Federal law sets minimum requirements, but a plan may be more generous. Generally, a plan may require an employee to be at least 21 years old and to have a year of service with the company before the employee can participate in a plan.
Accounts Covered by ERISA Common types of employer-sponsored retirement accounts that fall under ERISA include 401(k) plans, pensions, deferred-compensation plans, and profit-sharing plans. In addition, ERISA laws don't apply to simplified employee pension (SEP) IRAs or other IRAs.
Qualified plans include 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, profit-sharing plans, and Keogh (HR-10) plans. Nonqualified plans include deferred-compensation plans, executive bonus plans, and split-dollar life insurance plans.
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) covers two types of retirement plans: defined benefit plans and defined contribution plans. A defined benefit plan promises a specified monthly benefit at retirement.
ERISA also does not cover plans maintained outside the United States primarily for the benefit of nonresident aliens or unfunded excess benefit plans.
A 401k is an ERISA qualified plan because it is a corporate defined-benefit plan and therefore employer-sponsored. The only time this isn't true is for employees who work for government agencies, religious institutions, or nonprofits. If your 401k is employer-sponsored, it's typically an ERISA plan.
Check Your Plan Documents: Review your Summary Plan Description (SPD) or other documents. ERISA plans must provide an SPD that clearly states they are an ERISA plan. Look at Employer Contributions: If your employer contributes to the plan or matches your contributions, it's likely an ERISA plan.
Plans must meet minimum ERISA requirements The Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration currently oversees ERISA. Your retirement plan administrator should be able to tell you whether or not your retirement plan qualifies for ERISA.
Foreign retirement is reported on Form 1040 just as if it were a domestic retirement. Noting, that the tax implications of a foreign retirement versus a domestic retirement may be different — but at the end of the day, the retirement income is reported on Form 1040.
The FBAR is used to report foreign bank and financial accounts. The term 'financial accounts' is very broad and involves all different types of foreign accounts — including retirement plans.