Leveling Out ADP and ACP Tests with Refunds, QNECs/QMACs, Bottom-Up QNECs, or One-to-One Contributions
Discrimination. It’s a concept that most people don’t associate with retirement plan savings.
ERISA
Will the Real Gross Wages Please Stand Up! (Gross Wages Aren’t On The W-2 Like You Thought They Were)
The use of the wrong definition of compensation is the most common error found in employee benefit plan audits, and it can be a very costly mistake to correct in accordance with the provisions of the IRS’ Employee Plan Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS).
What am I signing? – A quick guide to management representation letters
Plan administrators probably view the management representation letter as a document they must sign so they likely do so without reading it closely.
DOL Fiduciary Rule
On April 6, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its final rule expanding the definition of investment advice fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and modifying the complex list of prohibited transaction exemptions as it relates to the expanded definition.
Mid-Year Amendments to Safe Harbor Plans
It is not often that we can give our clients good news as a result of new guidance from the Internal Revenue Service, but thanks to Notice 2016-16, Mid-Year Changes to Safe Harbor Plans and Safe Harbor Notices, we have fantastic news.
Participant’s Elective Deferral Election Not Followed
One of the most common operational errors when administering retirement plans is the failure to implement a participant’s elective deferral election or change in percentage.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Don’t Forget the Compensation Ratio Test
Most plan sponsors know that their retirement plans are subject to discrimination tests, generally designed to prevent highly compensated employees (HCEs) from obtaining a benefit that is disproportionately favorable when compared to the benefits of the non-highly compensated employees (NHCEs).
Continued Interest from the DOL in the Selection of Qualified Plan Auditors
In a previous blog, DOL Audit Quality Study: Employee Benefit Plan Auditors Are not Making the Grade, we discussed the results of the 2015 Audit Quality Study performed by the Department of Labor (DOL).
Amending a Plan’s Eligibility Provisions Could Delay a Financial Statement Audit Requirement
It may be counter-intuitive, but reducing the number of employees who are eligible to participate in a retirement plan could be the greater good in certain situations.
What’s in a Name? Are Retirement Plans of Entities with Religious Names Automatically Church Plans?
Posted by Maria T. Hurd, CPA Juliet: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.” Let us consider what a name is. It is the grouping of letters that represent the identification of a person, object, or entity. However, the words may not be exactly representative of the nature of the … Continued