The House of Representatives recently voted to approve the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement or SECURE Act, which would expand access to retirement savings programs for part-time workers and people employed by small business owners.
If the SECURE Act Passes…
If the bill passes the Senate, which it’s expected to do, it will be placed on President Trump’s desk. If signed into law, the SECURE Act would implement the most significant changes to retirement plans since 2006.
The bill aims to entice non-savers to participate in workplace retirement programs, such as a 401(k), so some of the provisions include:
- Raising the age that American workers must start withdrawing from retirement savings, known as the required minimum distribution age, from 70 ½ to 72. This is to reflect the fact that more Americans are working longer, and in this vein, the bill also stipulates more years for people to contribute to retirement accounts.
- Increasing tax incentives for small business employers to offer retirement plans by increasing the tax credit for new plans from the current cap of $500 to $5,000, or $5,500 for plans that automatically enroll new workers.
- Allowing part-time workers to participate in 401(k) plans. The current minimum requirement for part-time employees is 1,000 hours in a 12-month period, but the SECURE Act would amend this requirement to 500 hours, effective January 2021. However, this isn’t mandatory, so it would be at the discretion of the employer.
The SECURE Act would also permit parents to withdraw up to $5,000 from retirement accounts penalty-free within a year of birth or adoption for qualified expenses. Parents could also withdraw up to $10,000 from 529 plans to repay student loans.
What Does the Federal Reserve Say?
According to the Federal Reserve’s annual study, only 36% of Americans feel that their retirement savings are on track, while 25% of Americans have no retirement savings to speak of. Part of this is due to the fact that, because of the cost and complexity of putting retirement savings plans in place, many small businesses don’t offer such plans to their employees. The SECURE Act aims to incentivize small business owners to offer retirement plans by making it easier for small businesses to implement multi-employer retirement plans—where two or more employers join together to offer a plan. This would potentially give small businesses access to lower cost plans with better investment options, thereby possibly giving millions more workers an opportunity to save at work.
In short, this legislation is important because it would remove some barriers that have kept American workers from saving for retirement, specifically through employer-provided plans and incentives. If you have questions or would like to talk about how the information in this article may impact you personally, please reach out to me at sreed@mkrcpas.com and we’ll schedule a time to talk.
