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Monthly Archives: January 2020

401(k) plan highlights of the SECURE Act

Erin Mirante0 Comment

Late last year, Congress passed, and the President signed into law, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act. Among its most notable rule changes are those pertaining to 401(k) plans. Here are some key highlights.

New tax credit

Starting in 2020, the new rules create a tax credit of up to $500 per year to employers to defray startup costs for new 401(k) plans and SIMPLE IRA plans that include automatic enrollment.

The credit, available for three years, is in addition to an existing plan startup credit. Employers who convert an existing plan to a plan with an automatic enrollment design may also claim this tax break.

Auto-enrollment safe harbor plans

An annual nondiscrimination test called the actual deferral percentage (ADP) test applies to elective deferrals under a 401(k) plan. The ADP test is deemed satisfied if a 401(k) plan includes certain minimum matching or nonelective contributions under either of two safe harbor plan designs and meets certain other requirements. (Certain other required rights and features must also be met, as well as a notice requirement.)

One of the safe harbor plans is an automatic enrollment safe harbor plan. Starting in 2020, the new rules increase the cap on the default rate under an automatic enrollment safe harbor plan from 10% to 15%, but only for years after the participant’s first deemed election year. For the participant’s first deemed election year, the cap on the default rate is 10%.

Other safe harbor plan enticements

Under another type of 401(k) safe harbor plan, the plan either:

  • Satisfies a matching contribution requirement, or
  • Provides for a nonelective contribution to a defined contribution plan of at least 3% of an employee’s compensation on behalf of each nonhighly compensated employee who’s eligible to participate in the plan.

Starting in 2020, new rules eliminate the safe harbor notice requirement but maintain the requirement to allow employees to make or change an election at least once per year.

The rules also permit amendments to nonelective status at any time before the 30th day before the close of the plan year. Amendments after that time are allowed if the amendment provides a nonelective contribution of at least 4% of compensation (rather than at least 3%) for all eligible employees for that plan year. Also, the plan must be amended no later than the last day for distributing excess contributions for the plan year (in other words, by the close of following plan year).

Widespread impact

These are only some of the provisions of the SECURE Act that might affect your organization. The law’s provisions address not only 401(k) plans, but also defined benefit plans, IRAs and 529 plans. Contact us for help determining precisely how the act may affect your existing retirement plan or any you’re considering.

© 2020

Cost management: A budget’s best friend

Erin Mirante0 Comment

If your company comes up over budget year after year, you may want to consider cost management. This is a formalized, systematic review of operations and resources with the stated goal of reducing costs at every level and controlling them going forward. As part of this effort, you’ll answer questions such as:

Are we operating efficiently? Cost management can help you clearly differentiate activities that are running smoothly and staying within budget from the ones that are constantly breaking down and consuming extra dollars.

Depending on your industry, there are likely various metrics you can calculate and track to determine which aspects of your operations are inefficient. Sometimes improving efficiency is simply a matter of better scheduling. If you’re constantly missing deadlines or taking too long to fulfill customers’ needs, you’re also probably losing money playing catch-up and placating disappointed buyers.

Can we really see our supply chain? Maybe you’ve bought the same types of materials from the same vendors for many years. Are you really getting the most for your money? A cost management review can help you look for better bargains on the goods and services that make your business run.

A big problem for many businesses is lack of practical data. Without the right information, you may not be fully aware of the key details of your supply chain. There’s a term for this: supply chain visibility. When you can’t “see” everything about the vendors that service your company, you’re much more vulnerable to hidden costs and overspending.

Is technology getting the better of us? At this point, just about every business process has been automated one way or another. But are you managing this technology or is it managing you? Some companies overspend unnecessarily while others miss out on ways to better automate activities. Cost management can help you decide whether to simplify or upgrade.

For example, many businesses have historically taken an ad hoc approach to procuring technology. Different departments or individuals have obtained various software over the years. Some of this technology may still be in regular use but, in many cases, an expensive application sits dormant while the company still pays for licensing or tech support.

Conversely, a paid-for but out-of-date application could be slowing operational or supply chain efficiency. You may have to spend money to save money by getting something that’s up-to-date and fully functional.

