Defined contribution plan

Industry & Regulatory News

Hardship Distributions May Be Permitted for Florida Hurricane Nicole

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has issued a disaster declaration for Hurricane Nicole in Florida, for the period of November 7, 2022 – November 30, 2022.

Employers with qualified retirement plans may allow participants to take hardship distributions if

  • they have incurred expenses and losses because of a FEMA-declared disaster, and
  • their principal residence or place of employment at the time of the disaster is located in an area designated by FEMA as eligible for individual disaster assistance.

If the employer permits hardship distributions for expenses and losses related to a federally declared disaster, participants can check fema.gov/locations to determine if they are located in a disaster area designated for individual assistance.

The IRS may also issue relief related to this disaster for certain tax-related deadlines. Additional information can be found at irs.gov/newsroom/tax-relief-in-disaster-situations.

December 16 2022

Industry & Regulatory News

SEC “Hard Close” Proposal Published in Federal Register

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed rule titled, Open-End Fund Liquidity Risk Management Programs and Swing Pricing; Form N-PORT Reporting, has been published in the federal register. With publication in the register, comments on the proposal are due by February 14, 2023. Highlights of the proposal were previously announced.

December 16 2022

Industry & Regulatory News

IRS Announces Applicable Federal Rates for January 2023

The IRS has issued Revenue Ruling 2023-1, which contains the applicable federal rates (AFR) for January 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."

December 16 2022

Industry & Regulatory News

Federal Prime Interest Rate Increased to 7.50 Percent

Effective December 14, 2022, the federal prime interest rate increased from 7 percent to 7.50 percent. The prime interest rate is largely determined by the federal funds rate, as set by the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). As Department of Labor regulations require a retirement plan loan interest rate to be comparable to interest rates charged by entities that are in the business of lending money in similar circumstances, plan sponsors typically use a benchmark such as the prime rate to set the interest rate on plan loans. As a reminder, for a participant who is on active duty in the uniformed services, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act of 2003 prescribes an interest rate limitation of 6% for loans that were secured before the military service period started.

The next FOMC meeting is scheduled for February 1, 2023.

December 14 2022

Industry & Regulatory News

2022 Form 5500 Series Informational Copies Released

The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), the IRS, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) jointly released the 2022 Form 5500, Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan, and the 2022 Form 5500-SF, Short Form Annual Return/Report of Small Employee Benefit Plan, and their respective instructions and schedules.

In an accompanying news release, EBSA reminds filers that these are informational copies of the Form 5500 series and cannot be used for filing. The news release and accompanying instructions highlight the following changes for 2022:

  • For multiple-employer plans, new plan characteristic codes have been added to identify pooled employer plans, association retirement plans, PEO multiple-employer plans, and other multiple-employer plans.
  • Updated instructions to reflect the cost-of-living adjustment increase of the civil filing penalty from $2,259 to $2,400.
  • Revised the instructions for Schedule MB relating to multiemployer defined benefit plans and certain money purchase plan actuarial information.
  • Revised Schedule R to require plans to report identifying information about any participating employer who either contributed more than five percent of the plan’s total contributions or was one of the top-ten highest contributors.
  • Revised Schedule SB for single employer defined benefit plan actuarial information to require an attachment of a projection of expected benefit payments and require filers to indicate the first plan year that the extended amortization rule was applied under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

The news release further explains EBSA is “modernizing” the EFAST2 website and that the existing EFAST2 user ID and password log-in process is being phased out. Beginning January 1, 2023, EFAST2 will begin using the unified Login.gov single sign-on process for U.S. government websites. Existing EFAST2 users will have until September 1, 2023, to transition their log-in.

December 08 2022

Industry & Regulatory News

IRS Announces Deadline Relief for New York Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

The IRS has announced the postponement of certain tax-related deadlines for victims of severe winter storm and snowstorm in New York. The tax relief postpones various tax filing deadlines that began on November 18, 2022. Affected individuals and households who reside or have a business in Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Jefferson, Lewis, Niagara, Oneida, Oswego, St. Lawrence, and Wyoming counties, as well as taxpayers with records located in the covered area that are needed to meet covered deadlines, qualify for relief.

In addition to extending certain tax filing and tax payment deadlines, the relief includes completion of many time-sensitive, tax-related acts described in IRS Revenue Procedure 2018-58 and Treasury Regulation 301.7508A-1(c)(1). Affected taxpayers with a covered deadline on or after November 18, 2022, and before March 15, 2023, will have until March 15, 2023, to complete the acts. This includes filing Form 5500 series returns that are required to be filed on or after November 18, 2022, and before March 15, 2023.

“Affected taxpayer” automatically includes any individuals who live, and businesses whose principal place of business is located, in the covered disaster area. Those who reside or have a business located outside the covered disaster area, but have been affected by the disaster, may contact the IRS to request relief.

December 05 2022

Industry & Regulatory News

Physical Presence Relief for Retirement Plan Consents Set to Expire

Earlier this year (and announced), the IRS issued Notice 2022-27, further extending temporary relief from the physical presence requirements for certain elections that are made by participants and beneficiaries in qualified retirement plans and other tax favored arrangements. This included signatures of those making an election ordinarily needing to be witnessed in the physical presence of a plan representative or notary public, including spousal consent and certain forms of distribution from retirement plans.

Barring further guidance from the IRS in the next few weeks, this relief ends after December 31, 2022. Participant elections, including spousal consents, after this time that are required to be witnessed by a plan representative or a notary public under Treasury Regulation § 1.401(a)-21(d)(6) will no longer be available for relief from these requirements.

December 05 2022

Industry & Regulatory News

ESG Final Rule Published in Federal Register

The Department of Labor’s final rule titled Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights, which was previously announced, has been published in the Federal Register. Today’s publication establishes a January 30, 2023, effective date. Certain provisions related to proxy voting, however, will not be applicable until December 1, 2023.

December 01 2022

Industry & Regulatory News

Hardship Distributions May Be Permitted for West Virginia Severe Storms

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has issued a disaster declaration for severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides in West Virginia, for the periods of July 12, 2022 – July 13, 2022, and August 14, 2022 – August 15, 2022.

Employers with qualified retirement plans may allow participants to take hardship distributions if

  • they have incurred expenses and losses because of a FEMA-declared disaster, and
  • their principal residence or place of employment at the time of the disaster is located in an area designated by FEMA as eligible for individual disaster assistance.

If the employer permits hardship distributions for expenses and losses related to a federally declared disaster, participants can check fema.gov/locations to determine if they are located in a disaster area designated for individual assistance.

The IRS may also issue relief related to this disaster for certain tax-related deadlines. Additional information can be found at irs.gov/newsroom/tax-relief-in-disaster-situations.

November 30 2022