Compliance, Litigation, Unclaimed Property Audit
Univar alleges that the unclaimed property audit spearheaded by Kelmar violates a number of its constitutional rights, including substantive and procedural due process rights, the right to equal protection and the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, and that it constitutes a taking of private property without just compensation.
Compliance, Legislative Alerts
Under a recent Internal Revenue Service Ruling, the escheatment of payments made from a traditional IRA account to the state’s unclaimed property fund constitutes a designated distribution that is subject to federal tax withholding rules for IRAs. The trustee or custodian of the IRA must also report those payments on a 1099-R, identifying the owner as the recipient.
Delaware is sending voluntary disclosure agreement invitations to holders believed to be out of compliance with its unclaimed property laws. In a slight change in policy, Delaware indicated that any holders that choose not to enroll in the VDA program will be audited.
On November 2, 2018, Illinois proposed Administrative Rules (IL 17858 2018) that would amend its Unclaimed Life Insurance Benefits Act to, among other things, implement a Lost Policy Finder Service, establish the minimum standards for a “good faith effort” to locate beneficiaries, and define the term “electronic searchable files.”
Seminars, Unclaimed Property Reporting
Companies that employ a proactive year-round plan often avoid the operational crunch that many firms suffer through just before the fall deadlines. Our next webinar will show you how to implement such a plan.
