Blog Posts

        Category: Deferred Compensation/Executive Compensation
        June 22, 2026

        An ongoing dispute about a Department of Labor advisory opinion published last September raises a basic but unanswered question under the ERISA: What...

        by William D. Jewett on December 8, 2025

        Non-governmental employers that sponsor Section 457(b) deferred compensation plans should be mindful that December 31, 2025, is the deadline for plan...

        by Kenneth F. Ginder on October 1, 2025

        Many 401(k) plan sponsors are currently discussing implementation of the new Roth catch-up contribution rules, which were published on September 16,...

        by William D. Jewett on July 14, 2025

        Employers and their compensation advisors often assume that an arrangement to pay employees in the future for work done over time will be subject to...

        by Eric D. Altholz on May 20, 2024

        When the IRS published proposed regulations harmonizing key provisions of Code Sections 409A and 457(f) in 2016, executive compensation lawyers and...

        by William D. Jewett on May 1, 2024

        This post examines excess deferrals under non-governmental 457(b) plans, including the approved method for correcting them and the penalty for...

        by Eric D. Altholz on April 12, 2022

        A client recently reviewed a census of participants in its deferred compensation plan and found that the covered group amounted to nearly 15% of its...

        February 22, 2022

        With the April 15 deadline for distributing excess elective deferrals fast approaching, this post summarizes the rules for correcting excess elective...

        by Kenneth F. Ginder on December 14, 2021

        Twenty years ago this month the Enron Corporation imploded in spectacular fashion and declared bankruptcy. In the weeks leading up to its bankruptcy...

        by Eric D. Altholz on November 2, 2021

        UPDATED (added May 21, 2024): The FTC Final Rule on Noncompete Clauses applies to tax-exempt organizations who become subject to FTC jurisdiction as...

        by Kimberly S. Couch on June 29, 2021

        Many employers maintain formal or informal severance policies or practices that they use sporadically. Other employers may implement a severance...

        by William D. Jewett on January 18, 2021

        Tax-exempt organizations often provide deferred compensation to their officers, key employees, and most highly compensated employees. Like current...

        by Kenneth F. Ginder on March 31, 2020

        On Friday, March 27, 2020, the $2 trillion assistance package known as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”)...

        April 15, 2019

        Deferred compensation payments are due to one of your former executives, but the former executive is nowhere to be found. You know that the IRS has...

        by Eric D. Altholz on March 26, 2019

        IRS Notice 2019-09 provides guidance intended to help "applicable tax-exempt employers" determine whether compensation paid to their most highly...

        by Eric D. Altholz on August 7, 2018

        Much has been written about the Department of Labor's final rule regarding disability benefit claims procedures (the "Final Rule"), which took effect...

        by Eric D. Altholz on January 10, 2018

        The executive compensation provisions of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act have been widely reported, and public companies and tax-exempt employers are now...

        by Eric D. Altholz on January 2, 2018

        Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on December 20, 2017, and President Trump signed the bill into law on December 22nd. As everyone knows by...

        by Eric D. Altholz on November 7, 2017

        It's early days yet for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act released last week by the House Ways and Means Committee, but one thing is clear: Congressional tax...

        by Eric D. Altholz on July 13, 2016

        It has been a long time coming (nine years to be exact), but the Treasury Department has at last published proposed regulations that harmonize...

        by Eric D. Altholz on February 12, 2015

        Employers grapple with the employee benefits consequences of employment terminations in a variety of contexts. In the retirement plan context when a...

        by Eric D. Altholz on June 12, 2012

        Code Section 409A(a)(2)(A) prescribes six times or events when deferred compensation may be paid: separation from service, the disability of the...

        by Eric D. Altholz on March 29, 2012

        Special thanks to Peter J. Dill, a Senior Consultant at Towers Watson (Boston), for his consultation and input on this post. Treasury Regulations...

        by Eric D. Altholz on February 12, 2012

        The Final Regulations under Code Section 409A took effect nearly five years ago. By now those of us who regularly deal with deferred compensation...

        by Eric D. Altholz on August 26, 2011

        Employers large and small often ask us how they can reward key employees for their contributions to the success of the company and provide a...

        by Eric D. Altholz on June 9, 2011

        We are pleased to offer a guest post by Warren Kerper, Managing Principal in the Boston office of Sullivan, Cotter and Associates, Inc.Warren advises...

        by Eric D. Altholz on April 20, 2011

        Executive pay in the exempt organization setting has been subject to scrutiny and regulation since long before corporate bad actors and the financial...

        by Eric D. Altholz on October 25, 2010

        Many tax-qualified Section 401(k) plans provide that a participant who takes a hardship distribution pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section...

        by Eric D. Altholz on October 11, 2010

        Relief for nonqualified deferred compensation plan operational failures made pursuant to Internal Revenue Service guidance under Section 409A...

        Firm Highlights

        Published Works

        Four Verrill Attorneys Co-Author Massachusetts Trends and Developments Chapter for Chambers and Partners Child Relocation 2026 Guide

        Verrill attorneys Mary H. Schmidt, Rachel A. Deering, Hannah R. Zukoff, and Mariah G. Tappan co-authored the “Trends and Developments” chapter...
        Blog

        A New Protected Class in Maine: Holders of Final Protection Orders

        In the lead-up to Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, employers may be taking a closer look at how their policies and practices respond to...
        Alerts and Newsletters

        Verrill Secures SJC Victory for Boston Legacy FC in White Stadium Litigation

        Verrill has secured a significant appellate victory for Boston Legacy FC in the litigation challenging the redevelopment of White Stadium in...
        Blog

        Hurry Up and Wait

        This is the third in a series of Verrill blog posts on Maine’s packaging extended producer responsibility (“EPR”) law[1]. In July we reported...
        Media Mentions

        Robert Keach Discusses First Brands Chapter 11 Case in Law360

        Verrill attorney Robert Keach was recently quoted in a Law360 article examining the rejection of First Brands Group's Chapter 11 plan and the...
        Media Mentions

        Cybersecurity and AI Governance: Scott Anderson Featured in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

        Verrill Managing Partner Scott Anderson was recently featured in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly discussing how law firms can build attorney buy-in for...
        Blog

        Section 530A Account Update: ERISA Status of Trump Accounts

        The Department of Labor has issued important guidance addressing whether employer programs that permit contributions to Section 530A accounts (and...
        Press Releases

        97 Verrill Attorneys Recognized by Best Lawyers® 2027, Including Four Named Lawyers of the Year

        AUGUSTA, Maine, BANGOR, Maine, BOSTON, Mass., PORTLAND, Maine, and WESTPORT, Conn., (August 20, 2026) – Verrill is proud to announce that 97...
        Alerts and Newsletters

        SEC’s Proposed “Reg Crypto”: What Founders Need to Know

        Startup founders and emerging-growth companies have a number of options for raising capital under the federal securities laws, including Regulation D...
        Blog

        After 45 Years, the IRS Speaks on DCAP Nondiscrimination Testing – And It’s Good News

        Employers that provide a Dependent Care Assistance Program will be pleased to learn that for the first time in 45 years, the IRS has issued guidance...
        Media Mentions

        U.S. Courts Highlights Annabel Rodriguez’s Journey from Fellow to Mentor

        Verrill attorney Annabel Rodriguez was featured in a recent U.S. Courts article titled “From Fellows to Mentors: Alumni Share Lasting Lessons from...
        Media Mentions

        Robert Keach Discusses Bankruptcy Auction Strategy in Law360

        Verrill attorney Robert Keach spoke with Law360 article examining the complex bankruptcy auction process that resulted in the sale of 23 summer...