On May 21, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor and the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) announced the publication of a final rule that will allow employers to communicate the required retirement plan disclosures and other plan information electronically. The rule finishes a 2018 DOL initiative aimed at reducing administrative burdens and costs associated with the delivery of retirement plan disclosures. EBSA projects that electronic delivery could save retirement plan sponsor...

On June 29, 2020, the IRS issued Notice 2020-52 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic providing welcome relief to plan sponsors who are considering suspending safe harbor contributions and also to those who may already have regardless of whether the employer is suffering an economic loss. The notice is significant in that it permits employers who sponsor 401(k) plans to reduce or suspend their safe harbor contributions and redirect those funds to other, more urgent needs. However, plan spons...

On Friday, March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), a massive relief bill for those suffering as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, was signed into law. Besides the generalized financial relief afforded to individuals, as well as loans and other concessions for businesses, the bill includes the following provisions to help participants and employer sponsors of retirement plans.Coronavirus-Related DistributionsThe bill permits “coronavirus-relat...

On December 20, 2019, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act was signed into law.The SECURE Act represents some of the most significant changes to retirement plan law since the passage of the Pension Protection Act of 2006, over thirteen years ago. The provisions of the Act are broad ranging and span many different effective dates.Financial Help for Plan SponsorsThough tax credits have been in place to help offset the cost of adopting a new retirement plan, the SE...

On Sept. 23rd, the IRS published a final rule that relaxes several existing restrictions on participant hardship distributions from defined contribution plans.Some of these changes are mandatory, requiring employers to make the changes by Jan. 1st, 2020, while others are optional. Though the IRS had issued the proposed regulations in 2018, the final regulations clarify a few key provisions: The Loan-First Rule. The new rule removes the requirement that participants exhaust their ability to take ...

Being the bearer of bad news isn’t fun.When the third-party administration firm relays that aspects of the annual compliance testing have failed causing many of the company’s executives to receive taxable distributions from the plan, it isn’t a great day for the HR manager. The administrator explains that the regulations require testing to prevent highly paid employees from receiving disproportionately greater benefits than other employees. At a much-needed lunch that day, the ...

For many new Plan Sponsors, and even those savvy at running company retirement plans, understanding plan design can be daunting. Industry terminology, IRS code sections, and complicated illustrations can make understanding difficult.As a retirement plan service provider, we try to ensure that your plan design is the most optimal for your group of employees. Since employee demographics can change, it’s a good idea to understand the basics and review your design from time to time.Permitted D...

All 401(k) plan contributions have deposit deadlines, and it’s up to 401(k) fiduciaries to meet them. Yet, many are unclear about the deadlines applicable to their 401(k) plan. That confusion can easily lead to late contributions.Most of the confusion surrounds the deadline to deposit amounts withheld from employee wages, i.e., 401(k) pre-tax, 401(k) Roth, and/or participant loan repayments. Passed into law in 2004, the Department of Labor (DOL) set forth the rules to comply with the safe ...

The economy continues at its strong pace, keeping unemployment at its lowest rate in nearly 50 years. While this is usually good news, employee financial vulnerability is clouding this sunny forecast. The repercussions are impacting their ability to save for retirement.Millennials are the most stressed by their financial situations, followed by Gen X and Baby Boomers according to PWC’s 8th annual Employee Financial Wellness Survey released in June 2019. More than 80% of the employees surve...

Though some employers may not think so, the truth is that in today's world 401(k) plans are subject to fraudulent activity and that the often-overlooked retirement plan can be the perfect place for it to occur. For example, in late 2017, several news outlets reported a scheme targeting individual 401(k) accounts. The U.S. Attorney's office in Colorado had filed a lawsuit to recover up to $2 million in losses due to fraudulent distributions from retirement plan accounts. The lawsuit, file...