Responsive, engaged, knowledgable, and easy to talk to, Sarah Bhagwandin is someone clients come to see as a trusted advisor. Employee benefits law is complex – and Sarah’s depth of experience, astute judgment, and easy communication style make her ideally suited for partnering with clients to address the myriad of issues that can arise with employee benefit plans. 

Sarah excels at equipping clients to make informed and thoughtful decisions about their employee benefit plans. She strives to provide plan sponsors and fiduciaries with the most current legal and market developments and practical advice for responding to the same.

Sarah counsels clients on a broad range of employee benefits issues, including:

  • design, administration, and compliance of 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, 401(a) plans, 457 (b), and (f) plans
  • health and welfare plans
  • defined benefit plans
  • nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements

Areas of particular proficiency include:

  • qualified retirement plans
  • health and welfare plans
  • cafeteria/flexible benefit plans

Sarah advises public and private companies, governmental entities, and religious and other nonprofits. 

In addition to advising on ERISA and tax compliance, she regularly counsels clients on statutory and regulatory requirements under COBRA, HIPAA, the Affordable Care Act, and other applicable laws. Sarah frequently advises on correcting compliance errors and has successfully negotiated many resolutions of errors under the IRS and Department of Labor voluntary compliance programs and successfully represented clients in government audits.

The bottom line – Sarah is a dedicated lawyer with an energetic commitment to clients and their success.

Education

  • Seattle University School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude)
    • Indiana University (B.A.)

      Bar Admission

      • Colorado
      • Washington

      Professional Affiliations

      • Disability Law Colorado
        • President of the Board, 2023-2024
        • Vice President of the Board, 2021-2023
      • Colorado Women’s Bar Association,
      • Washington State Bar Association
      • Western Pension and Benefits Conference
      • American Bar Association
      • National Tax-Deferred Savings Association
      Publications
      All Publications
      Trump Accounts – Jump-Starting the Next Generation
      Key Takeaways: A new tax-favored savings vehicle for individuals under the age of 18 is now available. Employers wishing to offer this benefit must adopt the appropriate plan documents before making contributions to the accounts on behalf of their employees and/or their dependents. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act enacted Code §530A, which creates a tax-favored savings vehicle known as the “Trump Account.” The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently released Notice 2025-68, which provides some guidance with respect to Trump Accounts and announces their intent to issue regulations implementing Code §530A. The new rules apply to taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 2025, with contributions permitted beginning July 4, 2026. What Is a Trump Account and Who is Eligible? A Trump Account is a savings
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      Complying with the ACA Disclosure Requirements Just Got a Whole Lot Easier!
      New legislation liberalizing certain disclosure requirements under the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) was passed at the end of 2024.  Effective for 2024 reporting, mailing a paper copy of Forms 1095-C/1095-B is no longer required if the employer timely provides employees with proper notice by January 31, 2025. Under the ACA, Applicable Large Employers (ALEs) are required to provide minimum essential health care coverage to at least 95% of their full-time employees that meets “minimum value” and “affordability” standards, or potentially pay a penalty to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) under the ACA’s employer shared responsibility provisions. In connection with this requirement, health insurers and ALEs are required to provide full-time employees and employees with health care coverage with an annual IRS Form 1095-C/1095-B that
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