On February 23 and March 7, 2017, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) issued memoranda to examination agents addressing review of substantiation provided in support of safe harbor hardship distributions under 401(k) and 403(b) plans. Although the memoranda cannot be relied upon as official guidance, they are good reference points to help plan sponsors and third
Last Day of Remedial Amendment Period for 403(b) Plans is March 31, 2020
By Kenneth C. Weafer on
Posted in IRS
Eligible employers sponsoring Code Section 403(b) retirement plans have until March 31, 2020 to self-correct any defects as to the written form of those plans. In recently issued Revenue Procedure 2017-18, the IRS fixed March 31, 2020 as the last day for the current remedial amendment period for 403(b) plans, which began January 1,…
IRS to Process Tax Returns That Lack Certification of ACA-Required Coverage
By Musette T. Vincent on
Posted in Affordable Care Act, IRS
In the wake of the President’s January 20, 2017 Executive Order directing a reduction in regulatory burdens imposed by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the IRS has quietly announced that it will continue to process income tax returns lacking confirmation that the taxpayer has maintained ACA-required health coverage.
The ACA requires that taxpayers who do…
Church Plan Cases: Federal Agencies Finally Speak
By René E. Thorne & Jackson Lewis P.C. on
As many of you know, currently pending before the Supreme Court are consolidated cases from the Third, Seventh, and Ninth Circuits holding that, for religiously affiliated employers, employee benefits plans must initially be established by a church for the plans to be exempt from ERISA as “church plans.” The circuit courts issued these holdings when,…