Legislative updates

The Internal Revenue Service recently issued Notice 2024-77, providing interim guidance on the treatment of “inadvertent benefit overpayments” from defined benefit and defined contribution plans as provided by Section 301 of the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022.

The IRS has posted final regulations regarding income tax withholding on certain periodic payments and nonperiodic distributions from employer deferred compensation plans, individual retirement plans, and commercial annuities that are not eligible rollover distributions.

The Social Security Administration has issued the 2025 adjustments for benefits and certain other limitations that are subject to annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) indices.

Representative Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) has introduced HR 9820 – the Employee and Retiree Access to Justice Act.

Representative Brittany Pettersen (D-Co), and co-sponsor Maria Salazar (R-FL), have introduced H.R. 9764, the Catching Up Family Caregivers Act. According to a press release, the bill would allow family caregivers to make catch-up contributions to employer-sponsored retirement plans, an option typically reserved for those over age 50. For every year they are out of the workforce, caregivers could be eligible for an additional year of catch-up contributions, up to a maximum of five years.

The IRS has issued Notice 2024-73, providing question-and-answer guidance on long-term, part-time employees in 403(b) plans. Guidance is applicable for plan years beginning after December 31, 2024.

Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, along with fellow republican committee members Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Thom Tillis (R-NC), John Kennedy (R-LA), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Katie Britt (R-AL), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Steve Daines (R-MT), and Jerry Moran (R-KS), have introduced S. 5139, Empowering Main Street in America Act of 2024.

The House passed H.R. 5339, the Roll back ESG To Increase Retirement Earnings Act (RETIRE Act), by a vote of 217-206.

Recent legislation passed by Congress includes several provisions that enhance the ability of workers to increase their retirement savings. One of these provisions, Section 110 of the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (SECURE 2.0), also enhances the ability of employers that sponsor a 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457(b), or a SIMPLE IRA plan to supplement workers’ retirement savings by providing matching contributions to employees who make qualified student loan payments (QSLPs) in 2024 and later plan years.

Representatives Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) and Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI) introduced the Helping Young Americans Save for Retirement Act to help more Americans ages 18 to 20 years old access employer-sponsored retirement plans.