The U.S. Department of Labor has announced an 18-month extension from Jan. 1, 2018, to July 1, 2019, of the special Transition Period for the Fiduciary Rule’s Best Interest Contract Exemption and the Principal Transactions Exemption, and of the applicability of certain amendments to Prohibited Transaction Exemption 84-24 (PTEs). This follows public comment on a
The IRS’s Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division has issued a memo in which it instructs its examiners not to challenge a qualified plan that can’t locate a retired participant, for failing to meet the required minimum distribution (RMD) standards, if the plan meets certain requirements. To get such treatment from the IRS, the Plan
The Internal Revenue Service recently issued Notice 2017-44. This notice provides model amendments that a sponsor of a qualified defined benefit plan may use to amend its plan document to offer bifurcated distribution options to participants in accordance with final regulations issued under § 417(e) of the Internal Revenue Code (see T.D. 9783, 2016-39 I.R.B.
The IRS in Revenue Procedure 2017-41 updated the procedures for the issuance of opinion and advisory letters by the IRS regarding the qualification in form of Pre-approved Plans. This revenue procedure modifies the IRS’s historic approach to Pre-approved Plans in order to expand the Provider market and encourage employers that currently maintain individually designed plans
On May 22, 2017 Alexander Acosta, the Secretary of the Department of Labor (“DOL”) wrote an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal on the Fiduciary Rule. In it he states: “The Labor Department has concluded that it is necessary to seek additional public input on the entire Fiduciary Rule, and we will do so.
The IRS issued Notice 2016-50, Updated Static Mortality Tables for Defined Benefit Pension Plans for 2017, which provides updated static mortality tables to be used for defined benefit pension plans for purposes of calculating the funding target and other items for valuation dates occurring during calendar year 2017. The IRS notice also includes a modified
On February 3, 2017, President Trump issued an executive order which directs the Department of Labor (“DOL”) to review the Fiduciary Duty Rule, specifically, Term “Fiduciary”; Conflict of Interest Rule Retirement Investment Advice, 81 Fed. Reg. 20946 (April 8, 2016) (Fiduciary Duty Rule or Rule). The President’s order states that the Fiduciary Duty Rule may