IRS Proposes Anti-Cutback Relief for DB Sponsors in Bankruptcy

June 21, 2012 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued proposed regulations that would provide guidance under the anti-cutback rules of section 411(d)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Section 411(d)(6) generally prohibits plan amendments eliminating or reducing accrued benefits, early retirement benefits, retirement-type subsidies, and optional forms of benefits under qualified retirement plans. The proposed regulations would provide an additional limited exception to the anti-cutback rules to permit a plan sponsor that is a debtor in a bankruptcy proceeding to amend its single-employer defined benefit (DB) plan to eliminate a single-sum distribution option (or other optional form of benefit providing for accelerated payments) under the plan if certain specified conditions are satisfied.  

The conditions are: 

  • The enrolled actuary of the plan has certified that the plan’s adjusted funding target attainment percentage (as defined in section 436(j)(2)) for the plan year that contains the applicable amendment date is less than 100%; 
  • The plan is not permitted to pay any prohibited payment, due to application of the requirements of section  436(d)(2) of the Code and section 206(g)(3)(B) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), because the plan sponsor is a debtor in a bankruptcy case (that is, a case under title 11, United States Code, or under similar Federal or State law); 
  • The court overseeing the bankruptcy case has issued an order, after notice to each affected party (within the meaning of section 4001(a)(21) of ERISA) and a hearing, finding that the adoption of the amendment eliminating that optional form of benefit is necessary to avoid a distress termination of the plan pursuant to section 4041(c) of ERISA or an involuntary termination of the plan pursuant to section 4042 of ERISA before the plan sponsor emerges from bankruptcy (or before the bankruptcy case is otherwise completed); and 
  • The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) has issued a determination that the adoption of the amendment eliminating that optional form of benefit is necessary to avoid a distress or involuntary termination of the plan before the plan sponsor emerges from bankruptcy (or before the bankruptcy case is otherwise completed) and that the plan is not sufficient for guaranteed benefits within the meaning of section 4041(d)(2) of ERISA. 

The IRS noted that if the four conditions are satisfied, a single-sum distribution option or other optional form of benefit that includes a prohibited payment (generally a payment that is in excess of the monthly amounts payable under a single life annuity) would not currently be available and would not be available in the future. The plan would not currently be permitted to pay that optional form of benefit because section 436(d)(2) (which imposes restrictions on the payment of prohibited payments while the plan sponsor is in bankruptcy) bars the payment of such an optional form of benefit under these conditions.   

If the bankruptcy court and the PBGC each issued a determination that the plan would be terminated in a distress or involuntary termination unless that optional form of benefit were eliminated, the optional form of benefit would not be available after the plan termination, so its elimination would not result in the loss of a valuable right of a participant or beneficiary.  

The plan amendment would not eliminate or reduce early retirement benefits or retirement-type subsidies, which would continue to be available under the plan. Because the plan would not be terminated in a distress or involuntary termination, participants would continue to be credited with additional service under the plan and could become eligible for early retirement benefits and retirement-type subsidies, regardless of whether participants received benefit accruals with respect to the additional service.   

In addition, because the plan would not be terminated, the plan might have the opportunity to recover from its underfunded status.  

The regulations are proposed to apply to plan amendments that are adopted and effective after August 31.

Written or electronic comments must be received by August 20, and a public hearing is scheduled for August 24, at 10 a.m.  

The proposed regulations can be viewed, and comments submitted, here.

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