James Earle, leader of Troutman Pepper Locke’s Tax + Benefits Practice Group, was quoted in the February 4, 2026 Pensions & Investments article, “Trump Touts Trump Accounts.”
Coming Soon in 2026: Trump Accounts for Children Under Age 18
What Are Trump Accounts?
A Trump account is a type of individual retirement account (IRA) established for the exclusive benefit of a child and designated as a “Trump account” at inception. Created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the OBBBA), the account is governed by new Internal Revenue Code (IRC) provisions, including §530A and §128.[1] Trump accounts operate under special rules intended to seed and simplify long-horizon investing for children through the year before they turn 18 — referred to in the rules as the “growth period.” After the growth period, most special Trump account rules fall away, and thereafter the account largely functions like a standard traditional IRA under §408(a).
IRS Issues Additional Guidance on Withholding and Reporting for Uncashed Retirement Plan Checks
Uncashed checks can be an administrative headache for retirement plans, potentially raising fiduciary and compliance concerns. Why?
IRS Issues Proposed Regulations on the Expanded Definition of “Covered Employee” Under Code Section 162(m)
On January 16, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published proposed regulations (90 FR 4691) under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code. Section 162(m) generally limits the deductibility of compensation paid in any tax year to covered employees of a publicly held corporation to $1 million.…
IRS Announces 2025 Retirement Plan Limits: Modest Increases
The Internal Revenue Service announced the 2025 cost-of-living adjustments to the dollar limitations for qualified retirement plans and other benefits, and the Social Security Administration announced its own cost-of-living adjustments for 2025. Most of the dollar limits, including the elective deferral contribution limit for 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) plans, the…
IRS Expands Determination Letter Program to Include Individually-Designed 403(b) Plans
In Revenue Procedure 2022-40, the IRS recently expanded the determination letter program to allow applications by individually-designed 403(b) plans. This expansion will allow 403(b) plan sponsors to request a determination letter that expresses the IRS’ opinion that the plan’s terms (as stated in the plan document) meet the requirements…
IRS Announces 2023 Retirement Plan Limits – Unprecedented Increases to All Limits
The Internal Revenue Service announced the 2023 cost-of-living adjustments to the dollar limitations for qualified retirement plans and other benefits, and the Social Security Administration announced its own cost-of-living adjustments for 2023. All of the dollar limits, including the elective deferral contribution limit for 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) plans, the…
IRS Extends Deadlines for Adopting CARES Act Amendments for Retirement Plans
On September 26, 2022, the Internal Revenue Service issued IRS Notice 2022-45, which extends the deadline for amending retirement plans to reflect certain optional and required changes under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) and section 302 of Title III of the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster…
IRS Notice 2022-33 Extends Retirement Plan Amendment Deadlines
On August 3, 2022, the Internal Revenue Service issued IRS Notice 2022-33, which extends the deadline for amending certain plans with the applicable requirements of the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (SECURE Act), the Bipartisan American Miners Act of 2019 (Miners Act), and one provision…
IRS Announces New 90-Day Pre-Examination Compliance Pilot Program for Retirement Plans
In its June 3, 2022 Employee Plans Newsletter, the IRS announced a pilot pre-examination retirement plan compliance program beginning in June 2022. Under the pilot program, the IRS will notify a qualified plan sponsor by letter that its retirement plan has been selected for an upcoming examination.
The IRS’s letter…