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Compliance June 19, 2009
IRS Adds Tools To Help Prepare for Plan Audits
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has recently added updated tools to its Employee Plan Team Audit (EPTA) Web site.
Reported by Rebecca Moore
An Internal Controls Questionnaire provides examples of questions asked by EP examiners to understand the system procedures and internal controls. The questionnaire is broken up into four areas: human resources (HR) personnel, payroll, plan failures, and plan administration.
The EPTA Compliance Trends & Tips area lists plan mistakes that IRS Employee Plans sees recurring in large case audits and voluntary compliance submissions. The site categorizes the trends by plan types, including 401(k) plans, defined benefit plans, multiemployer plans, 403(b) plans, 457 plans, and other governmental plans. The area also includes links to videos on the EPTA program and on information about finding, fixing, and avoiding plan errors.
Finally, the Taxpayer Documentation Guide, developed by EPTA agents and outside practitioners, provides a comprehensive list of documents that sponsors should make available to examiners for the audit.
The latest IRS newsletter for retirement plan sponsors is here.
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