Seyfarth Synopsis: The IRS recently issued Notice 2025-68, providing initial guidance on a new savings vehicle: Trump Accounts, created under Section 530A of the Internal Revenue Code by the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). While proposed regulations are still forthcoming, the recent IRS guidance provides a high-level overview of various Trump Account features, including
Seyfarth Synopsis: Effective January 1, 2026, new California law prohibits stay-or-pay clauses in contracts of employment with limited exceptions.
Under new Section 16608 of the California Business and Professions Code, effective January 1, 2026, employers are prohibited from entering into an employment contract or other contract relating to the employment relationship that requires an
Seyfarth Synopsis: Recently the IRS issued Rev. Proc. 2025-32 and 2025-61, announcing the cost-of-living adjustments to certain welfare and fringe benefit plan limits for 2026 and applicable dollar amounts for the remainder of 2025.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) established the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (“PCORI”), to
Seyfarth Synopsis: The IRS is back to work and just announced the 2026 annual limits that will apply to tax-qualified retirement plans. But wait, there’s more – a surprise increase in the inaugural FICA wage limit for purposes of the mandatory Roth catch-up requirement. Employers maintaining tax-qualified retirement plans will need to make sure their plans’ administrative procedures are adjusted accordingly.
In Notice 2025-67, the IRS announced the various limits that apply to tax-qualified retirement plans in 2026. The “regular” contribution limit for employees who participate in 401(k), 403(b) and most 457 plans will increase from $23,500 to $24,500 in 2026. The “catch-up” contribution limit for individuals who are or will be age 50 by the end of 2026 is increased from $7,500 to $8,000.
However, the “super” catch-up contribution limit for individuals aged 60 to 63 on December 31, 2026, remains $11,250. Some were expecting that limit to be indexed to 150% of the regular catch-up limit. However, the Internal Revenue Code provides that the limit is the greater of $10,000 or 150% of the 2024 catch-up limit (i.e., $7,500). As a result, the “super” catch-up contribution limit remains $11,250 for 2026, and the $11,250 limit may be indexed for inflation in future years. Continue Reading Shutdown’s Over—IRS Wastes No Time Reminding You You’re Still Not Saving Enough
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming many industries — and employee benefit plan administration is no exception. In the latest episode of Seyfarth’s Health Care Beat podcast, co-hosts Chris DeMeo and Amanda Genovese continue their discussion on AI & Health Care: Innovation, Regulation, and Reality with Employee Benefits attorney Caroline Pieper. Together, they explore
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Central
10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Mountain
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Pacific
The Treasury and IRS have released final regulations implementing key SECURE 2.0 provisions, including the Roth catch-up requirement for high earners and
Seyfarth Synopsis: Earlier today, Treasury and the IRS issued highly-anticipated final regulations addressing several changes to the catch-up contribution provisions implemented by SECURE 2.0. Proposed regulations were issued earlier this year (see our Legal Update here), and administrative questions lingered following the issuance of the proposed regulations. The much-welcomed final regulations answer a number of open questions that we had been grappling with following the enactment of SECURE 2.0 and the issuance of the proposed regulations earlier this year. Below is a high-level overview of several pressing issues that have been addressed by the final regulations. We will be issuing a more comprehensive Legal Update on the final rules in the coming days.
Under the proposed regulations, designated Roth contributions made by a participant at any point within a calendar year must be counted towards satisfying the Roth catch-up requirement (“Roth Catch-Up Requirement”). This provision caused administrative concerns and several commenters asked that the final rules make this permissive so that plans had the choice as to whether to include Roth deferrals made by the participant at any point in the calendar year towards the Roth Catch-Up Requirement. The final regulations provide plan administrators that use the deemed Roth approach with some – but not universal – flexibility. The final regulations do not seem to go so far as making this optional approach available in all situations, which we will cover in the forthcoming Legal Update. Continue Reading Final Catch-Up Rules: What Now? (Spoiler Alert: There is No Extension)
Benefits and Beyond: What Happens to PTO, Health Insurance, Retirement Plans, and other Benefits?
When an employee passes away, their benefits don’t just vanish into the HR ether. There’s a surprising amount of paperwork, plan rules, and tax codes that come into play—and yes, you’ll probably need to call your benefits administrator (and maybe your
Let’s face it—no one wants to think about what happens when an employee dies. It’s a deeply human moment, and yet, somewhere between the condolences and the memorial service, someone in Human Resources is quietly asking: “So… what do we do about their final pay?”
It’s not cold-hearted—it’s compliance. When an employee passes away, employers
In this episode, Richard is joined by Alan Wilmit, serving as co-host, as they welcome Ada Dolph, a Partner in Seyfarth’s ERISA Litigation group, to unpack the complexities of pension risk transfers (PRTs). Ada explains what PRTs are, how they’re used to manage pension liabilities, and why they’re drawing increased scrutiny. The conversation covers