What is an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)?
ESOP stands for Employee Stock Ownership Plan. An ESOP is a qualified retirement plan that can be used as a business transition tool and as an employee ownership vehicle:
The Cycle C2 submission deadline for an ESOP Determination Letter is January 31, 2014. Here is a quick review of the process.
Last year you may have taken advantage of the waiver of the requirement to take 2009 Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). It may be hard to believe, but we are approaching the initial 2010 RMD deadline of December 31, 2010, and there is no waiver for 2010 RMDs.
What are Required Minimum Distributions?
Most 401(k) plan sponsors have become accustomed to performing a due diligence review of plan expenses every one to five years. This review is done primarily because ERISA provides that qualified retirement plans are solely for the benefit of the participants and that plan expenses must be reasonable. The review also helps ensure that fees as well as the supplementary tools provided are competitive with the marketplace.
The annual employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) allocation process involves many different parties and many different moving parts. In order to complete the ESOP allocation in a timely manner, it is important to effectively manage the allocation process. One of the easiest and most effective ways to manage the ESOP allocation process is by preparing and maintaining an allocation timeline.
An ESOP is generally funded by two sources, contributions and dividends. Dividends in an S corporation are generally referred to as S corporation distributions of earnings (S distributions). For purposes of this installment, dividends will refer to both dividends and S distributions unless stated otherwise, while S distributions will not include C corporation dividends. Here are some things to consider when determining your dividends, if any, for the year:
