On a recent AICPA Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center webcast, the Chief Accountant of the Department of Labor expressed the DOL’s concerns over cybersecurity. Specifically, the DOL believes that electronic plan records, whether they are maintained in-house and/or maintained by the financial services industry, are vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Read More
For calendar year plans, the maximum extension due date for Form 5500 series (Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan) is back to 2 1/2 months or October 15th. An employer that maintains a pension, annuity, stock bonus, profit-sharing or other funded deferred compensation plan (or the plan administrator of the plan) is required to file
The DOL has begun to communicate to Plan administrators via e-mail that selecting a qualified CPA who has the expertise to perform an audit in accordance with professional auditing standards is a critical responsibility in safeguarding plan’s assets and ensuring compliance with ERISA’s reporting and fiduciary requirements. Read More
The U.S. Labor Department has issued new guidance regarding economically targeted investments (ETIs) made by retirement plans covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. ETIs are investments that are selected for the benefits they create in addition to the investment return to the employee benefit plan investor. Read More
As we had previously reported, the Office of the Chief Accountant (OCA), Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), has recently completed an assessment of the quality of audit work performed by independent qualified public accountants (IQPAs) with respect to financial statement audits of employee benefit plans covered under the Employee Retirement
The Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (“EPCRS”) sets forth a comprehensive system of correction programs for sponsors of retirement plans that are intended to satisfy the requirements of § 401(a), 403(a), 403(b), 408(k), or 408(p) of the Internal Revenue Code (“Code”), but that have failed to meet those requirements for a period of time. Read