William Byrnes' Tax, Wealth, and Risk Intelligence

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 made substantial changes to the rules governing hardship distributions from qualified plans beginning in 2019. These changes have left many employers wondering how to adequately comply with the new rules. The IRS has directed its agents to review the language in the plan document, as well as any written statement provided by the participant to ensure all documents are properly executed and signed. Further, agents are directed to examine any records that the employer used to verify that a true hardship did exist, as well as the amount of that hardship. These records can include bills, eviction notices, closing documents for purchase of a home, etc. The employee should also provide documentation to establish that no other readily available source of funds existed, which can be as simple as an employee attestation. For more information on post-2018 hardship distributions, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

An IRS information letter has clarified that a taxpayer forfeits any unused transportation benefits upon termination of employment. Because employers have only been permitted to provide tax-preferred transportation benefits to current employees, those benefits must be lost once the individual is no longer an employee. This is the case even if the benefits were provided through pre-tax employee contributions, and even if the employee is fired (i.e., compensation reductions cannot be reimbursed if the employee had not fully used them). Importantly, employees can change their elections regarding transportation benefits monthly without the need for a change in status event. For more information on employer-provided transportation benefits, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

The Ninth Circuit recently confirmed that a pension plan was within its rights to terminate pension benefits to a participant who retired early, but then returned to work in the same industry. This was the case even though the plan itself had initially approved the taxpayer’s post-retirement work in the same industry in which he worked prior to retirement. Although Supreme Court precedent prohibits a pension from adding additional requirements to a participant’s benefit eligibility after that participant has retired, the court here found that the precedent did not apply because the plan in question had always required participants to withdraw from the industry in order to be eligible for benefits. The plan had begun enforcing the rule pursuant to a voluntary corrective action with the IRS that was entered in order to maintain the plan’s tax-qualified status. For more information on situations where a pension plan may reduce a participant’s benefits, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More