Congratulations! It’s a Retirement Plan!
So, you’ve sold your business and now you’re asking the question “What happens to the retirement plan?” You are not alone. In the world of mergers and acquisitions, it is not uncommon for retirement plans to be overlooked in the process. The options available depend...
Department of Labor Issues Cybersecurity Guidance
On April 14, 2021, the DOL’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) issued long-awaited guidance designed to protect participants from both internal and external cybersecurity threats. The guidance is far-reaching and is directed at plan sponsors, plan...
KTRADE Successfully Completes SSAE 16 (SOC1) Audit
Plymouth, IN January 20, 2020 – North American KTRADE Alliance, LLC, a provider of open architecture recordkeeping services to the retirement industry, today announced that they have successfully completed a System and Organization Controls (SOC) 1® Type II Audit...
Terminated Employees? Important Relief is Here.
On December 27, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 was signed into law. The Act combines the $1.4 trillion omnibus federal spending package for the 2021 fiscal year and a $900 billion COVID-19 stimulus package that enhances and expands certain provisions...
Is there Pandemic Relief for Late Deposits?
Proper handling of employee 401(k) deferral contributions and loan repayments is one of the most important responsibilities a plan sponsor undertakes. Failure to timely deposit employee deferrals and participant loan repayments is considered by many service providers...
Cost of Living Adjustments for 2021
On October 26, 2020, the IRS announced the Cost of Living Adjustments affecting the dollar limitations for retirement plans. Contribution and benefit increases are intended to allow participant contributions and benefits to keep up with the “cost of living” from year...
Cycle 3 Plan Document Restatements
Approximately every six years, the IRS requires that pre-approved qualified retirement plans update (or restate) their plan document to reflect recent legislative and regulatory changes. Plan restatements are divided into staggered six-year cycles depending on the...
Required Year-End Participant Notices
As the end of the year approaches, our to-do lists become longer but our bandwidth becomes condensed. To compound matters, when you sponsor a retirement plan, you know you will be in close contact with your TPA firm about the various year-end notices that must be...
Upcoming Compliance Deadlines for Calendar-Year Plans
1st December 2020 Participant Notices – Annual notices due for safe harbor elections, Qualified Default Investment Alternatives (QDIA), and Automatic Contribution Arrangements (EACA or QACA). 31st ADP/ACP Corrections – Deadline for a plan to make ADP/ACP corrective...
The CARES ACT Update
2020 has been a difficult year with many unexpected challenges. For companies that sponsor retirement plans, some of these challenges came in the form of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. While the CARES Act provided much needed relief to...
Categories
Advisor Connect
Save or Toss? Proper Plan Record Storage a Must!
As the year comes to a close, you may wonder what plan records must be kept and what items can be tossed. Historical plan records may need to be produced for many reasons: an IRS audit, a DOL investigation or simply questions from participants about their benefits or...
New IRS Pre-Examination Compliance Program Announced
In June 2022, the IRS began piloting a pre-examination retirement plan compliance program. This is beneficial to plan sponsors because it provides an opportunity for plan sponsors to correct mistakes at a reduced cost and possibly avoid a full IRS examination. Anytime...
Form 5500 Insights
Every year, most employers file a Form 5500 for each qualified plan that they sponsor. The purpose of the Form 5500 is to provide required information to the Department of Labor (DOL), but it can also provide valuable insight to the plan sponsor. The Form 5500 has...
New Information on Participant Statements: Lifetime Income Illustrations
If you sponsor a defined contribution retirement plan, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act of 2019 now requires additional information be provided to your plan participants on their quarterly account statements. Along with their...
Timing of Deposits 401(k)/403(b) Deferrals and Loan Repayments
One of the questions asked by your TPA during the annual census collection may be whether your participant contributions and loan payments were transmitted within the Department of Labor (DOL) safe harbor time frame. It’s an important question because both the DOL and...
Save More for Retirement in 2022
On November 4, 2021, the IRS announced the Cost of Living Adjustments affecting the dollar limitations for retirement plans for 2022. In October, the Social Security Administration announced a benefit increase of 5.9%, the largest increase in nearly 40 years....