Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (JD Supra Puerto Rico)

On January 20, 2021, the Puerto Rico Department of the Treasury (Departamento de Hacienda, commonly known as “Hacienda”) issued Administrative Determination No. 21-01 (AD 21-01), which provides that lump-sum distributions from the retirement plan for Puerto Rico government employees are eligible for direct and indirect rollovers into Puerto Rico–qualified retirement plans maintained by private-sec

For a host of legal and practical reasons, the only feasible alternative for disposing of the accounts of missing participants in a terminating 401(k) or other defined contribution retirement plan qualified only in Puerto Rico (commonly known as a “P.R.-only plan”) is, after making reasonable efforts to locate the missing participants, depositing with the proper state unclaimed property fund(s)...

With the fourth quarter of 2020 upon us, it is time to evaluate the year-end amendments that may be needed for retirement plans that are tax-qualified in Puerto Rico. Unlike the Internal Revenue Service, which each year issues a list of required amendments to U.S.–qualified plans and their respective adoption due dates, the Puerto Rico Department of the Treasury (commonly known by its Spanish...

All of the recent changes to the required minimum distribution (RMD) rules of Section 401(a)(9) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, except for provisions related to the handling of tax-free rollovers, may be applied to Puerto Rico participants in dual-qualified plans (i.e., U.S.-qualified retirement plans that cover both U.S. and Puerto Rico employees) exactly as they are applied to U.S....

On June 23, 2020, the Puerto Rico Department of the Treasury (commonly known by its Spanish-language name, Departamento de Hacienda de Puerto Rico, or Hacienda) issued Circular Letter of Internal Revenue No. 20-29 (CL 20-29), which extends the due date from June 30, 2020, to December 31, 2020, for the completion of coronavirus-related distributions (CRDs) from retirement plans qualified in Puerto

Employers considering reductions in force in Puerto Rico should be aware that the rules on the taxation of severance pay in the United States and Puerto Rico are different. The U.S. rule is straightforward: severance pay is always taxed as wages. Therefore, as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) instructs in “IRS Publication 4128, Tax Impact of Job Loss” and “Publication 525, Taxable and...

On June 1, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a unanimous decision in Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico v. Aurelius Investment, LLC, No. 18–1334, holding that the selection of the members of the Financial and Oversight Management Board for Puerto Rico did not violate the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Consequently, the Board’s actions...

To help ease the administration of retirement plans in Puerto Rico during the coronavirus outbreak, on March 24, 2020, the Puerto Rico Department of the Treasury (commonly known by its Spanish name as Departamento de Hacienda de Puerto Rico) issued Administrative Determination No. 20-09 (AD 20-09), to extend, among other things, the due dates for: ..filing the local informative return on...

On March 29, 2020, the Puerto Rico Department of the Treasury (commonly known by its Spanish name, Departamento de Hacienda de Puerto Rico, or Hacienda) issued Circular Letter of Internal Revenue No. 20-23 (CL 20-23), which extends to coronavirus-related distributions under qualified retirement plans (CRDs) essentially the same eligibility requirements, due dates, and local tax treatment that...

Employers with Puerto Rico operations should be aware that, with some minor income tax-related twists, the emergency paid leave provisions of the recently enacted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) equally apply in Puerto Rico. Generally, the FFCRA requires private employers with fewer than 500 employees to provide paid leave, as follows...

In response to the earthquakes that since January 6, 2020, have shaken Puerto Rico, on February 18, 2020, the Puerto Rico Department of the Treasury (known by its Spanish name as “Hacienda”) issued Circular Letter of Internal Revenue Number 20-09 (CL 20-09) to allow Puerto Rican participants in qualified retirement plans to receive, under favorable tax terms, distributions of the money they may...

Puerto Rico is still reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Recently, the governor of Puerto Rico signed into law Act No. 115 of June 20, 2018, to promote recovery efforts and provide much-needed aid to affected non-exempt employees in situations of emergency. Ordinarily, Puerto Rico law does not allow deductions from a non-exempt employee’s salary, except for specific purposes defined in

On October 17, 2017, the Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources (Secretary of Labor) published Opinion No. 2017-001, providing further guidance to private-sector employers on how they should compensate their non-exempt and exempt employees in Puerto Rico in light of the prolonged interruption in business activities brought about by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The...

With the havoc wrought by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, employers are exploring options to provide emergency relief to those employees who have encountered financial hardship to meet their necessities and repair their homes in the wake of the disaster. Occasionally, aid from employers to employees comes in the form of disaster-relief monetary payments and interest-free loans.

On March 8, 2017, Puerto Rico continued the overhaul of its employment laws by enacting, with immediate effect, Act No. 16, known as the “Puerto Rico Equal Pay Act.” The act is not only similar to the federal Equal Pay Act of 1963, it also requires that Puerto Rico courts interpret the act in accordance with its federal counterpart and related federal regulations. Some of the key provisions of...

In an effort to become more competitive in the face of a flagging economy, an attractive jurisdiction for establishing businesses and creating employment opportunities, and to increase talent acquisition and retention locally, Puerto Rico is overhauling its employment law regime through the enactment of the Labor Transformation and Flexibility Act (the Act). Puerto Rico’s new governor, Ricardo...

Protections for breastfeeding employees in Puerto Rico just became even stronger. A recent ruling from Puerto Rico’s highest court in Siaca v. Bahía Beach Resort & Golf Club, LLC, held that failing to provide a safe, private, and hygienic space for employees who are nursing to breastfeed or extract breast milk while in the workplace constitutes a breach of an employer’s obligations under Act No. 4

Effective December 31, 2015, all employers in Puerto Rico with at least 16 employees must allow eligible employees to use up to 5 paid sick leave days to care for an ill spouse, parent, or child. Eligible employees are those covered by the Puerto Rico Minimum Wage, Vacation, and Sick Leave Act (i.e., nonexempt employees and outside salespersons). This new leave is also available to care for the...

The summer of 2014 has brought further guidance for health plan coverage in the U.S. territories and for retirement plan coverage in Puerto Rico. Issuers and employer sponsors of Puerto Rico group health plans and employer sponsors of Puerto Rico retirement plans should review their plans to ensure compliance and explore the possibilities provided by the recent guidance.

The Puerto Rico Department of the Treasury (the Hacienda) recently issued Circular Letter No. 13-02, formally extending the deadlines for the adoption of amendments and the filing for determination letters with the Hacienda.

Last week, on May 29, 2013, Puerto Rico’s governor, Alejandro García Padilla, signed S.B. 238 into law enacting Act No. 22, which prohibits employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, both in the public and private sectors.