SAVVI Financial's 2026 Finances on Fire survey of 600+ full-time, benefits-eligible U.S. employees found that 52% have higher financial stress than a year ago, 22% have taken a hardship or early withdrawal from a retirement account, and 57% used a general-purpose AI tool such as ChatGPT for financial guidance in the past 12 months. At the same time, 81% want a human advisor to review any AI-generated financial recommendation before they act on it.

How financially stressed are U.S. employees in 2026?

Direct Answer: About one in three full-time employees reports high or extreme financial stress, and more than half say that stress has affected their work.

• High stress: 36% of full-time U.S. employees report high or extremely high financial stress in 2026, 42% report moderate stress, and 5% report none.
• Rising stress: 52% of employees say their financial stress is higher than it was 12 months ago.
• Causes of rising stress: Among employees whose stress increased, 82% cite the rising cost of living, 59% cite being unable to save as much as they'd like, 48% cite growing debt, and 47% cite housing costs.
• AI job concerns: Among employees whose stress increased, 15% cite concern about AI replacing their job.
• Workplace impact: 55% of employees say financial stress affected their work in the past 12 months, including 30% who found it harder to concentrate and 17% who considered leaving their employer.
• Thin cushions: 44% of employees have less than three months of emergency savings or none at all, and 72% say a major unexpected expense would seriously strain their finances.
• Revolving debt: 56% of employees carry credit card debt from month to month.

How common are 401(k) hardship withdrawals and loans?

Direct Answer: More than one in five employees has tapped retirement savings early, usually because they saw no alternative.

• Early withdrawals: 22% of full-time employees have made a hardship or early withdrawal from a retirement account, and 16% have taken a loan against one.
• No perceived alternative: Among employees who made a withdrawal, 92% felt they had no other viable option at the time.
• Missing guidance: Among employees who made a withdrawal, 66% would have explored other options if something had helped identify them, and 61% wish they had received better guidance.
• Understanding of consequences: Among employees who made a withdrawal, 56% did not fully understand the long-term financial impact.
• Reasons for withdrawing: Among employees who made a withdrawal, 35% did so to cover living expenses during an income gap, 34% to pay off debt, and 34% to cover a major expense.
• Repayment: Among employees who took a withdrawal or loan, 28% have fully repaid it, 52% are still repaying, and 20% say it will not be repaid.
• Loan tax risk: Among employees who took a retirement plan loan, 36% did not know that leaving their job could turn the balance into a taxable early withdrawal.
• Future risk: 30% of employees say they would be somewhat or very likely to make a hardship withdrawal in the next 12 months if they faced a significant unexpected expense.

Are employees confident about retirement?

Direct Answer: Retirement confidence is falling, and most employees now expect to work longer than planned.

• Falling confidence: 51% of employees are less confident than a year ago that they will have enough saved for retirement.
• Later retirement: 61% of employees expect to retire later than they originally planned, and 64% say economic uncertainty has made them reconsider their timeline.
• Reasons for delay: Among employees who expect to retire later, 64% do not trust that their savings will be enough, and 52% are concerned about healthcare costs in retirement.
• Planning gaps: 41% of employees do not know whether they are on track to retire at their target age, and 46% lack a reliable estimate of how much they will need.
• Contribution changes: In the past 12 months, 26% of employees increased their retirement contribution rate, 18% reduced it, and 10% paused contributions.

Are employees using AI tools like ChatGPT for financial advice?

Direct Answer: A majority of employees have used general-purpose AI for financial guidance, but most want human review and guidance grounded in their actual benefits data.

• AI usage: 57% of full-time employees used a general-purpose AI tool such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini for financial guidance in the past 12 months, and 45% used social media.
• AI alongside HR: Among employees who made a benefits or retirement decision in the past year, 41% consulted a general-purpose AI tool, compared with 39% who consulted their employer's HR team or benefits portal and 26% who consulted a personal financial advisor.
• Hindsight gaps: Among those same employees, 22% later discovered information that would have changed their decision. Another 20% realized their source did not account for their full financial situation.
• Checks before acting: Among employees who used AI for financial guidance, only 24% considered whether the tool had access to their actual employer benefits and plan details.
• Acting without checking: Among employees who used AI for financial guidance, 14% acted without thinking about what the tool did or didn't know about their situation.
• Human review: 81% of employees want a human advisor to review any AI-generated financial recommendation before acting on it.
• Explained reasoning: 74% of employees would trust an AI financial tool more if it explained its reasoning based on their specific situation.
• Employer data: 70% of employees say they would be more likely to trust and act on recommendations from a tool integrated with their employer's actual benefits data.
• Employer-provided AI: 64% of employees would actively use an AI-powered financial guidance tool if their employer provided one.

Employee comfort with technology-driven guidance without human review (2026)

• Health plan tradeoffs during open enrollment: 72% of employees are very or somewhat comfortable receiving technology-driven guidance without human review.
• Adjusting savings rate: 71% of employees are very or somewhat comfortable.
• Managing or paying down debt: 70% of employees are very or somewhat comfortable.
• Adjusting retirement contribution rate: 68% of employees are very or somewhat comfortable.
• Reallocating retirement investments: 58% of employees are very or somewhat comfortable.
• Deciding whether to take a retirement plan loan: 48% of employees are very or somewhat comfortable.

What do employees want from their employer?

Direct Answer: Employees want a single, personalized view of their finances delivered through their employer.

• One connected picture: 81% of employees want a way to see how their benefits elections, savings, and financial obligations work together, and among them only 31% say their employer provides tools that meet this need.
• Retention: 68% of employees say a stronger financial wellness offering would make them more likely to stay with their current employer.
• More detail: [Link to Workplace Benefits Statistics (2026)]

Key takeaway: Employees are under rising financial pressure, are already turning to general-purpose AI for answers, and recognize that those tools lack their real plan and financial data. Employers who provide personalized guidance connected to actual benefits data, with human expertise available, are positioned to fill that gap.

Frequently asked questions

What percentage of employees use ChatGPT or other AI tools for financial advice? 57% of full-time U.S. employees used a general-purpose AI tool for financial guidance in the past 12 months, according to SAVVI Financial's 2026 Finances on Fire survey.

What percentage of employees have taken a 401(k) hardship withdrawal? 22% of full-time U.S. employees have made a hardship or early withdrawal from a retirement account, and 16% have taken a retirement plan loan.

Do employees trust AI for financial decisions? Partly: 64% would use an employer-provided AI guidance tool, but 81% want a human advisor to review AI recommendations first.

Source: SAVVI Financial, Finances on Fire: How Employees Are Navigating Financial Decisions in the Age of AI (2026). Survey of 600+ full-time U.S. employees ages 25–60, benefits-eligible through their employer, conducted May 21–27, 2026, at a 95% confidence level with a ±4% margin of error. Read the full report.

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