Retirement Planning Flashcards
Role of IRS of qualified plans…
- supervising the creation of new retirement plans
- monitoring and auditing existing ones
- interpreting federal legislation (tax consequences of pensions)
- administering the qualified system
What is ERISA?
- a federal law that governs the non-tax aspects of private retirement plans and other employee benefits
- requires plan sponsors to report and disclose plan information to the IRS, DOL, Pension Benefit Corporation, and plan participants.
Department of Labor
- ensures the compliance with ERISA’s pan reporting and disclosure rules, and oversees compliance with the prohibited transaction rules
- regulates the actions of the plan fiduciaries, which include individuals or firms that exercise discretionary authority over plan assets, or that provide investment advice for a fee
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)
- responsible for insuring the vesting plan participants against loss of benefits from plan termination
- benefit payments are financed by premiums paid by the sponsors of defined benefit plan
Who are exempt from PBGC requirements?
Service employers with 25 or fewer active participants
Limit determined by age at retirement
PBGC can terminate a defined benefit plan if…
- minimum funding standards are not met
- benefits cannot be paid when due
- the long run liability of the company to the PBGC is expected to increase reasonable
Who are involved in the regulation of Qualified plans?
IRS (tax aspects) and DOL (labor law and employee relations)
Plan eligibility for a qualified plan?
- 21 years old
- one year of service
- worked at least 1,000 hours
What is a highly compensated employee? (HCE)
- was a greater than 5% owner of the employer at any time
- ownership of 5% immediately disregards ownership
- owning exactly 5% doesn’t count
OR
-in the preceding year had compensation greater than $130,000 from the employer
If employer makes an election, who is included in the highly compesated group?
Anyone in the top 20% compensation
1% owner vs 5% owner?
1% = owns more than 1%, 5% owns more than 5%
Percentage Test
non-HCE’s who benefit / total non-HCE’s
Ratio Test
% of non-HCE’s covered / % of HCEs covered
Average Benefits Percentage Test
average benefits % non-HCEs / average benefits % HCE
50/40 Test
Applies for defined benefit pension plans
Must benefit lesser of
- 50 employees
- 40% of all eligible employees
Purpose of Controlled Groups?
to prevent top management or owners from organizing their way out of providing a qualified retirement plan for many rank-and-file employees
When does vesting occur?
when an employee’s nonforfeitable right to receive a present or future retirement plan benefit is accrued over time, per the schedule identified by the employer-sponsored retirement plan
What schedules must be “non-top-heavy” for defined benefit pension plans?
1) Five Year 100% or Cliff Vesting - no vesting required before 5 years of employee service with 100% vesting required at the end of 5 years
2) 3 to 7 year - the plan must provide vesting as such
3 20% 4 40% 5 60% 6 80% 7 100%
What schedules must “non-top-heavy” be for defined contribution plans?
1) Three year cliff - no vesting required before, 100% after 3 years (starts with hire not start date of plan)
2) 2 to 6 year
2 20% 3 40% 4 60% 5 80% 6 100%
Who is a key employee?
1) an officer of the employer having annual compensation from the employer of more than $185,000
2) a greater than 5% owner of the employer
3) a greater tan 1% owner of the employer having annual compensation from the employer of greater than $150,000
No more than 50 employees will be treated as officers
Top Heavy Requirements
a DB plan that provides more than 60% of its aggregate benefits or account balances to key employees
Consequences of top heavy plans?
1) must provide accelerated three-year cliff or two - six graded vesting
2) it must provide a minimum defined benefit accrual of 2% times the number of years of service, up to 20% for all non-key employees
3) Must make a minimum contribution of at least 3% of annual compensation to each non-key employees account (if less then contribution for non-key must be the same as key employees)
Covered compensation annual limit used o determine contributions for a qualified plan?
