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The Mandate Monitor

Washington Saves: what employers must do

Signed into lawChecked November 8, 2026Run by Washington Saves Governing Board (administrative support from the Department of Financial Institutions; enforcement by the Department of Labor & Industries)

Short answer

Washington Saves is a state automatic individual retirement account (auto-IRA) program set by law to launch by July 1, 2027. It will require employers that have been in business in Washington for at least two years, with employees working at least 10,400 combined hours a year (roughly five full-time workers) and no qualified retirement plan, to register and offer payroll deductions. No employer has to do anything yet: registration deadlines are in rules the board has proposed but not yet finalized, currently drafted as October 1, 2028 for larger employers and December 31, 2028 for everyone else, and no penalties can be assessed before 2030.

Next date: 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.

Does your payroll handle Washington Saves? See the free state route and how payroll handles it.

Washington Saves deadlines

  1. · Retirement mandate

    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.

  2. · Retirement mandate

    Expected, date not set: Proposed registration deadline for covered employers whose employees worked more than 20,800 combined hours in the prior year (draft final rule, WAC 520-01-030; not yet adopted)

  3. · Retirement mandate

    Expected, date not set: Proposed registration deadline for all other covered employers, those with 10,400 to 20,800 combined employee hours (draft final rule; not yet adopted). Employers that become covered after this date would register by October 1 of that year

  4. · Retirement mandate

    Earliest date L&I may assess civil penalties; complaints filed before then get technical assistance only

Dates already passed (3)
  • : Board meeting agenda included final rules (CR-103) with earlier deadlines and draft statutory changes, for board approval, that would move the launch date from July 1 to October 1, 2027; the outcome has not been posted. As of November 8, 2026 the program’s rulemaking page still lists the rulemaking as open, and no adopted rules have been posted.
  • : Governing board filed proposed program rules (CR-102, WSR 26-16-061), including the first draft of employer registration deadlines.
  • : Governor signed ESSB 6069 creating Washington Saves (Chapter 327, Laws of 2024).

What employers have to do

  1. Nothing to do yet. Once the program opens, register on the Washington Saves website by your deadline, or certify an exemption if you offer a qualified plan.
  2. Within 30 days of registering, give the program administrator each covered employee’s name, Social Security number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), date of birth and contact details; add new hires within 30 days of hire and employees turning 18 within 30 days of their birthday (proposed rules).
  3. Withhold and remit employee contributions each payroll period. Under the proposed rules (WAC 520-01-060) the program administrator sends program information to employees, while RCW 19.05.030 lists distributing program information and disclosures as an employer duty.
  4. Don’t contribute, match, or give employees advice about participating.

Handling Washington Saves in payroll

The free route: register directly with the state

When the program is open to you, you can register and report on your own through Washington Saves Governing Board (administrative support from the Department of Financial Institutions; enforcement by the Department of Labor & Industries). Once it starts, your payroll will have to send the employee contributions each pay period.

We list a payroll system here once a help document describes how it handles Washington Saves, whether the company’s own or the program’s, with the link and the date we read it. See how we make money.

How Washington Saves works

Statute: the board sets a default rate between 3% and 7% of wages, with automatic escalation of no more than 1% a year up to 10%. Proposed rules: default 5% of wages into a Roth individual retirement account (IRA), rising 1% each January 1 (after six consecutive months enrolled) up to 10%, with 60 days’ notice and the option to opt out of escalation.

No program fees for employers. Employer contributions are not allowed, and employers are not fiduciaries and are not liable for investment results.

Questions employers ask

Who has to follow Washington Saves?

Employers that have been in business in Washington for at least two years, maintain a physical presence in the state, employed workers for a combined 10,400 or more hours in the prior calendar year (the program says this is roughly 5 full-time employees), and do not offer a qualified retirement plan. Under the proposed rules, hours are counted from the employer’s quarterly unemployment tax and wage reports. Federal, state and local government employers are excluded (the proposed rules also exclude tribal entities). Covered employees are 18 or older.

How do employers get an exemption from Washington Saves?

Under the proposed rules (WAC 520-01-040), an employer contacted by the program may certify an exemption on the program website by stating that it offers a qualified retirement plan (401(a), 401(k), 403(a), 403(b), Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) or SIMPLE individual retirement account (IRA)) or has enabled employees to join a plan offered by a trade association, chamber of commerce or PEO. Employers that aren’t covered have no duty beyond claiming the exemption. The certification site is not open yet.

What happens if an employer doesn’t comply?

None before 2030. Under RCW 19.05.070, complaints filed before January 1, 2030 get technical assistance only. From 2030, L&I must first send an educational letter and allow 90 days to fix the problem; after that it may cite willful violations, with maximum penalties of $100 for a first willful violation, $250 for a second, and $500 for each later one. Employers have 30 days to appeal a citation.

Everything employers in Washington must do ·Retirement mandates in every state

Sources

  1. RCW 19.05 (Laws of 2024, ch. 327, ESSB 6069)
  2. ESSB 6069 (2024) bill summary and history, Washington State Legislature (read Nov 7, 2026)
  3. For Employers (who must participate), Washington Saves (read Nov 7, 2026)
  4. Employer fact sheet (Rev. 01/2026), Washington Saves (read Nov 8, 2026)
  5. Notice of proposed rule making (CR-102), August 3, 2026, Washington Saves (read Nov 7, 2026)
  6. Proposed rules, chapter 520-01 WAC, Washington Saves (read Nov 8, 2026)
  7. Draft concise explanatory statement, chapter 520-01 WAC (revised deadlines), October 14, 2026, Washington Saves Governing Board (read Nov 7, 2026)
  8. Rulemaking page (status: open), Washington Saves (read Nov 8, 2026)
  9. Governing board meetings and materials (October 20, 2026 agenda; summary of proposed statutory changes), Washington Saves (read Nov 8, 2026)
  10. Washington Saves Retirement Program (employer criteria, penalties), Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (read Nov 7, 2026)