Defined contribution plan

The Form 5500 Simplification Act (H.R. 7362), introduced by Representatives Glenn Grothman (R-WI) and Don Norcross (D-NJ), passed out of the House Committee on Education & Workforce by a vote of 22-12. The bill would amend ERISA to change the filing deadline for Form 5500 to nine and one-half months following the end of the plan year (October 15 for calendar year plans), eliminating the requirement to file an extension for the later date.

The Internal Revenue Service has issued Notice 2026-33, to provide guidance on qualified long-term care distributions for long-term care insurance premiums pursuant to Section 334 of SECURE 2.0. Congress made the option available for these special retirement plan distributions after December 29, 2025.

The Department of Labor (DOL) has issued Field Assistance Bulletin 2026-02 (Bulletin), addressing inquiries regarding compliance with the paper statement requirements under Section 338 of SECURE 2.0. DOL recognizes that final regulations addressing the 2002 and 2020 electronic delivery safe harbors have not been issued (proposed regulations were released in February), and that defined contribution plans operating on a calendar-year basis must furnish a quarterly pension benefit for the calendar-year quarter that ended on March 31, 2026, no later than May 15, 2026.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced the postponement of certain tax-related deadlines for individuals and businesses in parts of Southeast Georgia that were affected by wildfires and straight-line winds that began on April 18, 2026. The tax relief postpones various tax filing deadlines that began on April 18, 2026. Affected individuals and households who reside or have a business in Clinch, Echols and Brantley counties, as well as taxpayers with records located in the covered area that are needed to meet covered deadlines, qualify for relief.

President Trump has issued an Executive Order that will establish a marketplace website for private-sector IRAs to provide a solution for workers without access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan. The order directs Treasury to launch TrumpIRA.gov by January 1, 2027, highlighting IRA providers that accept Saver's Match contributions, provide investment options including life-cycle or target date funds, balanced funds, and funds maintaining principal, with low fees (overall net-expense ratios limited to .15 percent) and no minimum contribution requirement. 

Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Jim Banks (R-IN) have introduced the Investigation Status and Governance for Honest Transparency (INSIGHT) Act. According to a press release, the bill would require the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) to do the following.

A bill re-introduced by Representative Bryan Steil (R-WI), titled the Protecting Americans' Retirement Savings From Politics Act, has cleared the House Financial Services Committee by a vote of 27-24.

The Internal Revenue Service has issued Revenue Ruling 2026-09 which contains the applicable federal rates (AFR) for May 2026. 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”.

The Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has issued Field Assistance Bulletin (FAB) 2026-01, a memorandum to EBSA staff from Assistant Secretary Daniel Aronowitz providing guiding principles for EBSA's enforcement priorities. The guidance notes that these priorities and principles are designed to ensure that EBSA’s enforcement is fair, even-handed, responsive, and focused.

The Department of Labor announced that it has issued Technical Release 2026-01, guidance reaffirming that proxy advisors that regularly engage in exercising control over shareholder rights attributable to ERISA plan assets, or provide advice for a fee about how ERISA plans should exercise proxy voting rights, must meet ERISA’s functional fiduciary requirements. The guidance follows an executive order, Protecting American Investors from Foreign-Owned and Politically-Motivated Proxy Advisors issued in December by President Trump spotlighting two large foreign-owned proxy advisors.