The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019, better known as the SECURE Act, which originally passed the House in July, was approved by the Senate on Dec.19, 2019, as part of an end-of-year appropriations act and accompanying tax measure, and signed into law on Dec. 20 by President Donald Trump. The far-reaching bill includes significant provisions aimed at increasing access to tax-advantaged accounts and preventing older Americans from outliving their assets.
KEY TAKEAWAYSThe SECURE Act became law on Dec. 20, 2019.
- The SECURE Act will make it easier for small business owners to set up “safe harbor” retirement plans that are less expensive and easier to administer.
- Many part-time workers will be eligible to participate in an employer retirement plan.
- The Act pushes back the age at which retirement plan participants need to take required minimum distributions (RMDs), from 70½ to 72, and allows traditional IRA owners to keep making contributions indefinitely.
- The Act mandates that most non-spouses inheriting IRAs take distributions that end up emptying the account in 10 years.
- The Act allows 401(k) plans to offer annuities.