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Eligible Employee Omitted from 401(k). How do we fix the lost deferra


Guest TrustMe401k

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Guest TrustMe401k

I know this has been addressed before but I can't find it. Anyway, an eigible employee was left off census and subsequently not offered opportunity to enroll in 401k. His eligibility date was 1/1/98. Employer wants to make up for the mistake.

Document states that, "in any Plan Year, any Employee who should be included as a Particiapnt in the plan, is erroneously omitted and discovery is not made until after a contribution by his Employer for the year has been made and allocated, the Employer shall make a subsequent contribution with respect to the omitted Employee in the amount which the Employer ould have contributed...had he not been omitted"

Ok, easy enough if this were a MP or PS plan, but what about deferrals? And what about gains? Accounts are daily valued and who knows what he would have picked as an asset allocation. Any ideas or points of reference will be greatly appreciated. We have some idea of what we think would be ok but I want to hear from others who have had the ssme issue.

Thanks!

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The employer must make a qualified nonelective employer contribution to the plan on behalf of the excluded employee equal to the ADP of the employee's group (ie, HCE or NHCE). The QNEC in essence takes the place of the lost deferral opportunity.

If the plan provides for a match on deferrals, the match must also be given on the corrective QNEC.

Earnings on the amounts must be calculated , contributed and allocated to the eligible employee.

I know the rule, but as far as how you actually calculate the earnings, I really don't know if there is a hard rule. Absent a bright line rule to the contrary I would figure an average gain rate for all participants and use that percentage to calculate gains for the excluded employee.

Hope this helps.

Rick

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest jcunningham

Get a hold of Rev. Proc. 2000-16 -- it has everything you need to correct this situation. The appendecies will provide specifics on correcting the exclusion of employees from a 401(k) and how to calc. earnings.

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John here is the link:

http://www.benefitslink.com/IRS/revproc2000-16.shtml

Here is the explanation (without the examples):

SECTION 3. EARNINGS ADJUSTMENT METHODS AND EXAMPLES

.01 Earnings Adjustment Methods. (1) In general. (a) Under section 6.02(5)(a), whenever the appropriate correction method for an Operational Failure in a defined contribution plan includes a corrective contribution or allocation that increases one or more employees' account balances (now or in the future), the contribution or allocation is adjusted for earnings and forfeitures. This section 3 provides earnings adjustment methods (but not forfeiture adjustment methods) that may be used by an employer to adjust a corrective contribution or allocation for earnings in a defined contribution plan. Consequently, these earnings adjustment methods may be used to determine the earnings adjustments for corrective contributions or allocations made under the correction methods in section 2 and under the SVP correction methods in Appendix A. If an earnings adjustment method in this section 3 is used to adjust a corrective contribution or allocation, that adjustment is treated as satisfying the earnings adjustment requirement of section 6.02(5)(a). Other earnings adjustment methods, different from those illustrated in this section 3, may also be appropriate for adjusting corrective contributions or allocations to reflect earnings.

(B) Under the earnings adjustment methods of this section 3, a corrective contribution or allocation that increases an employee's account balance is adjusted to reflect an "earnings amount" that is based on the earnings rate(s) (determined under section 3.01(3)) for the period of the failure (determined under section 3.01(2)). The earnings amount is allocated in accordance with section 3.01(4).

© The rule in section 6.02(6)(a) permitting reasonable estimates in certain circumstances applies for purposes of this section 3. For this purpose, a determination of earnings made in accordance with the rules of administrative convenience set forth in this section 3 is treated as a precise determination of earnings. Thus, if the probable difference between an approximate determination of earnings and a determination of earnings under this section 3 is insignificant and the administrative cost of a precise determination would significantly exceed the probable difference, reasonable estimates may be used in calculating the appropriate earnings.

(d) This section 3 does not apply to corrective distributions or corrective reductions in account balances. Thus, for example, while this section 3 applies in increasing the account balance of an improperly excluded employee to correct the exclusion of the employee under the reallocation correction method described in section 2.02(2)(a)(iii)(B), this section 3 does not apply in reducing the account balances of other employees under the reallocation correction method. (See section 2.02(2)(a)(iii)© for rules that apply to the earnings adjustments for such reductions.) In addition, this section 3 does not apply in determining earnings adjustments under the one-to-one correction method described in section 2.01(1)(B)(iii).

(2) Period of the Failure. (a) General Rule. For purposes of this section 3, the "period of the failure" is the period from the date that the failure began through the date of correction. For example, in the case of an improper forfeiture of an employee's account balance, the beginning of the period of the failure is the date as of which the account balance was improperly reduced.

(B) Rules for Beginning Date for Exclusion of Eligible Employees from Plan. (i) General Rule. In the case of an exclusion of an eligible employee from a plan contribution, the beginning of the period of the failure is the date on which contributions of the same type (e.g., elective deferrals, matching contributions, or discretionary nonelective employer contributions) were made for other employees for the year of the failure. In the case of an exclusion of an eligible employee from an allocation of a forfeiture, the beginning of the period of the failure is the date on which forfeitures were allocated to other employees for the year of the failure.

