The US Department of Labor (DOL) has published its Fiscal Year 2020 “Fact Sheet” documenting the criminal and civil enforcement activities of its Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) under the Employee Retirement...more
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 19, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service provided additional guidance for plan sponsors implementing the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) retirement plan relief. Notice 2020-50 expands the...more
As the COVID-19 global pandemic continues to impact employers, the IRS has been looking for ways to provide some additional flexibility to employer-sponsored benefit plans. In the past week, the IRS released two notices aimed...more
The CARES Act provides for special federal tax treatment for “coronavirus-related distributions” from most types of tax-qualified retirement plans and IRAs. The distribution must be made between January 1, 2020 and December...more
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
Over the next year, the Department of Labor (DOL) will likely be issuing guidance in a number of areas that could impact asset managers and financial services companies.
In this Bottom Line videocast, Carol McClarnon and...more
1/27/2020
/ Asset Management ,
Beneficiaries ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investment Adviser ,
Multiple Employer Plan (MEP) ,
Pooled Investment Vehicles ,
Proxy Voting ,
Regulation Best Interest ,
Regulation BI ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Retirement Plan ,
SECURE Act
In 2019, the Department of Labor (DOL) continued its trend of providing limited advance guidance under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA). By volume, the amount of 2019 guidance...more
On July 17, the IRS issued Notice 2019-45 (the Notice), expanding the concept of preventive care to certain services and items that target specific chronic conditions, such as testing strips and insulin for diabetes. As...more
In order to support the District of Columbia’s new Universal Paid Leave Act (the Act), covered employers will be required to contribute to the Universal Paid Leave Implementation Fund (the Fund), by way of a payroll tax of...more
In broad scope, the guidance issued in 2018 by the Department of Labor (DOL) under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA), extended a trend established over the preceding five years, with one...more
On December 31, 2018, the Department of the Treasury (Treasury Department) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2019-09 (Notice) providing comprehensive interim guidance under section 4960 of the Internal...more
1/21/2019
/ Comment Period ,
Excise Tax ,
Executive Compensation ,
Golden Parachutes ,
Interim Guidance ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
IRS ,
Remuneration ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Exempt Entities ,
U.S. Treasury
On October 3, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2018-76 (the Notice) to address the deductibility of business meals under section 274(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the TCJA) made...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
In 2017, the principal focus in the administration of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA), by the Department of Labor (DOL) appropriately remained one of the extraordinary developments...more
2/14/2018
/ Best Interest Contract Exemptions ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EBSA ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Investment Adviser ,
IRS ,
MEWAs ,
Political Appointments ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
QPAM ,
Retirement Plan ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Trump Administration
On December 15, the House and Senate conference committee reached an agreement on the terms of a final tax bill, which likely will be voted on this week. The final bill largely reflects the Senate’s legislative language, with...more