DOL will not pursue claims against Fiduciaries During Phased Implementation Period Ending on January 1, 2018

On May 22, 2017 the DOL published Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2017-02 which announced a temporary enforcement policy related to the Department of Labor’s final rule defining who is a “fiduciary” under ERISA and the related prohibited transaction exemptions (PTEs).

The final rule, entitled “Definition of the Term ‘Fiduciary’; Conflict of Interest Rule — Retirement Investment Advice,” was published in the Federal Register on April 8, 2016, became effective on June 7, 2016, and had an original applicability date of April 10, 2017. The PTEs also had an original applicability date of April 10, 2017, with a phased implementation period ending on January 1, 2018, for the BIC Exemption and the Principal Transactions Exemption. The applicability date was previously delayed from April 10, 2017 until June 9, 2017.

The temporary enforcement policy states that during the phased implementation period ending on January 1, 2018, the Department will not pursue claims against fiduciaries who are working diligently and in good faith to comply with the fiduciary duty rule and exemptions, or treat those fiduciaries as being in violation of the fiduciary duty rule and exemptions.¹

 ¹On March 28, 2017, the Treasury Department and the IRS issued IRS Announcement 2017-4 stating that the IRS will not apply § 4975 (which provides excise taxes relating to prohibited transactions) and related reporting obligations with respect to any transaction or agreement to which the Labor Department’s temporary enforcement policy described in FAB 2017-01, or other subsequent related enforcement guidance, would apply. The Treasury Department and the IRS have confirmed that, for purposes of applying IRS Announcement 2017-4, this FAB 2017-02 constitutes “other subsequent related enforcement guidance.”