News Archive

"This final rule ... prescribe[s] the spreads component of the interest assumption under the asset allocation regulation for plans with valuation dates of July 31, 2026-October 30, 2026. These interest assumptions are used for valuing benefits under terminating single-employer plans and for other purposes."  MORE >>

"This revenue procedure provides a transfer tax safe harbor for certain individual donors who make one or more contributions to Trump accounts established under section 530A of the Internal Revenue Code.... [F]or taxpayers within the scope of section 4 of this revenue procedure, contributions to Trump accounts will be treated as completed gifts that are not gifts of future interests in property and to which the annual per-donee gift tax exclusion applies. As a result, taxpayers within the scope of section 4 of this revenue procedure will not be required to file gift tax returns reporting such contributions."  MORE >>

22 pages; Rev. Jun. 2026."What's New: Sections 4375 and 4376 patient-centered outcomes research fee increase. The fee for policy and plan years ending on or after October 1, 2025, but before October 1, 2026, is increased to the applicable rate of $3.84 ... The fee for policy and plan years ending on or after October 1, 2024, but before October 1, 2025, remains at the applicable rate of $3.47 ... File Form 720 annually to report and pay the fee on the second-quarter Form 720 no later than July 31 of the calendar year immediately following the last day of the policy year or plan year to which the fee applies." [Also available: IRS Form 720, Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return (Rev. Jun. 2026)]  MORE >>

"The 2024 benefit year HHS-RADV error rates will be applied to 2024 benefit year plan liability risk scores and risk adjustment State transfers.... This memo contains a summary of the 2024 benefit year HHS- RADV results, and information to assist issuers in understanding their results.'

• National Program Benchmarks -- 2024 Benefit Year HHS-RADV (XLSX)
• 2024 Benefit Year RA State Market Risk Pool Weighted Average HHS-RADV Error Rates (XLSX)
• 2024 Benefit Year HHS-RADV Failure Rate Group Definitions (XLSX)
• 2024 Benefit Year HHS-RADV HCC Validation (XLSX)

MORE >>

"GAI holds promise to improve efficiency and professional services in tax practice. However, ethical obligations of competence, diligence, and confidentiality remain unchanged. By implementing robust use-management strategies and maintaining human supervision, tax professionals can harness AI's benefits while safeguarding reliability and public trust. As tax practitioners integrate GAI into their workflows, it is crucial to recognize that technology serves as a powerful tool, not a substitute for professional judgment. AI can streamline routine tasks, enhance research, and provide valuable insights, but final decisions must always rest with qualified professionals who understand the complexities of tax law and ethical standards. Practitioners must remain vigilant in reviewing what is produced by AI, validating its factual assertions and citations, and handling sensitive client data safely and securely in accordance with both federal and state regulations."  MORE >>

28 pages. "What's New: [1] Address fields ... [2] New boxes 7a-7d of Form 1099-R ... [3] Renumbered box 8 of Form 1099-R ... [4] Reporting the actuarial value of the contract in box 8a is optional for 2026 Form 1099-R ... [5] Qualified long-term care distribution reported on Form 1099-R ... [6] New code HP for box 14b of Form 5498." [Also available: 2026 IRS Form 5498 and 2026 IRS Form 1099-R]  MORE >>

Rev. Jun. 12, 2026. "The information on Form 5498 is submitted to the IRS by the trustee or issuer of your individual retirement arrangement (IRA) to report contributions, including any catch-up contributions, rollovers, repayments, required minimum distributions (RMDs), and the fair market value (FMV) of the account."  MORE >>

"[OPM] is providing notice of adjusted present value factors applicable to certain retirees under the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS): [1] Retirees who elect to provide survivor annuity benefits to a spouse based on post-retirement marriage; [2] retiring employees who elect the alternative form of annuity; or [3] retirees who elect to credit certain service with nonappropriated fund instrumentalities. This notice is necessary to conform the present value factors to changes in the economic and demographic assumptions adopted by the Board of Actuaries of the Civil Service Retirement System."  MORE >>

"[OPM] is providing notice of adjusted present value factors applicable to certain retirees under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS): [1] Retirees who elect to provide survivor annuity benefits to a spouse based on a post-retirement marriage; [2] retiring employees who elect the alternative form of annuity, owe certain redeposits based on refunds of contributions for service ending before March 1, 1991, or elect to credit certain service with nonappropriated fund instrumentalities; or [3] for retirees with certain types of retirement coverage errors who can elect to receive credit for service by taking an actuarial reduction ... This notice is necessary to conform the present value factors to changes in the economic and demographic assumptions adopted by the Board of Actuaries of the Civil Service Retirement System."  MORE >>

