Impossible for New hire to be HCE in first year?

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OnLevel
Posts: 71
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2018 12:14 pm

Impossible for New hire to be HCE in first year?

Post by OnLevel »

Please help me make sure I am thinking through this right:

- I started a new job toward the end of 2022.
-My base salary is above the HCE amount so I will be an HCE for 2023 year
-Since the income I actually received in 2022 from the company is below HCE threshold, I am not considered HCE yet and the HCE contribution limits do not apply to me in 2023, but they will apply starting in 2024.

Is this correct? If it is, I will be able to max out after-tax contributions for mega-backdoor Roth purposes this year.
SRenaeP
Posts: 1126
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2010 8:05 pm

Re: Impossible for New hire to be HCE in first year?

Post by SRenaeP »

It depends on how your company elects to define HCE. There is the IRS limit, then companies have the option of limiting to those who are also in the top 20% of compensation across the company. Your company will notify you if you're categorized as HCE. My employer does an estimate in October for the next calendar year. However, I have heard of companies who don't provide notification until *after* the calendar year and return any excess contributions at that time.
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