# Washington Saves Help Center

> Independent, plain-English guide to Washington Saves, Washington State's workplace retirement program, for Washington business owners. Published by Dustin Metcalf, CRPC®, Founder and CEO of Four C Financial. Not the official program site (that is https://www.wasaves.com). Updated October 7, 2026.

Key facts (2026):
- Covered employers: in business in Washington 2+ years, physical presence in Washington, 10,400+ employee hours in Washington the prior year (proposed; about 5 full-time employees), and no qualified retirement plan for employees.
- Nothing is due in 2026. The program opens in 2027 (July 1 under current law; October 1 proposed).
- Proposed registration deadlines: December 1, 2028 for employers with more than 20,800 hours; December 1, 2029 for all other covered employers.
- No penalties before January 1, 2030. Then a warning letter with 90 days to comply, followed by fines up to $100, $250 and $500 for willful violations.
- Employers pay no program fees, cannot contribute or match, and are not fiduciaries.
- Employees get a Roth IRA; proposed default 5% of pay, rising 1% a year to 10%; 2026 limit $7,500 (+$1,100 age 50+).
- Offering a 401(k), SIMPLE IRA, SEP IRA, 403(b), pension, or a PEO or association plan exempts an employer.
- SECURE 2.0 startup credits (up to $5,000 a year for 3 years, up to $1,000 per employee for contributions, $500 a year for auto-enrollment) apply to new SEP, SIMPLE IRA and 401(k) plans, not to Washington Saves.

## Pages
- [Washington Saves for employers: coverage check, deadlines, costs, options, FAQ](https://washingtonsaves.info/)
- [Washington Saves vs. a 401(k)](https://washingtonsaves.info/washington-saves-vs-401k/)
- [Washington Saves deadlines and penalties](https://washingtonsaves.info/washington-saves-deadlines-penalties/)
- [Exemption: if you already have a plan](https://washingtonsaves.info/washington-saves-exemption/)
- [SEP vs. SIMPLE IRA vs. 401(k)](https://washingtonsaves.info/sep-vs-simple-ira-vs-401k/)
- [Startup tax credits for a new plan](https://washingtonsaves.info/retirement-plan-tax-credits/)
- [One-page summary (PDF)](https://washingtonsaves.info/downloads/Washington-Saves-Owner-Handout.pdf)

## Contact
- Dustin Metcalf, CRPC®, Four C Financial: 360-865-7357, dustin@washingtonsaves.info
- Book a free intro call: https://calendly.com/dustin-fourcfinancial/washingtonsaves-info-intro-call