To Retrieve Your Census From Our Website 1. Go to www.ascensusconsulting.net or click on the link in your email message. 2. Click on Plan Sponsor Login located in the upper right side of the screen. 3. Enter your Login information. If you have forgotten your Username, please call your consultant. If you have forgotten your Password, select Forgot user ID or password? o Select Sponsor and enter your Login ID, First Name and Last Name o Click Submit and answer the security questions o You will receive an email that will allow you to login and change your password Please keep your login information in a safe place for future access to our website. 4. After logging into the Ascensus Consulting plan sponsor website, on the top menu bar, select Forms & Reports and on the drop down click on Reports. You may view only the census reports by selecting these specific filter options: o Filter column: Report Group o Filter value: CENSUS PACKAGE 5. Select 2016 Census Spreadsheet and save it to your computer. (Please note: The year referenced in the file name is based on the first day of the plan year.) You cannot complete the census online. You must save it to your computer to complete. After completing the updates to the file, save the updated version as 2016 Census Spreadsheet updated.xls.
To Return Your Census to Ascensus Consulting 1. Go to www.ascensusconsulting.net 2. Click on Plan Sponsor Login located in the upper right side of the screen. 3. Enter your Login information. 4. On the top menu bar, go to Payroll and on the drop down select Upload file. 5. On the Upload File screen, select file type: Data File and click on Choose File to choose the completed file you saved on your computer (i.e. 2016 Census Spreadsheet - updated.xls). 6. You may add additional notes in the space provided under File description or special instructions. 7. Click Upload. After reading the pop up message, select ok. 8. After the file upload is complete, you will see a confirmation pop up box. At this time, your consultant will receive an email notifying them that your census file was uploaded to our website. 9. If you have not yet completed your plan s on-line questionnaire, please refer to your year-end census request email notification for a link to the questionnaire. We must receive both the completed census and questionnaire in order to start the compliance review for your plan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your consultant.
Census Package Completion Instructions PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY Complete the census spreadsheet portion of the package. Provide data for all employees that received compensation during the plan year (employees on census should match employees covered by 941 payroll tax). If you have multiple rehire and termination date(s), please provide a full employment history on far right of the census spreadsheet. Make sure to look at all columns even though some may not be applicable to your plan. DO NOT CHANGE OR DELETE ANY INFORMATION POPULATED ON YOUR CENSUS 1. For employment status code, sub code, employment status date, rehire date, employee type and employee type date, please refer to Exhibit A. 2. Gross Annual Compensation (i.e. Wages according to the plan document + Deferrals + Section 125 Deferrals). S-Corporation: Only W-2 compensation from employment may be used for qualified plan purposes. Partnerships and Sole Proprietors: Do not enter draw or guaranteed payments. Please provide K-1 or Schedule C Compensation. If your plan uses compensation other than Gross Compensation (i.e. entry date compensation or if your plan document excludes overtime, bonuses, commissions or any other compensation) for calculating plan contributions, complete the additional columns that are applicable on the census spreadsheet. Otherwise, these columns can be left blank. Please Note: Entry date compensation is selected in many plan documents. One example is that your document may state excluding compensation paid during the determination period while not a participant in the component of the plan for which the definition applies. This means, for any participant that entered the plan for the first time during the plan year (other than January 1), you should enter their 2016 compensation for the plan year in the Gross Compensation field and their compensation from the date they entered the plan through the end of the plan year in the Entry Date Compensation field. 3. Deferrals: Dollar amount of annual deferrals withheld from a participant s payroll during the specified plan year. For calendar years only, this figure should include any accruals and the total should match an amount listed under Box 12 Code D that has corresponding Box 13 marked as Retirement Plan on W-2. If your plan allows for Roth contributions, please make sure they are identified separately in the Roth column on the census spreadsheet. 4. Provide annual matching, profit sharing, money purchase, safe harbor and prevailing wage contributions that are not calculated by Ascensus Consulting. 5. Exact hours worked for the specified plan year (e.g. 40 hrs. x 52 wks. = 2,080 hrs.) We cannot proceed without hours worked for each employee. 6. Complete entries for % of Stock Owned and Officer columns. Officer refers to anyone holding an office and having voting right authority. Please identify officers by placing a Y or Yes in the column. These are significant categories when determining the non-discrimination testing. 7. Loan Payments: Total dollar amount of loan payments made for specified plan year. If a participant has more than one loan, please provide payment amount for each loan.
