03-17089. Elimination of Forms of Distribution in Defined Contribution Plans

AGENCY:

Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury.

ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking.

SUMMARY:

This document contains proposed regulations that would modify the circumstances under which certain forms of distribution previously available are permitted to be eliminated from qualified defined contribution plans. These proposed regulations affect qualified retirement plan sponsors, administrators, and participants. This document also provides notice of a public hearing on these proposed regulations.

DATES:

Written and electronic comments and requests for a public hearing must be received by October 6, 2003.

ADDRESSES:

Send submissions to: CC:PA:RU (REG-112039-03), room 5226, Internal Revenue Service, POB 7604, Ben Franklin Station, Washington, DC 20044. Submissions may be hand delivered Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to: CC:PA:RU (REG-112039-03), Courier's Desk, Internal Revenue Service, 1111 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC. Alternatively, taxpayers may submit comments electronically directly to the IRS Internet site at: www.irs.gov/​regs.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Concerning the regulations, Vernon S. Carter, 202-622-6060 (not a toll-free number); concerning submissions or hearing requests, Guy Traynor, 202-622-7180 (not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

 

Explanation of Provisions

This document contains proposed amendments to 26 CFR part 1 under section 411(d)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (Code) as amended by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA) (115 Stat. 117). Section 411(d)(6)(A) of the Code generally provides that a plan will not be treated as satisfying the requirements of section 411 if the accrued benefit of a participant is decreased by a plan amendment. Section 411(d)(6)(B) prior to amendment by EGTRRA provided that an amendment is treated as reducing an accrued benefit if, with respect to benefits accrued before the amendment is adopted, the amendment has the effect of either eliminating or reducing an early retirement benefit or a retirement-type subsidy, or, except as provided by regulations, eliminating an optional form of benefit.

The IRS published TD 8900 in the Federal Register on September 6, 2000 (65 FR 53901). TD 8900, which amended § 1.411(d)-4 of the Income Tax Regulations, added paragraph (e) of Q&A-2 to provide for additional circumstances under which a defined contribution plan can be amended to eliminate or restrict a participant's right to receive payment of accrued benefits under certain optional forms of benefit.

Section 1.411(d)-4, Q&A-2(e)(1) provides that a defined contribution plan may be amended to eliminate or restrict a participant's right to receive payment of accrued benefits under a particular optional form of benefit without violating the section 411(d)(6) anti-cutback rules if, once the plan amendment takes effect for a participant, the alternative forms of payment that remain available to the participant include payment in a single-sum distribution form that is “otherwise identical” to the eliminated or restricted optional form of benefit. The amendment cannot apply to a participant for any distribution with an annuity starting date before the earlier of the 90th day after the participant receives a summary that reflects the plan amendment and that satisfies Department of Labor's requirements for a summary of material modifications under 29 CFR 2520.104b-3, or the first day of the second plan year following the plan year in which the amendment is adopted. Section § 1.411(d)-4, Q&A-2(e)(2) provides that a single-sum distribution form is “otherwise identical” to the optional form of benefit that is being eliminated or restricted only if it is identical in all respects (or would be identical except that it provides greater rights to the participant), except for the timing of payments after commencement. A single-sum distribution form is not “otherwise identical” to a specified installment form of benefit if the single-sum form:

• Is not available for distribution on any date on which the installment form could have commenced;
• is not available in the same medium as the installment form; or
• imposes any additional condition of eligibility.

Further, an otherwise identical distribution form need not retain any rights or features of the eliminated or restricted optional form of benefit to the extent those rights or features would not be protected from elimination under the anti-cutback rules. The single-sum distribution form would not, however, be disqualified from being an otherwise identical distribution form if the single-sum form provides greater rights to participants than did the eliminated or restricted optional form of benefits.

Section 645(a)(1) of EGTRRA revised section 411(d)(6) in a manner that is similar to § 1.411(d)-4, Q&A-2(e), but without the advance notice condition. Section 411(d)(6)(E) of the Code provides that, except to the extent provided in regulations, a defined contribution plan is not treated as reducing a participant's accrued benefit where a plan amendment eliminates a form of distribution previously available under the plan if a single-sum distribution is available to the participant at the same time as the form of distribution eliminated by the amendment, and the single-sum distribution is based on the same or greater portion of the participant's account as the form of distribution eliminated by the amendment.

To reflect the addition of section 411(d)(6)(E) by EGTRRA, these proposed regulations would amend § 1.411(d)-4, Q&A-2(e). Under these amendments, the regulations would retain the rules under which a defined contribution plan may be amended to eliminate or restrict a participant's right to receive payment of accrued benefits under a particular optional form of benefit without violating the section 411(d)(6) anti-cutback rules if, once the plan amendment takes effect for a participant, the alternative forms of payment that remain available to the participant include payment in a single-sum distribution. However, these proposed regulations would remove the 90-day notice condition previously applicable to these plan amendments.^[1]

Under section 101 of Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1978 (43 FR 47713), the Secretary of the Treasury has interpretive jurisdiction over the subject matter addressed in these regulations for purposes of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), as well as the Code. Section 204(g)(2) of ERISA, as amended by EGTRRA, provides a parallel rule to section 411(d)(6)(E) of the Code that applies under Title I of ERISA, and authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to provide exception to this parallel ERISA requirement. Therefore, these regulations apply for purposes of the parallel requirements of sections 204(g)(2) of ERISA, as well as for section 411(d)(6)(E) of the Code.

