This post has been updated to reflect subsequent changes made by the IRS, as further described in this post.

The Internal Revenue Service has released its annual cost-of-living adjustments applicable to employee benefit plans. A year-to-year comparison of limitations applicable to plan sponsors can be found here: Mayer Brown 2018 Annual Limitations Chart 2018 (updated to reflect changes described in this post).

Reflecting a slight uptick in inflation in the past year, several benefit plan limitation amounts will increase for 2018. Noteworthy changes for retirement plan participants include an increase in the elective deferral limitation for defined contribution plans from $18,000 to $18,500, which is the first such increase since 2015. The limit on compensation taken into account under qualified plans will rise from $270,000 to $275,000.

Health and welfare plan participants will also see some increases in the amounts contributable to health care flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts (although the latter increase comes at a price, namely, an increased minimum deductible for HSA-eligible high-deductible health plans). Small employers taking advantage of the fairly recent opportunity to provide Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangements (QSEHRAs) to eligible employees in 2018 can provide increased reimbursements of up to $10,250, up from $10,050, for family coverage. (QSEHRA maximums for self-only coverage will increase from $4,950 to $5,050.)