We have a former employee who is currently residing in Italy and has requested commencement of his retirement funds. Normally, we request that the signature be notarized. Does anyone know if Italy has an equivalent to notarization that we could use to prove that the participant is the one who signed his forms?

Thanks for ANY help.

Can anyone tell me where I can find the Life Table 80 CNSMT mortality table? It is a joint life mortality table that can be used for determining a series of substantially equal periodic payment described in IRC section 72(t)(2)(A)(iv).

Any help will be appreciated. Thanks!

Does anyone have any thoughts on the maximum number of employee classes in a ct ps plan? For example, a 250-employee medical practice wishes to create a plan with 15 classes of employees, one class for each profit center (profit centers are radiology, oncology, etc.) Each class would consist of about 15-20 employees, and each class would receive varying rates of ps contributions. Does this sound unreasonable?

Can someone tell me the appropriate dollar amount used for the compensation test when determining HCE's. for example, if we are in 2000 and the idexed amount is 85,000 for 2000, would you use 80,000 for the lookback year since that was the level of compensation in 1999 or would you use 85,000 since that is the indexed amount?

Does 411(d)(6) apply to a governmental plan? The MPPP wants to amend the contribution percentage for one employee. The amendment, however, would need to be made retroactive. What problem will this cause?

If a 50 year old individual has begun taking substantially equal payments from a plan and later divorces, what is the effect on the substantially equal payments. The plan balance will likely be split between the spouses.

* Is there any way to provide spouse with a pro-rata obligation to pay their share of the substantially equal payment?

* Will the IRS allow for a reduction in the amount of the substantially equal payment (I don't think so)?

* Or is there any other way to avoid having half the balance required to pay the entire distribution amount?

Can anyone briefly explain how vacation benefits can be considered a "qualified benefit" under Code Section 125? The tax management portfolio on cafeteria plans makes the statement they are without attribution. Since Section 125 defines a qualified benefit as any benefit which with Section 125 is not includible in gross income by reason of an express provision of chapter 1 of the Code (with certain exclusions). Similarly, on what statutory basis do the proposed regulations govern vacation programs. I could see vacation days as a taxable benefit under 125, like cash, but not as a nontaxable benefit.

Do you know where you purchase an inexpensive "boiler-plate" cafeteria plan document for eithe a POP plan or a POP plan with spending accounts? Thank you!

Does anybody know of an investment broker, bank, mutual fund family, etc. who is willing to be the trustee of a qualified plan that's partially invested in trust deeds?

In your daily recordkeeping system, how do you track accrued contributions for individuals for purposes of determining the balance to use for required minimum distributions? Would your system automatically add a contribution made on September 1, 2000 for 1999 to the 12/31/99 balance to show you the amount to use for a year 2000 required minimum distribution?

Can an IRA hold a stock in a non publicly traded security? If yes, can this be transferred to a Roth IRA? There is no way of valuing the stock without hiring a person to perform an appraisal.

If a named 401k beneficiary rejects the distribution on the death of the participant, what options are available to the administrator?

I have an employer with 650 employees. The company wants to change the prescription benefit that it offers to the retirees on the plan. They want to make it so that the retirees and their dependents go onto PACE or contribute $100 towards the cost of their prescription coverage. Is this considered discrimination under ADEA guidelines. Also, they want to hold an open enrollment for just prescriptions--has anyone heard of this?

I'm currently taking a Compensation and Benefits course as an elective in my MBA program and have been asked to give a presentation next Thursday on Compensation with Restricted Property. I have found the IRS code 83 but other than that I'm having difficulty finding information about this type of compensation - advantages and disadvantages to employer and employee, legal concerns, history/background. If you have any information you can forward to me or know of a site where I may be able to do some research I would certainly appreciate your help.

I am looking for information on Section 127 Educational Assistance Programs.

Is an administrator required to maintain the program and if so where would I find a pool of administrator candidates ?

If an administrator is not required, what procedures, forms, filings, etc... would the employer be responsible to maintain ?

I have two 70-1/2 MRD questions:

1. If an individual has 3 IRA,s and the MRD from each one is $5,000, can he take $15,000 from any one and satisfy the MRD requirement for all 3 IRA's?

2. If an individual has a benefit in a qualified retirement plan and has an IRA, and he takes a total lump sum distribution from the ret. plan which far exceeds the total MRD requirement from the ret. plan and the IRA together, is an IRA MRD still required for the year in question?

I'm looking for information on adoption provisions under a flexible spending account. Any surveys out there or anything else where I can compare provisions and look at the administration process.

We have a 401(k)/PS plan that terminated at the end of 1997. At the time of termination, there was approximately $6000 in forfeitures. The plan document states that forfeitures must be reallocated. Instead of being reallocated, the forfeitures were sent back to the employer. This mistake wasn't discovered until this year. Our question is can we correct the forfeitures through the EPRSC?I believe that it is too late to correct using the APRSC, but is the VCR program available for this?

If a participant in a self-directed 401(k)/PSP decides to loan money from his or her plan account to a third party who is not a disqualified person or party-in-interest, is the loan subject to the "qualified loan" provisions, such as 5 year repayment and reasonable rate of interest?

Does anybody have a good data request procedure for partnerships which addresses self employment tax procedure and the allocation of contributions for both employees and partners?

My understanding is that partnerships can have in their agreements methods for allocating expenses such as retirement plan contributions. This came up as one of the Q&A's at the October ASPA conference.

There are also some circumstances in which partnership compensation is not subject to FICA.

Anybody have a sound procedure to address what information to request (i.e. capital interest, allocation procedures) and how to reduce partnership income for employee and partner costs?