The tax code governing 401(k) plans was written to prevent qualified retirement plans from overly favoring Highly Compensated Employees (HCEs).  A series of non-discrimination tests were devised to measure whether a plan’s design or operation lends to favoring the HCEs over the Non-Highly Compensated Employees (NHCEs).  All year end testing begins with the coverage test…

As we approach the end of the calendar year, it is important to be reminded about one frequently overlooked retirement plan requirement.  Upon attainment of age 70-1/2, certain participants of a tax-qualified retirement plan may be required by federal tax law to withdraw a minimum amount from such plan each year.  These mandatory distributions are…

The tax code governing 401(k) plans was written to prevent qualified retirement plans from overly favoring highly compensated employees (HCEs). A series of non-discrimination tests were devised to measure whether a plan’s design or operation tends to favoring the HCEs over the nonhighly compensated employees (NHCEs). In our last installment we discussed how the Average Deferral Percentage (ADP) test is calculated. In this article we dive into the different methods of correcting for an ADP test failure.