To be a well-informed participant in your company's nonqualified deferred compensation (NQDC) plan, you must know these related financial-planning concepts.

The issue of financial and/or medical hardships that may permit early distributions from nonqualified deferred compensation plans is controlled by the IRC Section 409A rules on “unforeseeable emergencies.” For example, according to several law firms and NQDC consultants, hardships stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic may qualify as unforeseen financial emergencies that allow early payout under Section 409A…