Employer Resources for 401(k) | Betterment for Business

What are unallocated funds?

Key 2024 Deadlines for 401(k) Plan Sponsors

The key factors holding back your employees’ retirement readiness

The key factors holding back your employees’ retirement readiness Jan 3, 2024 10:56:07 AM And how the types of benefits you offer can help. Broadly speaking, the economy did alright in 2023. Inflation slowed, stocks rallied, and employment remained strong. But you wouldn’t know it by looking at the current mood of American workers. According to our latest annual survey of 1,000 full-time employees, their levels of financial wellness trended down in 2023 at the same time their financial anxiety climbed by seven percentage points. So what gives? We sifted through the data and saw several trendlines emerge. Explore them in full detail in our Retirement Readiness annual report – and keep reading below for a preview. Inflation’s ripple effect on retirement Inflation slowed significantly in 2023, but that’s not to say that all prices fell. The average American household spent $709 more per month in 2023 compared to 2021 on things like rent, groceries, and gas. Until wage growth catches back up to inflation, workers will continue to feel their paychecks pinched, and two casualties are taking shape as a result: Emergency funds: Although more than half (52%) of employees reported currently having an emergency fund, that’s a 7% drop from 2022, and 14% decrease from 2021. Retirement savings: A worrisome 3 in 10 workers tapped into retirement savings in the past year to pay for short-term expenses, a significant setback for their long-term goals. All of this has left workers feeling stressed. More than half (58%) went so far as to say the anxiety makes it hard for them to focus at work. But our research shows that some employer support and benefits can go a long way toward calming the waters. The growing role of financial benefits in retention If short-term expenses are depleting workers’ savings, it’s no surprise that a strong 401(k) and financial wellness benefits program remains at the top of workers’ wish lists. The importance of these benefits continues to grow as well, with 70% of workers saying financial wellness benefits are more important now than a year ago. A growing percentage of workers (60%) even say they’d be enticed to leave their job for better financial benefits. Student loan debt, however, continues to prevent the adoption of financial benefits for many. 64% of workers said student loan debt impacts their ability to save for retirement, and when asked why they don’t take advantage of their employer’s benefits, by far the most common reason was their paycheck simply won’t stretch that far. On this front, good news is just around the corner. Thanks to the SECURE 2.0 Act, employers will soon be able to offer a 401(k) match on their employees’ qualifying student loan payments, helping workers tackle two goals at once.

How your 401(k) plan can help boost employee financial wellness (and productivity)

How your 401(k) plan can help boost employee financial wellness (and productivity) Dec 12, 2023 3:23:10 PM Financial stress is hurting productivity. Here’s how you can help change that at your business starting with your 401(k). Not only does financial stress make an individual’s personal life more difficult, it can hurt their employer's bottom line. As business leaders, we are in a position to make a positive impact on our employees’ lives and our business performance. Three different studies, one diagnosis Three national studies, including our own, found that financial stress negatively impacts work performance. PwC found that 60% of full-time employees are stressed about their finances and one in three full-time employees says that money worries have negatively impacted their productivity at work. Morgan Stanley found that 66% of employees agree that financial stress is negatively affecting their work and personal life. Our own study at Betterment at Work found that 46% of workers said that financial anxiety impacts their ability to work all or most of the time. The problem is clear but what do we do about it? The right benefits can help ease the pain When asked to rank potential financial wellness benefits that an employer could offer, employees ranked a 401(k) plan first followed by 401(k) matching contributions. These are some of the additional findings in our 2022 Betterment at Work Financial Wellness Barometer survey. If you offer a 401(k), it may be your core financial benefit but it isn’t the sole remedy. Our study also found that 93% of employees said it was at least somewhat important that their employer provides financial wellness benefits. Also, the demand for these benefits is increasing, with 68% saying financial wellness benefits are more important to them now than they were a year ago. It’s important to look at how you can build financial wellness features around your 401(k) plan to support your employees’ financial lives—and your business’s future. A comprehensive approach to wellness that starts with your 401(k) Knowing the needs of a modern workforce, at Betterment at Work, we’ve built a suite of financial benefits designed to support your employees, starting with your 401(k) plan. We believe that evolving your benefits with the needs of your workforce can help provide a strategic advantage in attracting and retaining talent. At our core is our modern 401(k) platform: Your 401(k) plan should be easy to manage for you and easy to use for your employees. Our technology streamlines this, whether via integrations with common payroll providers or through our intuitive platform that helps employees invest in diversified portfolios of generally low-cost ETFs. Enhancing your 401(k) plan: We’ve built additional benefits that integrate with our 401(k) platform to make managing benefits easier and reduce the financial stress that your employees carry. Student Loan Management Platform: Your employees can gain a clear financial picture of their student loans and their 401(k) in one place. They can get advice on paying down and prioritizing high-impact loans and set up additional payments toward paying off student loans. Plus, to support the SECURE 2.0 Act, we’ve built a time-saving tool to reduce manual work while processing student loan 401(k) matching contributions. 529 Education Savings: Including 529s in your benefits package helps employees tackle rising education costs and shows your commitment to their financial health. It’s easy to manage, with 529s integrating into your existing benefits platform for a seamless experience. Financial Coaching: Help employees take better control of their finances with tailored 1:1 guidance and advice. Adding Financial Coaching to your Betterment 401(k) can help build a more confident, productive team. Plus, as a fiduciary, every financial advisor at Betterment is legally responsible to act in your employees' best interest.

