By: Bryan Uecker, QPA, QPFC, AIF, AIFA
Key Points:
• Effective for plan years starting after December 31, 2024.
• New 401(k) and 403(b) plans are required to have automatic enrollment.
• The automatic enrollment feature must comply with an eligible automatic enrollment arrangement (EACA).
• Participants must be enrolled automatically:
– Initially at a rate of a minimum of 3% (maximum 10%).
– Increased annually by 1%, reaching at least 10% (maximum 15%).
• Contributions must be invested in a qualified default investment alternative (QDIA).
Exempt Plans:
• SIMPLE 401(k) plans.
• Plans established before December 29, 2022 (date of document signing, not effective date).
• Governmental or church plans.
• Plans by businesses under 3 years old.
• Plans by employers with 10 or fewer employees.
Most BORSA™ plans adopted after December 29, 2022, will qualify for the exemptions based on the company’s age or size. However, consider the following scenarios with recent BORSA™ clients:
Scenario 1:
A couple establishes a new C-Corp and a BORSA™ to acquire two Home Health Care businesses with over 30 employees in 2023. The C-Corp 3-year exemption applies until 2026. Mandatory automatic enrollment begins on January 1, 2027.
Scenario 2:
DRDA takes over an existing ROBS plan in 2023, which lacks a 401(k) feature (a peculiarity of this competitor). The client adds a 401(k) with a safe harbor 3% non-elective contribution and converts the profit-sharing scheme to a cross-tested formula targeting key employees. Although the plan was established in 2015, adding the 401(k) triggers the requirement for automatic enrollment by January 1, 2025.
Scenario 3:
The owner of a 5-year-old business with 8 employees plans to set up a BORSA™ for capital infusion. The business expects to hire 3 or more employees within a year. According to the rule, automatic enrollment becomes mandatory “not earlier than the date that is one year after the close of the first taxable year with respect to which the employer normally employed more than 10 employees.” If this occurs in 2025, automatic enrollment starts on January 1, 2027.
Although many BORSA™ clients start exempt from mandatory EACA rules, growth and time may necessitate compliance in the future.
