401k & Defined Contribution Plan Consultant
Planned Retirement Consultant & Administrators, LLC (Remote / Ridgewood NJ)
Retirement Plan Service Representative
DeMars Pension Consulting Services, Inc. (Overland Park KS / MO)
“BenefitsLink continues to be the most valuable resource we have at the firm.”
-- An attorney subscriber
Office of Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives http://uscode.house.gov/
The site includes "classification tables" showing which U.S. Code sections have been affected by recent legislation. http://uscode.house.gov/classification/tables.shtml
Government Printing Office https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/uscode/
Cornell Legal Information Institute http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text
ERISA (Title 29)
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/29/chapter-18
See also this cross-reference between ERISA's section numbers and Title 29's section numbers
:
https://benefitslink.com/erisa/crossreference.html
Internal Revenue Code (Title 26) http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26
Tax Information for the Benefits Practitioner
(a section of the IRS web
site)
http://www.irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/Benefits-Practitioner
IRS Regulations
Final and Temporary IRS Regulations https://www.irs.gov/privacy-disclosure/tax-code-regulations-and-official-guidance
Proposed IRS Regulations still open for comment are published in the Federal Register (see "Federal Register," later in this document). Proposed regs that are still open for public comment are listed at https://www.regulations.gov/
Revenue Rulings, Revenue Procedures, and Announcements
Revenue rulings that concern retirement plans, as gathered by the IRS Employee Plans office. http://www.irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/Revenue-Rulings-3
Revenue procedures that concern retirement plans, as gathered by the IRS Employee Plans office. http://www.irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/Revenue-Procedures-3
Announcements that concern retirement plans, as gathered by the IRS Employee Plans office. https://www.irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/Announcements-2
See also: Internal Revenue Bulletins , where all revenue rulings, revenue procedures and announcements are published: http://www.irs.gov/irb/
See also: Advance copies of IRS revenue rulings, revenue procedures, announcements and other administrative documents are published for the press and tax professionals by the IRS: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/
IRS Forms and Publications https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions
Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memoranda, Chief Counsel Advice http://apps.irs.gov/app/picklist/list/writtenDeterminations.html
Note: these can be sorted by "Uniform Issue List number" (e.g., UIL 423.00-00 is "Employee Stock Purchase Plans").
Federal Interest Rates
Applicable Federal Rates
http://www.timevalue.com/products/applicable-federal-rates.aspx
(TimeValue Software)
Weighted Average Interest Rate Table http://www.irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/Weighted-Average-Interest-Rate-Table
Funding Yield Curve Segment Rates http://www.irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/Funding-Yield-Curve-Segment-Rates
Composite Corporate Bond Rate Table http://www.irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/Composite-Corporate-Bond-Rate-Table
Examination (Audit) Guidelines
from the IRS Manual
http://www.irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/EP-Examination-Guidelines
-- see also: EP Examination Process Guide - Section 5 - Audit Guidelines
, which includes links to relevant IRS publications and various guidance applicable to EP examinations.
Employee Plans News
(newsletter published by IRS)
http://www.irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/Employee-Plans-News
IRS "Published Guidance" Resource Page http://www.irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/Published-Guidance
Hypertext list in chronological order (back to October 2000) of IRS Notices, Revenue Rulings, regulations, Announcements and more, all pertaining to retirement plans. Also has links to interest rate tables (monthly weighted-average interest rates), actuarial tables (section 7520 tables for valuing annuities, life estates, remainders and reversions), the IRS Priority Guidance Plan, and key legislative history affecting retirement plans.
Tax Information for the Benefits Practitioner http://www.irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/Benefits-Practitioner
Hypertext links to information on retirement plan forms and publications; plan language resources (LRMs, alert guidelines, cumulative lists, etc.); overview of rules governing 401(k), SEP, SIMPLE IRA, and 403(b), etc.; list of IRS phone forums, benefits conferences, and educational services; the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System; determination, opinion and advisory letters; examinations; retirement tax shelters requiring special disclosure ("abusive tax transactions"); and more.
Listing of Required Modifications (LRM) Language http://www.irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/Listing-of-Required-Modifications-LRMs
Alert Guidelines, Explanations & Plan Deficiency Paragraphs https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/irs-checklists-for-retirement-plan-documents
Cumulative List of Changes in Retirement Plan Qualification Requirements https://www.irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/Cumulative-List-of-Changes-in-Retirement-Plan-Qualification-Requirements
Employee Plans CPE Texts http://web.archive.org/web/20170212203854/https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/ep-cpe-texts (Internet Archive)
Published by the IRS as the Employee Plans Continuing Professional Education Technical Instruction Program for fiscal years 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2013 and 2014. (Not online: 2000, 2005-2012, and all fiscal years subsequent to 2014.)
