How Can Plan Sponsors Evaluate Prospective Auditors?
Is your auditor a Jack of all trades, but a master of none?
Withdrawal Liability Disclosures: Do They Turn Multiemployer Plans into Hotel California?
When I was a Teaching Assistant in College, group projects would inevitably result in complaints that some students were not pulling their weight.
The New EPCRS
Posted By: Maria T Hurd, CPA, RPA Improved EPCRS : More Self-Correction Options Inside the Box Perfection is aspirational, especially when it comes to retirement plan administration. That is why 30 years ago, in 1991, the IRS created the EPCRS (Employee Plan Compliance Resolution System), a mechanism for plan sponsors to fix mistakes. Compliance with pre-approved correction methods grants plan … Continued
When the 5500 is Ready for SAS 136, but Your Auditor is Not
Posted By: Maria Hurd, CPA, RPA What Do You Check to Indicate Your Client’s Auditor Performed a Limited Scope Audit On Your Mark, Get Set, GO!, Or Don’t Go….It’s Up to You! The AICPA postponed the mandatory effective date of the new audit standard, SAS 136, until next year, but the DOL had already updated Form 5500 to incorporate the … Continued
FINRec vs. the DOL/IRS…..Auditors vs. 5500 Preparers
Posted By: Maria Hurd, CPA, RPA Growing up, my father always said this phrase when dealing with disagreements or differences of opinion: “En este mundo traidor, nada es verdad ni mentira, todo es segun el color, del cristal con que se mira,” which is a quote from Ramon de Campoamor meaning “In this deceitful world, nothing is an absolute truth … Continued
5500 Filing Rejected! How could plan sponsors have known their auditor was deficient?
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 rejected when the Department of … Continued
BLS Presentations You May Want to Attend
Maria Hurd, CPA, RPA, Christopher Ciminera, CPA, QKA, and many members of our employee benefit plan audit team are highly sought after for speaking events. Here are a few upcoming speaking events that we thought you might be interested in attending. APRIL 19, 2021: Death, Taxes, and Retirement Plan Operational Failures – On April 19 from 2-2:45PM EST, Maria … Continued
When a Valid Limited Scope Certification is Invalid
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 Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), … Continued
Quick Reference Guide to the Taxation of Retirement Plan Distributions
Posted By: Chris Ciminera, CPA, QKA A major benefit to employees who are participating in a qualified retirement plan is the deferral of taxes. Pre-tax deferrals, employer contributions, and the related earnings grow tax-free until the amounts are distributed from the plan. Unfortunately, when a participant takes a distribution upon retirement or an early distribution that is not rolled over, … Continued
Big Little Plans
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 general rule, but if your … Continued