IRS Logo
Print

EP Examination Guidelines

The Employee Plans Examination Guidelines provide guidance on specific technical topics of particular interest relating to qualified retirement plans. These guidelines are for reference and use by Employee Plans personnel.

Because of the diversity of conditions encountered during examinations, these guidelines are not devised to be all inclusive or restrictive. They are used as a guide and a reference by all Employee Plans examiners. Consequently, the techniques identified may be modified based on the actual examination issues encountered.

Given the purpose of these guidelines, they cannot be, nor are they intended to be, a precedential or comprehensive statement of the Service's legal position on the issues covered herein. They are not to be relied upon or cited as authority. These guidelines are being issued for the sole purpose of assisting the examiner in performing an examination of certain issues for which it was believed guidelines would be helpful. It is not expected that each issue in these guidelines will be relevant in every examination.

The freely available Adobe Acrobat Reader software is required to view, print, and search the guidelines listed below.


Date

Subject

04/2006

Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs)

04/2006

Qualified Joint & Survivor Annuity Requirements

03/2006

Top-Heavy Plans

02/2006

Nonbank Trustee Investigation Procedures
12/2005 Revocation of IRC 401(a) Plans and/or Trusts
03/2005 403(b) Plans

09/2006

Miscellaneous Employee Plans Issues
12/2002 IRC Section 415(b)

06/2002

IRC Section 404

06/2002

Prohibited Transactions

06/2002

IRC Section 415(c)

05/2002

Single Sum Distributions for Defined Benefit Plans

03/2002

Employee Contributions & Matching Contributions under IRC 401(m)

03/2002

Cash or Deferred Plans (CODAs)

09/2006

Valuation of Assets

09/2006

Simplified Employee Pensions (SEPs) and Salary Reduction Simplified Employee Pensions (SARSEPs)

05/2001

Multi-Employer Plans

Page Last Reviewed or Updated: 2012-08-02