| IRS Resources for Employers | |
| 403(b) Plan Basics » A 403(b) plan is a retirement plan, similar to a 401(k) plan, offered by public schools and certain 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations. An individual may only obtain a 403(b) annuity under an employer’s 403(b) plan. | |
| Establish a Plan » Benefits of participation, plan contributions, affects of withdrawing money from the plan. | |
| Operate and Maintain a 403(b) Plan » Periodically review the plan, update for recent law changes, nondiscrimination testing requirements. | |
| Correct 403(b) Plan Errors » Find, fix and avoid plan errors. | |
| Terminate a 403(b) Plan » Requirements for ending a 403(b) plan. | |
| Publication 571 » Tax-Sheltered Annuity Plans for Employees of Public Schools and Certain Tax-Exempt Organizations. | |
| Additional IRS Resources » Find recent guidance, frequently asked questions, forms and publications, mini-courses and other 403(b) resources. | |
| New 403(b) Regulations | |
| Changing 403(b) Plans for Changing Times (.pdf) » | |
| Central IRS Site for 403(b) Information » | |
| IRS Overview of Final Regulations » | |
| Index to Final Regulations » | |
| Model Plan Language for Public Schools (.pdf) » | |
| Final Regulations FAQs » | |
| Third Party Administrator (TPA) Information | |
| TPA Checklist (.pdf) » Questions to guide selection of a third party administrator. | |
| Sample Letter Asking TPA for Disclosure Information » A sample letter that may be used by California employers to see if their TPAs are in compliance with recently passed state fee disclosure laws. While these TPA disclosure rules are part of California law, employers nationwide would be wise to insist that their TPA provide similar disclosure information. | |
| Fiduciary Information | |
| Spotting a Fake Fiduciary » Excerpt: What has recently set me off are insurance agents that masquerade as "Consultants" for 403(b) and 457(b) programs. | |
| Selecting Vendors | |
| Research on Employer Oversight Models: Who's Watching the Door? » | |
| RFP Guide for 403(b) Plans (available for order) » | |
| Sample Questions to Guide Selection of Potential 403(b) Service Providers (.pdf) » | |
| Investment Provider Service Agreement (.pdf) » | |
| A Model 403(b) Plan (.pdf) » | |
| Impact of Fees » | |
| Value of Target Date Funds » | |
| Why Annuities Rarely Make Sense in a 403(b) » | |
| Steps to Improve Your Plan » | |
| Plan Fees | |
| Understanding Retirement Plan Fees And Expenses » Includes information on how employers can evaluate fees. | |
| Information Sharing Agreement | |
| Latest Best Practices for 403(b) and Related Retirement Plans Information Sharing: Form 5500 Aggregation
(.pdf) » This document sets forth certain best practices with respect to the data elements for information sharing between 403(b) plan employers or employer representatives and vendors. | |
| Best Practices for 403(b) and Related Retirement Plans Information Sharing: Minimum and Comprehensive Data Elements.
(.pdf) » This document sets forth: 1. The data elements for information sharing between 403(b) plan employers or employer representatives and vendors. 2. A basic file convention layout. 3. The frequency of data transmissions. 4. An approach for sharing and transmitting data on a transaction or daily basis when agreed upon by both the sending and receiving parties. | |
| Sample 403(b) Information Sharing Agreement (.pdf) » | |
| Clarifying "Information Sharing Agreements" » | |
| IRS 403(b) Presentation for Employers » | |
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