401KEmployers who sponsor retirement plans for their employees must periodically restate the plans for changes in applicable laws to maintain the plans’ favorable tax status. The Internal Revenue Service generally requires that plans be restated on a six-year cycle, the last of which concluded in 2016.

The current cycle is the third since the six-year cyclical program of plan restatements was implemented. Cycle 3 restatements of pre-approved defined contribution plans, including most 401(k) and profit sharing plans, must be adopted by no later than July 31, 2022.

The Appeal of Pre-Approved Retirement Plans

Pre-approved plans are retirement plans offered by a document provider (such as a financial institution or benefits practitioner) for adoption by employers. The plan document typically includes a variety of elective provisions from which an employer may choose and effectively customize the plan to best serve the needs of the organization and its employees.

Before making the plan document available for adoption by employers, the document provider will have obtained IRS approval of the plan as meeting the requirements applicable to tax-qualified retirement plans under the Internal Revenue Code.Continue Reading The retirement plan for your employees may need a fresh look – soon

health insuranceSponsors of group health plans have new responsibilities following the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”) on March 11, 2021. Under ARPA, certain participants and beneficiaries of employer-sponsored health plans are eligible for a federal subsidy, which will cover for a limited period 100% of the premium for COBRA continuation coverage. The subsidy is also available in the case of plans covered by Florida’s mini-COBRA law, which applies to group health plans of employers having fewer than 20 employees.

The Importance of Being an “Assistance Eligible Individual”

Federally subsidized COBRA coverage is available only to a person who is an Assistance Eligible Individual (“AEI”) under ARPA. This term comprehends an employee or former employee, and any dependent, losing group health plan coverage as a result of an employee’s reduction in work hours or involuntary termination.

Persons losing coverage because of an employee’s voluntary retirement are not AEIs. Nor is anyone who is eligible for coverage under another group health plan, such as through a spouse’s employment, or for Medicare, an AEI, even though they don’t enroll in the alternative coverage. These individuals may be eligible to elect COBRA, but they will generally have to pay for the coverage themselves.

ARPA Subsidy Availability

The COBRA subsidy first became available on April 1, 2021, but can be retroactively effective to that date for AEIs having COBRA coverage at the time, who may be reimbursed for premiums they paid or receive a credit against future premiums.

In many cases, an AEI who was not already covered by COBRA at the beginning of the subsidy period will be able to elect COBRA continuation coverage retroactive to April 1, 2021, and have the cost of the coverage completely paid by the federal government, regardless of its cost or the individual’s income level.

The longest period any AEI can qualify for a subsidy is six months, and no AEI can receive a subsidy for a coverage period extending beyond September 30, 2021.

Employer Role in Payment Process

Continue Reading Employer Responsibilities under the Temporary Federal COBRA Subsidy

The Department of Labor recently issued updated COBRA model notices to assist employers in complying with the recently enacted Temporary Extension Act of 2010 (“TEA”).  The DOL website has the following model notices available:

Federal unemployment compensation and COBRA benefits expire tonight due to a gridlocked vote in the Senate.  As FOXNews reports:

Unemployment insurance and COBRA benefits will expire Sunday for millions of voters because the Senate was unable this week to pass a short-term extension, a failure that reflects partly the partisan gridlock that has stalled the