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Articles

 

Determining Retirement Plan Compensation Bookmark

It might not surprise you to hear that the IRS has some fairly complicated rules governing compensation levels and retirement plan contributions. In fact, the IRS reports that a good number of plan sponsors get this key issue wrong - a mistake that can cost both time and money.

This month’s newsletter takes a look at current IRS rules to help clear some of the confusion. Find out how bonuses, reimbursements and overtime affect reported compensation. Learn about pre-participation and post-severance compensation. And because a single newsletter can’t cover a topic as complex as this one, we invite you to give us a call. Let us help you navigate the complexities and stay compliant.

The IRS is Back with Some Brand New Corrections Bookmark

When Mistakes Happen

When we work with you as your third-party administrator, we commit to keeping your retirement plan compliant and error-free. And we take that commitment seriously. But as the saying goes, mistakes happen, even with the best intentions and cross-check systems in place. And there are more than a few challenges to keeping a retirement plan on the rails and moving forward. IRS compliance is one sure way to avoid running off the track. And, believe it or not, that often-feared agency has programs in place to help plan administrators make the corrections needed to keep things running smoothly.

Timing is Everything Bookmark

For years now, we have been hearing from the Department of Labor (DOL) about the importance of depositing employee 401(k) deferrals and loan payments as quickly as possible. While that continues to be the case, it seems that there is not nearly as much commentary about when to deposit company matching or profit sharing contributions. That is about to change with this article.

Hardship Distributions from 401(k) Plans Bookmark

It's four o'clock on Friday afternoon and there's a knock on the door of the Human Resource Manager's office. It's Zachary, a fairly new employee who entered the company's 401(k) plan last month. He's been deferring $40 a week into the plan, which means he has accumulated $160 by now. But last night his cable TV was shut off because he couldn't afford to pay the bill and from his 23-year-old point of view, retirement seems like a long way off.

Ready or Not, Here it Comes...the PPA Plan Restatement Bookmark

It's time again to participate in that never ending ritual of qualified retirement plan restatements. As legislation affecting retirement plans is enacted, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires all plan sponsors to restate or "rewrite" their plans to conform to current law.

The Continuing Evolution of the Safe Harbor 401(k) Plan Bookmark

The safe harbor 401(k) plan roared onto the scene in 1998 as a new design that allowed company owners and other highly compensated employees to maximize their salary deferrals even when other employees contributed at relatively low levels. Over the last 16 years, these plans have continued to evolve through a series of new laws and IRS pronouncements.

Down With DOMA Bookmark

Signed into law in 1996, the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is a small law that has caused big controversy.

Introduction and Background

DOMA is small in the sense that it consists of only three sentences, making it shorter to include the full text of the law here rather than attempting to explain it.

How Do You Spell Relief? E-P-C-R-S Bookmark

Retirement plans are complicated beasts. The Pension Protection Act of 2006 was more than 1,000 pages long; one of the main reference books that retirement plan professionals use is more than 7,000 pages long; and there are countless other sets of rules and regulations that add tens of thousands more pages. All those pages mean a lot of moving parts, and all those moving parts mean that sooner or later, something is going to fall through the cracks no matter how much attention to detail is paid.

Under Control or Out of Control Bookmark

In today's business climate, it seems it is becoming increasingly common for businesses of all sizes to be structured using multiple companies. Maybe a business person is pursuing multiple ventures with different groups of co-owners. Perhaps a company decides to offer a new product or service and that is best accomplished via a separate entity. Sometimes it makes sense to create a separate company for each of a business's locations. Still other times the owner of one company decides to buy another business.

Don't let Missing Participants and Small Balances become a Big Problem Bookmark

At some point, almost every company that sponsors a retirement plan will experience the “fun” of tracking down a missing participant in order to pay a benefit. Although difficult to avoid completely, there are steps employers can implement as part of normal operations that can greatly minimize the headache. One of the most effective steps is to distribute benefits to former employees as soon as possible after termination of employment, before they have an opportunity to become missing.