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Retirement Programs for Nonprofits

403(b) Resource Center

White Papers and Other Resources

MetLife has prepared the following material to help you understand current 403(b) regulations and their impact on your 403(b) plan.

Legislative News Update

The IRS is currently working on several projects related to 403(b) plans. For those of you who have some responsibility in the management of your school or district’s 403(b) plan, we’ve prepared a brief summary of those projects that we think may be of interest to you.

White Paper on 403(b) Plan Readiness

MetLife Resources prepared a special white focused on the IRS' written plan requirement. This document is designed to help employers understand the potential impact of their 403(b) plan design choices. Areas of focus include deciding on the plan administration options, constructing a written plan, selecting optional plan features and reviewing employer 403(b) plan responsibilities.

White Paper on Universal Availability

The Internal Revenue Service issued final regulations for 403(b) plans in July of 2007. The new rules make 403(b) plans look more like 401(k) plans; however, there are still important differences between 403(b) and 401(k) plans. One of these differences is the Universal Availability requirement which is the subject of this white paper. We have prepared an in-depth discussion on the "universal availability" requirement as it impacts an employer's 403(b) plan.

White Paper on Information Sharing Agreements

In late November 2007, the IRS released additional guidance on the final 403(b) regulations. This guidance, known as Revenue Procedure 2007-71, provides important clarification regarding transfer rules and information sharing agreements, as well as a Model Plan promised for public schools.

MetLife prepared this special white paper to help employers understand some of the more technical aspects of the new IRS guidance.

Summary of Key Provisions

This is a summary overview of the 403(b) regulations which provides a fairly high level explanation and outlines the implications for employers.

IRS Publishes Employee Presentation on Section 403(b) Plans

The Internal Revenue Service has published a short presentation for employees on how a section 403(b) plan works.  The presentation is a conversation between a new employee and the employee’s human resources representative, who discuss issues relating to section 403(b) plans such as contributions, distributions, and loans.

IRS Publishes Employer Presentation on Section 403(b) Plan Compliance Issues

The IRS presentation focuses on compliance issues from the employer’s perspective, using a conversation between a plan administrator and IRS representative to illustrate how a 403(b) plan works.  The discussion includes issues such as the written plan requirement, salary deferrals, and exchanges.

Frequently Asked Questions

Talking points in Q&A format that simplify some of the complexities of the new 403(b)

Other Resources

Treasury/IRS Release — Additional Resources
U.S. DOL