Gen Z Are Already Dipping Into Retirement Money

Almost half of America's youngest workers are raiding their retirement accounts just to get by, a new report has found.

Payroll Integrations' 2025 Employee Financial Wellness Report found that 38 percent of employees overall have withdrawn money from their retirement accounts at some point. Among Gen Z workers , that figure jumps to 46 percent, compared to 31 percent of Millennials,

These withdrawals are often not for discretionary purchases, but to cover more urgent, unavoidable needs. More than a third of employees who accessed their retirement savings this year—37 percent—used the money for emergency expenses such as major home or car repairs. This was highest among Gen X, with 56 percent saying they had withdrawn retirement cash to pay for an unexpected expense.

For Gen Z specifi