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Welcome to the Snell & Wilmer Benefits Blog. We will be posting about current employee benefits and executive compensation topics and issues. We invite you to contact the authors with your thoughts or questions.Blog Contributors
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COVID-19-Related Cancellations of NQDC Elections
As a general matter, deferral elections under non-qualified deferred compensation plans (“NQDCs”) cannot be cancelled unless a NQDC plan participant incurs an “unforeseeable emergency” or “disability” as each such term is defined in Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code. Internal Revenue Service Notice 2020-50 (the “Notice”) adds a third reason to permit the cancellation of NQDC elections, the receipt of a coronavirus-related distribution (“CRD”) from a qualified retirement plan.
The Internal Revenue Service issued the Notice on June 19th to, among other things, help plan sponsors allow plan participants to take advantage of the provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) by giving participants greater access to their retirement plan savings. Read More ›
Posted in Executive Compensation
| Tagged CARES Act, covid-19, elections, furlough, lay off, nonqualified deferred compensation, nqdc, reduction in hours
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Reminder that Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Deferral Elections for 2018 Must be Made on or Before December 31, 2017
As we approach the end of 2017, we want to remind employers and employees to take action before year end if they desire to defer compensation that will be earned during 2018. As a general rule, Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code requires that compensation deferrals under a nonqualified deferred compensation plan be made before the year in which the underlying services are performed. There are some exceptions to this general rule, but Section 409A imposes strict requirements on the timing of compensation deferral elections and that most deferrals of compensation that will be earned in 2018 must be made on or before December 31, 2017. Read More ›
Posted in Employee Benefits
| Tagged 409A, deferral election, nonqualified deferred compensation, Section 409A
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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 deferred compensation arrangements. Among other things, the ATG reminds sponsors of nonqualified deferred compensation plans to be attentive to the following issues:
- Deferred compensation arrangements must be in writing.
- Immediate taxation to a participant could arise if the deferred compensation is not subject to substantial limitations or restrictions (e.g., immediate taxation will arise if the participant can draw on the deferred compensation at any time or if the participant can borrow against the deferred compensation).
Posted in Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation
| Tagged 409A, ATG, Audit Techniques Guides, deferred compensation, FICA, FUTA, Internal revenue service, IRS, nonqualified deferred compensation, Section 409A
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Don’t Miss Short-Term Deferral Day
Section 409A, the provision of the Internal Revenue Code that regulates the time and form of payment of nonqualified deferred compensation, contains a helpful exception for “short-term deferrals.” Specifically, Section 409A provides that a payment will not be considered nonqualified deferred compensation if the employer makes the payment on or prior to the 15th day of the third month following the end of the employee’s (or, if later, the employer’s) taxable year in which the employee’s right to the payment vests. For individuals and for employers with calendar fiscal years, the key date for purposes of the short-term deferral exception is March 15th. Read More ›
Posted in Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation
| Tagged 409A, equity-based compensation, Executive Compensation, Incentive Plans, nonqualified deferred compensation, Performance-Based Compensation, short-term deferral
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Don’t Miss Short-Term Deferral Day
As some of you know, Section 409A of the Code contains a very helpful exception for “short-term deferrals.” More specifically, Section 409A provides that a payment will not be considered “nonqualified deferred compensation” if the employer makes payment to the employee no later than the 15th day of the third month following the end of the employer’s (or, if later, the employee’s) taxable year in which the employee’s right to the payment vests.
Most employer’s annual incentive programs are structured (or could be structured) to qualify for the short-term deferral exception to Section 409A. If an employer’s fiscal year is the calendar year, this means that 2013 annual incentive payments that are intended to qualify for the short-term deferral exception must be paid by March 15, 2014. Read More ›
Posted in Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation
| Tagged 409A, Executive Compensation, nonqualified deferred compensation, short-term deferral
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