Today, many employers offer long-term incentives, such as employer matching contributions, to boost participation in their retirement plans. But, as of plan years beginning after December 29, 2022, a small immediate financial incentive can also be offered to entice those not deferring in their employer’s 401(k) or 403(b) plan to start contributing to the plan. Inevitably, this has generated questions—the most popular of which we will answer here.
Read MoreThe Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released final regulations that provide de minimis error safe harbor exceptions to penalties for failure to file correct information returns or furnish correct payee statements.
Read MoreIf you’re new to qualified retirement plans, or simply need a refresher on these common terms in the retirement plan industry, we’ve got you covered.
Read MoreThe Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released a proposed regulation reflecting statutory changes related to long-term, part-time (LTPT) employees made by the SECURE Act of 2019 (SECURE Act) and the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (SECURE 2.0).
Read MoreThe SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (SECURE 2.0) provisions affecting the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS) support the IRS trend toward shifting certain types of retirement account corrections to the Self Correction Program (SCP).
Read MorePlan sponsors have watched for updates to the process of filing Form 5500 over the past three years as the Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) Employee Benefits Security Administration, the IRS, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (“the Agencies”) released changes to the form to comply with provisions in the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (SECURE 1.0).
Read MoreGiven the complexity involved in operating a retirement plan, it’s not surprising that from time to time there may be miscues, such as operational, document, or even eligibility failures. Some can be resolved without the direct involvement of the IRS, under the agency’s Self-Correction Program within the broader Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System. Other failures must—or, if an employer chooses, can—be corrected under the IRS Voluntary Correction Program (VCP).
Read MoreQualified plan loan offsets (QPLOs) give clients more time to repay most outstanding plan loans.
Read MoreThe Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has once again released guidance on the definition of “employee.”
Read MoreEmployers sometimes ask if they can reward their more tenured employees by providing them with a more generous matching formula than their less tenured counterparts.
Read MoreDoes a married plan participant need to obtain spousal consent when requesting a qualified retirement plan distribution? Do IRAs have the same spousal consent requirements? Do spousal consent requirements apply to plan participants joined in civil unions that aren’t defined as marriage?
Read MoreThe IRS has released final regulations on computing unrelated business taxable income for a tax-exempt organization. While the guidance may affect a relatively small portion of tax-exempt retirement plans, for those plans that invest in certain types of assets, however, knowing the rules will be important.
Read MoreWhen designing an employer-sponsored retirement plan that uses the new comparability profit sharing contribution allocation formula, your employer clients may want to consider ways to make the formula work better.
Read MoreWhat is the deadline for an employer to establish a qualified retirement plan? Can an employer establish a plan in 2020 for the 2019 plan year? If an employer establishes a plan for the prior year, can elective deferrals be contributed for that prior year?
Read MoreAre your business clients frustrated with low employee participation in their retirement plans? It may be time for them to rethink their eligibility and contribution requirements.
Read MoreOne way that your employer plan clients can turn around low participation rates in their retirement plans—and save more—is by implementing automatic enrollment.
Read MoreOne way that your employer plan clients can help motivate employees to jump-start their retirement saving and participate in the plan is by spreading the word about the saver’s credit and its benefits.
Read MoreIf you offer retirement plans for employers, you have the opportunity to serve as a valuable resource for employers looking to better communicate with employees about increasing their plan participation.
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