Let's get started.
This is your step-by-step guide to getting started and facilitating the CalSavers program for your employees. Before you begin a step, review the tips, tools and resources provided here to help you meet your requirements.
STEP 1
Determine mandate status
Employers must register with CalSavers if they don’t offer an employer-sponsored retirement plan and have five or more employees in California.
Employers who already offer a workplace retirement plan or have fewer than five California employees are exempt from facilitating CalSavers. There are other circumstances that may mean an employer does not need to facilitate. (For example, religious organizations, tribal entities, and government agencies are exempt.) Exempt employers are encouraged to report their exemption today.
REPORT YOUR EXEMPTION
STEP 2
Register
Complete your registration
To register, you will need your company’s Federal Employer Identification (EIN) or Tax Identification Number (TIN) and your CalSavers access code. Your access code can be found in your welcome notification, or you can request one and have it emailed to you using the link below. The access code will be sent to the individual listed as the business owner with the California Employment Development Department (EDD).
REGISTER BUSINESS REQUEST ACCESS CODEAdd support
Before you register, you may need to collect information and contact any colleagues or external partners who will assist with managing your account. For example, if you rely on an internal HR manager or payroll team, or use an external payroll provider, now is a good time to speak with them and inform them of your intended participation. When you set up your account, you will have an opportunity to add contact information for your support partners.
We are constantly expanding our payroll integrations and how we engage with payroll providers. Learn More
STEP 3
Add employee information
Within 30 days of registration, you will upload your roster of eligible employees so that we can contact them to either customize their account and make saving elections, or notify them of what actions to take if they choose to opt out of the program.
Create an employee list
First, create an “Employee (Payroll) List”. This is the name of the list that will ultimately include all the employees who are eligible to participate in the program. Most employers create one list for all employees. However, you can create multiple lists to organize your employees based on where they are located or how they are paid.
Add employee information
You can either add employees manually (if you only have a few employees) or you can use our Employee Information Toolkit to upload the information (if you have many employees) to the list. For each employee you will need to provide:
- Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
- First & last name,
- Birthdate
- Physical address
- Phone
Employee Enrollment Period
After your employee information is added, your employees will be sent an invitation to set up their account. Each employee will then have 30 days to customize their account or opt out. If they do not take action after 30 days, they will be automatically enrolled in CalSavers with the standard contribution rate and investment funds.
There are no required actions for you during this period. However, you can look ahead to the next step to see what actions you will take in order to begin submitting employees’ contributions. If you use a payroll provider, contact them for assistance in setting up deductions.
Communicate with employees
Now is a good time to begin communicating with your employees. You can download a communication to inform your employees that your company is joining CalSavers. You can also find additional information and resources to share in many languages here.
STEP 4
Submit employee contributions
Add banking information
Add your bank information if you plan to fund contributions through ACH debit or have a specific account debited.
Submit employee contributions
With the first pay date that occurs 30 days after you upload your employee information, you will need to send your first contributions for participating employees. Information can be entered either manually by using an online form or in bulk using the Employee Contribution Information Template, part of the toolkit below.
Contributions must be sent within 7 days of taking the money out of your employees’ paychecks. For each employee, you will need to provide:
- Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
- First & last name,
- Contribution dollar amount
Ongoing responsibilities
On an ongoing basis, you are responsible for keeping your account up-to-date. This includes updating employee contribution rates with your payroll software/provider; adding new employees as they become eligible or marking employees as inactive when they leave or are terminated; and processing payroll contributions for participating employees.
As employees make changes – like changing their savings rate or opting out – notifications will be posted in the portal and sent to you by email prior to each pay period so that you can adjust the payroll deduction.
GO TO YOUR ACCOUNTNeed additional support?
Our dedicated and experienced Client Services team is ready to support employers throughout the state. You can meet with members of our team to learn about employer requirements, activities and deadlines for completing your simple facilitation steps. We're also available to meet with your employees to educate them about CalSavers.
Virtual
Sign up for one of the many webinars that are available in multiple languages every week.
In-person meeting
Schedule a one-on-one meeting with a field team representative in your area.