The Daily Brief for Benefits Professionals
BenefitsWire
Retirement Plans
September 29, 2026
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9 items · ~3 min read
In this issue
Regulatory Action and Guidance (2) · Retirement Plans (4) · Litigation (1) · General Benefits (2)
Regulatory Action and Guidance
2 items“On September 18, 2026, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) issued Technical Update 26-1, providing a temporary waiver from reporting requirements under ERISA regulation section 4043.23(a)(2) if a single-employer defined benefit (DB) plan covered by Title IV of ERISA experiences an attrition event. The waiver applies to active participant reduction attrition events for which the reporting deadline is on or after September 18, 2026. ERISA Section 4043 requires plan administrators or contributing sponsors of single-employer DB plans to notify the PBGC when specified events occur that could signal increased risk to the plan or to the sponsor’s ability to maintain it.” MORE >>
Source: Milliman
“The taxpayer received approval to use substitute mortality tables for male and female combined annuitants and nonannuitants, including disabled participants, effective for up to 5 plan years beginning October 1, 2026, replacing previous tables that expire September 30, 2029. The substitute mortality tables were developed based on an experience study period from October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2024 with a base year of 2022, incorporating required COVID-19 adjustment factors of 15” MORE >>
Source: news.bloombergtax.com
Retirement Plans
4 items“The Savers Match Enhancement Act would boost the federal retirement savings match to 100%, expand eligibility to more middle-income workers and index the contribution cap to inflation “While many Americans have jobs that provide 401(k) plans with employer-provided matching, more and more hardworking Americans are self-employed, entrepreneurs or contract-based and do not have access to employer matching contributions.” MORE >>
Source: 401(k) Specialist
Senator Wyden introduced a bill to double the federal match for retirement savings contributions to 100% for IRAs and 401(k)s, aiming to increase retirement security for more workers. MORE >>
Source: Senate Finance Committee
“The U.S. fell to 24th in a major global retirement ranking as public debt, soaring healthcare costs, and uneven access to employer-sponsored savings fuel investor pessimism. The three-place drop from last year marks a sharp reversal from a decade ago, when the U.S. ranked 14th, according to the Global Retirement Index from Natixis Investment Managers.” MORE >>
Source: Employee Benefit News
“Articles | September 28, 2026 This multiemployer pension plan news recap covers: Share this page Our latest survey of calendar-year multiemployer plans found that more than three-quarters are in the green zone for 2026.” MORE >>
Source: Segal
Litigation
1 item“The ERISA Industry Committee and others filed an amicus brief supporting the employer’s decision on how to use forfeitures.” MORE >>
Source: Foley & Lardner
General Benefits
2 items“Plan administrator Voya Financial, Inc. has added its support to new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposals to shift the burdensome paper deliveries of investor disclosure forms to an all-digital format. Regulation E-Delivery would impact how financial firms, broker-dealers and investment advisors would be able to electronically provide required information to investors, including shareholder reports, trade confirmations, proxy statements and prospectus statements for funds. ICI research suggests moving to a digital-centered delivery system could save funds and their shareholders as much as $4 billion in printing and administration costs over the next five years.” MORE >>
Source: 401(k) Specialist
“Plaintiff is the surviving spouse of the decedent, who was employed as a lead mechanic and covered under a group policy issued by Hartford that provided AD&D coverage. The decedent was in his dining room when he suffered a stroke, fell, and struck his head on the floor. He died three days later. The autopsy report listed the cause of death as a skull fracture with intracranial hemorrhage due to blunt impact to the head, identified the cerebrovascular accident as a contributory cause of death, and listed the manner of death as an accident resulting from a fall from standing height following an acute stroke.” MORE >>
Source: Roberts Disability Law