Women come up short in contributing to employer-sponsored retirement plans compared to men, according to the TIAA-CREF survey Perfect Match released Tuesday.

Seventy-two percent of women who contribute to an employer-sponsored retirement account, such as a 401(K), contribute enough to receive the maximum match from their employers, compared to 82 percent of men, according to the survey, which included 1,000 adults who contribute to an employer-sponsored retirement account.

Only 64 percent of those earning less than $35,000 a year receive the full match, says TIAA-CREF, a leading provider of retirement services in the academic, research, medical and cultural fields that has $613 billion in AUM.

“These survey results show that some groups of people in particular aren’t maximizing the full value of their retirement plans,” says Teresa Hassara, executive vice president of TIAA-CREF’s Institutional Business. “When employees don’t get the full match that their employers offer, they are essentially walking away from free money.”

The survey found that employees would welcome more information from their employers on making the most of their retirement plan match. Forty percent of the employees who are not currently contributing enough to get the maximum matching funds say they get reminders to do so and are happy to receive them. An additional 32 percent do not receive reminders from their employers but said they wish they did, the survey says.

“An employer match is a very compelling factor in determining whether employees contribute to a defined-contribution retirement plan, but just offering it is not enough,” Hassara says. “Plan sponsors must ensure they are communicating the benefits of the match to employees, particularly those who are not currently reaching the full match.”