"[OPM] is revising the table of reduction factors for early commencing dates of survivor annuities for spouses of separated employees who die before the date on which they would be eligible for unreduced deferred annuities. The annuity factor for spouses of deceased employees who die in service when those spouses elect to receive the basic employee death benefit in 36 installments under the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) Act of 1986 remains unchanged."  MORE >>

"The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is providing notice of revised normal cost percentages for employees covered by the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) Act of 1986."  MORE >>

"Code section 530A Trump accounts and section 128 Trump account contribution programs generally will not constitute 'employee pension benefit plans' for purposes of the provisions of Title I of ERISA. Employer contributions to the Trump accounts will not generally result in Title I coverage for a Trump account or the contribution arrangement where, as discussed [in this Release], they occur only during the growth period. For periods beyond an account beneficiary's growth period, employer involvement with a Trump account and a contribution arrangement should be limited in accordance with the IRA payroll safe harbor conditions in in 29 CFR 2510.3-2(d)."  MORE >>

"An annuity buyout for active participants that will remain employed is not the type of event that the statute or regulation were designed to capture. Though the annuitized individuals will cease to be participants in the Plan, the change in status does not result because of a workforce reduction event of the type contemplated by PBGC's regulations, such as 'a reorganization or restructuring, the discontinuance of an operation or business, a natural disaster, a mass layoff, or an early retirement incentive program.' "  MORE >>

"This notice provides guidance on the corporate bond monthly yield curve, the corresponding spot segment rates ... and the 24-month average segment rates ... [as well as] the interest rate on 30-year Treasury securities ... as in effect for plan years beginning before 2008 and the 30-year Treasury weighted average rate[.]"  MORE >>

12 pages. "This request for information (RFI) solicits technical input on the services and business practices of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and their affiliates to inform implementation of recent legislation. It specifically focuses on gathering information to inform two specific legislative requirements that are effective beginning calendar year 2028: restrictions on the remuneration that PBMs and their affiliates may receive for services in connection with the utilization of covered Part D drugs; and data reporting requirements....

"This request for technical input is narrowly focused on gathering information on current business practices to inform two specific requirements added to the Social Security Act by section 6224 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (CAA, 2026) ... [1] Definition of 'Pharmacy Benefit Manager' ... [2] Definition of 'Affiliate' ... [3] Definition of 'Bona Fide Service Fee' ... [4] Determination of 'Fair Market Value' ... [5] Pharmacy Payment."  MORE >>

18 pages. "The [PBGC] is proposing technical corrections, clarifications, and improvements to the restrictions and conditions in its regulation on special financial assistance. These changes would clarify (a) the permissibility of investing special financial assistance in certain securities and (b) the condition requiring PBGC approval for settling withdrawal liability claims. The amendments also would repeal a provision that enabled plans that received special financial assistance to request the reallocation of employer contributions to pay for health benefit costs." [Comment period closes Aug. 17, 2026.]  MORE >>

Rev. Jun. 8, 2026. "The information on Form 5498 is submitted to the IRS by the trustee or issuer of your individual retirement arrangement (IRA) to report contributions, including any catch-up contributions, rollovers, repayments, required minimum distributions (RMDs), and the fair market value (FMV) of the account."  MORE >>

56 pages, rev. May 2026 "What's New for Tax Year 2025 ... [1] Due to the planned retirement of the Filing Information Returns Electronically (FIRE) System, the IRS will no longer accept new Information Returns (IR) Applications for Transmitter Control Codes (TCCs) beginning July 21, 2026. Existing applicants can continue to update their applications through December 2026, after which they will become read-only and retained for historical reference. [2] Current FIRE users must complete an Information Returns Intake System (IRIS) Application for TCC and transition to IRIS for electronic filing beginning with the 2027 filing season. IRIS will be the only information returns electronic filing system, including current year, prior year, or corrections, after January 1, 2027."  MORE >>

