FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Letter urges clarification on provisions for catch-up contributions; RMDs; plan participation for long-term, part-time workers; and ERISA incorporation

Lexington, KY, February 24, 2026—The National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators today announced that a majority of the nation’s state-facilitated auto IRAs have joined its membership. NAGDCA is the premier professional association for plan administrators and services providers of government-sponsored defined contribution retirement plans.

“We’re excited to welcome these state-facilitated auto IRAs to NAGDCA,” stated NAGDCA Executive Director Matt Petersen. “These new members are—as all our members are—focused on the long-term success of their plans and optimizing retirement savings for their participants. Since its founding in 1980, NAGDCA has provided its members with tools, guidance, and legislative advocacy to advance their efforts.”

In keeping with its mandate to serve as legislative advocate for its members, NAGDCA has worked with the auto IRAs to shape a list of 2026 legislative priorities focused on enhancing the workability and durability of their programs. Specifically, NAGDCA will advocate on behalf of its state-facilitated auto-IRA members for:

  • Customer Identification Program (CIP) Rules within Know Your Customer (KYC) – Streamlining KYC compliance requirements to improve the overall efficacy of state-facilitated auto-IRA programs.
  • Federal Automatic IRA – Ensuring that any legislation establishing an automatic IRA program at the federal level preserves existing state-level auto-IRA programs and permits states to craft new solutions tailored to the particular needs of their citizens. Specifically, any such legislation will a) provide broad grandfathering enabling states to continue to operate and expand existing programs, and b) expressly preserve the right of states to create new programs, including those that exceed any minimum national standards.
  • Auto-IRA Rollovers into Employer-Sponsored Plans – Amending the Internal Revenue Code to permit participants to roll over their state-facilitated auto IRAs, which are exclusively Roth IRAs, into employer-sponsored 401(k), 401(a), 403(b), and 457(b) plans. Such amendment would provide individuals with more choice and flexibility, and help integrate auto IRAs into the larger retirement system.

“We applaud the state-facilitated auto IRAs for providing a retirement savings vehicle for those Americans currently without access to an employer-sponsored plan, and are confident they will find a welcoming and supportive membership, as well as the resources they seek at NAGDCA,” Matt continued.

“Our hearty thanks to our new auto-IRA members for helping us identify and shape NAGDCA’s 2026 legislative advocacy agenda to best serve them,” Matt concluded.

NAGDCA’s “2026 State-Facilitated Auto-IRA Legislative Priorities” may be accessed here.

ABOUT NAGDCA
NAGDCA provides education, information, and training in all aspects of public plan administration to support members in creating plans that enable secure retirement outcomes for their participants. NAGDCA’s members include 270 governmental plan sponsor members represent 15,000 governments in 49 states, administering governmental deferred compensation and defined contribution plans, including Section 457(b), 401(k), 401(a), and 403(b) plans, as well as the nation’s state-facilitated auto-IRA programs.

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