For many years tax exempt organizations and retirement plan trusts have been permitted to avoid tax on income generated by unrelated trades or businesses they hold by netting the gains, losses, and deductions among those trades or businesses. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act modifies those rules, increasing the likelihood that such entities must report, and pay tax on, UBTI.
Pension Plans
| 02.19.2018 |
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| 10.10.2017 |
Earlier this year, the IRS issued Notice 2017-44. This Notice provides model amendments that plan sponsors may use to amend qualified defined benefit plans to offer a bifurcated distribution option. Because the IRS has terminated its determination letter program (except in limited circumstances), plan sponsors may find the model language helpful as they consider design changes to their defined benefit plans for 2018. |
| 05.22.2017 |
It is common for employers to contract with one or more third parties (sometimes referred to as “leasing companies”) to provide individuals to perform services for the employer. Various issues may arise regarding the treatment of such individuals under a retirement plan maintained by the employer. |
| 02.02.2015 |
The IRS is now accepting applications for updated determination letters on behalf of individually designed retirement plans falling within “Cycle E” of the determination-letter program. These include plans sponsored by employers having either a “5” or “0” as the last digit of their employer identification number, as well as governmental plans that elected not to file during Cycle C. |
| 05.27.2014 |
Plan administrators who fail to timely file Form 5500 annual reports for their retirement plans may be subject to penalties under both ERISA and the Tax Code. Under previous guidance from the IRS, correcting such a late filing under the Department of Labor’s Delinquent Filer Voluntary Compliance (“DFVC”) Program could relieve the filer from penalties assessed by both the Department of Labor (“DOL”) and the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”). However, under new guidance from the IRS, relief from its penalties now depends on a separate filing. Moreover, this new IRS requirement will apply retroactively to DFVC Program filings made since 2009. |