PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Big Changes to Catch-Up Contributions in 2025
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - New IRS Guidance on SECURE 2.0 Act Student Loan Employer Contributions
#WorkforceWednesday: SECURE Act 2.0 - What 401(k) Plan Sponsors Need to Know - Employment Law This Week®
ROCK OF AGES video
Three Timely Benefits Items Everyone Should Know
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Student Loan Benefits
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - New Hardship Distribution Regulations for 401(k) Plans
Since September 2023, ERISA plaintiff’s firms have filed approximately 60 class action lawsuits challenging the longstanding practice of plan sponsors using plan forfeitures to offset their employer contributions in 401(k)...more
On July 9th, the Secretary of Labor filed an amicus brief with the Ninth Circuit relating to the appeal of Hutchins v. HP, Inc. In that case, a participant claimed that forfeitures should have been used to offset plan...more
One topic that frequently arises is whether a qualified governmental plan, under Internal Revenue Code (Code) Section 401(a), may allow an employee the election on whether to contribute at different pretax employee...more
On July 4, 2025, there were more than hot dogs and fireworks. President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), a comprehensive law that implements several of the administration’s tax, health, defense, and energy...more
Employers that do not timely deposit participant deferrals and loan contributions to their employer sponsored retirement plans can be subject to Department of Labor (DOL) penalties for breaching their fiduciary duties....more
Those small employer plans like SEPs and SIMPLE-IRAs? They’re great starter tools for retirement savings. Think of them like toddler clothes: low maintenance, affordable, and easy to manage. No administration costs, no annual...more
On May 12, 2025, the House Ways and Means Committee released “The One, Big, Beautiful Bill” containing its draft tax legislation (the OBBB), which includes a number of items that may be of particular interest to US employers...more
From 1 May 2025, in respect of Hong Kong’s MPF scheme, the MPF offsetting mechanism will be abolished, meaning that employers no longer will be able to use the accrued benefits of their mandatory contributions under the...more
Many companies are scrambling to quickly assess how to reduce the business impact of the upheaval to U.S. manufacturing and trading with the recent onslaught of tariffs threatened or imposed by the United States and the...more
I have worked at places that were so unpleasant that I consider myself lucky the vesting schedule was only six years. If they had the option, I’m convinced they would have implemented a 20-year vesting schedule. For me,...more
On this episode of Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion, host Brydon DeWitt discusses big changes to contributions to retirement plans under SECURE 2.0 that begin in 2025. He covers the new “Super Catch-Up” contributions for...more
People like to read, and so do I. They also like to read articles and find out information, especially if it can save them money. So they read about the opportunity where through a 401(k) plan, they could put away over...more
There have been 25 cases where plan sponsors have been sued over their right to use forfeitures to reduce employer contributions. 7 cases have had motions for summary judgments made by the plan sponsors. 2 cases have survived...more
Many employer-sponsored defined contributions plans, including 401(k) profit sharing plans and money purchase pension plans include a vesting schedule – a period over which a plan participant earns a nonforfeitable right to...more
There has been a recent uptick in ERISA class actions challenging the use of 401(k) plan forfeitures. Forfeitures are employer contributions that participants forfeit when they leave employment before those contributions vest...more
One of the option of SECURE 2.0 is allowing employers to offer partricipants the right to Roth Employer contributions where they can pay the taxes upfront, and get tax free treatment on employer contributions....more
The Wagner Law Group continues to monitor the ongoing flood of “forfeiture” litigation. This alert is our seventh reporting on and analyzing the nature of the claims raised by plaintiffs, the defenses asserted against them,...more
Retirement plan administration mistakes require difficult conversations with participants, especially when the mistake involves an overpayment. Changes in the law, specifically, SECURE 2.0 and IRS Notice 2024-77, give plan...more
Canada’s federal government announced it intends to remove the “30 percent rule” for investments by domestic pension funds in Canadian entities. The change is part of the Fall Economic Statement that was released on December...more
Forfeiture funds in 401(k) plans represent a unique asset pool with specific regulatory requirements and practical applications. Forfeiture funds arise when participants terminate employment with the company before becoming...more
Fall greetings from the Kaufman & Canoles ESOPs, Benefits & Compensation team. We hope you’re enjoying the cooler weather, changing leaves, and—of course—the continual pace of change in employee benefits. Please find below a...more
The IRS recently released interim guidance to assist employers who wish to provide matching contributions to the 401(k) or 403(b) plan accounts of employees on their qualified student loan payments (“QSLPs”), in the same way...more
A much-used but often confusing element of governmental retirement plans are “pick up plans,” where an employer pays -- or “picks up” -- an employee’s required contribution under the State’s public employment retirement...more
BAE Systems Inc. has won a class action lawsuit about misusing 401(k) plan forfeitures. U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga, of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, granted BAE’s motion to dismiss...more