"This notice announces that the Department of the Treasury and the [IRS] intend to issue proposed regulations under section 4960 of the Internal Revenue Code (Code)1 pertaining to the tax on excess tax-exempt organization executive compensation. It is anticipated that the proposed regulations will address the effective date of the amendment to the definition of covered employee made by section 70416 ... the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and will also propose exceptions to the definition of covered employee that are similar to the limited hours and nonexempt funds exceptions in the existing section 4960 regulations. This notice also solicits public comments on the matters addressed in this notice."  MORE >>

"his document provides a notice of public hearing on the ... proposed regulations [for] making an election to open a Trump account ... The hearing is scheduled to be held on July 16, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET). The IRS must receive speakers' outlines of the topics to be discussed by [10 days after publication in the Federal Register, which is currently scheduled for June 5, 2026]."  MORE >>

"The FEHB Protection Act of 2025 (FPA) requires OPM to issue regulations and implement a process to verify: [1] the veracity of any qualifying life event (QLE) through which a health benefits plan enrollee seeks to add a member of family to their enrollment and [2] that when an enrollee adds a family member to the health benefits plan, including during any open season, the individual is a qualified member of family. This final rule also clarifies responsibilities for initial family member eligibility determinations for the Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program."  MORE >>

"This is to inform the public that, on October 22, 2025, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi issued an order ... vacating portions of the final rule titled 'Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities,' published May 6, 2024. Specifically, the court vacated certain provisions of the regulation to the extent they expand Title IX's definition of sex discrimination to include gender-identity discrimination. Pursuant to the court's order, the vacated provisions are legally void. The other provisions of the Section 1557 Rule remain in force." [Tennessee v. Kennedy, No. 24-0161 (S.D. Miss. Oct. 22, 2025)]  MORE >>

"For calendar year 2027, the annual limitation on deductions under section 223(b)(2)(A) for an individual with self-only coverage under a high deductible health plan is $4,500. For calendar year 2027, the annual limitation on deductions under Section 223(b)(2)(B) for an individual with family coverage under a high deductible health plan is $9,000.

"For calendar year 2027, a DPCSA is not treated as a health plan with respect to an otherwise eligible individual if the aggregate monthly fees for all DPCSAs with respect to the individual do not exceed $150 or, if the individual is covered by a DPCSA that covers more than one individual, $300.

"For calendar year 2027, a 'high deductible health plan' is defined under section 223(c)(2)(A) as a health plan with an annual deductible that is not less than $1,750 for self-only coverage or $3,500 for family coverage, and for which the annual out-of-pocket expenses (deductibles, co-payments, and other amounts, but not premiums) do not exceed $8,700 for self-only coverage or $17,400 for family coverage.

"For plan years beginning in 2027, the maximum amount that may be made newly available for the plan year for an excepted benefit HRA under Section 54.9831-1(c)(3)(viii) is $2,250."  MORE >>

607 pages. "This document sets forth these final rules related to certain provisions of the No Surprises Act regarding the Federal independent dispute resolution (IDR) process, which was established as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA). These rules finalize new requirements relating to the disclosure of information that group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group or individual health insurance coverage must include along with the initial payment or notice of denial of payment for certain items and services subject to the surprise billing protections in the No Surprises Act. These final rules also require plans and issuers to communicate information by using claim adjustment reason codes (CARCs) and remittance advice remark codes (RARCs), as specified in guidance, when providing any paper or electronic remittance advice (ERA) to an entity that does not have a contractual relationship with the plan or issuer. This document also finalizes amendments to certain requirements related to the open negotiation period preceding the Federal IDR process, the initiation of the Federal IDR process, the Federal IDR dispute eligibility review process, and the payment and collection of administrative fees and certified IDR entity fees. This document also finalizes the definition of bundled payment arrangements, amends requirements related to batched items and services and amends the rules for extensions of timeframes due to extenuating circumstances. Additionally, this document finalizes provisions that require plans and issuers to register in the Federal IDR portal."  MORE >>

38 pages. "This 2027 Final Letter provides updates on operational and technical guidance for the 2027 plan year for issuers seeking to offer qualified health plans (QHPs), including stand-alone dental plans (SADPs), in the Federally-facilitated Exchanges (FFEs) or the Federally-facilitated Small Business Health Options Programs (FF-SHOPs). It also describes how parts of this 2027 Final Letter apply to issuers in State-based Exchanges on the Federal Platform (SBE-FPs).... The 2027 Final Letter focuses on guidance that has been updated for the 2027 plan year[.]"  MORE >>