Since our platform has an integration with your payroll provider, we can take a lot of work off your plate regarding the processing of your payroll files through automation.

This guide will help you set up your integration and understand your specific responsibilities for the proper administration of payroll files.

1. Determine Your Integration Type
2. Initiate Your Integration Setup
3. Are There Any Reasons Why My Plan Might Not Be Eligible for an Integration? 
4. What Are My Responsibilities If My Plan Has an Active Payroll Integration? 
5. What Do You Handle for Me If My Plan Has an Active Payroll Integration?
6. Will My Payroll Provider Charge Me Fees to Set Up and/or Maintain My Payroll Integration? 
7. How Do I Disconnect My Integration?

Determine Your Integration Type

There are two possible integration types. Your eligibility depends on your prior relationship with us and your payroll setup.

• If you were previously an Accrue client, you will use our API integration.
• If you were not previously an Accrue client, you will use our Pay(k)onnect integration.

Note: If you have multiple plans and at least one was previously administered by Accrue, your other plans may also qualify for the Rippling API integration. Eligibility is confirmed on a plan-by-plan basis and may require additional setup.

API – How to Initiate Your Integration Setup (for Prior Accrue Clients)

First, ensure you have Super admin permissions set on your Rippling account.

• In Rippling, Go to Company Settings > Permissions.
• Open the Permission profiles tab and find the Super admin profile.
• Open the Super admin profile and confirm you're listed as an assignee. If the profile is assigned to a group instead, check that you're a member of that group.
• If you can't see the Permissions page at all, you may not have permissions-admin access.
• Once you confirm super admin permissions, proceed through the integration setup.

For full details, see Rippling's help article on permissions.

To initiate your integration:

1. Log in to your employer portal.
2. Navigate to the "Contributions" page.
3. Click the gear icon.
4. Click the Connect to Rippling button.
5. Follow the steps to authorize your connection.
   • Log in with your admin credentials.
   • Please ensure that you select “Everyone except contractors should have an account” when prompted with “Who should have an account for Vestwell” as you authorize your connection.
   • Please ensure that you select “As soon as they’ve signed their offer letter or agreement” when prompted with “If an employee (or consultant) matches the access rules, when should they get access to Vestwell?” as you authorize your connection.

If your plan has multiple pay groups, you must add a pay schedule name to identify each pay group. You can do this by following the next steps:

• For Rippling US Payroll:
  1. From the main sidebar, select Payroll.
  2. From the Payroll sidebar, select Payroll Overview.
  3. Select the "Settings" tab.
  4. Select the "Pay schedules & auto approval" section.
  5. Click Review your pay schedules. 
  6. Click Edit and enter a new pay schedule name.
• For Rippling Global Payroll:
  1. From the main sidebar, select Payroll.
  2. From the Payroll sidebar, select Settings.
  3. Select the "Pay schedules" section.
  4. Click Edit and enter a new pay schedule name.

Please do not run payroll until you see "Vestwell Integration" retirement deduction codes. These will appear 4 business days before your first payroll with us. You can locate the codes in Rippling by following the instructions below:

1. Log in to Rippling.
2. Navigate to "Payroll" → “Payroll Overview” → “Deductions” → “Recurring deductions for active employees”. 
3. Look for the below codes:
   • Vestwell Pretax 401k
   • Vestwell Roth 401k
4. If your plan allows, loans will also be set up within Rippling through the integration, as Vestwell Loan Repayment.

Note: If you have existing Pretax or Roth codes in Rippling, they will be deactivated. Any existing IRA codes must be deactivated by you, the employer.

For plans with multiple EINs:

1. Ensure at least one pay group is set up in your employer portal for each company you need to connect.
2. Click Connect to Rippling.
3. Log in to your Rippling account, then select the company you want to connect.
4. You’ll be redirected back to the employer portal to map the selected company to existing pay groups.
   • Note: Only map pay groups associated with this company. You can connect additional companies later.
5. Click Connect.
6. To connect another company, click Connect to Rippling again and select a different Rippling company.
7. Repeat steps 2–5 for each EIN.
8. A connection is complete when a green checkmark with “Connected” appears next to the pay group.

Pay(k)onnect – How to Initiate Your Integration Setup

To initiate your integration, reach out to your Rippling Account Manager to purchase the 401k subscription package in Rippling, then log in to your Rippling portal and add Vestwell as an app from the Rippling Marketplace.

Note: If your integration has not yet been activated, contribution uploads into your employer portal will be required until our team notifies you that the integration can begin.

Turn off the SECURE 2.0 Act. default deduction within Rippling.

1. Navigate to the "Manage Deductions" page of the payroll integration.
2. Scroll to the 401(k) deduction.
3. Click the three dots to the right and select Edit.
4. Navigate to the 4th page.
5. Under "Configure employee contributions," opt-out.
6. Continue through the deduction set up and click Save.
7. Set up and maintain retirement loans within your payroll system.

Work with your payroll representative to set up and maintain payroll codes within your payroll system. It is important that these payroll codes do not change once the integration setup is completed.

