Reporting Developments Affecting Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation
On August 3, 2022, the Internal Revenue Service issued IRS Notice 2022-33, which extends the deadline for amending certain plans with the applicable requirements of the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (SECURE Act), the Bipartisan American Miners Act of 2019 (Miners Act), and one provision of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).
Read MoreIn its June 3, 2022 Employee Plans Newsletter, the IRS announced a pilot pre-examination retirement plan compliance program beginning in June 2022. Under the pilot program, the IRS will notify a qualified plan sponsor by letter that its retirement plan has been selected for an upcoming examination.
Read MoreOn February 4, 2022, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury (the “Departments”) released additional Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding group health plan coverage of over-the-counter at-home COVID-19 tests (OTC Tests) plans, without participant cost-sharing, preauthorization, or medical management.
Read MoreBeginning January 15, 2022, and continuing throughout the duration of the public health emergency, group health plans and insurers are required to cover over-the-counter (OTC) at-home COVID-19 tests (OTC Tests), including tests not ordered by a health care provider, without participant cost-sharing, preauthorization, or medical management, according to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) recently issued by the Departments of Labor, Treasury and Health and Human Services.
Read MoreThe Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (the “IIJA”), which was signed by President Biden on November 15, 2021, retroactively eliminates an employer’s ability to claim the employee retention credit (“ERC”) for eligible wages paid during the fourth quarter of 2021.
Read MoreThe Internal Revenue Service announced the 2022 cost-of-living adjustments to the dollar limitations for qualified retirement plans and other benefits, and the Social Security Administration announced its own cost-of-living adjustments for 2022. Most of the dollar limits, including the elective deferral contribution limit for 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) plans, the annual compensation limit under 401(a)(17) and the maximum annual contribution limit under Code Section 415(c) will increase from 2021 limits.
Read MoreIn our September 2, 2021 QuickStudy available here, we outlined the various laws governing wellness plans and described how group health plans might structure a premium surcharge for employees who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine to fit within such existing rules. This week, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury (collectively, the “Departments”) issued new Frequently Asked Questions (“FAQs”) that specifically address wellness plan compliance requirements for group health plan premium discounts or surcharges on vaccinated or unvaccinated employees, respectively.
Read MoreThe Internal Revenue Service recently announced that electronic or digital signatures will be accepted for Code Section 83(b) elections. This relief is part of the IRS’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and is temporary.
Read MoreOn August 23, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first COVID-19 vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. The vaccine, which has been referred to as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and has been available only under an emergency use authorization up to now, will be marketed under the brand name Comirnaty.
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