On June 17, 2024, the IRS issued a fact sheet (FS 2024-22) that provides answers to frequently asked questions (“FAQs”) about educational assistance programs under Section 127 of the Internal Revenue Code (“Code”). Employers should consider the following Section 127 compliance assistance offered in the FAQs:
I read the Lewandowski v. Johnson & Johnson class action complaint and couldn’t help but wonder – are plans and participants doomed, or can employers take proactive steps to satisfy their fiduciary duties and potentially reduce prescription drug costs under their plans? Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach, a plan fiduciary should understand what their pharmacy
With SECURE 2.0’s increased catch-up contribution limits set to take effect next year, it’s time for 401(k) plan sponsors to brush up on the rules and consider how to administer the changes.
Under the current rules, 401(k) plans may allow participants to make catch-up contributions when they are age 50 or older. For 2024, the
On April 26, 2024, the Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (“HHS”) published a final rule to amend the HIPAA Privacy Rules to support reproductive health care privacy (the “Reproductive Health Care Rules”). The Agency also issued a Press Release, Fact Sheet, and Message from
When drafting a deferred compensation plan or agreement for a key employee (a “top hat plan”), the focus is almost always on the terms of the plan. In the process, many employers miss a crucial step—filing the top hat statement under ERISA.
A top hat plan is an unfunded, employer sponsored plan that provides deferred
In the wake of recent developments, we are pleased to provide insights into Pension-Linked Employee Savings Accounts (PLESAs) under the Secure 2.0 Act. PLESAs are short-term savings accounts that are established and maintained within a defined contribution plan. The legislative intent of a PLESA is to allow low- and middle-income employees to use payroll deductions
By Matthew P. Chiarello and Carlene Y. Lowry
The IRS continues to evaluate and process Employee Retention Credit (“ERC”) claims with a focus on inaccurate and ineligible filings. Among its efforts to police the ERC program, the IRS announced a new initiative that permits taxpayers to return ERCs to which the employer is not entitled
As reported in Part 4 of our 2022 End of Year Plan Sponsor “To Do” List, Section 6039 of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) requires employers to provide a written information statement to each employee or former employee and file information returns with the IRS regarding: (1) the transfer of stock pursuant to
I previously blogged about the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq listing standards that require issuers to adopt compliant clawback policies by December 1, 2023. While many issuers may have already adopted clawback policies that satisfy the minimum legal requirements to comply with the law, recent guidance from Glass Lewis may prompt these issuers to
On September 27th, the Departments released FAQs about Affordable Care Act Implementation Part 61 (“FAQ 61”), announcing that the Departments are rescinding prior-issued enforcement relief for certain machine-readable file requirements under the Transparency in Coverage (the “TiC”) regulations.
The final TiC regulations, published in the Federal Register on November 12, 2020, in part required group