1. Navigate to the "Manage Deductions" page of the payroll integration.
2. Scroll to the 401(k) deduction.
3. Click the three dots to the right and select Edit.
4. Navigate to the 3rd page.
5. Set up the employer contribution.

Note: If your employer contribution has only one tier, enter 0% of 0% for the second tier.

Are There Any Reasons Why My Plan Might Not Be Eligible for an Integration?

Some plan design features currently prohibit the use of payroll integration. This includes:

• Plans that do not have an established recurring pay schedule setup in either the portal or the payroll system
• Plans that do not use the same payroll provider for all pay group(s)
• Plans that have limitations that prevent each pay group from being integrated
• Eligibility rules that exclude certain classes of employees, types of compensation, or certain types of hours worked
• Plans that allow after-tax contributions (integration is available for these plans only if you use a third-party administrator)
  • Note: After-tax and Roth contributions are not the same.

What Are My Responsibilities?

Our ability to successfully process your payroll files and administer your plan depends on you. Your responsibilities as an employer with an active API or Pay(k)onnect payroll integration are outlined below. 

Payroll Codes

Pay(k)onnect integration

• Work with your payroll representative to set up and maintain payroll codes within your payroll system.
  • This includes the initial setup of any employer contribution codes which will be funded on a per-pay-period basis.
    1. Navigate to the "Manage Deductions" page of the payroll integration.
    2. Scroll to the 401(k) deduction.
    3. Click the three dots to the right and select Edit.
    4. Navigate to the 3rd page.
    5. Set up the employer contribution.
       • Note: If your employer contribution is only one tier, Set 0% of 0% for the second tier.
• It is important that these payroll codes do not change once the integration setup is completed. 

API integration

• We create and maintain the Vestwell Pretax 401k, Vestwell Roth 401k, and Vestwell Loan Repayment (if your plan allows loans) deductions in Rippling. You don't need to set them up.
• We also set up your per-pay-period employer contribution formulas.
• Don't rename or delete these codes.
• If you have existing IRA codes, deactivate them yourself.

Discretionary and/or Profit-Sharing Contributions 

Profit-sharing contributions (all plans): Submit non-mandatory employer contributions through your employer portal using an off-cycle upload.

Discretionary employer contributions

• API integration: We automatically set up the per-pay-period discretionary employer contribution formula in Rippling. Rippling calculates the amount each pay period as part of running payroll.
  • Exception: If your plan has both a Safe Harbor match and a discretionary match, the integration handles only the Safe Harbor match. Submit the discretionary match separately using an off-cycle upload.
• Pay(k)onnect integration: Submit discretionary employer contributions through your employer portal using an off-cycle upload.
• Any integration: If your discretionary formula runs on a frequency other than per-pay-period, submit it through your employer portal using an off-cycle upload.

Mandatory Employer Contributions

• Maintain and submit mandatory employer contributions that are on a frequency other than a per-pay period basis using an off-cycle upload.

 Loans

• For plans with an API integration, we will automatically set up the loan repayment deduction in Rippling.
  • The deduction will include the correct amount to withhold per-pay-period and the total amount expected to be repaid. Please ensure that the loan's deduction calculation cadence is not customized to Monthly. You can check in Rippling by going to Retirement apps > Plans > Edit > 401(k) loan payment > Deduction calculation cadence.
  • If a loan's payment amount changes (e.g., due to reamortization), we'll update the deduction automatically.
  • If you’d like to reamortize the loan or change the payment amounts, please contact your retirement plan representative.
  • When the loan is fully repaid, canceled, or no longer being repaid through payroll, we will automatically stop the deduction in Rippling.
  • We only manage the Vestwell Loan Repayment deduction. If another loan deduction exists for the same saver under a different name, remove it to prevent withholding the payment twice.
• For plans with a Pay(k)onnect integration, we do not support loan setup. Set up and maintain retirement loans within your payroll system. 

Pay Groups

• Make sure any pay groups in your payroll system are also set up in your employer portal and vice versa. To edit a pay group name or set up new pay groups, please see our article, “How Do I Change My Pay Group With an Enabled Integration?” prior to your first pay date.
• If you are removing a pay group from your payroll system, please email your retirement plan representative.
• The number of pay groups or companies in your payroll system may affect your plan’s eligibility to integrate.

Saver Status Changes - Payroll System

• Make updates in your payroll system when savers are hired, terminated, or re-hired. Include a specific date when making these status changes in your payroll system.

Saver Personal Information

• Maintain complete, accurate, and up-to-date personal information within your payroll system. This includes date of birth, social security number, and email address. 

Pay Frequency/Schedule Changes

• Report any pay frequency or pay schedule changes to your retirement plan representative to ensure there is no delay in processing your payroll files upon making this change in your payroll system.

Payroll Run Types

Only payroll runs that have been paid in Rippling are processed through the integration, and only for these run types:

• Regular payrolls
• Transition payrolls
• New hire payrolls
• Off-cycle payrolls
• Termination payrolls
• Sign-on bonus payrolls
• Excess hours payrolls

Any other run type is not processed through the integration, including correction runs. See the next section for how to submit contributions from these runs to your plan.

