UUA Office of Church Staff Finances

Guided by the values of our faith,

we equip congregations for excellence as employers

and their staff for financial competence and well-being.

Compensation and Staffing News

February 2023

Editor's Note

Dear Readers,

February is a huge month for Gloria, Jackie, and Anna as they prepare for the transition of our Retirement Plan from TIAA to Empower. Please join the rest of the Church Staff Finances team in cheering them on as they near the finish line! (As the saying goes, it's a marathon, not a sprint.) Jackie provides an update below.

Faithfully,

Jan Gartner, Compensation and Staffing Practices Manager

Read Back Issues of This Newsletter

Retirement Plan Recordkeeper Transition: Really Close!

From Jackie Toone, Retirement Plan Employer Liaison

Hello, beloved friends! As we enter February and winter throws out one last icy hoorah before that reverent transition into Spring, so too do we approach the transition away from TIAA and to Empower as our retirement plan recordkeeper. We are almost there!

A few reminders as we head into our blackout period. TIAA will not process any checks received after February 9th, so please turn off any autopay you may have set up by then. Any checks received after the processing deadline will be returned to your location, and you can hold those funds until we are live with Empower.

Empower will be sending out resources to primary contacts in the coming weeks, including user guides, training videos, and login information for Empower’s Plan Service Center. They are hosting a series of webinars with brief Q&A sessions throughout the week of February 13th, so watch for invites! We will also be compiling an FAQ using the questions that surface during those webinars.

We officially enter blackout on February 17th, at which point no further transactions can be conducted with TIAA. We are targeting the week of March 12th to come out of blackout, at which point locations can remit contributions to Empower.

Please reach out to our team at RetirementPlan@uua.org with any questions. We are here to assist during this transition – and overjoyed to finally be at the precipice of our plan’s new home!

FAQ on Retirement Plan Recordkeeper Transition

Benefits Tune-up Month: This Year in April

February is traditionally Benefits Tune-up Month, when we invite congregational leaders to review their benefits administration practices to assure compliance with UUA plan rules. Because of the Retirement Plan recordkeeper transition taking place this month, we're holding off on editing the Benefits Tune-up Workbook so that we can include new processes and links.

We do have an attachment to our February slogan: Show Your Staff the Love. Please look for ways to do that this month, even if you aren't tuning up your benefits quite yet.

Jan has been pondering a seasonal slogan for April. What do you think of these?

Time to Tune Up: No Foolin'!
April Shower Your Staff with Care
It's Not Taxing to Tune Up
Spring into Compliance

Feel free to write to JGartner@uua.org with other slogan suggestions and the Church Staff Finances team will pick a favorite. In the meantime, the 2022 version of the Benefits Tune-up Workbook continues to be available for your use at the button below. Just remember that a few of the administrative details covered in the Retirement Plan section will be changing (although the rules of the plan are staying the same).

Check Out the (2022) Benefits Tune-up Workbook

News (and Signup Link) from Our Insurance Team

Health Plan Audit and Collecting Missing Splits Forms

Our auditors, RSM US LLP, are now engaged in their regular examination of the Unitarian Universalist Organizations Health Plan for the year ending on June 30, 2022. You may receive two consecutive data requests from RSM auditors seeking employee data confirmation and/or required health plan contributions.

ERISA rules require that Employers track, and the UUA report, separately, the amount of UUA Health Plan premium funded by an Employer and the amount paid by Employees for themselves and their dependents. Our Health Plan auditors review this information and may request detailed payroll documentation from non-reporting Employers in order to satisfy Department of Labor filing requirements. ERISA and Department of Labor rules require that you complete the Splits Form monthly:

This form is for Health Plan premium contributions only. Do not include any information for Dental, Life, or Disability payments.
Check the YES box if you are on COBRA or billed as a self-employed person.
Show the dollar amount that the Employer contributed and the dollar amount each Employee contributed for Health Plan premiums only.
The total for each Employee should match the amount billed for the month for the UUA Health Plan.

The UUA will be requesting any missing Splits Forms for calendar year 2022; we appreciate your prompt response to this time-sensitive request.

Insurance Plans Communications

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