$285,000 annually
Defined benefit pension plans pay benefits that cannot exceed…
The lesser of
1) 100% of the participants compensation averaged over the three highest consecutive years of compensation
2) $230,000 annually
Annual additions limit for defined contribution plans cannot exceed…
The lesser of
1) 100% of the participants annual compensation
2) $57,000 annually
Annual additions include…
employer contributions
employee contributions
forfeitures allocated to the defined contribution plan on behalf of the employee
NOT catch up contributions!
What type of plan works best for an employer who wants substantial, immediate, tax deduction for plan contributions? (As long as employee demographics and long term company finances favor a plan)
defined benefit
Deduction limit for employer to plan?
25% of overall compensation (can be averaged out between multiple employees)
Maximum percentage difference for integration of social security for defined benefit plans?
26.5%
base benefit percentage + permitted disparity = excess contribution percentage
Maximum percentage difference for integration of social security for defined contribution plans?
Lesser of
1) two times the base percentage or
2) the base percentage plus 5.7%
base benefit percentage + permitted disparity = excess contribution percentage
What cannot be integrated with social security?
ESP, SARSEP, SIMPLE
employee elective deferrals, and employer matching contributions
Difference between master and prototype plan?
Master uses one and prototype uses more than one.
Who can provide qualified plan services?
Trust companies, commercial banks, investment firms, asset management groups, and insurance companies
Reporting and disclosure elements of qualified plans…
1) Summary plan description (SPD)
2) Annual report (5500 Series)
3) Summary Annual Report (SAR)
4) Individual Accrued Benefit Statement
5) Summary of Material Modification
Prohibited transactions in a qualified plan include…
1) Sale, exchange, or lease of any property between the plan a a part of interest
2) Loans between the plan and any part in interest
3) The transfer of any plan assets or use of plan assets for the benefit of a party in interest
4) The plan’s acquisition of employer securities or real property in excess of legal limits; and
5) Self-dealing, acts in their own interest over clients
Violation of prohibited transactions in a qualified plan?
penalty imposed is 15% of the amount involved in each transaction from the date of first occurrence until the date of the correction
additional 100% of full amount is tax imposed if not settled
When is a defined benefit plan suitable for a business?
1) owners and highly valued executives age 50 or older
2) Stable cash flow
Advantages of DB plans?
1) benefit levels guaranteed
2) allows the maximum amount of contributions to be made for their benefit
3) may encourage early retirement
Disadvantages of DB plans?
1) expensive
2) complex
3) employer assumes risk of poor investment results
4) plan determines adequacy of retirement income that will be addressed (might assume things)
Pension Protection Act of 2006
a special reduced premium is effective for employers with 25 or fewer employees (do not have to be covered by PBGC)
Three formulas used to caluculate promised benefit in a DB plan…
Flat Amount - a specified dollar amount monthly for life (typical of union plans
Flat Percentage - percentage of employees average earnings and requires a certain amount of minimum years
Unit Benefit - percentage of earnings is paid for each year of employee service (1%-2% usually)
How is benefits determined in a pension plan?
Licensed actuary
Relationship between cost and…
1) Returns
2) Turnover of employees
3) mortality
4) life expectancies
5) wages
6) average age of new employees
7) cost of living adjustments
1) inverse
2) inverse
3) inverse
4) direct
5) direct
6) direct
7) direct
What must DB(k)’s include?
automatic enrollment feature and a fully vested 50% match on the first 4% of compensation deferred by an employee
Employee advantages of DBk?
guaranteed monthly payment from benefit portion
encourages employers without pension plans to establish a plan
combines the security employees of both plans
allows automatic enrollment provisions (encourages employers to save more)
Employer advantages of DBk?
exemption from top-heavy rules
predictable costs since 401k matching contribution is not contingent of mortality, returns, and other factors DBs have
specifications defined in advance
simplified administration and potentially lower costs than having two different plans
requires one plan document
Advantages of cash balance pension plans?
certain level of benefits guaranteed by PBGC
significant cost savings
Disadvantages of cash balance pension plans?
employer bears the risk
subject to income taxes and early 10% withdrawal
minimum funding rules
inadequate for older participants
could pay out less than that of a DB plan if converted over
actuaries are required!
