Treasury to Auto-Enroll Children in Trump Accounts Starting Oct. 1

The Treasury Department will begin automatically enrolling millions of American children in Trump Accounts as early as Oct. 1 under temporary regulations published Tuesday.

The change could add more than 60 million children to the tax-deferred savings program in 2026 alone, according to the guidance. In later years, auto-enrollment is expected to add roughly 2 million accounts annually.

Trump Accounts launched July 4 and allow families to open tax-deferred investment accounts for children. The government deposits a one-time $1,000 for kids born between 2025 and 2028, and other funds may be available to qualifying families.

Until now, families had to opt in by filing IRS Form 4547 with their tax return or signing up through TrumpAccounts.gov. That requirement kept participation low, particularly among low-income households, research shows.

Between 7 million and 8 million children have signed up so far. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the House Financial Services Committee on Sept. 15 that auto-enrollment would change those numbers quickly.

"We anticipate within a month we will have 70 million because we will go to auto-enroll," Bessent said.

The Social Security Administration has said it plans to enroll newborns at the hospital when families request a Social Security number during birth registration.

Madeline Brown, a senior policy associate at the Urban Institute, said auto-enrollment "would certainly reach the vast majority of parents and children." But she cautioned that signing families up is only the first step.

"Assuming that can happen, after families are enrolled there is still a lot of work to be done to build engagement and awareness," Brown said.

The accounts are part of a broader push by the Trump administration to expand government-backed savings vehicles for families. Supporters say automatic enrollment removes barriers that kept lower-income households out of the program. Critics question whether the accounts deliver meaningful long-term benefits without ongoing contributions.

The temporary regulations are subject to a public comment period before they take effect. Treasury has not said how it will notify families whose children are enrolled automatically.