Flexibility Act Makes Key Change to CARES Act Payroll Tax Deferral Incentive and Other Key Changes

By Joe Yonadi and Max Van Benschoten on June 17, 2020 Posted in US

Following up on our prior post (here), regarding the Paycheck Protection Program loans (“PPP Loans”), President Trump signed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 into law (the “Flexibility Act”) on June 5, 2020. The Flexibility Act relaxes and modifies certain requirements to obtain PPP Loan forgiveness. Specifically, the Flexibility Act makes five main changes:

Payroll Tax Deferral. The CARES Act allows employers to defer the employer’s portion of social security tax deposits that are due between March 27, 2020 and December 31, 2020. However, the CARES Act originally specified that this deferral option ends when an employer obtains PPP Loan forgiveness. The Flexibility Act modified the CARES Act to provide employers the option to continue deferring these taxes, regardless of whether the employer individual obtains PPP Loan forgiveness. This modification also applies to self-employed individual who are eligible to defer their self-employment taxes.

Extended Forgiveness Period. Under the CARES Act and guidance issued thereunder, only expenditures made during the eight-week period beginning on the date that the PPP Loan proceeds were dispersed are eligible for forgiveness. The Flexibility Act modified the 8-week timeframe, providing that expenditures made up to 24 weeks after dispersal are eligible for forgiveness.

PPP Loan Term. Under the CARES Act, the non-forgiven portion of a PPP loan had a two-year term. The Flexibility Act provides that PPP Loan terms shall now be five years, instead of two. Notwithstanding, PPP Loans made prior to June 5, 2020 will still have a two-year term, unless the borrower and lender mutually agree to extend the term. In addition, the Flexibility Act now provides that interest on PPP Loans shall be deferred until the amount of loan forgiveness is determined. Continue Reading

The Geometry and Trigonometry of the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill – What’s the Next Pensions Angle?

By Philip Sutton on June 16, 2020 Posted in UK Pensions

Geometric Image Part Two

Yesterday, we looked at the proposed new moratorium process and the implications for pension schemes. Today we consider the new restructuring plan process.

Background

The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill (the Bill) is passing through parliament at the moment. Some of the measures included in the Bill are in response to the current pandemic and will provide temporary easements for company directors from an acute economic downturn. Other measures have been under consideration for a while, and will be permanent. Continue Reading

The Geometry and Trigonometry of the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill – What’s the Pensions Angle?

By Philip Sutton on June 15, 2020 Posted in UK Pensions

Part One

Our restructuring colleagues provide some insights into the proposed new measures on their blog page.

The pensions/insolvency nexus has long been a complex interface. The key areas where the pensions and insolvency worlds collide in statutory terms are the employer debt regime under section 75 of the Pensions Act 1995 and the trigger events for entry to the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) under the Pensions Act 2004. Many readers will be familiar with these and may initially derive some comfort from the fact that, as currently drafted, the Bill makes no changes to either regime. However, appearances can be deceiving and the proposals contained in the Bill throw up some interesting pensions angles. Today and tomorrow, we will consider two of the new permanent measures, which could affect pension schemes. We start with a look at the new “moratorium” process proposed by the Bill. Continue Reading

New Electronic Delivery Option for ERISA Retirement Plan Information

By Gregory Viviani and Stacey Grundman on May 29, 2020 Posted in US, US retirement plans

Businessman working There is a new electronic delivery option for retirement plan sponsors who are looking for an easier and more efficient means of providing required plan information disclosures to plan participants and beneficiaries. Retirement plan administrators can now electronically notify participants and beneficiaries that certain disclosures are available on a specified website. In addition, retirement plan administrators can more easily directly deliver the disclosures by email. Participants and beneficiaries must be able to opt out of electronic delivery and to request paper copies of disclosures without cost. Notably, the new option is not approved for delivery of health and welfare plan disclosures at this time.

Background. Current rules for electronic delivery of documents date back to 2002, and many employers have found them difficult to utilize.

The 2002 rules allow employers to use electronic delivery only for employees who (a) are “wired at work” (i.e., those who could access electronic disclosures at their job sites and who utilized their employers’ electronic information systems as an integral part of their jobs), or (b) affirmatively consent to receive documents electronically. The consent requirements are difficult because they require advance disclosure and identification of all documents and identification of necessary hardware and software requirements. In addition, the consent must be updated if hardware and software requirements change. Continue Reading

Member Communications: Radio Ga Ga or Radio Silence?

By Patricia Bailey on May 29, 2020 Posted in UK Pensions

Talk Radio Computer On Air Microphone Talker

On 29 April 2020, the Pensions Regulator (TPR) published guidance on communicating to members during the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) outbreak. TPR is placing the burden on pension plan trustees to discourage members from making rash decisions in relation to their pension savings that could have long-term effects. It will be interesting to see how The Pensions Ombudsman interprets the extent of this duty in due course.

