Months after Michael Dell and his wife Susan Dell’s $6.25 billion donation, Department of Treasury announces new ‘paycheck rules’ for Trump Accounts

​The US Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have proposed new rules for Trump Accounts. These new rules will allow employers and employees to contribute to Trump Accounts through workplace payroll systems. The latest rules come months after Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell and his wife Susan Dell pledged $6.25 billion to help fund the child savings initiative. Sharing the new rules, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the guidance will allow employers to contribute up to $2,500 tax-free each year for employees’ dependent children and will allow workers to make pre-tax paycheck contributions directly into the accounts.​In December 2025, Michael Dell revealed that the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation plans to commit $6.25 billion to the savings program, formerly known as Trump Accounts and later renamed Invest America accounts. The donation is intended to provide $250 to the accounts of 25 million American children when the program begins, exceeding the foundation’s total charitable giving over its previous 26 years.​

US Treasury proposes new Trump Accounts paycheck rules

​The Treasury Department and IRS released the proposed regulations this week outlining how employers can establish and fund Trump Accounts, also known as 530A accounts. Under the proposal, qualifying employer contributions would be excluded from an employee’s gross income, and employers could also allow workers to fund their dependent children’s accounts through pre-tax payroll deductions.​“Trump Accounts are giving American families a new way to build wealth from day one,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.​“Today, Treasury is publishing guidance that will help families grow Trump Accounts by allowing employers to contribute up to $2,500 tax-free each year for employees’ dependents and giving employees the option to contribute pre-tax dollars directly to those accounts,” Bessent added.​The proposal is now open for public comment, with a hearing scheduled for October before the regulations can be finalised.​

Who can contribute to Trump Accounts

​Trump Accounts are available to any US child under 18 with a Social Security number. Children born between 2025 and 2028 are eligible for a one-time $1,000 Treasury deposit under a pilot programme designed to encourage long-term savings. According to Bessent, about 7 million children have already been enrolled.​Once an account is opened, parents, guardians, grandparents and other contributors can deposit up to $5,000 annually until the year before the child turns 18. Within that limit, employers may contribute up to $2,500 per employee each year.​

Employer participation in Trump Accounts

​The US Treasury said more than 50 companies have already committed to contributing to Trump Accounts for their employees, with some employers also planning to match the government’s $1,000 seed contribution.​Melissa Elbert, partner of wealth solutions at retirement benefits consultant Aon, said the latest guidance provides employers with greater clarity on the administrative and compliance framework for implementing the programme.​“We saw early adoptions, and I think many more are considering it, and this guidance is going to help,” Elbert said.​Earlier this year, a Mercer survey of nearly 350 US employers found that only about 4% expected to introduce Trump Account contribution programmes in 2026 or 2027, while about two-thirds had already decided against participating. Others remained undecided before the Treasury released its proposed rules.