Advanced Consulting Group, Inc. (ACGI) is Arkansas' premier fully independent Third Party Administration firm that excels in providing public school districts and other government employers all of the tools and support necessary to implement and maintain their 403(b) and 457(b) Plans. Our services include administrative, consulting and IRS compliance services. By maintaining our focus on only 403(b) and 457(b) Plans, we are able to provide the reinforcement you need to be completely confident that your 403(b) and 457(b) Plans are functioning within the guidelines.
We are dedicated to providing straightforward, useful guidance and focused customer service based on your specific needs. We understand that accessibility and responsiveness are critical to administering retirement plans and we strive for lasting and positive relationships with our clients. A brief overview of the services we offer include:
Advanced Consulting Group, Inc. is committed first and foremost to providing the highest quality of customer service to meet the needs and demands of our clients. Our dedicated staff is available Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm CST, to answer your questions and offer assistance in a timely, honest and professional manner. You will speak to a live member of our team in Arkansas, not an automated system.
Through our convenient online billing system, employers are able to quickly and easily reconcile their monthly deductions, modify employee contributions and print contribution reports to mail with their checks to their vendors. Plan Sponsors have access to all of the administrative tools and records that ACGI retains. Additional benefits of our online billing system include:
A plan document is a written instrument describing the plan's terms and conditions related to the operation and administration of the plan. Employers should maintain copies of their plan document, including all amendments and loan policy (if separate) from inception. Advanced Consulting Group, Inc. can provide and maintain a plan document for your plan, based on your specific needs.
Regulations require involvement by the employer or the employer's representative in the approval and monitoring of plan distributions, loans, rollovers, transfers, etc. Advanced Consulting Group, Inc. will review and approve all transactions according to IRS rules. For forms and to learn more about how to request a transaction, please click here.
The IRS base limit in 2018 is $18,500 for the 403(b) plan and $18,500 for the 457(b) plan. Employees age 50 or older at the end of the calendar year are permitted to contribute an additional $6,000 for a total of $24,500 for the year for each plan. An additional service based catch-up MAY be available for both the 403(b) and 457(b) plans - please contact ACGI's customer service for assistance determining your eligibility for the service based catch-up for either plan.
We monitor the contribution information provided to us by each employer. If a participant's contribution amount is close to going over the IRS limit, we will notify the employer so the participant's deduction can be changed before this happens. In the rare instance a participant does go over the limit, we will notify the vendor to refund the overage amount to the participant.
A 403(b) Plan must satisfy the Universal Availability requirement with respect to elective deferrals. Universal Availability means that if an employer permits one employee to defer salary into a 403(b) Plan, the employer must extend this offer to all employees, other than those whom the law allows to be excluded.
Universal Availability also requires the plan to give meaningful notice to employees of:
To help meet these requirements, employers who sponsor a 403(b) Plan generally distribute a notice to all eligible employees at least annually. Employers should send this notification to employees in the same manner as other important correspondence. ACGI will assist by providing a sample notice to employers to help satisfy the Universal Availability requirements.
The 457(b) Plan does not currently have this requirement. Please contact ACGI for additional information.
We keep a record of all new salary reduction agreement (SRA) forms, SRA change forms, requested transactions and contribution information that is submitted to us. This way, if there is an audit or your documents are misplaced, we can help supply the missing information.
We can help you select the best vendors for your plan or review your current vendors and suggest options based on your specific needs.
Our website is available 24/7 for Plan Participants to access their personal information. This includes:
We provide several different resources for both employer and employee education regarding the 403(b) and 457(b) plans. This includes an E-Booklet, an education area in the website, 403(b) universal availability notice, helpful websites and calculators, and coming soon video blogs regarding relevant topics. Also, upon request, onsite training at your location.
If your plan is audited, we will work alongside you and provide you records to help respond to IRS requests for information.