
By Mark Prian
The original Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act of 2019 was designed to expand access to tax-advantaged retirement savings accounts, and it made changes to existing laws to ensure that older Americans are less likely to outlive their retirement assets.
The intent of this act was also to improve the way businesses provide retirement benefits to employees. In 2022, some long-awaited changes to the original act were introduced, and, in December, what is now known as SECURE 2.0 was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden.
SECURE 2.0 builds on the original objectives and makes some important adjustments to the 2019 legislation. With more than 100 provisions in the law, these new changes are bound to impact just about everyone who is saving for retirement. So, whether your employees are close to retiring or have many more years to save, here are some highlights you need to know.
Starting in 2023, the biggest change in SECURE 2.0 might be the adjustments to Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). Under the 2019 act, a plan participant had to begin withdrawing retirement savings at the age of 72. The 2022 law increases this to age 73, that began on Jan. 1, 2023. By 2033, the starting age for RMDs will be 75.
Also starting this year, the penalties for failing to take the RMD are cut from 50 percent of the amount not taken down to 25 percent. If you correct this mistake in a timely manner within an IRA, the penalty drops to 10 percent.
Employers may now choose to offer matching or nonelective contributions as Roth contributions.