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Helping Kansas Workers Save for a More Secure Retirement
AARP Kansas is working to expand access to workplace retirement savings so more Kansans can build financial security for their future.
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For hundreds of thousands of Kansas workers, saving for retirement through their paycheck simply isn’t an option.
More than 414,000 Kansas private-sector workers, or more than 40 percent of the state’s private-sector workforce, work for an employer that does not offer a traditional pension or retirement savings plan.
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That matters because having an easy way to save at work can make a significant difference. Nationally, Americans are 15 times more likely to save for retirement when they can do so through payroll deduction at work. According to the Heritage Foundation, Social Security alone cannot meet the retirement income needs of most workers and expanding voluntary savings is essential.
AARP Kansas supports legislation to create a public-private retirement savings option, often called Work & Save, that would give more Kansas workers an opportunity to save their own money for retirement directly from their paychecks.
How Work & Save would help Kansans
Under the public-private approach, Kansas would establish a retirement savings partnership overseen by the state and run by a private-sector financial services provider. Workers would own their accounts, determine how much they want to save and be able to take their accounts with them when they change jobs. Participation would be voluntary for employees.
That combination of payroll deduction, portability and employee choice is designed to make retirement saving easier for workers who currently lack access to a workplace plan.
For employers, particularly small businesses, Work & Save offers another important advantage. Employers participating in a Kansas retirement savings program would not be responsible for participants' investment gains or losses. It’s a simple retirement option that could help small businesses attract and retain employees.
Kansas small business owners see the need
AARP research shows substantial support for expanding retirement savings opportunities among Kansas small business owners.
In a 2024 survey of 502 Kansas small business owners or decision-makers:
- 76% supported a privately managed, ready-to-go Kansas retirement savings option.
- 80% agreed Kansas lawmakers should support legislation creating a public-private retirement savings option.
- 79% agreed that offering workers a retirement savings plan would help small businesses attract employees and stay competitive.
- 77% expressed concern that some Kansans have not saved enough for retirement and could become reliant on public assistance.
- Among surveyed small business owners who did not currently offer a retirement savings plan, 61% said they would be likely to offer the public-private option described in the survey.
- Those findings are particularly significant because 59% of the small business owners surveyed said they did not currently offer a retirement savings plan. Among those business owners, 59% cited cost as a challenge, 37% cited complexity and 29% said retirement plans would be too time-consuming to operate.
Strengthening retirement security and Kansas’ financial future
The benefits of helping people save extend beyond individual workers.
The Pew Charitable Trusts estimates that insufficient retirement savings could cost Kansas more than $9.8 billion in social-service costs and lost revenue.
A public-private retirement savings partnership is designed to become self-sustaining and participant-funded after initial startup costs are repaid to the state. Under the proposed model, program funds cannot be commingled with public pension dollars or add to Kansas’ public pension liability.
Across the country, states are already taking action. As of 2026, 21 states have enacted retirement savings legislation, 17 have established Auto IRA options, more than 1.2 million workers are saving, and more than $3.3 billion has been saved through these programs.
AARP Kansas is working for a solution
AARP believes workers should have the opportunity to build financial security for retirement, regardless of whether their employer offers a traditional retirement plan.
That’s why AARP Kansas supports bipartisan Work & Save legislation that would expand access to an easy, voluntary and portable way for workers to save their own money through payroll deductions and ensure all Kansans have a path to retirement security.
For Kansas workers who currently have no way to save through their jobs, Work & Save could provide something simple but important: the opportunity to start saving today for a more financially secure tomorrow.
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