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Law firms: Retirement plan census

Build an accurate employee and compensation file for a plan discussion. Describe ownership, compensation arrangements and the timing of collected fees, without exposing client matters.

Preparation resource. Record completion does not determine eligibility, deductions or tax savings. Ask your qualified tax professional to resolve the facts and applicable rules.

What this file should establish

Record the census date, employee categories, compensation source and expected changes. Keep private identifiers out of this public worksheet. Ask the administrator which additional records are needed for a design and funding comparison.

Describe ownership, compensation arrangements and the timing of collected fees, without exposing client matters.

A situation to work through

A firm collects a large fee near year end while partner payments reflect an older forecast.

For this situation, start with partner agreement. Identify the period and legal owner before combining it with the other records. Keep the original source and explain any adjustments in a separate reconciliation.

Review point

Prepare an updated entity and owner projection before treating a cash distribution as the final tax result.

A contribution model uses outdated staffing or compensation.

Question for the reviewer

Who validates the census and who owns plan administration and funding follow-up?

Expected handoff

A census-source register and provider responsibility map.

Separate facts supported by documents from estimates and unresolved assumptions. Assign each missing item to a responsible person and a date. Send the reconciliation alongside the source references so the reviewer can trace each conclusion.

Your preparation worksheet

Enter a reference to the document, the person who can supply it and the unresolved question. Use file names or locations rather than account numbers or other sensitive information. Entries stay in this page until you close or refresh it. They are not sent to us or saved automatically. Export before leaving.

Record or decisionSource referenceStatusResponsible personOpen question
partner agreement
distributions
fee collections
payroll
capital contributions
census date
employee categories
wage source
expected hiring
provider roles

Mark not applicable only after noting why. A collected record can still require correction. Review the exported file before sharing it with your adviser.

Continue this preparation file

Owner compensation evidence

Organize the facts behind owner duties and payments.

Benefit reporting file

Prepare the records behind benefits paid for owners and staff.

Expense reimbursement file

Connect owner-paid spending to supporting business records.

Quarterly projection inputs

Prepare a current operating and household input file.

Entity election readiness

Document the operating facts before evaluating an election.

Intercompany reconciliation

Trace transactions between entities to agreements and counterpart entries.

Capital purchase review

Separate planned and completed purchases from the tax treatment decision.

Year-end close preparation

Identify unresolved financial records before relying on the year-end figures.

Contract and obligation review

Organize agreements that affect the operating and cash-flow picture.

Prior-year issue register

Build a year-by-year record of suspected omissions or inconsistent reporting.

Advisor transition handoff

Make the source records and work responsibilities explicit during a transition.

All Law firms resources

Source and review boundaries

Use the following primary guidance to frame the questions. The worksheet organizes facts; it does not replace analysis of the relevant year, ownership, elections or state treatment. Record the applicable period, confirm the source version and retain the preparer's written conclusions with the supporting documents.

Published 2026-10-09. Prepared by AE Tax Advisors as an educational record-collection resource.

Focused implementation guides

Resolve the related evidence question before carrying a planning assumption into implementation.