Defined contribution plan

The Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) Employee Benefits Security Administration, the IRS, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) have released a third and final phase that implements a September 2021 regulatory proposal.

The IRS has released final regulations amending rules intended to increase the filing of electronic returns in accordance with the Taxpayer First Act of 2019.

The SECURE 2.0 Act makes it easier for individuals who own the entire interest in an unincorporated trade or business to make elective deferrals to a 401(k) plan for their first plan year.

The SECURE 2.0 Act gives certain employers a general business tax credit for immediately including military spouses in their defined contribution plan.

The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits and Security Administration (EBSA) recently released a proposed amendment to the Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program (VFCP) to include a Self-Correction Component (SCC) for transactions eligible for correction under the program.

This credit applies to qualified plans (defined contribution and defined benefit plans under IRC Sec. 401(a) and 403(a)), and SEP and SIMPLE plans.

The IRS has issued Notice 2023-12, which contains updated guidance on factors used in certain defined benefit (DB) pension plan minimum funding and present value calculations. Updates include the corporate bond monthly yield curve, the corresponding spot segment rates for January used under Internal Revenue Code Section (IRC Sec.) 417(e)(3), and the 24-month average segment rates under IRC Sec. 430(h)(2). IRC Sec. 417 contains definitions and special rules for minimum survivor annuity requirements in DB plans. IRC Sec. 430 addresses minimum funding standards for single-employer DB plans.

The IRS has issued Revenue Ruling 2023-03, which contains the applicable federal rates (AFR) for February 2023. These rates are used for such purposes as calculating distributions from retirement savings arrangements that meet the requirements for substantially equal periodic payments (a 10 percent early distribution penalty tax exception), also referred to as "72(t) payments."

Retirement legislation has been a welcome area of bipartisan cooperation in the U.S. Congress, marked by a history of Republican and Democratic bill co-sponsorship and support. A recent example is the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act—the SECURE Act—passed and signed into law in 2019. The SECURE Act has been hailed as the most important retirement enhancement legislation in more than a decade.

The IRS released a new withholding form on January 4, 2022: Form W-4R, Withholding Certificate for Nonperiodic Payments and Eligible Rollover Distributions. The IRS also issued a revised Form W-4P, Withholding Certificate for Pension or Annuity Payments. As a result, payers and individuals will have a new process for calculating and electing federal income tax withholding on retirement distributions. Although the IRS will not require payers to use the new and revised forms until January 1, 2023, payers may start using them in 2022.