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Accounting for Stock Compensation Under FASB ASC Topic 718 (PDF)

13 pages. "FASB ASC Topic 718 is in substantial convergence with the International Accounting Standard Board's final standard on Share-based Payment, except for transactions with nonemployees and nonpublic companies, and minor technical differences in regard to employee stock purchase plans, modifications, liabilities, and income tax effects. Topic 718 creates a more 'level playing field' for equity compensation design that has resulted in the increased prevalence of full-value and performance-vesting awards, and a corresponding decline in plain-vanilla, tax qualified, and reload stock options, and employee stock purchase plans."

Text of CMS Draft Instructions Related to the ASC X12 820 Transaction: Companion Guide Version 3, April 29, 2014 (PDF)

57 pages. "This companion guide ... clarifies and specifies data content for payment related information transmitted electronically from [CMS] as a part of implementation of Health Insurance Marketplaces ... CMS will use the HIX 820 to communicate Individual, Small Group, and SHOP Marketplace-related payment information to issuers or their designees ... and to also provide APTC and CSR payment information to State Based Marketplaces (SBM) related to issuers within their state. This document details the data elements CMS will send when issuing an explanation of such payments. The funds transfer function is handled separately and details of the actual funds transfer are not included in this companion guide." [CMS has also released two draft code lists referenced in this Guide: ASC X12 HIX 820 X306 Exchange Related Report Type Codes and ASC X12 HIX 820 X306 Exchange Payment Type Codes.]

FASB Commences Project to Improve and Simplify Accounting for Stock Compensation Under ASC Topic 718 (PDF)

2 pages. "On October 8, 2014 [FASB] added to its agenda a narrow-scope project to improve and simplify accounting for stock compensation under FASB Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 718. The project is intended to focus on the following six areas: [1] Minimum statutory withholding requirements; [2] Presentation of stock-for-tax withholding transactions on the statement of cash flows; [3] Accounting for forfeitures; [4] Accounting for excess tax benefits and deficiencies; [5] Presentation of excess tax benefits on the statement of cash flows; [and] [6] Simplifications and practical expedients for nonpublic companies[.]"

Plan Documents Are 'Lifeblood of Compliance' Says ASC's John Griffin

"For 401(a) pre-approved plans ... July 31, 2022 is when the Cycle 3 restatement period ends, and also is the deadline for Form 5307 filings.... The Cycle 4 submission date may be in mid-2024, with a possible restatement period of Aug. 1, 2026-July 31, 2028.... [Rev. Proc. 2021-37] set pre-approved 403(b) plan procedures, ... modeled after the defined contribution pre-approved plan procedures."

FASB Continues Project to Improve and Simplify Accounting for Stock Compensation Under FASB ASC Topic 718 (PDF)

3 pages. "The agenda for the February 4 meeting was dominated by the deliberation of transition and disclosure requirements for the proposed changes, which are summarized [in a chart in this article].... [An] Exposure Draft of an Accounting Standards Update (ASU) ... is expected to be issued during the second quarter of 2015 followed by a 60-day public comment period. The FASB decided to hold off on determining an effective date for the ASU until feedback is received from the comment period. However, a tentative date suggested by the FASB's staff was for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, with a 1-year deferral for nonpublic companies."

Arizona Surgery Center Files Suit Accusing Aetna of 'Serially' Denying Reimbursements

"According to the allegations, an Aetna patient received medically necessary, nonsurgical pain management services at the ASC. Since the center was not in-network, it followed a process for each rendered service to ensure payment. The suit claims that not only did the ASC confirm with Aetna that the procedure would be covered, but it also received prior authorization. For each of the unpaid claims, the ASC submitted a bill to an Aetna, who began 'serially denying payment.' " [Fortitude Surgery Center, LLC v. Aetna Health, Inc., No. 24-2650 (D. Ariz. complaint filed Oct 1, 2024)]

Pooled Employer Plans: Where Do We Stand? (PDF)

"Except for proposed rules regarding the registration requirement, the IRS and DOL have not provided guidance on the PEP and PPP rules.... The registration rules are quite extensive (79 pages) and would require significant disclosures by the PPP.... Although the IRS has not officially announced that pre-approved plans will be allowed to include PEP provisions, ASC expects this will be permitted ... Our understanding is that the IRS is working on this model plan language, but it has not provided an expected issuance date."

COVID-19 Plan Document and Administration FAQs

"These FAQs are in response to the numerous plan document and plan administration questions ASC has received from clients relating to issues associated with the COVID-19 outbreak. We will continuously update these FAQs as we address new issues or receive updated information from the [IRS] and the [DOL]."

Fair Value: Why it Matters for Participant-Directed Accounts

"Counter-intuitive as it may seem to some plan sponsors, allowing participants to invest in hard-to-value investments through brokerage windows or self-directed accounts does not eliminate their obligation to establish accounting and financial reporting processes for determining their fair value and, for large plans, obtaining enough detail to present the disclosures required by FASB ASC 820. In some cases, third party valuation services may be necessary to assist with documentation of the valuation techniques, assumptions and related inputs, and additional record keepers are required to summarize investment information in brokerage windows in enough detail to comply with the disclosure requirements of FASB ASC 820."

2025 Global Survey of Accounting Assumptions

"Throughout 2024, government bond yields increased for 33 of the 43 countries listed. Long term inflation assumptions generally declined or remained relatively stable over 2024.... For ASC 715 reporters, year-on-year changes in expected rates of return assumptions remained fairly stable, ranging from -46 bps to +64 bps Among the 31 countries with funded plans included in the report, 16 showed an overfunded status in 2024."