On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (the Act), which includes some notable changes and relief for employers and workers. This legal alert summarizes the key issues relating to the Act’s...more
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (the Act), which includes some notable changes and relief for employers and employee benefit plans. The Act expands the section 162(m) deduction...more
3/15/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Biden Administration ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Health Insurance ,
Pensions ,
Relief Measures ,
Section 162(m) ,
Tax Credits ,
Tax Deductions
On December 21, 2020, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the Act), which impacts employee benefits in a number of respects. The Act provides additional relief for retirement and other benefit plans,...more
On June 1, 2020, the Supreme Court handed down a 5-4 decision holding that participants in a defined benefit pension plan who have been paid all of the monthly pension benefits to which they are entitled lack standing under...more
6/5/2020
/ Article III ,
Breach of Duty ,
Defined Benefit Plans ,
Duty of Loyalty ,
Duty of Prudence ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Injury-in-Fact ,
Investment Adviser ,
Mismanagement ,
Pensions ,
Plan Participants ,
Retirement Plan ,
SCOTUS ,
Standing ,
Thole v U.S. Bank
As employers prepare their workforces for issues related to COVID-19, they should also take steps to ensure that their benefit plans are prepared. The impact of the virus will put a financial and logistical strain on many...more
3/12/2020
/ 401k ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disability Benefits ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Flexible Savings Accounts (FSAs) ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
HSA ,
PHI ,
Summary of Benefits and Coverage
On December 20, 2019, President Trump signed into law the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (the “Appropriations Act”), a comprehensive government funding bill that includes substantial employee benefits-related...more
1/3/2020
/ 401k ,
403(b) Plans ,
Appropriations Bill ,
Beneficiaries ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Defined Contribution Plans ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Multiemployer Plan ,
Required Minimum Distributions ,
Retirement ,
Retirement Plan ,
Safe Harbors ,
SECURE Act ,
TPAs ,
U.S. Treasury
On April 19, 2019, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Revenue Procedure 2019-19, which updates its Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS). The new EPCRS significantly expands the use of retroactive plan...more
On March 5, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Rev. Proc. 2018-18, which changes the family limit on annual contributions to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). The Revenue Procedure announced that the HSA limit...more
Eversheds Sutherland is pleased to announce that it has published a paper—“DC Plans in the US and the UK: Lessons From Across the Pond”—which addresses the differences between defined contribution (DC) plans in the US and the...more
2/14/2018
/ 401k ,
Defined Benefit Plans ,
Defined Contribution Plans ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Contributions ,
Investment Controls ,
Pensions ,
Retirement Plan ,
Trustees ,
UK
In conjunction with the start of the Supreme Court’s new term, Eversheds Sutherland took a look back at the Court’s work in employee benefit cases since the enactment of ERISA. We found an astonishing 128 decisions, spanning...more
10/23/2017
/ Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Discrimination ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employment Tax ,
Income Taxes ,
Labor Management Relations Act (LMRA) ,
Military Service Members ,
NLRA ,
SCOTUS ,
Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Protection Act
On August 1, 2017, the US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio held that insurance agents working under independent contractor agreements with an insurer were employees for purposes of pursuing pension and other...more
8/10/2017
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Definition ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Independent Contractors ,
Insurance Agents ,
Insurance Industry ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
Service Contracts
The principal regulators of U.S. employee benefits have recently published updates to their guidance plans for the coming months. The updated plans are reflected in the attached chart.
...more
In Tolbert v. RBC Capital Markets (July 14, 2014), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held that a deferred incentive compensation plan maintained by a financial services company for certain employees was an...more
On March 12, 2014, the Department of Labor (DOL) published in the Federal Register a proposed amendment to its disclosure requirements for “covered service providers” to retirement plans under ERISA § 408(b)(2) that would...more
On February 26, Representative Dave Camp (R-Mich.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, released his much-awaited comprehensive tax reform plan (the “Camp Proposal”). That proposal seeks to cut marginal tax rates...more
3/6/2014
/ Capital Gains ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Employee Benefits ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Compensation ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Income Taxes ,
Insurance Industry ,
Net Investment Income ,
Partnerships ,
Real Estate Market ,
REIT ,
RICs ,
S-Corporation ,
Tax Credits ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Reform ,
Tax Returns
On November 26, 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) updated its Semi-Annual Regulatory Agenda. This publication takes the form of a Federal Register notice to comply with certain administrative requirements. The DOL’s...more
The principal regulators of U.S. employee benefits have recently published updates to their guidance plans for the coming months.
- On July 3, 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) updated its Semi-Annual Regulatory...more
On June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court decided United States v. Windsor, striking down Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) as unconstitutional and holding that same-sex marriages recognized under state law...more
Yesterday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in United States v. Windsor struck down Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) as unconstitutional, and held that the federal government must recognize and accept...more
On April 10, 2013, the White House released its Fiscal Year 2014 Budget (the Budget), which includes a number of proposals related to employee benefit plans. Although it is unlikely that all of the proposals will ultimately...more
The principal regulators of U.S. employee benefits have recently published updates to their guidance plans for the coming months.
- On December 24, 2012, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) updated its 2012 Semi-Annual...more