Exhibit A Use these codes to complete the corresponding columns on the census. Employment Status Code Status Sub Code Employment Status Date T = Termination N = Normal Retirement Enter the date that corresponds with D = Deceased E = Early Retirement the status code P= Disabled P = Postponed Retirement H = Rehired R = Retired L=Leave of Absence R=Rehired A=Approved Leave of Absence M=Military Leave Rehire Date Enter the rehire date. If an employee has more than one termination and rehire date, please complete the employment history in the columns provided at the far right on the spreadsheet. Examples: Employment Status Code Status Sub Code Employment Status Date T 4/15/2016 Participant terminated on 4/15/2016 D 6/22/2016 Participant died on 6/22/2016 R N 12/15/2016 Participant retired on 12/15/2016 at NRD L M 10/13/2016 Participant is on Military Leave beginning 10/13/2016 Please note: Employee Type are not used by all plans. Employee Type C = Commission Only Employee U Union Member N = Non Resident Alien O = Other Employee Type Date Enter the date that corresponds with the employee type X = Changed Status* *This is the only time you should change pre-populated information. If an employee changes status, replace the above referenced code (C, U,N or O) with an X and the date the employee s status changed. Examples: Employee Type Employee Type Date U 6/15/2016 O 1/1/2016 X 4/15/2016
Important Information for Plan Sponsors The following updates are provided to make you aware of operational and legislative updates relating to the administration of your retirement plan. 2016 Maximum Qualified Retirement Plan Dollar Limits 402(g) limit = $18,000. Catch-up limit = $6,000. (Age 50 and older) 415 limit (annual contributions) = $53,000. Compensation limit for qualified retirement plans = $265,000. Dollar limitation for officer definition of key employee = $170,000. Dollar limitation for highly compensated employee = $120,000. Importance of keeping your email addresses updated As with the last few years, Ascensus Consulting delivery method for providing many items to you has been in an electronic format. This enables you to save the electronic version to your computer and gives you the flexibility to print a copy when necessary. In addition, many of the state and federal agencies require a secure electronic method for transmitting data. Keeping your contacts and email addresses current ensures that the proper person will receive the information in a timely manner. Some of the plan contacts to whom we transmit information and the types of information we send are identified below. Note: The same person may serve the plan in multiple roles Primary Plan Trustee Important plan information, valuation reports, participant statements, document changes or amendments that require trustee signatures and other plan notifications Other Plan Trustee(s) This person could receive the same information as the primary trustee or in the absence of the primary trustee Plan Administrator Electronic 5500 signer Plan Contact Important directions regarding routine procedures Due to the confidential nature of some of the transmitted data (valuation report, 8955-SSA, etc.), you should pay particular attention to the people indicated in your electronic questionnaire. It is crucial that the right person and email addresses are current. Please notify your consultant as changes occur throughout the year. Electronic Delivery of Your Valuation Report As part of our on-going efforts to ensure the security of the information exchanged between Ascensus Consulting and our clients we are making your valuation report available to you from our secure website. Electronic delivery of information is becoming the norm in the retirement plan industry due to its security, efficiency and invisible environmental footprint. Once your valuation report is available, you will receive an email from your Ascensus Consulting contact notifying you that the report has been posted to the secure website. At that time you will be able to retrieve the report using the same user ID and password you normally use. Please be aware that your valuation report contains highly sensitive confidential information. The user ID and password should be kept confidential and not shared. However, if you have shared your user ID and password with someone and you do not wish for that person to have access to the valuation report, you will need to change your password. If you would like us to set up a separate user ID and password with limited access to the secure website for another party, please contact your Ascensus Consulting contact.
Important Plan Related Notices When does it have Notice Type Description Who does it go to? to be distributed? Participant Fee Disclosure Disclosure of fee assessed to the participants accounts Safe Harbor Notice Summary Plan Description (SPD) Qualified Default Investment Alternatives (QDIA) Automatic Contribution Arrangement Notices including ACA, EACA OR QACA Summary Annual Report (SAR) Summary of employer contributions as well as a description of the types of employee contributions available and when modifications are allowed. A description of plan document provisions in an easily understood manner. Default fund information to be followed if participant has not made investment elections. This notice also includes participant's rights to make their own elections. Notice of participant's right to make a affirmative election and consequences of not making an election Summary of Form 5500, including plan expenses and value of plan assets, and right to receive a copy of the full 5500. currently eligible and participate. Active Eligible Plan Participants and Terminated Participants with a Balance Remaining currently eligible and participate. Initially this notice must be provided on or before the date the participant can first direct investments and Annually thereafter. Initially by the effective date of the plan. Thereafter, it should be provided 30-90 days prior to the beginning of the plan year. Within 120 days of the initial plan establishment or within 90 days of plan entry for a new participant. Upon request by participants at anytime. Initially at least 30 days prior to the participation of a new participant or the date when the investment will first be made. Subsequent annual notices must be provided at least 30-90 days prior to the beginning of the plan year. Initially at least 30-90 days prior to the eligibility of the participant or when they are make a first investment. Thereafter, it should be provided 30-90 days prior to the beginning of the plan year. Within nine months of plan year end.
Summary of Material Modifications (SMM) Sarbanes-Oxley Blackout Notice Summary of changes to the plan document that also affect the SPD; or may provide updated SPD. Required notice when transaction blackout period lasts more than three consecutive business days, includes rights that will be affected during blackout and expected length of blackout. Provide within 210 days of the end of the plan year in which the change was adopted. Provide 30-60 days prior to the start of the blackout period. Last Updated 12/12/2016