(ii) Exclusion from a 401(k) or (m) Plan. For administrative convenience, for purposes of calculating the earnings rate for corrective contributions for a plan year (or the portion of the plan year) during which an employee was improperly excluded from making periodic elective deferrals or employee after-tax contributions, or from receiving periodic matching contributions, the employer may treat the date on which the contributions would have been made as the midpoint of the plan year (or the midpoint of the portion of the plan year) for which the failure occurred. Alternatively, in this case, the employer may treat the date on which the contributions would have been made as the first date of the plan year (or the portion of the plan year) during which an employee was excluded, provided that the earnings rate used is one half of the earnings rate applicable under section 3.01(3) for the plan year (or the portion of the plan year) for which the failure occurred.

(3) Earnings Rate. (a) General Rule. For purposes of this section 3, the earnings rate generally is based on the investment results that would have applied to the corrective contribution or allocation if the failure had not occurred.

(B) Multiple Investment Funds. If a plan permits employees to direct the investment of account balances into more than one investment fund, the earnings rate is based on the rate applicable to the employee's investment choices for the period of the failure. In accordance with section 6.02(5)(a), for administrative convenience, if most of the employees for whom the corrective contribution or allocation is made are nonhighly compensated employees, the rate of return of the fund with the highest earnings rate under the plan for the period of the failure may be used to determine the earnings rate for all corrective contributions or allocations. If the employee had not made any applicable investment choices, the earnings rate may be based on the earnings rate under the plan as a whole (i.e., the average of the rates earned by all of the funds in the valuation periods during the period of the failure weighted by the portion of the plan assets invested in the various funds during the period of the failure).

© Other Simplifying Assumptions. For administrative convenience, the earnings rate applicable to the corrective contribution or allocation for a valuation period with respect to any investment fund may be assumed to be the actual earnings rate for the plan's investments in that fund during that valuation period. For example, the earnings rate may be determined without regard to any special investment provisions that vary according to the size of the fund. Further, the earnings rate applicable to the corrective contribution or allocation for a portion of a valuation period may be a pro rata portion of the earnings rate for the entire valuation period, unless the application of this rule would result in either a significant understatement or overstatement of the actual earnings during that portion of the valuation period.

(4) Allocation Methods. (a) In General. For purposes of this section 3, the earnings amount generally may be allocated in accordance with any of the methods set forth in this paragraph (4). The methods under paragraph (4)©, (d), and (e) are intended to be particularly helpful where corrective contributions are made at dates between the plan's valuation dates.

(B) Plan Allocation Method. Under the plan allocation method, the earnings amount is allocated to account balances under the plan in accordance with the plan's method for allocating earnings as if the failure had not occurred. (See Example 22.)

© Specific Employee Allocation Method. Under the specific employee allocation method, the entire earnings amount is allocated solely to the account balance of the employee on whose behalf the corrective contribution or allocation is made (regardless of whether the plan's allocation method would have allocated the earnings solely to that employee). In determining the allocation of plan earnings for the valuation period during which the corrective contribution or allocation is made, the corrective contribution or allocation (including the earnings amount) is treated in the same manner as any other contribution under the plan on behalf of the employee during that valuation period. Alternatively, where the plan's allocation method does not allocate plan earnings for a valuation period to a contribution made during that valuation period, plan earnings for the valuation period during which the corrective contribution or allocation is made may be allocated as if that employee's account balance had been increased as of the last day of the prior valuation period by the corrective contribution or allocation, including only that portion of the earnings amount attributable to earnings through the last day of the prior valuation period. The employee's account balance is then further increased as of the last day of the valuation period during which the corrective contribution or allocation is made by that portion of the earnings amount attributable to earnings after the last day of the prior valuation period. (See Example 23.)

(d) Bifurcated Allocation Method. Under the bifurcated allocation method, the entire earnings amount for the valuation periods ending before the date the corrective contribution or allocation is made is allocated solely to the account balance of the employee on whose behalf the corrective contribution or allocation is made. The earnings amount for the valuation period during which the corrective contribution or allocation is made is allocated in accordance with the plan's method for allocating other earnings for that valuation period in accordance with section 3.01(4)(B). (See Example 24.)

(e) Current Period Allocation Method. Under the current period allocation method, the portion of the earnings amount attributable to the valuation period during which the period of the failure begins ("first partial valuation period") is allocated in the same manner as earnings for the valuation period during which the corrective contribution or allocation is made in accordance section 3.01(4)(B). The earnings for the subsequent full valuation periods ending before the beginning of the valuation period during which the corrective contribution or allocation is made are allocated solely to the employee for whom the required contribution should have been made. The earnings amount for the valuation period during which the corrective contribution or allocation is made ("second partial valuation period") is allocated in accordance with the plan's method for allocating other earnings for that valuation period in accordance with section 3.01(4)(B). (See Example 25.)

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