Benefits Quarterly

Another year has come and is nearly gone. As we come to a close on 2026, we bring you Baird Holm’s annual end-of-year “to do list” for employee benefit plan sponsors. This year’s checklist focuses on retirement plan amendment deadlines, fiduciary oversight, and new correction and ESOP valuation developments, together […]

As employers prepare their health plans for 2027, mental health parity should remain on the year-end checklist. New Department of Labor guidance narrows the agency’s enforcement focus regarding the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), but it does not put compliance on hold. In Field Assistance Bulletin No. […]

The 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act added Internal Revenue Code Sections 530A and 128. Code Section 530A establishes so-called “Trump Accounts,” and Code Section 128 governs employer contributions to them. Contributions to Trump Accounts could first be made on July 4, 2026. Since then, several agencies have issued guidance […]

Despite clear warnings by the IRS, employers continue to receive pitches for so-called “wellness” or “medical indemnity” programs that promise significant payroll tax savings for employers and employees. We’ve even seen some proposals that go so far as to estimate that employees could take home additional pay under these schemes. […]

The IRS has announced the 2027 cost-of-living adjustments for health savings accounts (HSAs), high-deductible health plans (HDHPs), and health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs): HSA Contribution Limits – the 2027 annual HSA contribution limit is $4,500 for individuals with self-only HDHP coverage (up from $4,400 in 2026), and $9,000 for individuals with […]