Hidden among the 100 or so updates and opportunities in SECURE Act 2.0, there’s a provision that makes it possible for employers to match student loan payments with contributions to employer-sponsored retirement accounts. This means that employees who were previously passing up 401(k) matches due to the burden of student loan debt now don’t have to. And it just went into effect on January 1st of this year. This presents a very exciting opportunity for employers, but there are some common misconceptions around this brand-new benefit — especially around how it works, who it benefits, and how hard it is to implement.
One major hurdle to its implementation is awareness; both HR pros and employees alike are still parsing through all the SECURE Act’s provisions, and are just starting to wake up to the potential of this particular benefit that sits squarely at the cross-section of student loan assistance and retirement savings. Once it gets up and running, the impact will be tremendous. In any given month, about half of workers are engaged in the process of leaving their jobs, and among workers with student loan debt, that number increases to more than three out of every five. Imagine how that statistic might shift if employers were able to alleviate some of that stress! Employees broadly agree — one survey found that 78% of student loan borrowers think their employer should help them with student debt.
