Under Section 112 of the SECURE Act, sponsors of “cash or deferred arrangements”  arrangements must allow long-term employees working more than 500 but less than 1,000 hours per year to make elective deferrals to their plans. At first glance, one may be under the mistaken impression that this is a rule which applies to all elective deferral plans, whether they be 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans or 457(b) governmental plans.  But impression is likely wrong: the statute, by its terms,  clearly only applies to elective deferrals under 401(k) plans, not 403(b) or other plans.
Continue Reading 403(b) and the SECURE Act: The New 500 Hour, Long Service Rule Does Not Apply to 403(b) Plans

“Aggregating” plans has now taken center stage with the passage of the SECURE Act. We now often find ourselves a bit muddled by the new array of terms with which we now need to deal.  Keep this as a handy glossary to guide when you find yourself caught in the middle of a conversation about “Multiple Employer Plans:”
Continue Reading A Basic “Comparison Glossary” for MEPS and MEP Types After the SECURE Act

The SECURE Act will make substantial and highly technical changes to some very specific elements of retirement plan laws, many of to which we have been putting a ta good deal of attention to (and written about here) throughout the years-like distribution of 403(b) custodial accounts; aggregating 5500s of unrelated plans; MEPs; and the fiduciary safe harbor for annuity purchases. Before we try wrap our heads around the details of all of these changes, I thought it would be helpful to list-in chronological order-the effective dates for these changes to help in prioritizing what to pay attention to first.
Continue Reading “Effective Dates” Listing for the SECURE Act Provisions