Why Should the Payroll Savings Plan be Part of Your Benefits Package?
The Payroll Savings Plan, offered by the U.S.
Treasurys Bureau of the Public Debt and administered by the Federal Reserve,
provides an employee benefit for any size organization.The Payroll Savings Plan allows your employees to purchase savings bonds in
denominations ranging from $50 to $10,000 for Series I bonds and from $100 to $10,000 for
Series EE bonds. The program can complement an existing investment plan, such as a 401K,
or can serve as a stand-alone savings vehicle. The program is inexpensive and easy for
your organization to administer.
Here are some of the reasons why people participate in the Savings Bond Payroll Deduction Plan:
 |
Savings Bonds are a safe investment backed by the full faith and credit of
the United States. |
 |
Savings Bonds are a convenient and painless way to save because the cost
of a bond is deducted automatically from an employees pay. |
 |
Savings Bonds are flexible and can be used to satisfy short or long-term
savings goals (for retirement, childrens education, a home purchase, or as an
emergency reserve). |
 |
Savings Bonds offer tax advantages. The interest earned from a savings
bond, which is deferred until the bond is redeemed, is exempt from state and local taxes.
When savings bonds are used to pay for higher education, some or all of the interest may
be excluded from federal taxation. |
 |
Savings Bonds require a low minimum investment. |
How Does the Payroll Savings Plan Work?
More than 40,000 employers have incorporated
the Payroll Savings Plan into their normal payroll procedures and have found the program
requires little time and effort to maintain.To
initiate the program, each participating employee signs an authorization card designating
the amount to be deducted each pay period for the purchase of savings bonds and providing
bond ownership information. At the end of each pay period, savings bonds are purchased for
employees who have accumulated the purchase price. [The purchase price also can be accrued
by the deduction of small amounts over time.]
The order and payment are then submitted to the Federal
Reserve, which processes the orders and issues the bonds. This process continues until an
employee gives written notice to cancel the arrangement or leaves your employment.
| Other Savings Bond Topics |
|
|
|
|