employee benefit plans

Navigating the Employee Benefits Landscape

As a forward thinking CPA and Advisory firm, VonLehman is ideally suited to help employers navigate the ever-changing landscape of employee benefit and pension plans. Working extensively with hundreds of clients on a regular basis and auditing nearly 70 plans annually, VonLehman’s Employee Benefits Plan Service Group provides clients a comprehensive understanding of today’s evolving financial, management and compliance issues. In a recent Department of Labor research study, it was found that firms such as VonLehman, with an extensive number of annual audits, had no deficiencies in their audits, as opposed to several deficiencies for firms serving fewer annual clients. For privately held businesses and organizations throughout Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana, we make it our business to stay on top of new regulations and emerging benefit plan options. VonLehman teams help clients take full advantage of new laws while ensuring compliance with all reporting requirements.

Catering to the specific needs of closely held businesses and organizations, VonLehman’s breadth of services prepares our clients to deal with the complexities of benefit plan design, administration, compliance and taxation. Our specialized market focus makes our advice more salient. With 12 people focusing on employee benefit plan audits, we can assure optimum efficiency and exemplary client service. And, as members of the prestigious American Institute of CPAs (AICPA)’s Employee Benefit Plans Audit Quality Center, VonLehman is known as a firm dedicated to quality auditing in this unique and complex area.

A Comprehensive Approach That Benefits You

Leaders of closely held businesses and nonprofits throughout Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana recognize VonLehman as a source of experienced advisors on complex business matters. When the issues are critical and results essential, a VonLehman team will assist you in developing the solution you require to reach the outcome you need. In the area of Employee Benefit Plan Services, as a VonLehman client, you can depend on a comprehensive approach that includes the services below.

services

ERISA Compliance

VonLehman benefit specialists guide employers through the daunting list of reporting, disclosure, fiduciary and qualification requirements imposed under ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Securities Act of 1974) and enforced by the IRS and Department of Labor. We work diligently to ensure that employers optimize their plan benefits.

Timely Reporting and Disclosure

With our specialized expertise, your VonLehman team has the required experience to prepare annual Form 5500 filings on qualified employee benefit plans. This includes plans that require financial statement audits, welfare benefit plans, premium-only conversion plans, pension plans, and flexible spending arrangements. We also support clients preferring to prepare their own filings.

Streamlined Plan Design and Administration

Drawing on “next practices” in plan design and administration, we introduce techniques that streamline plan administration, save employers time and reduce costs. Your VonLehman team is also adept at assessing and improving internal controls to prevent misuse of benefits and ensure regulatory compliance.

Employee Benefit Plan Audits

Our 12+ person audit team is uniquely qualified to meet the special requirements of employee benefit plan audits. The team has received ongoing training in this area and performs nearly 70 audits annually. We understand the implications of ever-evolving ERISA and IRS requirements on the audit process. VonLehman goes beyond the traditional audit of assets and liabilities to test plan compliance with eligibility, contribution, vesting, forfeiture and distribution provisions. We are known and respected for our thoroughness and objectivity.

Audits of Service Organizations

VonLehman teams are well versed in audits for service organizations. Those audits verify that internal controls are in place and working as designed — with reports used to supplement the control testing at the plan level.

Audit Design and Testing

A VonLehman audit team is skilled in the highly specialized area of audit design and testing requirements. Unlike firms that have limited experience in benefit plan design, we work with a variety of benefit plans across all industry sectors. In keeping with our client-centered approach, VonLehman teams always look for opportunities where a “limited scope opinion” could replace a full audit, saving our clients paperwork and significantly reducing audit costs.

Expert Tax Reporting and Compliance

Every member of our Employee Benefit Plans team understands the complex tax reporting requirements and compliance issues impacting benefit plans. We augment our broad knowledge with specialized advice from our tax department, especially when detailed research is in order.

Financial Statements that Comply and Inform

Employers rely on our specific expertise in preparing financial statements that meet ERISA’s supplemental reporting requirements and conform with rigorous AICPA guidelines. VonLehman earns client loyalty by making mandated statements both readable and useful to our clients. This added value helps businesses make more informed decisions regarding the design and management of their plans.

Employee Benefit Plan Consulting

Our employee benefit consulting team works with clients on a one-time project or an ongoing basis, depending on the scope of their concerns. We often collaborate with other talent within VonLehman, including members of our Human Resources consulting team, who have a broader perspective of benefits planning and employee retention.