401(k) Q&A | Plan & Industry Content From DWC - The 401(k) Experts

Can We Offer Additional Matching Contributions Without Losing our Safe Harbor Status?

DWC 08/4/20

Facts We currently sponsor a 401(k) plan for our company. While we certainly want to be able to provide meaningful benefits to the owners, our goal is to encourage all our employees to save more for their retirement, and to reward those who do. We were failing our annual testing, so we implemented a safe harbor provision to provide a matching ...

How Do We Stop Our Discretionary Matching Contribution?

DWC 03/26/20

Facts My company sponsors a 401(k) plan that provides for a discretionary matching contribution, which we deposit each pay period along with employee deferrals. Given the economic uncertainty, I’m focused on doing what I can to ensure adequate cash flow to maintain operations, including making payroll. That might mean we make the decision to ...

Can We Suspend our Safe Harbor Contribution Mid-Plan Year?

DWC 03/24/20

Facts Given the current uncertainty in the world economy and the unknown ongoing affects of coronavirus, I’m looking at all financial obligations for our company, and for opportunities to reduce risk. We currently sponsor a 401(k) plan for our employees and provide a safe harbor contribution equal to 3% of employee compensation.

Have the Rules for Safe Harbor 401(k) Notices Changed?

DWC 03/3/20

Have the Rules for Safe Harbor Notices Changed? | DWC 401(k) Q&A Question of the Week

Facts My company sponsors a safe harbor 401(k) plan and every year my TPA sends me a reminder to distribute a notice to participants. It’s not the biggest hassle but I’ve wondered if it’s really necessary that this same information be provided to participants each and every year.

Am I Now Required to Include Part-Time Employees in my 401(k) Plan?

DWC 01/28/20

Facts As the owner of a beachside hotel, I sponsor a calendar year 401(k) plan for my employees. In the summer we hire many part-time employees to assist with the uptick in guests and activities. Our plan has always required employees to reach age 21 and complete a year of service before becoming eligible. Traditionally, this has meant that these ...

Is It Possible to Split Eligibility to Allow for Deferrals but to Postpone Safe Harbor Contributions?

DWC 10/29/19

Facts We allow new employees to join our 401(k) plan on the first of the month after they are hired. They become eligible to make deferrals and also receive the company safe harbor contribution at that time. We don’t have high turnover, but employees who leave often do so within the first year of joining us. We don’t mind allowing new hires to ...

Are We Required to Make Safe Harbor Contributions for HCEs?

DWC 10/22/19

Facts My company sponsors a safe harbor 401(k) plan so that all of the highly compensated employees can maximize their deferrals without worrying about failing the ADP test each year. Although we fully intend to make the same level of contribution for the HCEs that we do for the non-HCEs, we would prefer to not to be required to do so in order to ...

How Do We Identify Highly Compensated Employees for the First Year Our Company Exists?

DWC 08/27/19

QOTW - 8.27.2019 - How Do We Identify HCEs for the First Year Our Company Exists - Plan Compliance

Facts We established our company on February 1st of this year, and now we are planning to launch our 401(k) plan. We know there are number of tests and determinations that require us to look at company history, but as a new company, we don’t really have much of a history to look at.

Top Heavy vs. ADP: What's the Difference?

DWC 05/7/19

Facts As a plan sponsor, I do my best to review the annual compliance reports my TPA sends to me, but to be honest, it might as well be written in a foreign language. For example, several of our participants were recently required to receive corrective refunds due to contributing too much for 2018. I thought it was because our plan was top heavy ...

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