William S. Carter

Employers turn to attorney Bill Carter to help them design, implement, and administer the employee benefits and executive compensation plans they need to attract and retain talent.  

Offering competitive benefits in a cost-effective manner can be challenging in the heavily regulated sphere of employee benefits and executive compensation. Bill recognizes that the complex regulations may prove a trap for even the most diligent of employers, and he takes great satisfaction in helping employers arrive at benefit solutions that fit their needs within the existing regulatory scheme.

Bill represents governmental, public, and private employers of all sizes in a variety of circumstances, including drafting qualified, nonqualified, and welfare benefit plans; preparing amendments and employee communications; and identifying and correcting potential issues in employer benefit plans. He has assisted employers in resolving potential issues in their non-qualified deferred compensation plans under sections 457 and 409A of the Internal Revenue Code and routinely represents employers before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Recognizing that an ounce of prevention is often worth a pound of the cure, Bill assists employers in implementing processes for properly administering their plans, including fiduciary processes and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy policies, procedures, and training.

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Bill’s experience also includes:

• representing employers before the IRS in matters involving tax-qualified plans, including determination letter requests, assessments of employer shared responsibility payments, Qualified Separate Lines of Business (QSLOB) notices, Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS) corrections, and plan audits;
• advising employers on, and assisting them with, meeting their employee benefit plan compliance obligations, including HIPAA privacy and security requirements, COBRA obligations, Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) fiduciary duties, nondiscrimination testing, and qualification requirements for 401(a), 401(k), and 403(b) plans;
• advising employers on executive compensation matters, including the drafting of 409A-compliant nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements;
• counseling buyers and sellers regarding issues arising with respect to benefit plans in mergers and acquisitions;
• counseling clients in pension derisking, including defined benefit plan terminations and risk transfers to insurers; and
• consulting with clients on income tax and payroll tax reporting and withholding obligations in connection with employee benefit plans and fringe benefits.

Before joining Epstein Becker Green, Bill was a partner at a national law firm, where he focused on employee benefits, executive compensation, and tax law.

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Education

• University of Pittsburgh School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 2009)
  • Order of the Coif
• Robert Morris University (B.A., magna cum laude, 2005)

Professional & Community Involvement

• Allegheny County Bar Association