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 of a provision designed to … Continued
Posted by Tyler Starr, CPA In Are Retirement Savings More Secure under the SECURE Act?, we reviewed some notable changes included in Title I of the SECURE Act, which focused on expanding and preserving retirement savings. This follow-up blog will discuss other notable changes in the SECURE Act that mostly deal with changes to administrative provisions of plans. SECURE Act, … Continued
Posted by Tyler Starr, CPA The passing of the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (the SECURE Act) at the end of 2019 included significant changes impacting qualified retirement plans. In fact, the retirement plan industry has not seen such extensive changes in one act since the passing of the Pension Protection Act in 2006. President … Continued
Posted by Tyler Starr, CPA The most common error found during the audit of an employee benefit plan is the incorrect definition of compensation being used for contribution purposes. Whether the error is related to payroll coding issues or not fully understanding the plan provisions, plan compensation can be one of the biggest traps for plan sponsors, especially when employees … Continued
Posted by Saaib T. Uppal, CPA, QKA The IRS has announced cost-of-living adjustments that should be noted for retirement planning purposes. Below is a chart that outlines employee benefit plan limits for 2020: PLAN LIMITS RETIREMENT & SOCIAL SECURITY 2020 Limit 2019 Limit 2018 Limit Section 401(k), 403(b), 457(b) elective deferrals $19,500 $19,000 $18,500 401(k) or 403(b) catch up contributions … Continued
Posted by Maria T. Hurd, CPA, RPA Inquiring minds want to know – Are the Bonuses In or Out? How Can I Withhold from a Gift Card? It’s Not Cash! … and more … The Problem The use of an incorrect definition of compensation for contribution purposes continues to be listed as the most common error the IRS finds during … Continued
Posted by Maria T. Hurd, CPA, RPA Tips and Traps of Compensation: Part III – Double Jeopardy: No Match on Catch-Ups and No True-Up In our previous two blogs, The Trouble with True-Ups or Lack of True-Ups and What’s the Catch with Administering Catch-Up Contributions, we went over the basic rules and potential pitfalls of administering true-ups and catch-ups. When … Continued
Posted by Maria T. Hurd, CPA, RPA Tips and Traps of Compensation: Part II – What’s the Catch with Administering Catch-Up Contributions? In the first part of our Tips and Traps of Compensation Series, we talked about The Trouble with True-Ups or Lack of True-Ups. Part II talks about administering catch-up contributions. Definition of Catch-Up Contribution As stated on the … Continued
Posted by Maria T. Hurd, CPA, RPA Does your 401(k) or 403(b) plan auditor belong to the AICPA’s Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center (EBPAQC)? To demonstrate their commitment to quality in the performance of ERISA audits, 2,600 CPA firms, about a third of the firms that perform EBP audits, have become members of the Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality … Continued
Posted by Maria T. Hurd, CPA, RPA The AICPA Employee Benefit Plan Digital Badges: How can plan sponsors evaluate prospective auditors who are equally credentialed with digital badges? Is your auditor a Jack of all trades, but a master of none? As the results of the DOL studies on audit quality shift the industry focus to the qualifications of employee … Continued