CATHERINE L. REAGAN and KEVIN E. NOLT, April, 2020 (Updated May 1, 2020) In response to the coronavirus pandemic, on April 10, 2020 the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2020-23, extending the deadlines for the time-sensitive actions set forth in Revenue Procedure 2018-58 to July 15, 2020.1 These extensions apply to certain retirement plan […]
Retirement Plans
T. KATURI KAYE and BRYAN J. CARD, March, 2020 On March 27, 2020, the United Sates Congress passed the historic Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), the largest rescue bill to date, which provides economic relief to individuals, businesses, local and state governments, and health care systems financially impacted by […]
CRAIG P. HOFFMAN and KEVIN E. NOLT, February, 2020 Qualified retirement plans are subject to a number of administrative changes, document requirements and other deadlines effective with or during the 2020 calendar/plan year, especially in light of the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (SECURE). The following article summarizes these changes […]
CRAIG P. HOFFMAN, December, 2019 The most far-reaching pension reform legislation in 13 years was passed by Congress and is expected to be signed into law by President Trump today as part of the budget bill funding the federal government for the remainder of the fiscal year. The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement […]
R. BRADFORD HUSS, CRAIG P. HOFFMAN, CATHERINE L. REAGAN, November, 2019 401(k) plans have been with us for almost 40 years. Over that time, the focus for most plans has been on helping participants accumulate savings that will be consumed in retirement. With the decline in defined benefit plans, 401(k) plans are providing a large […]
Shannon Oliver, November, 2019 On November 6, 2019, the Internal Revenue Service issued Notice 2019-59, containing the cost-of-living adjustments related to retirement plan limitations under the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”). These changes will take effect on January 1, 2020. Below are some of the highlights. Limitations That Have Increased The limitation on the annual […]
CRAIG P. HOFFMAN, October, 2019 Background On October 23, 2019, the Department of Labor (DOL) published proposed regulations that provide for a new e-disclosure safe harbor for distribution of participant notices required under ERISA. This regulatory project is in response to President Trump’s Executive Order on Strengthening Retirement Security, issued in August of last […]
CRAIG P. HOFFMAN, August, 2019 Congress will soon be returning to Washington from its summer recess. The question for those interested in retirement policy is whether pension reform will finally move forward this year. The answer will depend on whether several key senators agree to lift the “holds” they have placed on the legislation. […]
BARBARA PLETCHER, July, 2019 Did you know that the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) administers a missing participants program for defined contribution plans? We ask because PBGC has indicated, informally, that few defined contribution plans have taken advantage of this program. Missing Participants Program In the benefits community, it is well known that PBGC […]
ADRINE ADJEMIAN, July, 2019 On May 1, 2019, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued good news in the form of Revenue Procedure 2019-20, which announced a limited expansion of the determination letter program for individually designed hybrid and merged plans. The IRS will begin accepting determination letter applications for these plans effective September 1, […]
CRAIG P. HOFFMAN, June, 2019 Much has been written about the impact student loan debt is having on the American economy. According to the Wall Street Journal, student loan debt is currently in excess of $1.5 trillion, the average debt is $34,000 per person, two million loans have defaulted over the last six years […]
CRAIG P. HOFFMAN, April, 2019 Effective April 19, 2019, new rules under the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS) will greatly expand the types of disqualifying defects that may be corrected under the Self-Correction Program (SCP). SCP is a component of EPCRS under which certain types of disqualifying defects may be corrected without the […]
T. KATURI KAYE and BRIANA B. DESCH, April, 2019 The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued guidance providing transition relief to employers who have not correctly applied the “once-in-always-in” rule (the “OIAI rule”) and, as a result, have wrongfully excluded part-time employees from participating in their Internal Revenue Code (Code) Section 403(b) plans. […]
ROBERT R. GOWER and FREEMAN L. LEVINRAD, April, 2019 It seems that every day, a new high-profile data breach is in the news. With increased reliance on the internet to transmit personal information, the potential for breaches has grown significantly. Defined contribution plans, which now hold over $5 trillion in assets, are by […]
BRYAN CARD, February, 2019 The new year brings significant changes to hardship distributions under Section 401(k) plans and Section 403(b) plans. Following the passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act (the “Act”) in February 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released proposed regulations in November 2018 which provide implementing guidance for the new rules and modifications […]
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