Last week, the U.S. Departments of Labor and Treasury issued a Joint Notice requiring the extension of certain benefit plan deadlines for individuals affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton and Tropical Storm Helene.[1] The deadline extensions echo relief issued during the COVID-19 pandemic, but apply to a more limited group of individuals. The
Reminder: Is Your Individually Designed 403(b) Plan Eligible for a Determination Letter?
Plan sponsors of Code Section 403(b) tax-sheltered annuity plans (“403(b) plans”) that have not already done so may want to consider applying for an IRS determination letter or planning and budgeting for the process next year if they are not yet eligible.
In June, the IRS determination letter program became available to a second group…
Act Fast (If You Get the Letter)! IRS Pre-Examination Retirement Compliance Pilot Program is Extended
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…
IRS Releases Annual Increases to Health FSA and Transportation Fringe Benefit Limits for 2024
On November 9th, the IRS announced additional inflation adjustments for 2024, including to the annual contribution and carryover limits for healthcare flexible spending accounts and the monthly limit for qualified transportation fringe benefits. The IRS did not increase the annual contribution limit for dependent care flexible spending accounts because that limit is not indexed to…
Self-Help: The IRS Provides Interim Guidance for Self-Correction under the SECURE Act 2.0
The IRS recently issued Notice 2023-43 providing new interim guidance for self-correction of plan errors. This guidance applies to corrections made prior to the anticipated issuance of revisions to the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (“EPCRS”). Under this guidance, provided certain conditions are satisfied, most Eligible Inadvertent Failures (defined below) may be self-corrected, though there are specific types of failures that may not be self-corrected at this time (discussed below).
IRS Permanently Extends Deadlines for ACA Reports to Individuals
On December 15, 2022, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) published final regulations that make permanent certain relief and changes relating to the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) reporting requirements. Specifically, the final regulations (1) include an automatic 30-day extension for providing Forms 1095-B and 1095-C to covered individuals and employees, which would otherwise be due on…
IRS Proposed Regulations Would Permanently Allow Remote Witnessing of Spousal Consent
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…
IRS Opens Determination Letter Program to Individually Designed 403(b) Plans
On October 21st, the IRS announced changes to its qualified plan determination letter program. Most notably, the program has been expanded to include section 403(b) tax-sheltered annuity plans (“403(b) plans”). Although 403(b) plans are similar to tax-qualified defined contribution plans (“401(a) plans”), they are subject to unique rules, and, until now, the IRS…
IRS Announces 2023 Increases to Health FSA and Transportation Fringe Benefit Limits
On October 18th, the IRS announced a slew of inflation adjustments for 2023, including to the annual contribution and carryover limits for healthcare flexible spending accounts and the monthly limit for qualified transportation fringe benefits. The IRS did not increase the annual contribution limit for dependent care flexible spending accounts because that limit is not…
Clarification on Extension of Amendment Deadlines for CARES Act Provisions
On September 26, 2022, the IRS released IRS Notice 2022-45, which corrected a potential oversight in IRS Notice 2022-33, discussed in detail here. Notice 2022-33 had extended the deadline to adopt certain retirement and savings plan amendments required by the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (“SECURE Act…