In December 2010, the principal regulators of U.S. employee benefits published their guidance plans for the coming months.

On December 7, 2010, the U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released their 2010-2011 Priority Guidance Plan, often informally referred to as the IRS Business Plan and listing those issues that will be the subject of formal guidance from July 2010 through June 2011. The IRS Business Plan includes 19 pending items addressing retirement benefits and 23 pending items addressing executive compensation and health care and other benefits.

On December 20, 2010, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its Fall 2010 Semi-Annual Regulatory Agenda. This publication takes the form of a Federal Register notice, to comply with certain administrative requirements. The agenda itself is available on the DOL Website with many entries supported by a fact sheet (click here for Spring 2010 and Fall 2010 entries). DOL’s agenda and related materials include 19 pending projects related to employee benefits, which are listed in the chart below in order of the projected timetable for next steps. (In the ordinary course, dates projected in the agenda may prove to be ambitious.)