Get answers to frequently asked questions

Yes. Under Maine law, Maine employers will be required to offer their employees some sort of retirement savings. This can be a traditional pension, a 401(k) plan, a 403(b) plan, a SEP Plan, a SIMPLE IRA plan, a governmental deferred compensation plan — or an account from MERIT.

There are no employer fees. Also, employers are neither required, nor permitted, to match employee contributions to the program.

Yes, similar programs have been active in other states since 2017. For the last on state activity, we encourage to visit the Georgetown Center for Retirement Initiatives

An employer-sponsored retirement plan includes a plan qualified under Internal Revenue Code sections 401(a) (including a 401(k) plan), qualified annuity plan under section 403(a), tax-sheltered annuity plan under section 403(b), Simplified Employee Pension plan under section 408(k), a SIMPLE IRA plan under section 408(p), or governmental deferred compensation plan under section 457(b). It does not include payroll deduction IRAs.

The MERIT Program rules are posted here.

Yes, the call center will offer assistance in English and Spanish, with access to translation services for other languages.

All eligible Maine are currently able to register for MERIT. There is no need to wait until their deadline. As your deadline approaches, we’ll send you an invite and reminder via email or mail. Then, simply enter your EIN and the Access Code that we send you. Until then, learn more about the program and prepare to offer your employees this retirement savings opportunity.

Employers that offer a qualified retirement plan are not required to participate in the program, but they need to certify their exemption. Simply start the process by providing your EIN and your Access Code. Then, in the space provided, certify that you offer a plan.

First, you’ll be asked to provide certain information about your business and employees. We ask only for the basic information necessary to set you up as an employer and to set up your employees' accounts. Once added to the program, your employees will receive information, including instructions on how to make account changes or opt-out if they wish. After that, you’ll start the payroll contributions for the employees who choose to stay in the program.

That depends on how many employees you have and whether you enter their information manually or use the batch upload feature or payroll system integration for multiple employees. Once employees are entered into the system, just update your payroll processing to include employee contributions, which are seamlessly deposited into each employee’s account. We’ve created a helpful video about the entire registration process.