Capitol in Washington, DC

Inside The Secure Act: New Retirement Legislation



In our efforts to bring you the latest updates on things that might impact your financial life, we may occasionally enter the political fray, covering candidates, bills, laws and more.
Please note: SoFi does not endorse or take official positions on any candidates and the bills they may be sponsoring or proposing. We may occasionally support legislation that we believe would be beneficial to our members, and will make sure to call it out when we do. Our reporting otherwise is for informational purposes only, and shouldn’t be construed as an endorsement.

If you’ve followed Congress even casually over the past few years, you’re probably aware that there isn’t much that flows through the House of Representatives or the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support.

On Thursday, May 16 the House defied expectations, and their recent track record, by passing the SECURE act by an overwhelming 417-3 . True to form, though, the SECURE act stands for the “Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019”.

If the Senate and House agree on the bill as it stands now, it could end up being a big deal that changes the way lots of people save for retirement, invest in 401(k)s, IRAs, and other retirement accounts, and even the way they tackle student loan debt.

The bill is expected to move to the Senate this session and might be merged with a bill from the Senate Finance Committee, S.3471 : Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act of 2016. Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, does it?

If the bill does pass, it would be the first big retirement legislation since the Pension Protection Act in 2006 .

Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts, and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, introduced the bill and said on Twitter , “Let us not forget what is of most importance in the #SECUREAct: fixing our nation’s retirement crisis, helping workers of all ages save for their futures and reversing unfair and unexpected high taxes on #GoldStar families.”

Retirement saving might be changing in a big way if SECURE goes into effect. Here are 5 ways the SECURE act might change how you save for your future.

Paying Off Student Loans With Funds from a 529


A 529 plan is “a tax-advantaged savings plan designed to encourage saving for future education costs.”

There are two ways to save for education expenses with a 529: prepaid tuition plans and education savings plans. The plans are offered by all 50 states and Washington D.C. and can be used for qualified higher education expenses—$10,000 can be spent “per year per beneficiary for tuition at any public, private, or religious elementary or secondary school.”

A 529 might be appealing because your earnings on investment aren’t subject to tax and if withdrawals are made for qualified expenses, you won’t pay a penalty on them either.

The SECURE Act would let you spend $10,000 from a 529 account on student loan debt.

More Access for Long-term, Part-time Employees


Part-time workers are people who work less than 35 hours a week. Some statistics put the part-time employment population at 27.5 million people. Right now, 401(k) plans are allowed to exclude employees who work less than 1,000 hours a year.

SECURE would grant these folks 401(k) access , as long as they work more than 500 hours a year (about 10 hours a week), but less than 1,000.

Incentives and Credits for Small Business Employers


In 2018 there were 30.2 million small businesses in the US and 58.9 million small business employees according to the Small Business Administration (SBA) . A 2017 survey by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that just 53% of small and midsize employers offered retirement plans.

The reasons for not offering retirement plans can be as diverse as the businesses that make up this vital sector of the American economy. Retirement plans and accounts can be complicated to set up, and according to the Pew
survey
, many small business owners think their employees value higher salaries over a retirement account.

The SECURE Act aims to increase small business participation by giving small business owners a larger tax credit for opening retirement plans. SECURE also aims to remove existing restrictions that may limit small businesses when they want to buy into retirement plans with other small businesses. Whether you’re a small business owner or work for a small business, SECURE might give you some new options in the future if it passes.

Tax Free Withdrawals for New Parents


In 2017, the USDA found that raising a child, on average, could cost around $9,000 or about $13,000 a year depending on the income of the parents. New parents who are adopting can face the same costs, as well as court fees, and lawyer fees, or private adoption fees that can easily climb into the thousands of dollars.

The SECURE act tries to ease some of this burden on new parents by allowing a one-time, tax-free withdrawal of $5,000 from retirement accounts. This might be good news for some expecting parents and those looking to adopt—as it currently stands, if you were to withdraw money before reaching 59½ years of age, there is a 10% early withdrawal penalty in addition to income tax on the amount you take out.

