Our Applied Knowledge series covers a broad range of business planning and nonqualified deferred compensation topics. While designed primarily as reference material, these documents may also be used for sales and marketing purposes with both financial professionals and business owners and employers. If using with business owners or employers, make sure to use only the content applicable to their specific plan type.
Business succession
Deferred compensation
Payroll, tax, and accounting (for-profit entities):
- Accounting for company stock in deferred comp plans (PDF)
- Accounting and tax comparison (PDF)
- Sample accounting guidelines for nonqualified defined contribution plans (PDF)
- Sample accounting guidelines for nonqualified defined benefit plans (PDF)
- Sample accounting guidelines for deferred compensation - SERP plans (PDF)
- Sample accounting guidelines for deferred compensation - Select Reward plans (PDF)
- Payroll tax reporting for contributions to nonqualified defined contribution plans (PDF)
- Payroll tax reporting for nonqualified defined benefit plans (PDF)
- Payroll taxes on contributions to NQDC plans (PDF)
- FICA taxes and unreasonable rates of return (PDF)
- Tax reporting for unvested employer contributions that become vested at death (PDF)
- Tax reporting for deferred comp distributions (PDF)
- COLI taxation and reporting (PDF)
- Rabbi Trust tax reporting for deferred comp (PDF)
- State income tax sourcing rules (PDF)
Payroll, tax, and accounting (tax-exempt entities):
- Tax reporting of 457(f) plans (PDF)
- Sample accounting guidelines for 457(b) plans (PDF)
- Sample accounting guidelines for 457(f) plans (PDF)
- Payroll taxation of deferrals and contributions to 457(b) plans (PDF)
- Payroll taxation of contributions to 457(f) plans (PDF)
- Tax reporting of deferrals and contributions to 457(b) plans (PDF)
- Tax reporting for distributions from 457(b) plans (PDF)
Informal financing and distribution funding:
- Funding distributions from deferred comp plan (PDF)s
- Managing assets to informally finance deferred comp (PDF)
- Rabbi Trusts and deferred comp plans (PDF)
- COLI financing withdrawal (PDF)
- Nonqualified self-directed accounts - financing vs. funding (PDF)
Interaction with qualified plans:
- Interaction of Section 409A unfunded deferred comp plans and qualified plans (PDF)
- 410(b) highly compensated carve-out (PDF)
- 401(k)/NQ wrap plan (PDF)
- Base salary deferral elections to offset a 401(k) refund (PDF)
Regulatory rules: Plan design/operation and distribution events:
Resource guides:
For-profit entities—plan design and operation:
- Daily valuation of NQ plan liabilities and corporate assets (PDF)
- Deferred comp ERISA and top-hat eligibility (PDF)
- Documentary correction program (PDF)
- Deferred comp plan benefits and employer bankruptcy (PDF)
- Deferred comp plans and pass-through tax entities (PDF)
- Deferred comp 409A plan aggregation issues (PDF)
- Performance-based compensation deferrals (PDF)
- Deferred comp deferral and distribution elections (PDF)
- Year-end payroll 409A considerations (PDF)
- Section 409A operational correction program (PDF)
- Deferral timing requirements for rehired employees (PDF)
- Subsequent deferral elections under IRC 409A (PDF)
For-profit entities—distribution events:
- Plan terminations under IRC 409A (PDF)
- Separations from service (PDF)
- Nonqualified plan distributions to key employees of public companies (PDF)
- Transfer of deferred comp account balances in divorce income tax reporting (PDF)
- NQDC plan distribution events under Section 409A (PDF)
Tax-exempt entities—non-governmental 457(b) plans:
- Distribution elections (PDF)
- Nonqualified plans and the lifetime income stream (PDF)
- 457(b) required minimum distributions (PDF)
- 457(b) contribution limits and catch-up contributions (PDF)
- Vesting and employer contributions in 457(b) plans (PDF)
Tax-exempt entities—457(f) plans:
- Extending vesting for existing accounts in a non-governmental IRC Section 457(f) plan (PDF)
- Employee deferrals in a non-governmental IRC Section 457(f) plan (PDF)
- Non-competition agreements in 457(f) plans used to delay substantial risk of forfeiture (PDF)
- Taxes on renumeration and excess parachute payments (PDF)
Additional tax planning considerations:
Life insurance:
- Transfer for value and reportable policy sale regulations (PDF)
- Transfer for value and reportable policy sale regulations Q&A (PDF)
- Transfers of life insurance policies after TCJA 2017 (PDF)
Nonqualified deferred compensation:
- Sarbanes-Oxley reporting for deferred comp plans (PDF)
- Deferred comp issues for entities with ESOPS (PDF)
- Deferred comp and REITS (PDF)
- Effect of deferred comp on Social Security benefits (PDF)
- Section 199A deduction clarification (PDF)
- Impact of proposed regulations under Section 162(m) (PDF)
- SEC reporting and deferred comp (PDF)
Disability insurance
Estate planning
Life insurance
Key employee benefits
- Best practices with Loan Split Dollar (PDF)
- Bonus design options and key employee income tax consequences
- Bonus plan retention tools
- Economic benefit reporting for Endorsement Split Dollar
- Imputed interest tax reporting for Loan Split Dollar
Payroll, tax, and accounting for Bonus, Key Person insurance, and Split Dollar plans:
- Accounting guidelines for Bonus plans (PDF)
- Accounting guidelines for Bonus – LLC plans (PDF)
- Accounting guidelines for Bonus – S Owner plans (PDF)
- Accounting guidelines for Key Person plans (PDF)
- Accounting guidelines for Endorsement Split Dollar plans (PDF)
- Accounting guidelines for Loan Split Dollar plans (PDF)