Employee Benefit Plans Conference 2020

Are you ready? After 13 years without significant pension legislation, the SECURE Act was enacted at the end of 2019, and in March of 2020 followed by the CARES Act. We will frame the major changes and recent guidance issued and their impact on compliance, plan design and operation. Topics include: recent guidance for CARES Act distributions; what is new with key SECURE Act topics including multiple employer plans, inherited IRAs, long-term part time employees, life time income disclosure, 403(b) plan impact and other key areas. Get ready to GO!

Does the plan hold complex investments? Whether a full scope audit or an ERISA 103 (a)(3)(c) audit is performed, the steps to ensure complex investments are properly valued and presented within the financial statements in accordance with appropriate accounting principles remain the same. This session is designed to assist plan administrators and plan auditors in fulfilling that responsibility.

This course provides auditors with the basic knowledge necessary to effectively read and understand the components of a SOC 1 report. Topics addressed include: identifying common SOC 1 reports used in EBP engagements, professional standards auditors must satisfy when incorporating the use of SOC 1 reports into EBP audits and tips on recognizing issues commonly encountered.

*Attendees should consider attending the Advanced SOC 1 Matters for more advanced discussion on issues related to SOC 1's and how to address them.

Differentiate and understand the GAAP treatment, impact to financial reporting and related nuances for:
Mergers
Terminations
Trustee and recordkeeper changes and
Spinoffs

This session will cover changes to health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs) that may lay the groundwork for an emerging shift from defined benefit to defined contribution in the health care space.  Specifically, we will discuss the new IRS, DOL, and HHS rules governing HRAs, effective for 2020 plan years, that allow these arrangements to be used more broadly and flexibly by employers.  We will identify compliance concerns expected to arise as these new arrangements are implemented.  We will also discuss changes to permissible high-deductible health plans associated with HSAs to understand how these arrangements are permitted to cover additional medical items without cost-sharing, and we will compare FSAs with other account-based arrangements.  Finally, we will consider what the future is for these account-based arrangements.

This session will focus on the general participation and eligibility rules including

• Measuring Years of Service
• Using elapsed time and how it’s different from counting actual hours
• Maximum eligibility rules
• Permitted safe harbor exclusions
• Exclusions that affect coverage rules
• Leased employees
• Applying the break in service rules
• Duel Eligibility features (impact on Top Heavy plans)

This session is a beginner session and for those who have a working knowledge and want a refresher.

Walk through a cybersecurity incident with a cybersecurity attorney and a FBI agent from the Cyber Crimes Division. Beginning with an overview of common threats, this session will delve deep into practical guidance on what to do and not to do in a cybersecurity event.

Employers who pay commuting or parking costs for their employees are no longer able to deduct these amounts.  There are a number of exceptions that protect the deduction.  Applying these rules has many nuances, including some helpful safe harbors.  In this session, learn how to apply the rules and when exceptions are available.

This session will explain the various retirement plan types available to small + start-up businesses. We will discuss the rules that pertain to each plan type and the employer responsibility. The session will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of small retirement plans.