Republicans and Democrats have begun discussing a new round of retirement savings legislation centered on House Ways and Means Chairman Richard E. Neal’s proposal to require businesses with at least 10 employees to offer retirement plans and automatically funnel a portion of their workers’ pay into savings.

Backers, including insurers and other investment providers who will gain new customers, say the requirement will fill the biggest gap in America’s workplace retirement system: small businesses, who often don’t have the wherewithal to bear the costs and administrative burdens of setting up 401(k)-style plans. Such plans have tax benefits that outside savings plans do not, and also often come with the added bonus of an employer match.

Most workers who don’t have access to workplace plans work for smaller firms, analysts say. Absent individual savings, these workers could have to rely in part on Social Security’s average annual benefit of less than $18,000 to get through retirement.

Workers without a company-backed savings plan can make tax-deductible contributions of up to $6,000 this year to a traditional Individual Retirement Account — $7,000 for individuals ages 50 and older — or to a Roth IRA, to which an individual can make nondeductible contributions that are tax-free upon withdrawal.

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