Industry & Regulatory News

Employers that sponsor a SIMPLE plan may allow increased salary deferral limits for their employees, starting in tax year 2024.

For plan years beginning after December 29, 2022, employers that sponsor 401(k) or 403(b) plans may offer employees a “de minimis” financial incentive, such as a gift card, as long as the cost of the incentive is paid by the employer and not paid from plan assets.

Before SECURE 2.0’s enactment, SEP and SIMPLE IRA plan contributions had to be made as pre-tax contributions, but now employers may allow employees to elect to have contributions into a SEP or SIMPLE IRA made as Roth contributions.

The SECURE 2.0 Act contains provisions that allow individuals to place more of their assets into Roth accounts.

Credible studies have concluded that employers who automatically enroll plan participants into a retirement plan help place them on a lifetime path to meaningful savings.

The IRS has issued Revenue Ruling 2024-07, which contains the applicable federal rates (AFR) for April 2024.

A final rule titled, “Proposed Amendment to PTE 84-14 for Plan Asset Transactions Determined by an Independent Qualified Plan Asset Manager,” (QPAM) has left the Office of Management and Budget—suggesting that official release may come soon.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued a disaster declaration on March 15, 2024, for Alaska severe storm, landslides, and mudslides, for the incident period of November 20, 2023.

The Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC) has issued a final rule updating interest assumptions under the asset allocation regulation for plans with valuation dates in the second quarter of 2024.

The Department of Labor has sent a final fiduciary rule titled “Retirement Security Rule: Definition of an Investment Advice Fiduciary” to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Text of the final rule is not available until after OMB completes their review. A proposed rule released last fall would expand the definition of investment advice fiduciary under ERISA and would make amendments to prohibited transaction exemptions regarding eligibility and conditions for exemption. A 60-day comment period on the proposal ended January 2, 2024.