The guidance highlights the importance of members being able to access member services and contact the scheme if they have any queries. TPR also stresses that where there are any delays or disruptions to services, members should be kept informed. Clearly trustees need to respond to member requests – however, it does not necessarily follow that a general mailing is appropriate at this time. There is a widespread concern that communicating with members during a financial crisis may actually encourage them to think about their pension options, when they might otherwise have left their savings well alone. We urge trustees to consider the best approach for their scheme – this could be a general broadcast or radio silence. Continue Reading

COVID-19 Relief for Employee Benefit Plan Deadlines

By Stacey Grundman on May 26, 2020 Posted in US

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced deadline relief for employee benefit plan notices, disclosures or document deadlines that must be furnished between March 1, 2020 and 60 days after the announced end of the COVID-19 National Emergency (“Outbreak Period”), if the employee benefit plan and responsible fiduciary act in good faith and furnish the notice, disclosure, or document as soon as administratively practicable under the circumstances. In addition, the relief set forth a guiding principle for plan fiduciaries: plans “should make reasonable accommodations to prevent the loss of benefits or undue delay in benefit payments and should attempt to minimize the possibility of losing benefits because of a failure to comply with pre-established timeframes.”

The guidance, Disaster Relief Notice 2020-21, issued by DOL’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (“EBSA”) on April 28, 2020, was closely followed by a final regulation, issued jointly by DOL and the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), extending timeframes a variety of requirements under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”) and the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”). The Final Rule, for Extension of Timeframes, was published in the Federal Register on May 4, 2020.

IRS Guidance Provides Employers with the ability to offer A Second Open Enrollment Period for the 2020 Plan Year and Provides Greater Flexibility for Making Mid-Year Cafeteria Plan Elections

By Joe Yonadi and Gregory Viviani on May 20, 2020 Posted in Employee benefits

Providing much needed assistance to employees’ who were blindsided by COVID-19 and who were incapable of making health care coverage elections with COVID-19 in mind, the IRS on May 12, 2020, provided temporary relief that allows employers, during 2020, to expand the permissible reasons for employees to make prospective mid-year election changes to their health care coverage, and contributions to health flexible spending accounts (FSA) and dependent care assistance programs (DCAP), beyond what is currently permitted under the law.

Additionally, in separate guidance, beginning in the 2021, the IRS increased the maximum health FSA year-end carryover amount from $500 to $550 relating to any unused health FSA balance remaining at the end of a plan year. Continue Reading

IRS Reverses Course on the application of Qualified Healthcare Expenses to the Employee Retention Tax Credit, and Clarifies Credit Eligibility in the event of a PPP Loan Repayment

By Joe Yonadi on May 11, 2020 Posted in Employment Tax, US

Email concept with laptop and girl hands In our blog post dated May 7, 2020, we noted that the IRS Question and Answers regarding the Employee Retention Tax Credit (the “ERTC” & the “Q&As”) stated that an employer cannot claim an ERTC for qualified health care expenses, unless it also pays the employee other wages during the relevant time period. We further noted that, in our view, this interpretation may not be consistent with congressional intent.

Within hours of publishing our post the IRS reversed course and revised Q&As 64 and 65. Q&As 64 and 65 now state that employers can claim the ERTC for qualified healthcare expenses, regardless of whether the employee is paid qualified wages. In general, we believe that the IRS’s new interpretation of how qualified healthcare expenses are treated for purposes of the ERTC is more consistent with congressional intent than its previous interpretation. Continue Reading

Employee Retention Tax Credits – Q&As

By Joe Yonadi on May 7, 2020 Posted in Employment Tax, US

Question marks lit up New guidance issued by the US Internal Revenue Service in the form of Q&As posted on its website, clarify the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) provisions contained in the CARES Act. The guidance is more restrictive than anticipated, and employers may face difficult decisions about claiming the tax credits. Our latest publication explores this issue in more detail.

IRS Publishes Frequently Asked Questions on Payroll Tax Deferral

By Joe Yonadi and Matthew Secrist on April 15, 2020 Posted in Employment Tax, US

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provides employers a number of economic relief programs, including deferral of employers’ share of quarterly social security tax deposits and forgivable Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans.

The IRS recently released a set of frequently asked questions and answers regarding the CARES Act’s deferral of quarterly Social Security tax deposits. The Q&As confirm that no election is necessary for employers to begin deferring deposits, and further state Form 941 will be revised for the second calendar quarter of 2020 (i.e., April – June, 2020) with instructions for how to reflect deferred taxes that were otherwise due for the first quarter of 2020 (i.e., January – March, 2020). Continue Reading