ESOP services

Let Wipfli help you meet the requirements of your ESOP

Employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) have quite a few advantages to offer you and your employees, but they also come with a set of requirements. You need ongoing plan administration, an annual valuation and audit (if your plan has more than 100 eligible participants), and stock buy-back (repurchase obligations) forecasting.

With our full range of ESOP consultants and specialists, Wipfli can help.

Wipfli’s accredited appraisers understand ESOP regulations and how to provide a fair market valuation of your ESOP. Our CPAs understand the tax implications and strategies unique to your ESOP, as well as how your organization’s history and dynamics come into play. And our employee benefits services team specializes in the unique rules and regulations that apply to ESOP plans. You can rely on them to provide effective ESOP plan administration and more.

The range of ESOP services we provide include:

• Business valuations: Our appraisers have decades of experience performing ESOP valuations. We understand the factors that are unique to ESOPs and can provide you with an accurate valuation.
• ESOP plan audit: The Wipfli team audits all the required areas, from the valuation completed by an independent third party, to employee eligibility, to the ESOP’s contribution allocations and distributions.
• ESOP plan administration: As your ESOP plan administrator, Wipfli performs a range of services, including include annually determining employee eligibility, calculating vesting amounts, calculating the shares allocated based on loan repayments, and preparing tax forms such as Form 5500.
• Tax planning: Let Wipfli analyze and take you through the tax benefits specific to your organization’s ESOP.
• Forecasting: Wipfli helps you forecast out 5-10 years to predict what your cash outflow may look like so your business can adequately prepare to buy back the stocks of retiring employees.