Negative Contributions/Corrections

Negative contributions and corrections can't be processed through the integration — they need to be handled in two steps:

Step 1: Run a correction payroll in Rippling

1. Navigate to Payroll App > Payroll > Corrections > Create a correction.
2. Select the entity and click Continue.
3. Add a title for the correction run and select a settlement date.
4. Select Specific employees and search for the affected employee.
5. Select Maintain past data to use the original earnings and deduction settings.
6. Select an applicable pay run in the current quarter.
7. Once the correction run generates, go to the Deductions tab.
8. Locate the 401(k) employer contribution/match deduction and enter the corrected amount.
9. Click Next step to review the summary, then Approve correction to submit.

Step 2: Submit the correction to your retirement plan

Once your correction is approved in Rippling, upload it to your retirement plan as an off-cycle contribution. Correction pay runs are not automatically submitted through the integration, so this step is required to get the corrected amount into your plan.

Review Payroll Data

• We rely on you to provide us with correct, updated, and complete data about your employees, regardless of whether we receive that data directly from you or from your payroll provider. Regular audits and spot checks of the data provided to us will help you quickly identify and rectify any discrepancies.
• We recommend ensuring accuracy of the plan contact info on your employer portal because an email will be sent to notify you of any discrepancies. Visit “Updating your Company Information” to keep this up to date.

What Do You Handle for Me If My Plan Has an Active Payroll Integration?

Saver Deferrals - First Integrated Payroll

• Four business days prior to your first pay date with us, we will use the saver deferral rates in the portal to set saver elections in your payroll system. To guarantee saver deferral rates have been updated in your payroll system, do not run payroll prior to four business days before your scheduled pay date.

Saver Deferral Updates

• Ongoing deferral changes made in the portal by eligible savers will be communicated to your payroll system. It may take a few pay periods for this to be reflected in saver paychecks. 
• If your plan has an auto-enrollment feature, the same guidelines above apply.

Discretionary Employer Contributions 

• For plans with an API integration, we will automatically set up the per-pay-period discretionary employer contribution formula in Rippling. Rippling then calculates the contribution amount each pay period as part of running payroll.

Mandatory Employer Contributions

• For plans with an API integration, your mandatory employer contributions set to be paid on a per-pay-period basis will be sent to your payroll provider to process each pay period.

Saver Status Changes in the Portal

• When you add, rehire, or terminate employees in your payroll system, the changes will be reflected in the portal one business day after the next pay date.

Processing Contributions

• We process saver deferrals and employer contributions shortly after you run payroll.
• If you process payroll early, we may process the contribution file before the pay date.
• Off-cycle contributions from a supported payroll run type (see "Payroll Run Types") will come through the integration and reflect in your employer portal after the pay date.

 Loans

• For plans with an API integration, we will automatically set up the loan repayment deduction in Rippling.
  • The deduction will include the correct amount to withhold per-pay-period and the total amount expected to be repaid. Please ensure that the loan's deduction calculation cadence is not customized to Monthly. You can check in Rippling by going to Retirement apps > Plans > Edit > 401(k) loan payment > Deduction calculation cadence.
  • If a loan's payment amount changes (e.g., due to reamortization), we'll update the deduction automatically.
  • If you’d like to reamortize the loan or change the payment amounts, please contact your retirement plan representative.
  • When the loan is fully repaid, canceled, or no longer being repaid through payroll, we will automatically stop the deduction in Rippling.
  • We only manage the Vestwell Loan Repayment deduction. If another loan deduction exists for the same saver under a different name, remove it to prevent withholding the payment twice.

Will My Payroll Provider Charge Me Fees to Set Up and/or Maintain My Payroll Integration?

Your payroll provider may charge fees in conjunction with the integration. Please check with your Rippling representative for more specific details. 

We will not charge you to facilitate this integration.

What if I Amend My Plan or Change the Frequency of My Employer Contributions?

If your plan has been amended or if you are considering an amendment to your original plan documents, you are responsible for informing your payroll provider of the updates.

If you have changed the frequency of funding your employer contribution, you are responsible for informing your payroll provider and working with them to make this update.

How Do I Disconnect My Integration?

To deactivate your integration:

• Log in to your employer portal.
• Navigate to your "Contributions" page.
• Select the tools icon.
• Click Disconnect under the integration status.
• Confirm the disconnection.

If you change payroll providers, it is your responsibility to inform us so that we can disconnect your integration and assess whether integration with a different payroll provider is available. Please reach out to your retirement plan representative, and we will assist you.

If you're transitioning to a new retirement plan provider, you can modify the deduction codes remaining in Rippling after deactivating your integration.

• From the main sidebar in Rippling, select Payroll.
• From the Payroll sidebar, select Deductions.
• Click Manage deductions. If you have multiple entities, select the correct entity from the dropdown.
• Click the three-dot menu next to the relevant deduction code.
• Choose Edit to update the deduction (or Delete if it's no longer needed).

For full details, see Rippling's help article on deductions.