How tax credits can make offering a 401(k) affordable

How tax credits can make offering a 401(k) affordable Dec 12, 2023 3:13:11 PM See how new tax credits under the SECURE 2.0 Act could help with a new 401(k) plan’s implementation costs. After the passing of the SECURE 2.0 Act, CNBC published an article titled, “There may never be a better time to create a retirement plan.” The article largely focused on the increased tax credits smaller businesses can receive under the Act. These tax credits may amount to sizable savings for smaller employers looking to start a 401(k) plan. For that reason, we tend to agree with CNBC: this really may be the best time there has ever been to start a 401(k). What are the SECURE 401(k) tax credits? For businesses with 100 or fewer employees, there are three main tax credits to consider: Startup Tax Credit: Provides businesses with fewer than 100 employees a three-year tax credit for up to 50% of plan start-up costs. Increases the tax credit to up to 100% of the plan start-up costs for employers with 50 or fewer employees. The credit is based on the greater of $500 OR $250 per non-highly compensated employee (NHCE), capped at $5,000. Employer Contribution Credit: Offers a new tax credit to employers with 50 or fewer employees, encouraging direct contributions to employees, as much as $1,000 per participating employee with wages less than $100,000 (indexed annually). The credit covers the first five years of the plan allowing 100% of the employer contribution to be claimed in the first and second tax years, 75% in the third year, 50% in the fourth year, and 25% in the fifth year. The credit also applies to employers with 51-100 participants, but the amount of the credit is reduced by 2% per employee over 50 employees earning less than $100,000 per year. Automatic Enrollment Credit: Employers with new or established 401(k) plans that add automatic enrollment can take advantage of a $500 tax credit. Employers can claim this tax benefit for up to three tax years if they have 100 or fewer eligible employees. Sample scenario: Understanding the math To illustrate how tax credits can impact a business, consider the following hypothetical scenario for a business starting a new 401(k) with 25 participating NHCEs with wages less than $100,000 and a $3,000 average annual employer matching contribution per employee. Startup Tax Credit Employer Contribution Credit Automatic Enrollment Credit Total Credits Year 1 $5,000 ($250 per NHCE up to $5,000) $25,000 (100% or $1,000 max per employee) $500 ($500 per year) $30,500 Year 2 $5,000 ($250 per NHCE up to $5,000) $25,000 (100% or $1,000 max per employee) $500 ($500 per year) $30,500 Year 3 $5,000 ($250 per NHCE up to $5,000) $25,000 (75% or $1,000 max per employee) $500 ($500 per year) $30,500 Year 4 $0 (No credit) $25,000 (50% or $1,000 max per employee) $0 (No credit) $25,000 Year 5 $0 (No credit) $18,750 (25% or $1,000 max per employee) $0 (No credit) $18,750 Note: All information provided above is hypothetical for educational purposes only. For employers using the employer contribution tax credit, a tax deduction won't typically apply. Please review scenarios unique to your plan with your accountant to decide which tax credits and deductions are best for you. Three steps to make sure you get your tax credits Know the provisions: You’re already reading this, so you’re headed in the right direction. If you are considering starting a 401(k) plan, be sure to research both the tax credit and other SECURE 2.0 provisions. Know your plan: Whether you are starting a new plan or adding features to an established plan, to make the most of SECURE 2.0, you’ll need to review how your plan interacts with the law’s provisions and understand if your business is eligible. Talk to your tax adviser: Once you have a firm grasp of SECURE 2.0 provisions and how they impact your plan, reach out to your accountant and/or tax professional to plan for potential tax credits. They can walk you through your business’s situation and help you complete Form 8881.

