The Daily Brief for Benefits Professionals

BenefitsWire

Retirement Plans

August 13, 2026

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11 items · ~3 min read

In this issue

Regulatory Action and Guidance (3) · Retirement Plans (2) · Litigation (3) · General Benefits (3)

Regulatory Action and Guidance

3 items

Developing The First Round of Saver’s Match Guidance Is Here

“The Treasury Department and the IRS (“IRS”) issued Notice 2026-48 (the “Notice”) providing initial guidance on the new Saver’s Match created by section 103 of SECURE 2.0. Effective in 2027 (with the first match paid in 2028), the Saver’s Match largely replaces the Saver’s Tax Credit with a new matching contribution from the federal government for low-and moderate-income taxpayers that must be deposited directly into a retirement plan or IRA, which raises a host of complex issues. The Notice clarifies a number of interpretative questions related to the Saver’s Match and, importantly, requests comments on options for delivering the match directly to plans and IRAs.” MORE >>

Source: Groom Law Group

IRS Proposes Simpler Process for Retirement Rollovers

“New guidance would encourage electronic transfers and standardized forms for moving retirement savings between plans.” MORE >>

Source: PLANSPONSOR

Developing New IRS Guidance Seeks to Standardize Retirement Plan Rollovers

“The IRS on Aug. 12 issued guidance that focuses on sample rollover forms and proposed rollover procedures. It concerns rollovers between plans and IRAs and not IRA-to-IRA transfers. The comment period will remain open through Oct. 23. The guidance, which was issued pursuant to section 324 of the SECURE 2.0 Act, “provides sample forms and proposed rollover procedures and protocols that aim to simplify and standardize the rollover process for both participants and plan sponsors.” MORE >>

Source: American Retirement Association

Retirement Plans

2 items

Why Participants May Be Hit With Charges From ‘Zero-Fee’ IRAs

“A new PensionBee white paper claims some IRA providers make money in ‘hidden ways.’” MORE >>

Source: PLANSPONSOR

[General Benefits]

Your 401(k) TPA Isn’t Your Insurance Policy

“One of the most common statements I hear from plan sponsors after a compliance problem is discovered is, “But our TPA never told us. “It’s usually said with genuine surprise, as if hiring a third-party administrator automatically transfers responsibility for operating a retirement plan.” MORE >>

Source: JD Supra

Litigation

3 items

Kansas 401(k) Conflicts Paper -documents participant losses from historic affiliate relationships – Wall Street moves to new deceptive practices

“A new University of Kansas paper provides some of the strongest empirical evidence yet that affiliated financial advisers can hurt 401(k) participants by steering their money into proprietary products.” MORE >>

Source: The Commonsense 401(k) Project

Fourth Circuit Expands Class Certification Defense to 401(k) Class Actions

“Class actions aggregating employee claims against their employer’s 401(k) plan are big litigation. And big business. Since 2021, gross settlements of these cases exceed $500 million. Originally Published in Washington Legal Foundation - August 11, 2026....” MORE >>

Source: JD Supra

Withdrawal Liability: Contesting Assessments Remains Uphill Battle as Ninth Circuit Affirms Funding Rate-Based Recalculation

“The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has upheld an arbitrator’s conclusion that the actuary’s use of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) annuity rates was improper to calculate the withdrawal liability of the City of Tacoma, Washington, after it withdrew from the Western Metal Industry Pension Fund. City of Tacoma v. Western Metal Industry Pension Fund, No. 25-4055 (Aug. 6, 2026) (unpublished). The court explained that these PBGC rates “did not satisfy ERISA’s requirement that withdrawal-liability assumptions reflect the ‘best estimate of anticipated experience under the plan.’” The Ninth Circuit has jurisdiction over Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana” MORE >>

Source: National Law Review

General Benefits

3 items

Developing The DOL Expects ‘Meaningful Benchmarks,’ but Private Markets Make That Complicated

“Private market investments often include no agreed-upon yardstick for benchmarking performance or determining whether fiduciaries made the right comparison.” MORE >>

Source: PLANSPONSOR

Private Markets Need a Common Yardstick

“Every investment result is an incomplete sentence. A fund returned 10%. A manager beat its peer group. A valuation held up. Each statement sounds precise, but each is missing its second half: compared with what? That question matters more in 2026 than it did in years past. Private equity is carrying a large inventory of unsold companies; distributions have lagged; and reported values have remained steadier than cash flows. Private credit has faced the opposite challenge: a handful of visible failures fueled broad skepticism, even as measured results stayed steady.” MORE >>

Source: NCPERS

As AI changes pay, benefits leaders need a new playbook

“Companies are increasingly using artificial intelligence to redesign their reward strategies, but just 16% of employers are confident that their managers can explain AI-related pay and workplace changes to employees, according to new research.” MORE >>

Source: Employee Benefit News

Also of Note

‘Zero-Fee’ IRAs Contain Many Hidden Costs — “Zero-fee” does not necessarily equate to lacking costs, according to a new PensionBee Inc.” (PLANADVISER)
Workers Delay Retirement Amid Financial Uncertainty, Surveys Show — “The current economic backdrop for retirement savers may seem dark, with the rising cost of living and persistent inflation.” (PLANADVISER)