You can always change or edit the amount you contribute to your ESA (Emergency Savings Account).
Remember that all contributions to your ESA are after-tax deductions. This means that any funds you put towards your account will be deducted from your paycheck after taxes (federal, state, local, Social Security, and Medicare taxes, for example) are withheld.
This article serves as a guide to adjusting your ESA contribution amount. We’ll also detail how to stop your ESA contributions should the need arise.
Table of Contents:
Steps to Change Your ESA Contribution Amount
1. Log In to Your Vestwell ESA Portal
First, you will need to log in to your Vestwell ESA portal.
2. Navigate to the Homepage of Your ESA Portal
Navigate to the homepage of your portal by clicking on the home icon on the left-hand side of the screen.
3. Begin the Process to Change or Stop Your Contributions
Once you are on the homepage of your ESA portal, you will see a widget that says “Savings Per Pay Check.” It contains your savings rate as a dollar or percentage. On this “Savings Per Pay Check” widget, click Edit to make updates to your contribution amount.
4. Select Your New Savings Rate
You will then be brought to a screen to enter your new savings rate or savings amount.
You can choose to either:
- Save a percentage of each paycheck. For example, if you choose to save 5% per paycheck, you’ll save 5 pennies for every dollar you earn.
- Save a specific dollar amount per paycheck. For example, if you choose to contribute $30 per paycheck, then $30 will be taken out of your paycheck.
As long as the funds are available from your paycheck, you’re able to save practically any amount into your ESA if you so choose.
To change the amount you are saving, edit the percentage or dollar amount on the screen to be your desired rate or amount, then click Update.
Now you’re all set. Note that the changes you made could take more than 1 pay cycle to take effect. You can see your new savings rate or savings amount on your ESA portal dashboard on the “Savings Per Pay Check” widget on your homepage. You’ll also receive an email confirming your changes.
How to Stop ESA Contributions
If you need to stop making contributions to your ESA for whatever reason, you can stop your contributions using the “Savings Per Pay Check” widget on your dashboard. When you click Edit on this widget, just set your savings rate or savings dollar amount to 0% or $0, respectively. Then click Update. Note that this change could take more than 1 pay cycle to take effect. When you are ready to save in your ESA again, you can always change your contribution amount to your desired savings percentage or dollar amount by following the steps detailed in the section above.