How to implement 401(k) auto-escalation

How to decide if you should offer a 401(k) match on student loan payments

The ROI potential of offering a 401(k) match on student loan payments

The ROI potential of offering a 401(k) match on student loan payments Dec 6, 2023 4:24:09 PM Over 20% of employees would consider leaving their jobs for a 401(k) match on their student loan payments. But can you afford to offer the benefit? In a 2022 Betterment survey of over 1,000 employees, we found that student loans are an important issue for many employees. 64% of employees said student loans have had an impact on their ability to save for retirement 21% of employees reported that a 401(k) match on student loan payments would entice them to leave their jobs. Generally, we believe that the more employees who participate in a 401(k) program, the less turnover a company will see. Data from payroll software provider Gusto backs up that belief. They report that employees with a 401(k) plan are 32% less likely to quit in any given month. We see a large opportunity for savvy employers to build stronger 401(k) programs to retain their employees. Adding benefits like a 401(k) match on student loan payments could be a difference maker. But how does an employer know if the costs of offering a 401(k) match on student loan payments is worth it? Let’s dive in and find out. First, some SECURE 2.0 fast facts Before we look at the potential ROI of this new match, let’s cover some fast facts about the provision included in the SECURE 2.0 Act. Effective date: January 1, 2024 401(k) student loan matching: Qualified student loan repayments could count as elective deferrals and qualify for 401(k) matching contributions from their employer. Employees who take advantage of this would be compliance tested separately. How it works: At a high level, there are three things to know. Employees are required to certify that they made loan payments. They do not have to show proof of payments if the employer doesn’t require it. An employer can rely on employee certification alone. Matching contributions must vest on the same schedule as salary deferral matching contributions. Employers can make matching contributions less frequently than salary matches, although contributions must be made at least once a year. Understanding the costs of a 401(k) match on student loan payments First, let's take a wider view of cost. Replacing a single employee may not directly show up on your company’s financial statements, but it's expensive, no matter the company, especially if it happens more than once. One report by SHRM cites employee replacement costs as being six to nine months of an employee’s salary. Another report by Gallup cites one-half to two times the employee's annual salary. Employee replacement costs to consider include: Hard costs: These are straightforward to quantify and include hiring costs like HR staff, technology, and job postings. Once an employee is hired there are also hard costs like onboarding training, new equipment, and processing paperwork. Soft costs: These can be murky to measure but impact every hiring decision. These include the time spent by employees who help with the hiring process, from interviews to position description reviews and onboarding planning. As a new employee joins the company, these costs continue with additional onboarding meetings and lowered productivity as the new team member gets up to speed. Now that you’ve considered the real costs of recruiting and onboarding a new employee (vs. retaining a good team member), we can talk about the cost of this new 401(k) match. Provision implementation costs may include: Participant Fee: If you are using a modern 401(k) tech platform, these costs are minimal often ranging from $5 to $10 per month. You can also consider passing these small costs on to the employee. Nondiscrimination testing: Depending on your 401(k) provider, an increase in participants may result in increases in fees for additional compliance testing. (Note: At Betterment at Work, there are zero additional compliance testing fees if your plan has an increase in participants.) Matching contribution costs: If more employees use the 401(k), contributions may increase, although some companies may have already budgeted for a portion of these in their overall 401(k) match budget. Administrative costs: Tracking self-certifications requires implementing a process. This can be reduced if your company leverages technology to streamline this workflow. There are costs to administering the 401(k) student loan match provision. But compared to losing a talented employee, provision costs may be far less. Think of the match benefit as an investment in talent. Calculating ROI of a 401(k) match on student loan payments It’s important to note that when calculating ROI for your company, you should take into consideration each employee’s unique value and the costs associated with replacing their role. To help illustrate, consider the following hypothetical example of an employee making $75,000 at a company offering a 6% 401(k) match. Estimated replacement costs: $37,500 to $150,000 one-time cost An employee making $75,000 could cost between $37,500 and $150,000 to replace using the benchmark of one-half to two times the employee's annual salary. Estimated 401(k) student loan match costs: $4,620 to $5,000 per year If that employee uses the 401(k) student loan matching program with a 6% match, the employer would pay $4,500 in matching contributions. We’ll add on $120 per year in estimated monthly participant plan fees plus potential administrative costs estimated at a few hundred dollars to process and test this employee’s student loan match. We see that with a full employer match plus administrative fees, we are still not even close to the costs associated with needing to replace the employee. It would take over seven years in 401(k) matching costs to reach the low-end cost of replacing the employee. That’s without considering the value a satisfied, tenured employee brings in workplace production, institutional knowledge, cultural contributions, and more.

Betterment Editors

Betterment Editors

Articles by Betterment Editors