Effective Date and Applicability Date

The proposed regulations are proposed to apply on the date of publication of final regulations in the Federal Register.

Special Analyses

It has been determined that this Treasury decision is not a significant regulatory action as defined in Executive Order 12866. Therefore, a regulatory assessment is not required. It also has been determined that section 553(b) of the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. chapter 5) does not apply to these regulations, and because the regulation does not impose a collection of information on small entities, the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. chapter 6) does not apply. Pursuant to section 7805(f) of the Code, this notice of proposed rulemaking will be submitted to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration for comment on its impact on small business.

Drafting Information

The principal author of these regulations is Vernon S. Carter of the Office of the Division Counsel/Associate Chief Counsel (Tax Exempt and Government Entities). However, other personnel from the IRS and Treasury participated in their development.

List of Subjects in 26 CFR Parts 1

• Income taxes
• Reporting and recordkeeping requirements

Amendments to the Regulations

Accordingly, 26 CFR part 1 is proposed to be amended as follows:

Paragraph 1. The authority citation for part 1 is amended to read in part as follows:

Authority: 26 U.S.C. 7805 * * *

Section 1.411(d)-4, Q&A-2(e) also issued under 26 U.S.C. 411(d)(6)(E). * * *

Par. 2. Section 1.411(d)-4, Q&A-2(e) is revised to read as follows:

§ 1.411(d)-4

Section 411(d)(6) protected benefits.

* * * * *

A-2: * * *

(e) Permitted plan amendments affecting alternative forms of payment under defined contribution plans—(1) General rule. A defined contribution plan does not violate the requirements of section 411(d)(6) merely because the plan is amended to eliminate or restrict the ability of a participant to receive payment of accrued benefits under a particular optional form of benefit if, after the plan amendment is effective with respect to the participant, the alternative forms of payment available to the participant include payment in a single-sum distribution form that is otherwise identical to the optional form of benefit that is being eliminated or restricted.

(2) Otherwise identical single-sum distribution. For purposes of this paragraph (e), a single-sum distribution form is otherwise identical to an optional form of benefit that is eliminated or restricted pursuant to paragraph (e)(1) of this Q&A-2 only if the single-sum distribution form is identical in all respects to the eliminated or restricted optional form of benefit (or would be identical except that it provides greater rights to the participant) except with respect to the timing of payments after commencement. For example, a single-sum distribution form is not otherwise identical to a specified installment form of benefit if the single-sum distribution form is not available for distribution on the date on which the installment form would have been available for commencement, is not available in the same medium of distribution as the installment form, or imposes any condition of eligibility that did not apply to the installment form. However, an otherwise identical distribution form need not retain rights or features of the optional form of benefit that is eliminated or restricted to the extent that those rights or features would not be protected from elimination or restriction under section 411(d)(6) or this section.

(3) Example. The following example illustrates the application of this paragraph (e):

Example.

(i) P is a participant in Plan M, a qualified profit-sharing plan with a calendar plan year that is invested in mutual funds. The distribution forms available to P under Plan M include a distribution of P's vested account balance under Plan M in the form of distribution of various annuity contract forms (including a single life annuity and a joint and survivor annuity). The annuity payments under the annuity contract forms begin as of the first day of the month following P's severance from employment (or as of the first day of any subsequent month, subject to the requirements of section 401(a)(9)). P has not previously elected payment of benefits in the form of a life annuity, and Plan M is not a direct or indirect transferee of any plan that is a defined benefit plan or a defined contribution plan that is subject to section 412. Distributions on the death of a participant are made in accordance with plan provisions that comply with section 401(a)(11)(B)(iii)(I). On May 2, 2004, Plan M is amended so that, after the amendment is effective, P is no longer entitled to any distribution in the form of the distribution of an annuity contract. However, after the amendment is effective, P is entitled to receive a single-sum cash distribution of P's vested account balance under Plan M payable as of the first day of the month following P's severance from employment (or as of the first day of any subsequent month, subject to the requirements of section 401(a)(9)). The amendment does not apply to P if P elects to have annuity payments begin before July 1, 2004.

(ii) Plan M does not violate the requirements of section 411(d)(6) (or section 401(a)(11)) merely because, as of July 1, 2004, the plan amendment has eliminated P's option to receive a distribution in any of the various annuity contract forms previously available.

(4) Effective date. This paragraph (e) is applicable on the date of publication of final regulations in the Federal Register.

* * * * *

Robert E. Wenzel,

Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement.

Footnotes

1.  The Department of Labor has advised Treasury and the IRS that it should be noted that plans covered by Title I of ERISA will continue to be subject to the requirement under Title I that plan amendments be described in a timely summary of material modifications (SMM) or a revised summary plan description (SPD) to be distributed to plan participants and beneficiaries in accordance with applicable Department of Labor disclosure rules (see 29 CFR 2520.104b-3).”