Compliance Stuff

 Employers now have some clarity around a new program that allows them to match retirement plan contributions to employees’ student loan payments. The IRS on Aug. 19 released long-awaited interim guidelines regarding the program, a provision under SECURE ACT 2.0 that allows employers with 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457(b), or Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE) IRA plans to match employees’ student loan payments like they would for traditional retirement contributions. The provision took effect this year, but employers have been waiting for more guidance around the new program. In Notice 2024-63, the IRS clarified eligibility rules and certification requirements in a Q&A format. The guidance applies for plan years beginning after Dec. 31, 2024, the agency said. The notice addresses a variety of plan-administration issues, the IRS said in an accompanying news release , including: General student loan matching contribution eligibility rules (including dollar an...

Although the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has called reassignment an accommodation of last resort under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), transfer shouldn’t be overlooked by employers as a possibility before termination. Sometimes, an employee with a disability might even prefer it. Calling reassignment an accommodation of last resort “depends on the context,” said Peter Petesch, an attorney with Littler in Washington, D.C. “If the employee brings it up as an option, it is no longer a last resort.” Reassignment should always be on the “options board—something that should neither be jumped to at the outset nor forgotten as the accommodation process unfolds,” he explained. “It needs to be part of the calculus.” Employers typically try to reasonably accommodate an employee within their current position first, said Myra Creighton, an attorney with Fisher Phillips in Atlanta. Resorting to transfer only as a last-chance accommodation usually makes sense after ...