You can opt out of Illinois Secure Choice online, by phone, or by mailing a one-page paper form, and any of the three stops the payroll deduction. Your employer must give you an enrollment packet with opt-out instructions when the company joins the program or when you’re hired, and you have 30 days from that notification before contributions begin. You can also opt out at any point after that window closes.1Illinois Secure Choice. Facilitating Illinois Secure Choice
Unless you act, you’re automatically enrolled in a Roth IRA with 5% of your gross pay withheld after tax, invested in a default target-date fund.2Illinois Secure Choice. Contributions3Illinois State Treasurer. My Illinois Savings That rate climbs by 1% every January 1 until it hits 10%, starting six months after you’re enrolled.4Illinois Secure Choice. FAQ
Opting Out Online
The quickest route is the saver portal at saver.ilsecurechoice.com. Have four things ready before you log in:
- Your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number
- The access code from your enrollment notification
- Your date of birth
- Your zip code
The portal walks you through identity verification and ends with a confirmation screen and a digital receipt.5Illinois Secure Choice. Illinois Secure Choice Saver Information Save that receipt.
Opting Out by Phone
Call client services at 855-650-6914, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central Time.6Illinois Secure Choice. Contact Us You’ll verify your identity with the same information the online portal asks for, and the representative confirms the opt-out before you hang up. No form to fill out, no mail to track.
Completing the Paper Opt Out Form
If you’d rather send a physical form, download the Employee Opt Out Form from the Illinois Secure Choice website or request one by calling client services. The current version (Rev. 1/2026) has four sections.7Illinois Secure Choice. Illinois Secure Choice Employee Opt Out Form
Section 1 — Employee Information. Legal first name, middle initial, and last name; home address; telephone number; the last four digits of your SSN or ITIN; and your date of birth. All fields are required. The form asks for only the last four digits of your SSN, not the full number.
Section 2 — Opt Out Reason. Check one box. Options include already having your own retirement plan, preferring a Traditional IRA, not being able to afford contributions right now, not qualifying for a Roth IRA due to income, and several others, plus an “Other” box.
Section 3 — Employer Information. Your employer’s name.
Section 4 — Signature. Sign and date. Your signature confirms you don’t wish to participate at this time and that you understand you can re-enroll later.
You do not need an access code for the paper form; the access code is for the online portal only. Make sure your name matches your payroll records exactly, because that’s how the program links your opt-out to your employer’s account.
Where to Send the Form
- Fax: 617-559-8920
- Regular mail: Illinois Secure Choice, P.O. Box 56000, Boston, MA 02205-6000
- Overnight delivery: Illinois Secure Choice, 95 Wells Avenue, Suite 155, Newton, MA 02459
The form itself notes that opting out online or by phone is the easiest and quickest method.7Illinois Secure Choice. Illinois Secure Choice Employee Opt Out Form If your 30-day enrollment window is close to expiring, fax or overnight delivery is safer than regular mail. Keep a copy of whatever you send.
What Happens After You Opt Out
Once the program processes your request, it notifies your employer’s payroll department to stop deductions. The statute puts the responsibility on your employer to make sure no further wages are diverted into the state-managed IRA.8Illinois General Assembly. 820 ILCS 80 – Illinois Secure Choice Savings Program Act You don’t need to separately notify HR.
There may be a short payroll lag. If a deduction slips through before the system catches up, the money goes into your Secure Choice Roth IRA. Because Roth contributions are made with after-tax dollars, you can withdraw what you put in at any time without owing taxes or the 10% early withdrawal penalty; only investment earnings are subject to taxes and penalties if withdrawn before age 59½ and before the account has been open for five years.9Vanguard. IRA Withdrawal Rules Explained Check your pay stubs for the next two cycles to confirm the deductions have stopped.
Alternatives to Opting Out
If the only problem is the contribution amount, you can lower your rate to as little as 1% instead of opting out, and you can also turn off the automatic 1% annual escalation through your online account or by calling client services.2Illinois Secure Choice. Contributions4Illinois Secure Choice. FAQ
If the problem is income, pay attention. For 2026, single filers with modified adjusted gross income above $168,000 and joint filers above $252,000 cannot contribute to a Roth IRA at all; reduced contributions are allowed in the phase-out range of $153,000 to $168,000 for single filers and $242,000 to $252,000 for joint filers. Contributing above those limits through the default Roth can create an excess contribution that triggers IRS penalties. Illinois Secure Choice also offers a Traditional IRA, so switching through your online account is one way to stay in the program without the Roth income problem.8Illinois General Assembly. 820 ILCS 80 – Illinois Secure Choice Savings Program Act
Re-Enrolling Later
Opting out isn’t permanent. You can rejoin at any time online or by phone, and your employer may also set open enrollment periods for employees who previously opted out.7Illinois Secure Choice. Illinois Secure Choice Employee Opt Out Form8Illinois General Assembly. 820 ILCS 80 – Illinois Secure Choice Savings Program Act If you re-enroll, the 5% default contribution rate and the 1% annual escalation start fresh from their beginning points.