On February 7, 2024, the IRS announced the second phase of its Pre-Examination Retirement Compliance Program (we discussed phase one in our earlier post here).  Under this program, sponsors will be notified that their plan is selected for examination and will have 90 days to review and correct any plan document or operational errors

The IRS issued new proposed regulations that would permanently change the rules that require spousal consent for plan distributions to be signed in the physical presence of a notary or plan representative.  Specifically, the proposed regulations would allow plans to accept remote notarization or witnessing by a plan representative if the remote process meets certain

The IRS has informally stated that it is intending to make some significant changes to the Determination Letter program, and is even considering eliminating the program for individually designed retirement plans (other than perhaps initial and final determination letters).  The agency apparently is looking to streamline its operations and focus its resources on other areas.