The Presumption of Innocence Podcast: Episode 44 - A Recipe for Litigation: The Simmering Conflict Surrounding ERC Claims
REFRESH Nonprofit Basics: Navigating the Complex Rules That Describe a Public Charity
Expedited Review of IRS Applications for Recognition of Exempt Status
Nonprofit Quick Tip: State Filings in New Mexico and Utah
Back to Compliance: Reinstating Tax-Exempt Status for a Charity
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - IRS Clarifies Emergency Distributions Tax Exceptions
GILTI Conscience Podcast | Spotlight Series: A Celebration of Pride Month With IRS Veteran De Lon Harris
Nonprofit Quick Tip: State Filings in Oklahoma and Texas
Inflation Reduction Act Tax Trends Begin to Take Shape
Advice for Nonprofit Investment Committees From an Investment Advisor June 3, 2024 Podcast
REFRESH: Loot and Private Foundation Rules – Part 2
IRS Dirty Dozen Warnings on Charitable Scams
US Expatriate Tax Planning - Part 1 - A Podcast with Janathan Allen
Nonprofit Quick Tip: State Filings in North Carolina and South Carolina
Nonprofit Quick Tip: State Filings in Florida and Louisiana
Business Better Podcast Episode: Tax Audits, Investigations, and Global Enforcement - A Conversation with IRS Special Agent Jonathan Schnatz
4 Key Takeaways | Harnessing the Inflation Reduction Act: Driving Investments in Renewable Energy and Carbon Reduction
Nonprofit Basics: Scholarship Grant Program IRS Approval Requirements
Nonprofit Quick Tip: State Filings in Rhode Island and New Hampshire
REFRESH Nonprofit Basics: Election Year Issues for Private Foundations and Public Charities - Private Foundation Advocacy
Since 1984, citation to Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council ("Chevron") has meant that courts should defer to an agency's interpretations of an ambiguous statute—as long as the agency's interpretation is...more
The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) is pushing back on the Department of Labor (DOL) ask to require retirement plans to provide what it calls excessive amounts of participant information for its SECURE 2.0-mandated...more
Today, employees are more likely than ever to seek new employment opportunities and change jobs. These employees may leave a company before becoming fully vested in their qualified retirement plan benefits – which may result...more
From the 2010 outset of its project to extend ERISA fiduciary status broadly to financial intermediaries, including insurance agents, the US Department of Labor (DOL) has consistently relied on the evolution of the private...more
The US Department of Labor and Internal Revenue Service have issued coordinated guidance on the pension-linked emergency savings account (PLESA), a new in-plan emergency savings account feature created by the SECURE 2.0 Act...more
Employee benefits law is mostly drawn from two federal sources—the Internal Revenue Code and ERISA. Just what is “ERISA,” though? Its official reference is the “Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.” That means the...more
The Department of Labor (DOL) issued a proposed information collection request (ICR) to help implement a lost-and-found database to assist former plan participants with locating missing retirement accounts....more
“Missing participants” have long been a thorn in the side of plan sponsors and administrators, as they are owed a retirement benefit, but are unable to be found or unresponsive to plan communications. As a partial solution,...more
There have been recent developments from both the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and the Department of Labor (“DOL”) and pending court cases about how plan forfeitures under defined contribution retirement plans must be...more
One of the most basic duties of a defined contribution plan sponsor is to ensure that that there is no delay and participants’ salary deferral elections are correctly and timely deposited into the retirement plan. Not only is...more
The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 directed the Department of Labor (“DOL”) to establish a database that individuals can search to help locate their retirement benefits. The database – referred to as the Retirement Savings Lost and...more
Pension-Linked Emergency Savings Accounts (“PLESAs”) are a special retirement plan feature created under SECURE ACT 2.0. PLESAs were first permitted to be made available to participants as of January 1, 2024. PLESAs, which...more
On behalf of the ESOPs & Employee Benefits team, we hope you’re enjoying the first days of Spring, when the longer days allow more time to ponder the ever-changing landscape of employee benefits compliance. Please find below...more
As recently noted by the US Department of Labor (“DOL”), since the passage of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), “the retirement plan landscape has changed significantly, with a shift from defined...more
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act ("ERISA") plaintiffs' bar has found a new way to allege that 401(k) plan sponsors have breached their fiduciary duty....more
The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 had many retirement plan provisions, including the pension-linked emergency savings account (PLESA) that lets workers contribute money to an account in a defined contribution plan that can be used...more
The Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Department of Labor recently issued guidance on various aspects of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, commonly referred to as SECURE 2.0. Below is a summary of key provisions...more
A question that almost always arises when we consult on correcting retirement plan errors is, “Can we use the DOL (Department of Labor) calculator to determine earnings?” Compared to the alternatives, the DOL calculator...more
The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE 1.0) requires plans to permit employees who work at least 500 hours but less than 1,000 hours in three consecutive 12-month periods to make elective...more
Unless an exception applies, all ERISA-covered benefit plans have to file an annual Form 5500 each year with the DOL and IRS (filed through the DOL’s website). Plan sponsors have the ability to combine their welfare plan...more
In five recently filed class action lawsuits, 401(k) plan participants allege that plan fiduciaries violated ERISA by using plan forfeitures to offset employer contributions instead of paying plan expenses. The use of...more
The IRS recently announced the 2024 cost-of-living adjustments to various benefit and contribution limits applicable to retirement plans. The IRS modestly increased the applicable limits for 2024. The following limits apply...more
The Department of Labor (“DOL”) on October 31, 2023—Halloween—issued a release (the “Release”) proposing to make changes to the 1975 rule (the “1975 Rule”) defining when institutions and individuals are providing fiduciary...more
The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (SECURE 2.0) significantly changes the legal and administrative compliance landscape for U.S. retirement plans. Foley & Lardner LLP is authoring a series of articles that take a “deep dive” into key...more
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued IR-2023-144 (the Notice), warning stakeholders of compliance issues associated with employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) related to the tax liability of high-income...more