Art of the Qualified Plan Audit

Posted By Maria T. Hurd, CPA, RPA It’s not easy! 2,582 CPA firms stopped auditing retirement plans between 2011 and 2018. That is a 35% percent reduction from 7,330 EBP (Employee Benefit Plan) audit firms in 2011 to 4,758 firms in 2018. Each year, we get new clients whose previously accepted Forms 5500 have been … Continued

Posted By Maria T. Hurd, CPA, RPA How Can a Valid Limited Scope Certification be Invalid? Just as certificates of authenticity for rare artwork have certified that reproductions were the real deal, a 103(a)(3)(C) certification, better known as a limited scope certification, could certify an investment value that has not been determined in accordance with … Continued

Posted By Maria T. Hurd, CPA How Big Can a Retirement Plan Be and Still Qualify for the Small Plan Audit Exemption? “Define Large.” It is a question I often get from advisors hoping to get their clients out of a retirement plan audit. Until now the answer has been simple: 100 participants is the … Continued

Posted By Stacey Snyder, CPA, QKA, TGPC If you’re preparing for your first 401(k) plan audit, you may be wondering what information the auditor will need for the audit. In order to help you prepare, we have created a template of an audit information request which conveys the overall level of detailed verification required in … Continued

Posted By: Stacey Synder, CPA, QKA, TGPC Profit-sharing plans give employers the option to make contributions to a retirement saving account for the benefit of their employees. These contributions may be made at the discretion of the company and do not need to be based on the actual profits of the company. Traditional profit-sharing plans … Continued

Posted By: Stacey Snyder, CPA, QKA, TGPC If you’ve just been informed that your 401(k) plan needs an audit, you probably have many questions if you have never been through a 401(k) audit. Hopefully by answering the five Ws (Who? What? When? Where? Why?), we’ll cover most of your questions. WHO? – Who Audits a … Continued

Posted by Tyler Starr, CPA The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ (AICPA) Auditing Standards Board (ASB) issued the Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE) No. 19, Agreed-Upon Procedures Engagements, in December 2019. SSAE 19 supersedes SSAE 18 AT-C section 215 of the same name and also amends certain provisions of SSAE 18 section … Continued

Posted by Christopher J. Ciminera, CPA, QKA Update – April 29, 2020 On Wednesday, April 29, 2020 the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) also posted a Disaster Relief Notice 2020-01. In this notice, the EBSA provides relief to plan sponsors regarding the possibility of lags in deposits due to the recent COVID-19 issues which was … Continued

Posted by Maria T. Hurd, CPA, RPA Large Plans Require Financial Statement Audits Generally, plans with at least 100 participants on the first day of the plan year must engage an independent qualified public accountant to perform an audit of the plan’s financial statements. The audit report, financial statements, note disclosures, and supplementary schedules are … Continued

Posted by Christopher J. Ciminera, CPA, QKA A major change that comes with the passage of the SECURE (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement) Act is a substantial increase in the penalty amounts imposed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for a retirement plan’s failure to file a return. The increased penalty is part … Continued