers who choose to introduce a qualified retirement plan after enrolling employees in the OregonSaves program should contact our client services team at and request to “unregister”. Once an employer notifies us of their plans, we will begin the manual process of exempting them out of the program and adjusting the employees’ accounts as needed. Yes, any business with employees in Oregon that doesn’t offer a employer-sponsored retirement plan will need to facilitate the State’s program for its employees.

OregonSaves is designed to combine some of the best features of employer plans and IRAs, making it easier to save by lowering the barriers that often keep people from saving. For example, to start an IRA on your own, you have to go seek it out. This program, however, allows you to save at work into a program managed on your behalf. It’s also portable and can move with you from one job to the next. Research shows that people are 15 times more likely to save if they have an option at work, but many small employers don’t have the time or resources to offer their own plan. This allows them to offer something meaningful to their employees without any fees or fiduciary responsibility. How knowledgeable are customer service representatives about the program?