State retirement plan mandates, 2026

Short answer

15 state retirement mandates are in effect: covered employers that don’t offer a retirement plan must register for the program and send employee contributions through payroll.

Offering your own qualified plan, such as a 401(k), usually exempts you; you certify the exemption with the state.

3 more have been signed into law but don’t require employers to register yet: Hawaii Retirement Savings Program (HISavers), PhillySaves, Washington Saves.

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Every state program

State	Program	Status	Next date
California	CalSavers	In effect	December 31, 2026: Annual deadline for employers newly notified by CalSavers in 2026 (based on 2025 DE 9C filings) to register.
Colorado	Colorado SecureSavings	In effect	No date set
Connecticut	MyCTSavings	In effect	No date set
Delaware	Delaware EARNS	In effect	No date set
Hawaii	Hawaii Retirement Savings Program (HISavers)	Signed into law	Expected about December 2026: Projected program launch in late December 2026 (state projection; no exact date announced).
Illinois	My Illinois Savings	In effect	No date set
Maine	MERIT	In effect	June 30, 2027: Registration deadline for employers newly notified in 2027.
Maryland	MarylandSaves	In effect	December 31, 2026: Next deadline for newly eligible businesses. Register and start sending payroll contributions (or, if you offer your own plan, file the waiver claim) by this date to get the fee waiver on your 2027 SDAT annual report.
Minnesota	Minnesota Secure Choice	In effect	December 31, 2026: Registration deadline for employers with 50–99 employees.
Nevada	Nevada Employee Savings Trust (NEST)	In effect	January 1, 2027: Eligible savers’ contribution rates rise automatically by 1% of pay, up to the 10% maximum. Employers apply the new rates in payroll.
New Jersey	RetireReady NJ	In effect	December 1, 2026: Registration deadline for employers with 20 to 24 employees.
New York	New York Secure Choice	In effect	November 18, 2026: Registration deadline for newly eligible employers required to facilitate the program.
Oregon	OregonSaves	In effect	July 31, 2027: Annual registration deadline for newly eligible employers: businesses established in Oregon from April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027 must register or certify an exemption.
Philadelphia	PhillySaves	Signed into law	July 1, 2027: Ordinance deadline for the board to open PhillySaves so workers can begin contributing (Philadelphia Code § 19-4710). Employer registration dates have not been announced.
Rhode Island	RISavers	In effect	December 9, 2026: Registration window closes for new businesses notified in 2026.
Vermont	Vermont Saves	In effect	No date set
Virginia	RetirePath Virginia	In effect	No date set
Washington	Washington Saves	Signed into law	July 1, 2027: Statutory launch date for the program (RCW 19.05.040). The board’s October 20, 2026 agenda included approval of draft statutory changes that would move the launch to October 1, 2027; the outcome has not been posted.

Decision flow for state retirement mandates. Employers that offer a qualified plan, such as a 401(k), 403(b), SEP or SIMPLE IRA, are exempt, and most programs have them certify that online after a notice arrives. Employers without a plan that don’t meet the state’s size threshold aren’t required yet and can usually join voluntarily. Employers that meet it register by their size group’s deadline, add employees, most programs giving them 30 days to opt out, then deduct contributions each payroll and send them to the program. Employers don’t contribute or match and pay no fees to the state program. — The same three steps run through most state programs. Each state’s thresholds and deadlines are in the table above. Graphic: The Mandate Monitor. Open full size

Coming up

November 18, 2026 · New York · Retirement mandate
New York Secure Choice: Registration deadline for newly eligible employers required to facilitate the program
10+ employees
December 1, 2026 · New Jersey · Retirement mandate
RetireReady NJ: Registration deadline for employers with 20 to 24 employees
December 9, 2026 · Rhode Island · Retirement mandate
RISavers: Registration window closes for new businesses notified in 2026
5+ employees
December 31, 2026 · California · Retirement mandate
CalSavers: Annual deadline for employers newly notified by CalSavers in 2026 (based on 2025 DE 9C filings) to register
1+ employees
December 31, 2026 · Maryland · Retirement mandate
MarylandSaves: Next deadline for newly eligible businesses
Register and start sending payroll contributions (or, if you offer your own plan, file the waiver claim) by this date to get the fee waiver on your 2027 SDAT annual report. · 1+ employees
December 31, 2026 · Minnesota · Retirement mandate
Minnesota Secure Choice: Registration deadline for employers with 50–99 employees
January 1, 2027 · Nevada · Retirement mandate
Nevada Employee Savings Trust (NEST): Eligible savers’ contribution rates rise automatically by 1% of pay, up to the 10% maximum
Employers apply the new rates in payroll.
February 17, 2027 · New Jersey · Retirement mandate
RetireReady NJ: Registration deadline for employers with 10 to 19 employees
June 30, 2027 · Maine · Retirement mandate
MERIT: Registration deadline for employers newly notified in 2027
5+ employees
June 30, 2027 · Minnesota · Retirement mandate
Minnesota Secure Choice: Registration deadline for employers with 25–49 employees
July 1, 2027 · Maine · Retirement mandate
MERIT: Maximum penalty rises to $100 per covered employee
July 1, 2027 · Philadelphia · Retirement mandate
PhillySaves: Ordinance deadline for the board to open PhillySaves so workers can begin contributing (Philadelphia Code § 19-4710)
Employer registration dates have not been announced.
July 1, 2027 · Washington · Retirement mandate
Washington Saves: Statutory launch date for the program (RCW 19.05.040)
The board’s October 20, 2026 agenda included approval of draft statutory changes that would move the launch to October 1, 2027; the outcome has not been posted.
July 31, 2027 · Oregon · Retirement mandate
OregonSaves: Annual registration deadline for newly eligible employers: businesses established in Oregon from April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027 must register or certify an exemption
1+ employees
September 1, 2027 · New Jersey · Retirement mandate
RetireReady NJ: Employers with 20 to 24 employees that have not registered by this date may be subject to penalties under the statute
October 15, 2027 · Rhode Island · Retirement mandate
RISavers: Compliance deadline for businesses with 51–99 eligible employees
November 17, 2027 · New Jersey · Retirement mandate
RetireReady NJ: Employers with 10 to 19 employees that have not registered by this date may be subject to penalties under the statute
December 31, 2027 · California · Retirement mandate
CalSavers: Annual deadline for employers newly notified by CalSavers in 2027 (based on 2026 DE 9C filings) to register
1+ employees
December 31, 2027 · Maryland · Retirement mandate
MarylandSaves: Annual December 31 cutoff: register and send contributions, or file the waiver claim, to qualify for the 2028 SDAT fee waiver
Claims received after December 31, 2026 count toward 2028. · 1+ employees
December 31, 2027 · Minnesota · Retirement mandate
Minnesota Secure Choice: Registration deadline for employers with 10–24 employees

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