Employee Benefit Plan audits have increasingly become the subject of scrutiny by the Department of Labor ("DOL"). The auditing of these plans is a very specialized and unique service and Amper Politziner & Mattia, P.C. is a leader in this area. The guidance and knowledge we provide is critical to the Plan Sponsors, given the incredible amount of fiduciary responsibility involved.

Amper has the unique experience required to efficiently and accurately perform audits of all types of employee benefit plans, including

• Defined contribution plans (including 11-K filings)
• Defined benefit plans
• Welfare benefit plans

We are members of the AICPA Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center ("EBPAQC"). This membership is only available to those firms that meet rigid requirements specific to employee benefit plan audits including policies and procedures for the plan audit practice, continuing professional education requirements and internal inspection. Diane Wasser, Officer-in-Charge of the Pension Services Group at Amper currently sits on the Executive Committee of this Quality Center.

While many smaller plans with less than one hundred participants are not required to have these audits, the majority of pension plans with an excess of one hundred active participants at the beginning of any plan year must engage an independent auditor. The definition of an active participant for 401(k) plans includes employees who are eligible, regardless of whether or not they elect to contribute.

An audit report for these plans must accompany the Form 5500. There are mandatory supplemental schedules and very specific reporting requirements imposed by ERISA, the DOL and generally accepted auditing standards ("GAAS"). These unique requirements make the area of pension audits very complex and place them outside of standard accounting and auditing services.

Diane Wasser leads Amper's team of professionals, trained to handle such audits. Diane has over 20 years of experience in accounting and auditing for a broad client base, and has handled the related plan audit requirements for those clients and numerous others. Amper's years of experience with troubled and terminating plans, along with our exposure to employee benefit plans’ unique reporting requirements, has provided both invaluable expertise and proven cost-savings for our clients. Amper has audited over 200 plans of publicly held and privately held Plan Sponsors in a wide variety of industries.

As a result of our years of experience and vast exposure to the unique aspects of employee benefit plan auditing, Amper offers more than just an audit report and allows the firm to offer assistance with fiduciary responsibilities, plan qualification and reporting alternatives. Please feel free to direct all questions to Diane Wasser at 908.218.5002.

Contact: Diane Wasser