Ingrid Boyd’s takeaways for plan sponsors from the PLANSPONSOR 2026 National Conference

At this year’s PLANSPONSOR National Conference 2026 in Nashville, one thing was clear: plan sponsors are facing increasing complexity while being asked to deliver a better participant experience, stronger governance and greater operational efficiency. The conference brought together retirement leaders, fiduciaries, advisers and service providers to discuss regulatory updates, administration challenges and the evolving role of retirement plans in supporting workforce goals.

After more than 20 years in the industry, I’ve seen priorities shift as regulations and business needs change. But many of the conversations this year pointed to the same core challenge: sponsors are being asked to do more, often with leaner internal teams and tighter timelines.

Here are five takeaways that stood out from my conversations with plan sponsors, advisers and other service providers in Nashville.

Operational efficiency is becoming just as important as compliance.

Many plan sponsors are rethinking how much internal time and effort the audit process requires. The focus is no longer just “passing the audit.” It’s whether the process is efficient, organized and minimally disruptive to HR, payroll, finance and benefits teams.

In that context, sponsors highlighted opportunities to streamline audit requests and timelines, particularly as their systems and internal workflows continue to evolve.

Plan complexity is expanding beyond the traditional 401(k).

As benefit offerings grow, sponsors are increasingly managing multiple plan structures and unique arrangements. Conversations reflected a growing need for advisors who understand the full employee benefits landscape, not just one plan type.

This includes support across a wide range of plans, such as:

• 401(k)/403(b)
• ESOPs
• Unions
• Apprentice
• Defined benefit
• Welfare plans including MEWAs
• Multi-employer plans
• Multiple employer plans
• PEPs
• Payroll compliance audits

Sponsors increasingly want a provider that can scale with changing plan design and organizational growth, rather than revisiting provider relationships every time the structure changes. Sikich audits benefit plans of all types and sizes and frequently works with sponsors navigating these evolving structures.

Fiduciary expectations continue to rise.

Whether in formal sessions or side conversations, plan leaders are focused on documentation, oversight, and demonstrating prudent decision-making. This includes governance processes, committee documentation, operational controls, participant communications, and vendor oversight.

With growing regulatory scrutiny, sponsors are recognizing that strong governance requires year-round attention, not just ahead of filing deadlines.

Technology is changing expectations for the audit experience.

Sponsors are increasingly asking why audits still feel manual when so many systems are integrated.

Questions around payroll feeds, secure document exchange, automated testing support, and data readiness came up repeatedly. In many cases, sponsors aren’t looking for a completely different audit. They’re seeking one that better reflects how their internal systems already work.

This creates an opportunity for audit providers who can reduce friction through better planning, technology integration, and smarter information requests.

The best audit relationships are becoming strategic relationships.

This may have been the strongest theme: sponsors want more from their advisors than annual compliance. They’re looking for practitioners who understand plan operations, identify process improvements, and anticipate issues before they become year-end challenges.

The firms building the strongest relationships are those that bring broader perspective around operations, internal controls, and benefit plan governance.

Looking ahead to next audit season

As we move into planning for the next audit cycle, many sponsors are evaluating whether their current process still aligns with their plan’s complexity and their team’s resources.

That evaluation often starts with a simple question: Is your current 401k/ 403b audit process helping your team or creating unnecessary work? We created a practical resource to help assess this and more: