On September 2, 2020, the IRS issued Notice 2020-68 to provide guidance regarding certain provisions of the SECURE Act affecting qualified retirement plans, 403(b) plans and IRAs. The guidance, which is in the form of questions and answers (Q&As), is intended to assist plan sponsors and IRA custodians with the implementation of this legislation.
The SECURE Act, which was enacted on December 20, 2019, introduced significant changes with respect to retirement plan eligibility, contributions and distributions, among other items. (See our January 7, 2020, edition of Compliance Corner for an article detailing the provisions of the act.) Notice 2020-68 provides needed clarification regarding specific sections of this law and the deadlines for adopting related plan amendments.
First, the notice addresses a new $500 tax credit under Section 105 of the SECURE Act that is available to small businesses (with up to 100 employees who were paid at least $5,000 a year) that newly establish an eligible automatic enrollment arrangement (EACA) to increase qualified plan participation. This one-time credit applies to the three-year period that begins when the EACA feature is first adopted. The $500 credit is available on an employer (as opposed to plan) basis; therefore, each employer participating in a multiple employer plan could be eligible to claim this amount.
Second, clarification is provided regarding Section 107 of the SECURE Act, which permitted certain changes with respect to IRA contributions and distributions beginning in 2020. Specifically, IRA owners are now allowed to make contributions after attainment of age 70.5, which was previously restricted. However, financial institutions that serve as custodian or trustee are not required to accept such post-age 70.5 contributions. Those that elect to do so must amend their IRA contracts by December 31, 2022, and notify accountholders within 30 days of the amendment adoption or effective date.
Additionally, Section 107 of the SECURE Act allows post-age 70.5 IRA owners to exclude from their gross income up to $100,000 of IRA distributions made directly to charities. The excludable amount must be reduced by any post-age 70.5 contributions, and the notice provides specific examples as to how the contribution offset would apply.
Third, the notice clarifies Section 112 of the SECURE Act, which modified 401(k) eligibility requirements to enable participation by long-term part time workers. Specifically, part-timers who have attained age 21 and completed three consecutive years each with 500 hours of service must be eligible to participate. This change is effective for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2021. The Q&As explain that 12-month periods beginning prior to this date would not count in determining a part-time employee’s eligibility to participate, but would count towards the employee’s vesting in any employer contributions.
Fourth, significant guidance is provided with respect to qualified birth or adoption distributions, which are distributions of up to $5,000 from eligible retirement plans made within one year of the birth to or legal adoption of a child by the distributee. Under Section 113 of the SECURE Act, these distributions are taxable, but not subject to the 10% early withdrawal penalty that would normally apply to distributions prior to the age of 59.5. Additionally, the amounts are not subject to the mandatory withholding and notice requirements applicable to eligible rollover distributions, and can be recontributed to an eligible retirement plan or IRA. The Q&As explain that each parent can receive a distribution with respect to the same child and that the $5,000 maximum applies per child in the event of multiple births.
However, eligible retirement plans are not required to offer qualified birth or adoption distributions. Plans that elect to do so must be amended accordingly and must also accept recontributions of distributed amounts. The recontribution is treated by the receiving plan as if a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer of the funds; future IRS guidance will address the timing aspects. Furthermore, if a plan does not offer qualified birth or adoption distributions, an eligible participant can treat an in-service withdrawal as such and recontribute the amount to an IRA.
Other issues addressed by the notice include the optional inclusion of difficulty of care payments, which are a type of qualified foster care payment, in the determination of certain retirement contribution limitations. Guidance regarding retirement plan provisions in the Bipartisan American Miners Act of 2019 were also incorporated.
Finally, the IRS outlines the deadlines for SECURE Act plan amendments. Generally, qualified plans and 403(b) plans must adopt required amendments by the last day of the plan year beginning on or after January 1, 2022. The deadline for governmental plans and collectively bargained plans is the last day of the plan year beginning on or after January 1, 2024. The amendments must be retroactive to the effective date and the plan must operate in accordance with the amendment from such date.
Employers who sponsor retirement plans should be aware of this supplementary SECURE Act guidance. Comments can be submitted (preferably in electronic form) to the IRS through November 1, 2020, regarding the matters discussed in the notice.
Source: NFP BenefitsPartners
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