This article is for employers who need to integrate a state auto-administered IRA program with Gusto.
State auto-IRA (Individual Retirement Account) programs help workers save for retirement while keeping program administration simple for employers. These state programs require businesses to either offer a retirement plan or help with the state’s savings program.
Your state will tell you if your company needs to sign up for a state auto-IRA program. If your state has not asked you to enroll, you do not need to do anything.
If one of the state programs below asks you to enroll, you can integrate your company’s auto-IRA with Gusto. This will automatically deduct money from paychecks, making the plan easier to manage. Vestwell and the state auto-IRA programs do not charge you for this integration or for running the program. You can view registration requirements, deadlines, and exemption options on your state’s website.
These state programs can integrate with Gusto:
If your company registers for another state’s program not on this list, you can set up manual payroll deductions. Learn more about each state with an auto-IRA program.
If your state requires your company to register for an auto-IRA program, they’ll notify you. If they have not asked you to enroll, you do not need to do anything.
Follow these steps if your state asks you to register:
Register for your state program’s employer portal. Complete the onboarding steps to turn on your company account and add your employees to the program.
The program automatically enrolls employees with the policy’s default deduction after a 30-day waiting period. Employees can opt out at any time, including during the first 30 days. They can opt out by signing in to their state’s employee portal.
After you finish onboarding, sign in to your state’s employer portal to integrate the benefit with Gusto. Select your state for instructions:
Important: You need to set up post-tax payroll deductions in Gusto until the integration is complete. Pay all employee and company contributions directly to the state via the employer portal. The integration is complete when the “Vestwell State IRA” deduction appears in your Gusto Benefits section. This can take 2–5 business days.
Once the “Vestwell State IRA” deduction appears in your Gusto account, remove the payroll deductions you set up in step 4. Vestwell will automatically add deductions to your Gusto payroll. If you do not remove the deduction you set up, employees will be deducted twice.
We get employee deduction info four days before your first integrated payroll. After you complete the integration steps and check that deduction rates are correct, the next payroll will automatically deduct Roth IRA contributions from paychecks for eligible employees. Your company pays all employee and company contributions directly to the state via the employer portal.
For questions about the program, contact your state’s service team.
For questions about the integration, plan administrators can contact [email protected].
You can manage your state auto-IRA program through your state’s employer portal.
Access your state’s employer portal
Choose your state to go to its employer and employee portal:
Here’s what you can do in your portal:
Contributions: After you run payroll, check the Contributions tab to find a record of all contributions by pay date and employee.
Employees: Add or remove employees from the plan, check eligibility, and view current contribution rates.
Pay groups and schedules: Manage your company’s pay groups and pay schedules.
Bank accounts: Manage bank account information.
Add new hires to the program
When you hire someone new who qualifies for the program, add them directly to your state employer portal. The program will notify the employee to enroll once they meet eligibility requirements, like a new-hire waiting period.
Each time a new employee is auto-enrolled in the program, opts in or out, or changes their deduction rate, Gusto is automatically updated. This usually takes about two business days.
How employee enrollment works
The program automatically enrolls new hires and newly eligible employees with the policy’s default deduction after a 30-day waiting period.
Employees can opt out at any time, including during the first 30 days. Employees can opt out or change their deduction rate directly in their state’s auto-IRA employee portal.
How employee deduction rate changes work
Employees change their contribution amounts directly in their state’s employee portal. The state portal automatically sends the change to Gusto. This usually takes about two business days.
Missing payroll deductions
If Roth IRA deductions do not appear on a payroll, here are the common reasons:
The integration has not started yet. Check if you have the “Vestwell State IRA” deduction in your Gusto Benefits section.
The employee does not yet qualify for the plan under your plan’s eligibility rules.
The employee may need to submit their enrollment. Check their enrollment status in the state portal.
You ran payroll before the program processed the enrollment or deduction change. Employees can make up for missed deductions by increasing their contribution rate in the state employee portal.
We take taxes out before deductions. The employee had no money left after taxes.
The employee reached the IRS annual contribution limit.
Each state has different rules about which businesses need to offer retirement savings programs.
To set up auto-IRA deductions for states that integrate with Gusto, follow the instructions in the Register for your state’s auto-IRA and integrate with Gusto section of the article. If your company registers for a different state’s program, you can set up manual payroll deductions.
The table below gives you a quick breakdown of current state programs and resources where you can learn more about them.
Last updated July 2, 2025
State
Plan name and website
Program requirement
Employers with...
Additional info
California
1 or more employees
Colorado
Colorado Secure Savings Program
5 or more employees
Connecticut
5 or more employees
Delaware
5 or more employees
Hawaii
Hawaii's Retirement Savings Program
1 or more employees
HRSP phone: (808) 586-8846
Illinois
5 or more employees
Maine
Maine Retirement Investment Trust
1 employee or more
Maryland
5 or more employees
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Retirement Savings Plan
Office of Economic Empowerment
501(c) organizations with 20 or fewer employees
Minnesota
Minnesota Secure Choice Retirement Program
5 or more employees
Missouri
Show-Me MyRetirement Savings Plan
This is a 401(k) Multiple EmployerPlan (MEP)
50 or fewer employees
Nevada
Nevada Employee Savings Trust (NEST)
More than 5 employees
New Jersey
25 or more employees
New York
New York State Secure Choice Savings Program
10 or more employees
Oregon
1 or more employees
Rhode Island
5 or more employees: Required if no existing and qualifying retirement plan.
Fewer than 5 employees:
Optional.
Vermont
5 or more employees
Virginia
25 or more employees
Washington*
*Due to launch on July 1, 2027, but could be phased in
Employees need to have worked a combined minimum of 10,400 hours during the previous calendar year
Contact your state’s service team for questions about your state auto-IRA program. Choose your state to find contact information: