Bc2 specialize in ERISA compliance and Form 5500 preparation.
Many accounting and law firms claim to be able to support your company in its efforts to be compliant. And, then the surprise letter arrives in the mail citing non-compliance and assessing thousands of dollars in fines for every employee affected by such transgressions.
Our ERISA compliance business will save you from extremely costly business-breaking surprises. We not only build a relationship with your company, but we provide a sturdy knowledge base that demonstrates expertise in all things ERISA compliance.
We even have proven client experience to show that we put you in the position to truly be compliant. This is one time to be ahead of the eight ball. No one wants to raise eyebrows at the Federal level. It is just another hassle and would cost a lot in pulling paperwork out of storage, off of old drives, while detracting resources from your business’s bread and butter: daily operations.
It is best to have a process in place that ensures all paperwork to be in compliance is completed and stored for easy access by HR. Our ERISA compliance business will set up such a process with you to ensure that it works within the scope of how your business already functions.
Congratulations if you own a business that is successful enough to hire on employees. Now, get ready to invest in them, according to the Federal laws and regulations, and local state laws as well. The Federal government’s ERISA is the topic here.
What Is ERISA?
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 is also known as ERISA. It is actually a Federal law that on what types of information needs to be collected and filed away for employees who are going to receive benefits. It sets the bar for the minimum voluntarily pension, for instance, as well as for health plans for use within the private sector. In essence, ERISA provides protection for the individual employees who are parked in such plans.
Why Is ERISA Important?
While it is important to follow Federal laws to avoid costly fines, there are more compelling reasons to follow ERISA. For one, it is out of respect for the very people who contribute to your company, committing their time and lives to your success, essentially.
What Our ERISA Compliance Business Will Do For You
ERISA puts the obligation for administrative management of employee benefit plan paperwork on the employer who is providing such benefits. It includes plans such as retirement, health insurance, welfare and other benefits management. In other words, yes, ERISA makes requirements on employers about the way the benefits are managed.
As a compliance service provider, we ensure your company’s HR understand the legal requirements. This allows the HR team to adhere to ERISA properly. In addition, we recommend having HR management oversight to ensure that ERISA requirements are met.
What Does ERISA Cover?
As it turns out ERISA encompasses many different programs or welfare plans. In this case welfare plans refer to any funds, plans, or programs that give employees’s access to disability, death, and accident benefits, along with surgical, medical, surgical, and hospital access.
What many people forget is that unemployment insurance benefits are actually provided through contributions made by employers and administered through accurate payroll assignments by the employer on behalf of its individual employees. ERISA is very much connected to unemployment through new hire forms and taxation of the employer.
Other surprising areas touch by ERISA even include scholarships, days off, training plans, legal services, daycare, severance, and of course retirement programs.
ERISA Components
Reporting by administrators to the DOL and IRS simply means describing in summary how the employer’s coverage works.
ERISA Forms And Disclosure
Filing forms is a big part of the deal with ERISA. It requires annual reporting to the IRS on Form 5500/5500-SF. DOL welfare plan forms are required if there are more than 100 participants with full benefits. Other forms required by the IRS for retirement plans are not required to be filed at the same time as welfare plan forms.
Companies are under a lot of pressure to focus on their bottom line and in growing revenue. Turn to professionals like us to ensure ERISA compliance.