New Age Rules for Contributions and Disbursements


Traditional Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) have an age limit of 70½ for regular contributions.

But people are working longer and are able to contribute to their retirement accounts longer. The percentage of workforce participation from those over 65, people who were either working or looking for work, grew from 10.8% in 1985 to 19.5% in March of 2018 . SECURE would remove these restrictions, letting workers who work longer contribute longer to a traditional IRA.

SECURE would also raises the minimum distribution age from 70½ to 72. The minimum distribution is “the minimum amount you must withdraw from your account each year .” Because folks are working longer, SECURE would add an extra two years before these funds must be withdrawn.

There Might Even Be More Student Debt Relief Legislation on the Horizon


Though it’s not part of SECURE, there’s a bill in committee now that was introduced by Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon that ties together student loan debt repayment and retirement accounts.

Bill S.3771, the Retirement Parity for Student Loans Act would help people with student loans pay them and save. Wyden said on Twitter when he introduced the bill, “Because of skyrocketing debt, young Americans are unable to save for their financial futures because they’re paying off the cost of college. I’m introducing a bill that will allow recent grads to save for retirement and repay their student loans.”

The basic gist of the bill is that your employer would match your student loan payments as if you’d made the contribution to a qualified retirement account. For example, say if you commit 5% of your salary to a 401k, your employer might also make matching contributions up to a certain limit. Under the Secure Act, employers can create similar programs for student loan debt.

Wyden’s bill is still in committee, and hasn’t seen a vote yet, but there does seem to be some bipartisan support for it as well.

On to the Senate


The SECURE Act doesn’t have a date for a vote in the Senate yet, and it’s not clear when it would hit the President’s desk if it does pass.

But, both sides seem hopeful that the bill will pass with bipartisan support in the Senate the same way it did in the House. If it does, it could mean some big changes to the way we fund retirement accounts for the first time in 13 years, and it just might prove that Congress can work together (at the very least they’ll have a bill with a catchy name that’ll stick in most folks’ minds).

Want to start working on your retirement goals? SoFi Invest may be able to help with both active and automated investing.

Learn More


External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.


Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.


Tax Information: This article provides general background information only and is not intended to serve as legal or tax advice or as a substitute for legal counsel. You should consult your own attorney and/or tax advisor if you have a question requiring legal or tax advice.

SoFi Loan Products
SoFi loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A., NMLS #696891 (Member FDIC). For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal. Equal Housing Lender.


SoFi Student Loan Refinance
SoFi Student Loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. NMLS #696891. (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). SoFi Student Loan Refinance Loans are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that the federal loan program offers, or may become available, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Income-Based Repayment, Income-Contingent Repayment, PAYE or SAVE. Additional terms and conditions apply. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal.


SoFi Invest®
The information provided is not meant to provide investment or financial advice. Investment decisions should be based on an individual’s specific financial needs, goals and risk profile. SoFi can’t guarantee future financial performance. Advisory services offered through SoFi Wealth, LLC. SoFi Securities, LLC, member FINRA / SIPC .

SOIN19141


All your finances.
All in one app.

SoFi QR code, Download now, scan this with your phone’s camera

All your finances.
All in one app.

App Store rating

SoFi iOS App, Download on the App Store SoFi Android App, Get it on Google Play

ABOUT SoFi SoFi helps people achieve financial independence to realize their ambitions. Our products for borrowing, saving, spending, investing, and protecting give our more than one million members fast access to tools to get their money right. SoFi membership comes with the key essentials for getting ahead, including career advisors and connection to a thriving community of like-minded, ambitious people. For more information, visit SoFi.com. Want an easy and convenient way to manage your financial life? Get the SoFi app. For iOS and Android.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

TLS 1.2 Encrypted
Equal Housing Lender