Contributions to your EARNS account are starting soon.
What do you need to do?
You don’t have to do anything to start saving! You will be automatically enrolled with the standard savings and investment options unless you’ve customized your account. This means 5% of your gross pay (before taxes and other deductions are taken) will be contributed into your own IRA.
If you would like to customize your savings and investment choices, you can log in to your account today. You will be able to adjust how much you save from each paycheck, change the way your savings are invested, add beneficiaries, and more.
Have questions?
Learn more about the program, get answers to commonly asked questions, and find program resources at EARNSDelaware.com.
The State of Delaware has been doing research regarding retirement savings by individuals within Delaware and found that nearly 150,000 workers do not have access to a qualified retirement savings plan through their work.
Delaware Office of the State Treasurer has created the Delaware EARNS program set to go live as of July 1, 2024. This program's purpose is to:
Provide a pathway to economic security in retirement for employees
Let employers offer a competitive benefit at no cost
Save taxpayers money in the future
What is a Roth IRA?
A Roth IRA is a type of tax-advantaged individual retirement account to which you can contribute after-tax dollars toward your retirement. The primary benefit of a Roth IRA is that your contributions and the earnings on those contributions can grow tax-free and be withdrawn tax-free after age 59½, assuming the account has been open for at least five years. In other words, you pay taxes on money going into your Roth IRA, and then all future withdrawals are tax-free.
Roth IRAs are similar to traditional IRAs, with the biggest distinction being how the two are taxed. Roth IRAs are funded with after-tax dollars. Unlike a traditional IRA, the contributions are not tax-deductible, but once you start withdrawing funds, the money you take out is tax-free.
Employees can contribute up to $7,000 in 2024 and an additional $1,000 if they are over the age of 50. IRAs do not receive any employer matching contributions.
Once your employer has registered with the Delaware EARNS Program, within the next few weeks you should receive a letter or email from Vestwell, to set up your account at this time you will be given the ability to change your withholding percentage as well as opt out of withholding entirely. The default for the program is 5% of an employee's gross wages. So if you do nothing then 5% of your gross wages will be withheld from your paycheck and paid into your Delaware EARNS IRA. Start building a more financially secure future today (earnsdelaware.com)
The Delaware EARNS Program was created to help encourage employees to begin investing in their retirement. Research shows that individuals are 15 times more likely to save for retirement if it is offered through their employer.
After your employer registers with the Delaware EARNS Program, employees will have 30 days in order to opt out if they wish. If no action is taken within 30 days, your employer will be required to withhold 5% of your gross wages and contribute this to your Delaware EARNS IRA. Information on changing your withholding rate and opting-out of withholding can be found at Retirement saving made easy (earnsdelaware.com).
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