Understanding the SECURE 2.0 Act: What Does it Mean for Payroll Service Providers?

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act was introduced in 2019 and marked one of the most significant updates to retirement laws in years. The SECURE Act aims to improve retirement security for American workers. It includes provisions that expand access to retirement plans, modify the required minimum distribution (RMD) rules, and incentivize businesses to provide retirement plans to their employees.

Recently, Congress introduced SECURE 2.0, a new update to the original law that contains several new provisions to improve Americans' retirement further. So, what does the SECURE 2.0 Act entail, and what does it mean for our Payroll Service Providers?

Expanded Auto-Enrollment

One of the key provisions of the SECURE 2.0 Act is the expansion of automatic enrollment in retirement plans. Under the proposed legislation, employers who offer a 401(k) plan would be required to automatically enroll eligible employees, increasing the number of American workers with access to retirement plans. This would benefit both employees, who would have more opportunities to save for retirement, and employers, who would have a more engaged and productive workforce. Employers will rely on their 401(k) providers and their payroll service providers to enable the automatic enrollment of eligible employees, capturing their information and setting up deductions from payroll to fund 401(k) accounts.

Increased Tax Credits for Small Businesses

The SECURE 2.0 Act also includes a provision to increase tax credits for small businesses that offer retirement plans. The current tax credit for small businesses is up to $500, but the new legislation increases that credit to as much as $5,000 for companies with no more than 50 employees. This change could incentivize more small businesses to offer retirement plans to their employees, thereby increasing access to retirement savings for millions of Americans.

New Lifetime Income Strategies

Another provision of the SECURE 2.0 Act is the promotion of lifetime income strategies in retirement plans. This updated legislation would require retirement plan providers to provide annual income disclosures to account holders, showing them how much income they could receive in retirement based on their current savings. This information would be invaluable to employees as they plan for retirement and could help increase the adoption of lifetime income strategies, such as annuities, in their retirement plans.

Increased Age for Required Minimum Distributions

Finally, the SECURE 2.0 Act has increased the age for RMDs from 72 to 75. This means that individuals can save and invest their retirement funds for three additional years, allowing those funds to grow further before withdrawals are required.

Overall, the SECURE 2.0 Act is aimed at improving the retirement landscape for Americans by incentivizing more Employers to offer retirement plans, expanding automatic enrollment, increasing tax credits for small businesses, promoting lifetime income strategies, and increasing the age for RMDs. As a Service Provider, it's essential to stay informed about potential changes to retirement laws that could affect your business, customers, and employees. By doing so, you can stay ahead of the curve and help your customers achieve financial security in retirement.