As anticipated by plan sponsors of closed defined benefit pension plans, the IRS issued Notice 2018-69, the fourth extension for an additional year of the temporary nondiscrimination relief for “closed” defined benefit pension plans originally announced by the IRS during 2014. The extended relief applies to plan years beginning before 2020 for those “closed” plans

Kathryn W. Wheeler, CEBS
Kathryn W. Wheeler is the Knowledge Management (“KM”) Attorney for Jackson Lewis P.C.’s Employee Benefits Practice Group, and is based in the Overland Park, Kansas, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. She has more than 25 years in the employee benefits industry, 14 of those years as a benefits manager for private industry. She received her Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) designation from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Ms. Wheeler has experience with employee benefits from the perspective of clients and of legal counsel, giving her the ability to understand the issues confronting clients from both sides of the table. Her zeal for protecting the company’s interests in employee benefit-related areas led her to receive her law license to better negotiate the statutes and regulations imposed on employers. She has experience in a broad range of benefit matters, including general compliance and administration of qualified retirement plans under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. She also has extensive experience with welfare plan design for self-insured health plans and welfare plan issues involving cafeteria plans, health plans, flexible spending accounts, group insurance products, COBRA, and HIPAA.
Ms. Wheeler has a particular focus on assisting employers with the various compliance requirements associated with qualified retirement plans and qualified welfare plans, including preparing the Form 5500 annual report for clients. She also prepares submissions for Voluntary Correction Program, Delinquent Filer Corrective Program, and Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program. She has experience negotiating with outside benefits providers, including prototype plan sponsors, third party administrators, insurers, actuaries, and auditors.
Illinois Secure Choice Savings Program – A Mandatory Retirement Plan
Employers in Illinois with at least 25 employees must comply with the Illinois Secure Choice Savings Program Act (Secure Choice) or offer employees an employer-sponsored retirement plan. Secure Choice is set to roll out in November 2018.
Secure Choice applies to Illinois employers that do not sponsor a qualified retirement plan. The program, adopted in…
IRS Reverses the $50 HSA Reduction for 2018
We recently informed you that the IRS reduced the 2018 health savings account (“HSA”) contribution limit for individuals with family coverage to $6,850.00 despite having previously announced that such limit was $6,900. Because of compelling comments from stakeholders, the IRS reversed this decision in Revenue Procedure 2018-27 and the contribution limit for individuals with family…
IRS Reduces HSA Contribution Amount for Current Year
In 2017, the IRS released the 2018 inflation-adjusted figures for contributions to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). The contribution limits for HSAs associated with High Deductible Health Plans was increased to $3,450 for individuals with self-only coverage and to $6,900 for individuals with family coverage. In December, the President signed the tax reform bill commonly known…