Four-fifths of non-government plans that have automatic enrollment also offer automatic contribution escalation (80%). After rising sharply from 2015 to 2016, the prevalence of automatic contribution escalation among non-government plans has remained at about seven in ten for the past two years. The number of plans with automatic contribution escalation that use an opt-out approach increased markedly (70.8%), compared to previous years: 2016 (59.5%), 2015 (60.7%), and 2014 (52.8%).
Only 5% of non-government plans without automatic contribution escalation are very likely to adopt this feature in 2018. The top reason for not offering automatic contribution escalation among non-government plans is that it is not a high priority. Government plans cited fiduciary concerns as the top reason for not offering automatic contribution escalation (e.g., no statute supporting it).