DOL Regulations https://www.dol.gov/general/cfr
Regulations also are published in the Federal Register (see "Federal Register," later in this document). See also the items listed under "Rulemaking and Regulations" at https://www.dol.gov/asp/regs/rulemaking.htm
Advisory Opinions https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/about-ebsa/our-activities/resource-center/advisory-opinions
Information Letters https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/about-ebsa/our-activities/resource-center/information-letters
Field Assistance Bulletins https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/employers-and-advisers/guidance/field-assistance-bulletins
Technical Releases https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/employers-and-advisers/guidance/technical-releases
Class Prohibited Transaction Exemptions, Individual PTEs, and EXPRO Exemptions
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/employers-and-advisers/guidance/exemptions
(some are not yet online, though)
Publications https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/about-ebsa/our-activities/resource-center/publications
ERISA Advisory Council
reports
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/about-ebsa/about-us/erisa-advisory-council/reports
See also: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/about-ebsa/about-us/erisa-advisory-council (includes links to recent written witness statements submitted to the Council)
Search of Form 5500/5500-SF Filings
https://www.efast.dol.gov/welcome.html
(for 2009 and later plan years; see the link entitled "To search for Form 5500/5500-SF filings submitted via the EFAST2 system, use the Form 5500/Form 5500-SF Search.")
PBGC Regulations https://www.pbgc.gov/prac/laws-and-regulations
Regulations also are published in the Federal Register (see "Federal Register," later in this document).
Technical Updates https://www.pbgc.gov/prac/other-guidance/tu
Current interest rates
for use in termination of single-employer defined benefit
plans
https://www.pbgc.gov/prac/interest
Forms for employers and plan administrators https://www.pbgc.gov/prac/forms
Pension Search Directory
(Unclaimed Pensions)
https://www.pbgc.gov/search/unclaimed-pensions
This online database enables individuals to determine whether PBGC holds benefits for them, under defined benefit plans taken over by PBGC.
Today's Federal Register http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/getfrtoc.action
Earlier Issues
View each issue's table of contents, with clickable links to items http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action?collectionCode=FR
View particular page by specified number http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/submitcitation.action?publication=FR
Search
the Federal Register
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/advanced/advsearchpage.action
U.S. Supreme Court http://www.supremecourt.gov
Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute
provides links to U.S. Court of
Appeal, U.S. Tax Court, and U.S. Supreme Court cases
http://www.law.cornell.edu/federal/opinions
Law Library of Congress
provides alternate links to U.S. Court of Appeal and U.S.
Supreme Court cases
http://www.loc.gov/law/help/guide/federal/usjudic.php
District Court Opinions
from many of the U.S. district courts
http://www.uscourts.gov/court_locator.aspx
State Court Web Sites http://www.ncsc.org/Information-and-Resources/Browse-by-State/State-Court-Websites.aspx
U.S. Tax Court Opinions http://www.ustaxcourt.gov/
Leagle.com http://www.leagle.com/
Browse by Topic http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/topic.php
Tip: Specifying "Income Security" as the "topic" will retrieve retirement income-related articles. Another useful topic is "Health."
Congressional Record
Searchable database (select "Congressional Record" in the list in the left-hand column) http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/advanced/advsearchpage.action
View a particular issue http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action?collectionCode=CREC
Thomas
Web server provides full text of bills, committee reports and some committee
hearings transcripts, at
http://thomas.loc.gov/
House Committee on Ways and Means http://waysandmeans.house.gov
House Committee on Education & the Workforce http://edworkforce.house.gov/
Senate Committee on Finance http://www.finance.senate.gov/
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions http://www.help.senate.gov/
Senate Special Committee on Aging http://www.aging.senate.gov/
The Joint Committee on Taxation
"Blue Books" are excellent descriptions of recently
enacted legislation.
https://www.jct.gov/publications.html?func=select&id=9
Other Joint Committee publications describe recently introduced bills. https://www.jct.gov/publications.html?func=select&id=6
Center for Retirement Research at Boston College http://crr.bc.edu
Employee Benefit Research Institute http://www.ebri.org
EBRI Issue Briefs http://www.ebri.org/publications/ib/
International Society of Employee Benefit Specialists
(Survey Results)
http://www.iscebs.org/Resources/Surveys/Pages/Surveys.aspx
National Bureau of Economic Research
(working papers, generally available as PDF
files for a $5 charge)
http://www.nber.org/
Pension Research Council
of the Wharton School of the University of
Pennsylvania
https://pensionresearchcouncil.wharton.upenn.edu/
Society of Actuaries http://www.soa.org
U.S. Government Accountability Office
(GAO)
http://www.gao.gov