Cash balance plan appropriate for…
Young employees
Mid size or large company
Company that already has a well funded DB plan
cost savings
Pros of Section 412(e)(3) Plan
funded by cash value life insurance or annuity contracts
insurance carrier guarantees death benefit
exempt from minimum funding requirements
not required to be certified by actuary
benefits guaranteed by insurance company
pension plans allow far greater deductible contributions
Cons of Section 412(e)(3) Plan
low interest rates
requires larger premiums
Keys factors of Money Purchase Pension Plan
Benefit not guaranteed, but promised by end of year
Plan does not require actuary services
Insurance cannot be purchased
Advantages of Money Purchase Pension Plan
Relatively straightforward and simple to explain
May be rolled over to an IRA
Percentage of compansation is used to determine the contribution NOT age
Advantageous for younger employees
Disadvantages of Money Purchase Pension Plan
Lack of contribution flexibility (fixed and mandatory)
Employer securities in plan cannot exceed 10% of FMV
Key factors of Target Benefit Pension Plans
employer contributions are made in an actuarially determined amount to reach a target benefit
First year of plan, actuary services need.
After first year, not needed.
Funded like a money purchase plan
How are Target Benefit Pension Plans similar to DB plans?
Plans favor older participants
Require an actuary
Retirement contribution is mandatory
Mandatory minimum funding standards apply
How are pensions in contrast to contribution plans?
Require mandatory annual retirement contributions
1) Traditional Benefit Plan
2) Money Purchase
3) Cash Balance
4) Target
How are Target Benefit Pension Plans similar to contribution plans?
employee bears the investment risk
each employee has separate account
PBGC insurance not available
final actual dollar benefit not guaranteed
maximum deductible contribution is limited to 25% of covered payroll with max compensation limited to $285,000 per individual
Most they may receive in their account is limited to lesser of 100% of compensation or $57,000
How are forfeitures used in a DB plan?
Towards plan expenses or future contributions
How are forfeitures used in a contribution plan?
Towards offsetting plan expenses or future employer contributions
reallocated among the remaining planb participants, increasing their potential individual account balances
How much of forfeitures are distributed to employees?
Pro rata basis on their compensation
Traits of a profit sharing plan
flexible contributions from employer
can make a contribution when there are no profits
contribution must be made 3 of 5 years
participant may have access to balance prior to retirement (in-service distribution) due to financial hardship or resources
When can money be withdrawn from profit sharing plan?
unreimbursed medical expense or funeral costs
purchase of primary residence
higher education expenses
prevent foreclosure
NOTE: taxes and 10% penalty will still be paid except unreimbursed medical expenses over 10% of AGI
When is a profit sharing plan appropriate?
cash flow fluctuates annually
employees account balance increases with employer profits
majority of employees are under 50
employees willing to accept investment risk
Age Based Profit Sharing Plan is appropriate for…
when business owner is significantly older than most of the employees and wishes to skew the annual contribution on their behalf without violating nondiscrimination rules
(Cross tested plan)
New Comparitability Plan traits…
Cross tested plan
works well when there is more than one owner of a business
to skew contributions in favor of highly compensated key employees, management, and owners
How does a new comparitability plan satisfy nondiscrimination plans?
Each eligible non-HCE must receive an allocation of at least 5% of compensation
If plan provides less than 5%, the minimum allocation rate for non-HCE’s is 1/3 of the highest allocation rate under the plan
Stock Bonus Plan - What is it and who is it appropriate for?
profit sharing plan with distributions via stock not cash
has the advantage to defer net unrealized appreciation (NUA)
appropriate for an employer with unstable cash flow
How is NUA taxed?
Ordinary income at the time of distribution amount equal to the value of the stock at the time of contribution
All other gains are taxed at LTCG
Disadvantage of investing in employer stock?
largely undiversified portfolio
dilution of existing ownership that occurs under both a stock bonus and employee stock ownership plan