IRS Announces Pre-Examination Compliance Pilot

According to an Employee Plans News release, the IRS is piloting a pre-examination retirement plan compliance program beginning in June 2022. Plan sponsors of retirement plans that have been selected for examination would be notified by letter and given a 90-day period to review plan documents and operations to determine if there are compliance issues. Mistakes found that qualify for the Self Correction Program under the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System can be corrected in that manner. For items that don’t qualify, the plan sponsor can request remediation through a closing agreement with the IRS. The IRS will review documentation and either issue a closing letter or conduct a limited or full scope examination.

The goal of the pilot program is to reduce taxpayer burden and reduce time spent on retirement examinations. The duration of the pilot was not specified, but the IRS will evaluate the effectiveness of the program to determine if it will become part of their overall compliance strategy.