Employee Benefits Blog

IRS Audit Techniques Guide Provides Helpful Reminders for Sponsors of NQDC Arrangements

Last summer the Internal Revenue Service updated its Audit Techniques Guide (“ATG”) for nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements. While the ATG provides little instruction on how the IRS will review nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements for compliance with Section 409A of the Code, it provides a helpful reminder of some of the other rules applicable to nonqualified […]

May 6, 2016 | 2 min read | Tagged: 409A, ATG, Audit Techniques Guides, deferred compensation, FICA, FUTA, Internal revenue service, IRS, nonqualified deferred compensation, Section 409A

Greg Gautam Partner

Employers May Be Able to Exempt Severance Payments from FICA Tax under Quality Stores

The Supreme Court recently ruled in U.S. v. Quality Stores that severance paid to employees is considered wages for FICA purposes. Before the Court’s decision, there was little doubt that employer-provided severance was wages for income tax purposes, but lower court cases were a mixed bag about whether severance was wages for FICA tax purposes. […]

May 28, 2014 | 2 min read | Tagged: FICA, severance, SUB payments, Supreme Court, U.S. v. Quality Stores

Marvin "Bucky" Swift Former Partner