As more employers offer a Roth 401(k) , it’s important that you know the main difference between pre-tax and Roth contributions. In this post, we’ll explain what each contribution is and how to decide the best option. We’ve even included the most recent SECURE 2.0 Act update, so you can stay up-to-date on Roth deferrals. What is the difference between pre-tax and Roth contributions? It can be tricky to choose between a pre-tax contribution vs. Roth 401(k). Roth and pre-tax contributions are two different ways to save for retirement in an employer-sponsored retirement account (401(k), 403(b), etc.). Each has its own tax implications and considerations. Pre-tax contributions  Pre-tax contributions allow individuals to contribute to retirement savings before taxes are taken out of their paycheck. Since taxes are deferred up front, the contributions and earnings in the account are taxed as ordinary income when the individual withdraws them during retirement. Roth contributions On the o...

Cryptocurrency’s use and popularity have recently skyrocketed. What was once considered a fringe technology has since become mainstream. According to a recent Pew Research Center study, 86% of Americans are at least somewhat aware of cryptocurrency . Of course, money has followed that notoriety and the total global market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies exceeded $1.28 trillion as of May 2022 . It stands to reason that the retirement industry, particularly defined contribution plans, would attempt to take advantage of the buzz surrounding digital assets. Fidelity recently announced its intention to be first in line by allowing 401(k) plan sponsors to offer cryptocurrency in its core 401(k) investment lineups. Fidelity made its announcement on April 26, 2022, only a little more than a month following the DOL’s publication of a Compliance Assistance Release on the same topic. In that release, the DOL directs fiduciaries to “exercise extreme care” in considering a cryptocurrency o...

The first step to understanding your retirement benefits is to understand your employer’s plan. There are two major types: defined benefit and defined contribution. A defined benefit plan promises a specified payment amount at retirement. This may be stated as an exact dollar amount or may be calculated through a formula that includes factors such as your salary, age and time with the company. In a defined contribution plan, you and/or your employer contribute to an account. Your contributions are invested and the value of your account upon retirement depends on the amount contributed and how your investments perform.   DEFINED BENEFIT PLAN DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PLAN Employer Contributions and/or Matching Contributions   Employer funded. Federal rules set amounts that employers must contribute to plans. There are penalties for failing to meet these requirements.   For most plans, there is no requirement that the employer c...

Defined benefit plans were the predominant retirement plan at the time the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) was introduced in 1974. Many hospitals and other healthcare provider organizations in New York State had defined benefit pension plans. In a defined benefit plan, the total financial obligation falls strictly on the sponsor. The amount of benefit is stipulated and the funding of that benefit is the responsibility of the sponsor. As time went on, defined benefit plans became more onerous to maintain, more difficult to sponsor, and more expensive. Join HANYS Benefit Services on Friday, April 6 at 11:00 AM to learn a number of strategies to assist in managing defined benefit plans. The Revenue Act of 1978 included a provision under which employees were not taxed on the portion of income they elect to receive as deferred compensation rather than as direct cash payments, thus making 401(k) plans possible. The emergence of defined contribution plans began a transition aw...

Defined benefit plans were the predominant retirement plan at the time the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) was introduced in 1974. Many hospitals and other healthcare provider organizations in New York State had defined benefit pension plans. In a defined benefit plan, the total financial obligation falls strictly on the sponsor. The amount of benefit is stipulated and the funding of that benefit is the responsibility of the sponsor. As time went on, defined benefit plans became more onerous to maintain, more difficult to sponsor, and more expensive. Join HANYS Benefit Services on Friday, April 6 at 11:00 AM to learn a number of strategies to assist in managing defined benefit plans. The Revenue Act of 1978 included a provision under which employees were not taxed on the portion of income they elect to receive as deferred compensation rather than as direct cash payments, thus making 401(k) plans possible. The emergence of defined contribution plans began a transition aw...

1. What is a Roth? According to the  2015 PLANSPONSOR Defined Contribution Survey , 62% of all defined contribution plans, across multiple industries now offer a Roth feature. Among 403(b) plans, 54.7% have adopted this popular design feature. A Roth is not a separate retirement plan, but simply an additional source of contributions accepted by the plan and record-kept separately so the rules applicable to Roth contributions can be followed. Once adopted, plan sponsors must give participants an opportunity at least once per plan year to make designated Roth contributions. The basic difference between a traditional 401(k) or 403(b) and a Roth is when a participant pays taxes. Within a traditional 401(k) or 403(b), participants make contributions with pre-tax dollars, and receive a tax break up front, effectively lowering their current income tax bill. Their contributions and earnings grow tax-deferred until they take a distribution. At that time, withdrawals are considered to be ord...

