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Submitting Contributions

You’ll submit payroll contributions for participating employees each pay period. Contributions are deposited into each employee’s CalSavers IRA based on their individual elections.

You can submit contributions in one of two ways, depending on your preference:

File Upload Option

Securely upload a standardized payroll file containing employee contribution information for each pay period.

Best for employers who want to:

  • Save time with bulk uploads.

  • Use a consistent, standardized process.

  • Easily manage larger employee rosters.

Manual Entry Option

Log in to the CalSavers Portal each pay period to enter employee contribution information by the scheduled due date.

Best for employers who want to:

  • Easily get started with no setup.

  • Review and adjust contributions before submitting.

  • Manage smaller employee rosters or irregular payrolls.

Looking for a more hands-off approach?

Payroll integration options can help automate the ongoing tasks of sending contributions and making updates when employees update their contribution rates.
Learn More

How to submit employee contributions

File Upload

Watch a video on how to upload a file to submit employee contributions

1

Open Contributions Page

  1. Log in to the Employer Portal.
  2. From your Dashboard, click Send Contributions.
  3. Under Upcoming Contributions, click Send Contributions and a new window will open.
Log In
Open the Contributions page in the Employer Portal

2

Select Pay Schedule & Upload

  1. Select the appropriate pay schedule (if more than one).
  2. Enter the pay date for the payroll you are reporting.
  3. Select Upload File as your entry method.
  4. Click Next.
Select the pay schedule and upload your file

3

Complete and Upload Template

  1. Click Download Template to download the pre-filled Excel file.
  2. Enter contribution amounts only for participating employees.
  3. Complete all required fields (*).
  4. Save the file and upload it to the Employer Portal.
  5. Enter the total contribution amount and click Next.

Tip: Save a copy of the completed template to reuse each pay period – just update the contribution amounts or employee participation as needed.

Complete and upload the contribution amounts template

4

Review and Submit

  1. Review the contribution summary to confirm the total amount is correct.
  2. Add or update your payment method for sending contributions, if needed.
    • If you are paying with your business bank account, enter the required banking details:
      • Routing number
      • Bank name
      • Account number
      • Account type
    • Or select an alternative payment method:
      • Send money via ACH
      • Wire funds
      • Check – include check's routing number, bank name, and account number
  3. Click Save, then check the box "I agree to send this amount to CalSavers."
  4. For optional review, you can click "Show all employee contribution amounts" to confirm details.
  5. Select Send Payment to finish.
Review and submit your contribution

Ongoing Responsibilities

  • Submit contributions within 7 days of deducting them from an employee’s pay.
  • Submit contributions every pay period for participating employees.
  • Before each payroll, review your employee's participation status and contribution rate in the Employer Portal.

For information on identifying participating employees, watch Identifying Eligible Employees.

Need help? Contact your CalSavers Field Representative at fieldsupport@calsavers.com.

Manual Entry

Watch a video on how to manually submit employee contributions each pay period

1

Open Contributions Page

  1. Log in to the Employer Portal.
  2. From your Dashboard, click Send Contributions.
  3. Under Upcoming Contributions, click Send Contributions and a new window will open.
Log In
Open the Contributions page in the Employer Portal

2

Select Pay Schedule

  1. Select the appropriate pay schedule (if more than one).
  2. Enter the pay date for the payroll you are reporting.
  3. Select Add Manually as your entry method.
  4. Click Next.
Select the pay schedule for this contribution

3

Enter Contribution Amounts

  1. Enter the contribution amount deducted from each participating employee's paycheck.
  2. Repeat for all participating employees in the selected pay schedule.
  3. Click Next.
Enter contribution amounts for each employee

4

Review and Submit

  1. Review the contribution summary to confirm the total amount is correct.
  2. Add or update your payment method for sending contributions, if needed.
    • If you are paying with your business bank account, enter the required banking details:
      • Routing number
      • Bank name
      • Account number
      • Account type
    • Or select an alternative payment method:
      • Send money via ACH
      • Wire funds
      • Check – include check's routing number, bank name, and account number
  3. Click Save, then check the box "I agree to send this amount to CalSavers."
  4. For optional review, you can click "Show all employee contribution amounts" to confirm details.
  5. Select Send Payment to finish.
Review and submit your contribution

Ongoing Responsibilities

  • Submit contributions within 7 days of deducting them from an employee’s pay.
  • Submit contributions every pay period for participating employees.
  • Before each payroll, review your employee's participation status and contribution rate in the Employer Portal.

For information on identifying participating employees, watch Identifying Eligible Employees

Need help? Contact your CalSavers Field Representative at fieldsupport@calsavers.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Employers are not allowed to make contributions on behalf of, or as a match to, employee contributions in this program. If an employer wishes to make contributions to a retirement plan on behalf of their employees, they should explore offering an employer-sponsored retirement plan.

It is the responsibility of program participants to monitor their own annual contribution limits across all Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) they maintain, including their CalSavers account. CalSavers intends to notify employees when their CalSavers account is close to reaching the federal annual contribution limits for an IRA and will instruct employers to stop contributions when employees' contributions reach the limit. Note that limits apply across all IRAs maintained by an individual and CalSavers will not know of other IRAs that program participants maintain elsewhere.

It is also the responsibility of the program participant to determine if they are eligible to contribute to a Roth IRA, and to comply with any other IRA rules. However, CalSavers will provide program participants with educational materials to help participants understand the rules.

Employers are prompted to select a notification preference, which will provide email notifications between 1-5 days prior to the next pay date. Also, at any point in time, employers can access up-to-date information on their employer portal, illustrating any employee decision changes.

Contributions must be submitted to the program for each paycheck and remitted within seven days of taking the deduction out of the participating employee's paycheck.

Your first contributions will be submitted on the first pay date that occurs 30 days after you upload your employee roster. You will receive a notification in your message center a few days prior to each pay date and an e-mail will be sent to the primary company contact letting them know they should check their message center in the employer portal.

If an employee decides to opt out after their account has already been funded they have the option to request a withdrawal in the form of a check or bank transfer. If this occurs, employees should be referred to the web site to complete a Withdrawal Form or contact the Client Services Team at 855-650-6918.

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