Illinois Secure Choice Is Moving to Vestwell—Here's What It Means for Illinois Workers
Today, the Illinois Treasurer's Office announced that Vestwell has been selected as the new administrator for Illinois Secure Choice, the state-facilitated retirement savings program that gives private-sector workers access to a simple, low-cost Roth IRA directly through their paycheck—soon to be known as My Illinois Savings.
For the millions of Illinois workers who don't have a retirement plan at work, this is a meaningful step forward.
Closing the Gap, One State at a Time
Nearly half of all private-sector workers in the U.S. don't have access to a workplace retirement plan. In Illinois, that gap is real and persistent, concentrated among employees at small businesses, hourly workers, and those in industries where retirement benefits have historically been out of reach.
Illinois Secure Choice was built to change that. The program requires employers with 5 or more employees who have been in business at least two years and don't already offer a qualified retirement plan to give workers a way to save. Employees are automatically enrolled in a Roth IRA with the freedom to adjust their contribution rate or opt out at any time. Employers have no plan costs and minimal administrative lift.
Starting in June 2026, Illinois Secure Choice will take on a new identity, My Illinois Savings, along with lower fees, expanded language access, and upgraded technology designed to reach more workers and make saving easier than ever.
What This Means for Employers and Savers
For Illinois employers, the transition to Vestwell means a more modern, streamlined experience. For the workers enrolled in the program, it means a participant experience built around clarity and engagement, with intuitive tools that make it easy to understand where their savings stand and how to make the most of them.
"Illinois Secure Choice is one of the most mature state programs in the country, and the workers enrolled in it deserve a platform that reflects that. We built Vestwell to meet exactly this moment—and being selected to carry this program forward is something our whole team takes seriously and with pride," said Douglas Magnolia, Chief Revenue Officer & President, Vestwell Government Savings at Vestwell.
This is what it looks like when public and private sectors work together to solve a real problem. Illinois built a program with purpose. Vestwell is here to make sure it delivers on that promise.
Why State Programs Choose Vestwell
Illinois joins a growing list of states that have trusted Vestwell to power their retirement savings programs. Vestwell now administers 90% of all state-facilitated retirement programs in the country, including Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia.
That depth of experience matters. Running a state program isn't just a technology challenge—it's an operational one. It requires the ability to scale across thousands of employers, support workers across every industry and income level, and maintain the kind of reliability that government programs demand. Vestwell has built its platform around exactly that.
A Bigger Picture
Momentum behind state-facilitated retirement programs isn't slowing down. Twenty states have now enacted programs for private-sector workers, and enrollment continues to grow. According to AARP, more than 1 million Americans have already enrolled in auto-IRA programs in recent years, and that number will keep climbing.
47% of U.S. private sector workers lack access to a workplace retirement plan. Programs like Illinois Secure Choice are one of the most direct ways to change that, and the technology behind them determines whether people actually engage, contribute, and build savings that last.
That's what drives us. Every employer who registers. Every worker who sees their first contribution. Every dollar saved for a retirement that once felt out of reach.
Welcome to Vestwell, Illinois.