On May 31, the IRS issued a proposed regulation — presented in Q & A format — concerning income tax withholding obligations on non-rollover distributions from employer-sponsored plans — including pension, annuity, profit sharing, stock bonus and any other deferred compensation plan — to destinations outside the U.S. Unlike U.S. payees, non-U.S. payees cannot elect to forego income tax withholding on such distributions. Current Guidance Notice 87-7 provides current guidance concerning withholding obligations on non-rollover…

The list of the federal courts of appeals enforcing unambiguous anti-assignment provisions in ERISA health benefit plans continues to grow:  almost exactly one year ago, the Third Circuit joined its sister circuits in holding “that anti-assignment clauses in ERISA-governed health insurance plans as a general matter are enforceable.” As the Third Circuit opinion noted, every circuit court to address the issue – seven to date (the First, Second, Third, Fifth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh) –…

Believe it or not, it may be time to distribute a new Summary Plan Description (SPD) to include all changes made since the last issuance or a Summary of Material Modifications (SMM) for any amendments adopted during the 2018 plan year. The Rules:  The Department of Labor (DOL) regulations and Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) require qualified retirement plans distribute an updated SPD to participants and beneficiaries within 210 days following the end of…

On May 1, 2019, the IRS issued Revenue Procedure 2019-20, which reopens the determination letter program in a limited manner for individually designed plans that are merged plans or statutory hybrid plans, such as cash balance plans. The new IRS guidance provides that sponsors of merged plans may request determination letters going forward, while sponsors of statutory hybrid plans may request determination letters only during a limited window of time. The effective date of…

Worksite medical clinics, some offering round-the-clock access to medical providers via telemedicine, seem to be growing in popularity.  Promoters tout cost savings resulting from what would otherwise be lost productivity (employees whiling away afternoons waiting to see their private doctors or having to drive long distances to have blood drawn for routine laboratory work) and expenses otherwise borne by self-insured group health plans at a far higher cost per service.  Some worksite clinics have…

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) significantly changed the federal income tax rules.  Several of these changes impact income tax withholding, including changes to the tax rates and brackets, increasing the standard deduction, and eliminating personal exemptions. Normally, employees must provide their employers with an updated Form W-4 within 10 days of a change in their personal circumstances that affects their withholding.  However, the IRS in Notice 2018-92 gave employees a temporary…

Long on the wish list of practitioners and plan sponsors alike, self-correction of certain common plan document issues and loan failures is finally an option under the Internal Revenue Service’s Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (“EPCRS”), newly minted via Rev. Proc. 2019-19. It is no secret that the IRS is continually dealing with reduced budgets and staffing.  This, in part, has led to recent changes to EPCRS and its component program, the Voluntary Correction…