The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued Announcement 2022-6, providing that effective March 14, 2022, and until further notice, the IRS will not accept applications for opinion letters on prototype IRAs (Traditional, Roth, and SIMPLE IRAs), SEP plans (including salary reduction SEPs (SAR-SEPs)), and SIMPLE IRA plans.
Read MoreIn 2021, Ascensus’ ERISA consultants fielded approximately 40,000 calls from our clients who subscribe to our 800 Consulting Lines. We asked our experienced IRA consultants what their trending IRA questions were last year and we compiled a list, along with their responses.
Read MoreAscensus consultants conduct compliance reviews throughout the country in order to help financial organizations recognize errors and identify ways to mitigate their risks. Here are some of the more common compliance mistakes that Ascensus consultants have discovered.
Read MoreThe first few months of each year usually bring an increased number of contributions for individual retirement arrangements (IRAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs). During this flurry of contribution activity, it’s important to make sure that your clients clearly designate the year that a contribution is for.
Read MoreNondeductible employee contributions, otherwise known as after-tax contributions, are available in qualified plans like 401(k), 403(b), or money purchase pension plans. Depending on the plan design, individuals can increase their qualified plan Roth assets by making nondeductible contributions and then rolling over (i.e., converting) the assets to a designated Roth account within the plan.
Read MoreTo make HSA contributions, an individual must be covered by a qualifying high deductible health plan (HDHP), and not be covered by a plan that is not an HDHP. However, when it comes to HSA eligibility, not all HDHPs are created equal.
Read MoreSeveral bills with provisions that would alter tax-advantaged savings arrangements have been introduced. If these provisions are approved, they represent important priorities for the House and Senate lawmakers responsible for their drafting and introduction.
Read MoreIf you’ve had difficulty locating the new life expectancy tables, you’re not alone. It’s recently become a common question fielded by ERISA consultants on Ascensus’ 800 Consulting service. You can find them all right here.
Read MoreMost small- to mid-sized business owners and self-employed individuals want an employer-sponsored retirement plan that’s affordable and easy to administer. Find out how SEP, SIMPLE IRA, and Individual(k) plans stack up.
Read MoreA new IRS withholding form released in 2022 means that payers and individuals will have a new process for calculating and electing federal income tax withholding on retirement distributions. Although the IRS will not require payers to use the new and revised forms until January 1, 2023, payers may start using them in 2022.
Read MoreA qualified HSA funding distribution allows HSA owners to directly move their Traditional or Roth IRA assets to their HSA as a regular contribution. Qualified HSA funding distributions are not deductible, however, and cannot be treated as a prior-year contribution.
Read MoreA qualified domestic relation order, or QDRO, is generally issued in connection with the payment of child support, alimony, or the division of marital property from a qualified retirement plan, 403(b) plan, or governmental 457(b) plan assets.
Read MoreThe IRS announced that the filing deadline for 2021 tax returns or requests for extension is April 18, 2022, for most taxpayers.
Read MoreIn early January, the IRS issued a news release announcing the postponement of certain tax-related deadlines for victims of wildfires and straight-line winds in Colorado. The IRS also issued a news release in mid-January announcing the postponement of certain tax-related deadlines for victims of flooding and mudslides in Washington.
Read MoreThe Department of Labor published on January 14, 2022, several inflation-adjusted penalty amounts for certain failures associated with qualified retirement plans.
Read MoreFinancial organizations that administer IRAs, health savings accounts (HSAs), and Coverdell education savings accounts (ESA) have many reporting deadlines looming ahead in 2022. Here’s a rundown of the impending due dates in the first quarter.
Read MoreThe one-per-12-month IRA rollover rules were radically revised in 2014 as a result of a U.S. Tax Court decision, restricting rollovers to individuals rather than to IRAs. A real-life case study of a one-per-12-month rollover rule violation taken directly from our IRA consulting lines demonstrates how to protect your financial organization while helping your clients.
Read MoreParents and grandparents tend to open and to contribute to Coverdell education savings accounts (ESAs) around the holidays and the start of the new year. If you don’t work with ESAs on a regular basis, now is the perfect time to review how to establish an ESA.
Read More