Non-ERISA 403(b) plans seem to be dropping in popularity among non-profit organizations. Given regulatory guidelines that can be difficult to follow, many plan sponsors are finding it harder to maintain a fully compliant non-ERISA plan. If your non-profit still operates a non-ERISA plan, you may want to give some thought to changing over. Historically, non-ERISA plans were a popular choice for many non-profit organizations, since they were subject to relatively little regulation. In general, most plan sponsors chose to maintain a plan outside of ERISA to avoid Form 5500 reporting and mandatory audits if the plan had more than 100 participants. To qualify for non-ERISA status, plan sponsors had to have “limited involvement” in the plan. For instance, non-ERISA requirements precluded employers from being involved in certain basic plan functions, such as approval of plan-to-plan transfers, distribution processing, and addressing applicable joint and survivor annuity requirements. That ...

Approximately one-third of eligible workers do not participate in their employer-sponsored defined contribution plans, such as ERISA 403(b) and 401(k) plans. Research suggests that almost all of these workers would choose to remain participants if they were automatically enrolled. The increased savings would significantly improve their retirement security and may result in improved workplace satisfaction. Some employers have adopted automatic enrollment plans and many more are interested, but the fact that they are potentially liable for investment losses that may occur in such plans has been a major deterrent to wider adoption of this plan design. The Pension Protection Act (PPA) of 2006 removes several impediments from automatic enrollment plans. A key provision of the PPA is amending the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) to provide a safe harbor for plan fiduciaries investing participant assets in certain types of default investment alternatives in the absence of parti...

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 amends the requirement that employees wait until a distributable event (i.e., age 59½, termination, death or disability) for an in-plan Roth conversion. With the release of  Notice 2013-74 , the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provides additional guidance on in-plan Roth conversions. The Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 permitted retirement plans that provided for Roth contributions to allow employees to roll over amounts (other than designated Roth contributions) from their retirement plans to their Roth account in the plan. However, the amounts that could be rolled over were limited to amounts that were otherwise distributable under the plan. Thus, unless an employee had met a distributable event, a rollover was not possible. Section 902 of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 expanded the type of amounts that are eligible for an in-plan Roth rollover.  IRS  Notice 2013-74  provides that the following contributions (and an...

Earlier this year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that its Employee Plans Compliance Unit (EPCU) would begin a compliance check of certain 457(b) plans maintained by non-governmental, tax-exempt entities. These plans, commonly referred to as “Top Hat” plans, are frequently offered by tax-exempt organizations in addition to other qualified retirement plans. The good news is that the extent of the compliance check is fairly limited. Letters and a questionnaire will be sent to 200 tax-exempt organizations in fiscal year 2013, and another 200 will be sent in fiscal year 2014. Employers will be selected for review based on information contained on 2011 Form W-2 and Form 990. If you receive a compliance check letter from the IRS, it is important that you respond in a timely fashion (15 days from the date of the letter) and provide the requested information. Although responding to the questionnaire is voluntary, failure to do so may result in the IRS initiating an audit of...

Earlier this year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that its Employee Plans Compliance Unit (EPCU) would begin a compliance check of certain 457(b) plans maintained by non-governmental, tax-exempt entities. These plans, commonly referred to as “Top Hat” plans, are frequently offered by tax-exempt organizations in addition to other qualified retirement plans. The good news is that the extent of the compliance check is fairly limited. Letters and a questionnaire will be sent to 200 tax-exempt organizations in fiscal year 2013, and another 200 will be sent in fiscal year 2014. Employers will be selected for review based on information contained on 2011 Form W-2 and Form 990. If you receive a compliance check letter from the IRS, it is important that you respond in a timely fashion (15 days from the date of the letter) and provide the requested information. Although responding to the questionnaire is voluntary, failure to do so may result in the IRS initiating an audit of...

The Plan Sponsor Council of America (PSCA) recently released the 2013 403(b) Plan Survey. The survey showed that 73.6% of plans offer target date funds (TDF) as an investment option. Similar findings were noted for 401(k) plans. Additionally, many plan sponsors have identified TDFs as their plan’s qualified default investment alternative (QDIA). Target date funds can be an attractive investment option for employees who do not want to actively manage their retirement portfolio. The inflow of monies into TDFs in recent years reflects the growing popularity of these types of investments. Employers and plan fiduciaries have an obligation to prudently select and monitor the investments  offered in their retirement plan . Although all TDFs have similar characteristics, regardless of the investment provider, there are several differences that can significantly affect the way a TDF performs. It is important that fiduciaries understand these differences when deciding which TDF is appropriat...