The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Act) was approved by Congress and signed into law by the President on February 9, 2018. Included in the Act are certain provisions impacting retirement plans that were initially considered...more
On December 22, 2017, President Trump signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1), or the "Act," a comprehensive tax reform package representing an overhaul of federal taxation arguably ona level not seen in more than...more
1/30/2018
/ Business Taxes ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Employee Benefits ,
Excise Tax ,
Income Taxes ,
New Legislation ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Exempt Entities ,
Tax Rates ,
Tax Reform ,
Trump Administration
On January 2, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service(IRS) issued Internal Revenue Bulletin 2018-1, containing Internal Revenue Procedure 2018-4, which includes new user fees for submissions under the Voluntary Correction Program...more
After much back and forth, the House and Senate both voted to pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Act), and the President is expected to sign the legislation shortly. The changes made by the Act are arguably the biggest leap...more
12/21/2017
/ Compensation & Benefits ,
Deferred Compensation ,
Excise Tax ,
Executive Compensation ,
Fringe Benefits ,
Incentive Compensation ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Retirement Plan ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Exempt Entities ,
Tax Rates ,
Tax Reform ,
Trump Administration
On December 7, 2017, the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services (DRS) issued additional guidance regarding the new statutory withholding requirements for certain payors of pension and annuity payments set to take effect...more
New legislation, effective January 1, 2018, will require certain payors of pensions and annuities to withhold Connecticut state income tax from distributions made from an employer pension, annuity, profit-sharing plan, stock...more
On October 4, 2017, the Puerto Rico Department of Treasury (Hacienda) issued Administrative Determination No. 17-21 (Notice), which clarifies the tax treatment of certain payments made to assist those affected by Hurricane...more
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued interim final rules on October 6, 2017, expanding exemptions to protect religious beliefs and moral convictions for certain entities and individuals whose health plans...more
Connecticut has joined a growing trend of states and municipalities expanding the protections afforded to pregnant employees and applicants. Connecticut’s new law, effective October 1, 2017, entitled An Act Concerning...more
On September 12, 2017, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Announcement 2017-13, which provides guidance on the ability of qualified plans to provide plan loans and hardship distributions to people in Florida affected...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has filed a proposal with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to delay implementation of the following exemptions under the fiduciary rule from January 1, 2018 to July 1, 2019...
...more
8/11/2017
/ Best Interest Contract Exemptions ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
PTE 84-24 ,
Retirement Plan
On May 22, 2017, Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Alexander Acosta announced in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that the DOL will not issue another delay of the “fiduciary rule,” set to become generally effective on...more
As ordered by President Trump in a presidential memorandum on February 3, 2017, (Memorandum), the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) proposed a 60-day delay to its conflict of interest rule (commonly referred to as the “fiduciary...more
4/11/2017
/ Best Interest Contract Exemptions ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Investment Adviser ,
Retirement ,
Retirement Plan ,
Trump Administration
On February 3, 2017, President Trump signed a presidential memorandum (Memorandum) ordering the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to review its conflict of interest rule defining the term “fiduciary” for retirement investment...more
2/7/2017
/ Best Interest Standard ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Financial Adviser ,
Investment Adviser ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Retirement ,
Retirement Plan ,
Trump Administration
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued its annual update regarding dollar limitations on contributions and benefits applicable to tax-qualified retirement and welfare plans for 2017.
...more
11/4/2016
/ 401k ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Defined Benefit Plans ,
Defined Contribution Plans ,
Employee Benefits ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
IRS ,
Qualified Benefit Plans ,
Qualified Retirement Plans ,
Retirement ,
Retirement Plan
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued General Counsel Memorandum 201634021 (Memorandum), clarifying benefit coverage requirements for employees of a disregarded LLC wholly owned by a single member tax-exempt...more
Pursuant to recently amended federal legislation, the Department of Labor (DOL), among several other federal agencies, is increasing its civil monetary penalties to adjust for inflation. Among the penalties to be increased...more
On April 6, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its long-awaited final conflict of interest rule defining the term “fiduciary” for retirement investment advice purposes. The final regulations and accompanying...more
Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Gobeille v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., 2016 U.S. LEXIS 1612, underscored the broad extent to which the preemption language of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974...more
On January 29, 2016, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Notice 2016 - 16 , which provides, effective immediately, significant relief with respect to the ability of a plan sponsor to make midyear changes to a safe...more
Subject to very limited exceptions, employees of federal contractors must be permitted to discuss their compensation without retaliation or fear of intimidation.
Federal contractors will be required to provide paid sick...more
9/24/2015
/ Compliance ,
Discrimination ,
Federal Contractors ,
Final Rules ,
Hiring & Firing ,
OFCCP ,
Profit Sharing ,
Retaliation ,
Transparency Directive ,
Vacation Pay ,
Wage and Hour
Early last year, the Department of Health and Human Services issued final privacy and security regulations (Final Rule) under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The Final Rule, effective...more