Accrue → Vestwell Transition
Transition from Accrue to Vestwell streamlines 401(k) plans for employers and employees.
Accrue to Vestwell Transition: Overview for Partners
On January 30, 2026, Vestwell officially completed its acquisition of Accrue 401k (formerly serviced by Guideline). Vestwell is a modern savings platform powering more than 350,000 businesses and helping more than 1.5 million individuals save meaningfully and move toward financial well-being. As part of this transaction, nearly 30,000 employers and 350,000 savers will be moving to Vestwell, while continuing to operate through the payroll providers and platforms they already use and trust.
Check's existing integration with Accrue 401(k) will also be transitioning to Vestwell. This article explains what's changing, what stays the same, and what to expect during the migration.
What's happening?
Accrue is migrating its platform to Vestwell. As part of this transition, Check's embedded 401(k) integration component will point to Vestwell instead of Accrue. No code changes are required — the existing Check component you've already integrated will handle the switch automatically.
- Existing Accrue 401k plans will transition to Vestwell in April 2026 through a structured, cohort-based process designed to prioritize accuracy, continuity, and high‑touch support.
- Plan design, core pricing, and payroll connectivity will carry over, so employers can continue offering a similar plan experience with the benefit of Vestwell’s broader savings platform—which includes features like goal-based managed accounts and a built‑in emergency savings account.
- Employers and employees will receive direct communications from Vestwell outlining their transition timeline, timing for a brief window when account activity is limited during the transfer, and simple, guided steps for setting up their accounts on the Vestwell platform.
We’ve created an Employer Plan Transition Guide that outlines the transition timeline, key milestones, and what employers (and their employees) can expect at each stage. This guide will be shared directly with employers whose plans are moving from Accrue 401k to Vestwell, and we’re sharing it with you as a reference resource.
Timeline
Each Check partner’s entire customer base will be migrated in a single cohort to avoid partial migrations and ensure a consistent experience.
For existing Accrue employers
Employers currently using Accrue will be migrated to Vestwell in cohorts through April 2026. During the migration:
- Payroll deductions continue uninterrupted. Existing Accrue-managed deductions remain in place until employers reconnect through Vestwell.
- Employers will receive communication to complete Vestwell's activation flow.
- Once reconnected, Vestwell will automatically set up new deductions and end-date the Accrue-managed contributions.
Until migration, existing Accrue employers can continue logging into their accounts through Check's component, and their automated 401(k) deduction management will continue as normal. After migration, existing Accrue employers will be prompted to create Vestwell accounts and will begin logging into Vestwell to manage their 401(k) going forward.
Key communications existing Accrue employers and employees will receive:
For new employers
New employers can sign up for 401(k) plans through Check's embedded component today. The component now surfaces Vestwell branding and allows employers to enroll in a plan or book a call with a Vestwell representative directly within the flow.
Until the full integration launches in April 2026, new employers will need to manage contributions across Vestwell and Check manually. Once the integration is fully live, payroll deductions will flow automatically.
Customer communication template
Below is a template you can use to communicate with employers who are interested in signing up for new 401(k) plans before Vestwell completes their backend integration with Check:
Subject: Getting started with your new 401(k) plan
Thank you for your interest in setting a new 401(k) plan through Vestwell!
As you get started, here's an important note about managing contributions:
For now, 401(k) contributions will need to be managed manually. When you run payroll, you'll need to:
- Log into Vestwell to view employee contribution elections
- Enter those deduction amounts in your payroll system
This is temporary. We're working toward a fully integrated experience where contributions will sync automatically between your payroll and Vestwell. We expect this deeper integration to be available in April 2026.
In the meantime, Vestwell's team is available to help you through the setup process and answer any questions:
- Email: clientsuccess@vestwell.com
- Phone: (888) 294-0388
Thank you for offering retirement benefits to your employees!
Deeper Vestwell–Check integration ahead
Looking ahead, Check and Vestwell are working toward a deeper integration to deliver a more unified, embedded retirement experience. This will streamline the payroll-to-retirement data exchange and create a more scalable path to bring 401(k) plans to more of your customers.
Support and next steps
If you have questions about how this impacts your Check integration or your clients’ experience, the Check team remains your first line of support.
For Vestwell-specific questions:
- Questions from current Accrue 401k plan sponsors about their upcoming transition:
- clientsuccess@vestwell.com
- (888) 294-0388