The term “cost management” is often applied to specific projects. But you can also apply it to your business, either as an emergency step if your budget is really out of whack or as a regular activity for keeping the numbers in line. Our firm can help you conduct this review and decide what to do about the insights gained.

© 2020

Congress rolls back burdensome UBIT on transportation benefits

Erin Mirante0 Comment

A much-hated tax on not-for-profit organizations is on the way out. At the end of 2019, Congress repealed a provision of 2017’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) that triggered the unrelated business income tax (UBIT) of 21% on nonprofit employers that provide employees with transportation fringe benefits. Unequipped to handle the additional administrative burdens and compliance costs, thousands of nonprofits had complained — and legislators apparently listened.

Same benefits, new costs

At issue is the TCJA provision saying that nonprofits must count disallowed deduction amounts paid for transportation fringe benefits such as transit passes and parking in their UBIT calculations. UBIT applies to business income that isn’t related to the organization’s tax-exempt function. Thus, simply by continuing to provide some of the same transportation benefits they’ve always provided employees, nonprofits were liable for additional tax.

For example, employers were forced to assign a value to parking spaces provided to employees. Such activities were time-consuming and burdensome, and the additional costs forced nonprofits to divert funds from pursuing their missions. Nonprofit coalition Independent Sector estimates that the transportation tax and related administrative costs set back nonprofits by an average $12,000.

Fortunately, the repeal of the UBIT provision will be retroactive. Although the details haven’t yet been hammered out, nonprofits that paid the tax on applicable transportation benefits in 2018 and 2019 are expected to get their money back.

Other developments

Repealing the UBIT on certain transportation benefits isn’t the only recent legislation of interest to nonprofits. Last month, Congress also streamlined the foundation excise tax. The current two-tiered tax that many foundations protested will be replaced with a 1.39% revenue-neutral tax.

Congress is likely to address other nonprofit demands — for example, for the introduction of a universal charitable deduction — in future sessions. We can help you stay current with the latest tax developments affecting nonprofits. Contact us.

© 2020

5 ways to strengthen your business for the new year

Erin Mirante0 Comment

The end of one year and the beginning of the next is a great opportunity for reflection and planning. You have 12 months to look back on and another 12 ahead to look forward to. Here are five ways to strengthen your business for the new year by doing a little of both:

1. Compare 2019 financial performance to budget. Did you meet the financial goals you set at the beginning of the year? If not, why? Analyze variances between budget and actual results. Then, evaluate what changes you could make to get closer to achieving your objectives in 2020. And if you did meet your goals, identify precisely what you did right and build on those strategies.

2. Create a multiyear capital budget. Look around your offices or facilities at your equipment, software and people. What investments will you need to make to grow your business? Such investments can be both tangible (new equipment and technology) and intangible (employees’ technical and soft skills).

Equipment, software, furniture, vehicles and other types of assets inevitably wear out or become obsolete. You’ll need to regularly maintain, update and replace them. Lay out a long-term plan for doing so; this way, you won’t be caught off guard by a big expense.

3. Assess the competition. Identify your biggest rivals over the past year. Discuss with your partners, managers and advisors what those competitors did to make your life so “interesting.” Also, honestly appraise the quality of what your business sells versus what competitors offer. Are you doing everything you can to meet — or, better yet, exceed — customer expectations? Devise some responsive competitive strategies for the next 12 months.

4. Review insurance coverage. It’s important to stay on top of your property, casualty and liability coverage. Property values or risks may change — or you may add new assets or retire old ones — requiring you to increase or decrease your level of coverage. A fire, natural disaster, accident or out-of-the-blue lawsuit that you’re not fully protected against could devastate your business. Look at the policies you have in place and determine whether you’re adequately protected.

5. Analyze market trends. Recognize the major events and trends in your industry over the past year. Consider areas such as economic drivers or detractors, technology, the regulatory environment and customer demographics. In what direction is your industry heading over the next five or ten years? Anticipating and quickly reacting to trends are the keys to a company’s long-term success.

These are just a few ideas for looking back and ahead to set a successful course forward. We can help you review the past year’s tax, accounting and financial strategies, and implement savvy moves toward a secure and profitable 2020 for your business.

© 2019