The plan sponsor/employer is ultimately responsible for ensuring that its retirement plan complies with the law in both form and operation. Accordingly, the plan sponsor should: communicate frequently with the plan's service provider to ensure that all relevant data is provided timely and accurately, review the plan document annually to ensure the plan is operating according to its terms, make the service provider and other important parties aware of any changes to the plan right away, and develop a way to exchange information with the service provider. The service provider should also timely communicate with the plan sponsor to confirm the data is current, accurate and complete. What does the employer need to provide to the service provider? The employer needs to give the service provider accurate information about the retirement plan. It's important to share any changes made by plan amendments or restatements. For example, the employer should tell the service provider and the people determining deferral amounts, performing nondiscrimination tests and allocating contributions about any changes to the plan's definition of compensation. The employer also needs to provide the payroll information that relates to the compensation definitions in the plan document. The service provider can't give the employer the correct reports if they don't have accurate participant compensation amounts. Using incorrect compensation for a participant can affect many plan operations and correcting these errors can be costly. What are some reports plan sponsors may receive and how could they be used? The service provider and employer should meet and discuss the reports needed for the plan. The plan sponsor should communicate with the service provider to discuss these reports. The service provider may provide reports on: Contributions. Plan sponsors should have procedures in place to spot check plan provisions in operation, such as confirming that compensation and deferral limits are not exceeded. Participant loans. This report shows outstanding participant loans, whether loan payments are current and if loans are in default. The plan sponsor would have to take action on any loans in default. The employer should also spot check new loans to ensure the participant's account balance was large enough to support the loan and the payroll deduction repayments started timely. Hardship withdrawals. Employers should use this report to verify they have the required documentation to support the withdrawals in the plan records. Sometimes the service provider handles the hardship withdrawals. In these situations, the plan sponsor should occasionally ask the service provider for copies of the hardship withdrawal documentation. Required minimum distributions. Service providers should give employers a report that shows the participants who are approaching their required beginning date to begin receiving required minimum distributions. What about updates to the plan document – what, if anything, does the plan sponsor need to do? Plan sponsors can avoid plan document failures by contacting their plan document provider to determine if any plan amendments are required. This contact should take place 2-3 months before the end of the plan year. To further avoid mistakes, make sure the plan document and Summary Plan Description match. What should plan sponsors do if they find an error? Plan sponsors should alert their service provider of the error. Most plan mistakes can be corrected using the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS). It's best to correct the mistake as soon as possible. Additional resources Retirement Plan Operation and Maintenance Correcting Plan Errors All About Retirement Plan Administration
