Designated Roth Contributions to Cash or Deferred Arrangements Under Section 401(k), 6-11 [05-24495]

Download as PDF 6 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 1 / Tuesday, January 3, 2006 / Rules and Regulations rmajette on DSK29S0YB1PROD with RULES6 drug application (NADA) filed by Elanco Animal Health. The supplemental NADA revises the description of growing cattle fed monensin Type C medicated feeds for increased rate of weight gain and for prevention and control of coccidiosis. DATES: This rule is effective January 3, 2006. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eric S. Dubbin, Center for Veterinary Medicine (HFV–126), Food and Drug Administration, 7500 Standish Pl., Rockville, MD 20855, 301–827–0232, email: edubbin@cvm.fda.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Elanco Animal Health, A Division of Eli Lilly & Co., Lilly Corporate Center, Indianapolis, IN 46285, filed a supplement to NADA 95–735 that provides for the use of RUMENSIN 80 (monensin sodium) Type A medicated article. The supplemental NADA revises the description of growing cattle fed monensin Type C medicated feeds for increased rate of weight gain and for prevention and control of coccidiosis. The supplemental NADA is approved as of November 18, 2005, and the regulations in 21 CFR 558.355 are amended to reflect the approval. The basis of approval is discussed in the freedom of information summary. In accordance with the freedom of information provisions of 21 CFR part 20 and 21 CFR 514.11(e)(2)(ii), a summary of safety and effectiveness data and information submitted to support approval of this application may be seen in the Division of Dockets Management (HFA–305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. The agency has determined under 21 CFR 25.33(a)(1) that this action is of a type that does not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment. Therefore, neither an environmental assessment nor an environmental impact statement is required. This rule does not meet the definition of ‘‘rule’’ in 5 U.S.C. 804(3)(A) because it is a rule of ‘‘particular applicability.’’ Therefore, it is not subject to the congressional review requirements in 5 U.S.C. 801–808. List of Subjects in 21 CFR Part 558 Animal drugs, Animal feeds. ■ Therefore, under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and under authority delegated to the Commissioner of Food and Drugs and redelegated to the Center for Veterinary Medicine, 21 CFR part 558 is amended as follows: VerDate Mar<15>2010 10:44 Nov 10, 2010 Jkt 223001 PART 558—NEW ANIMAL DRUGS FOR USE IN ANIMAL FEEDS 1. The authority citation for 21 CFR part 558 continues to read as follows: ■ 2. In § 558.355, in paragraph (f)(3)(iii)(b), remove ‘‘Feed to pasture cattle (slaughter, stocker, feeder, and dairy and beef replacement heifers).’’; and revise paragraphs (f)(3)(iii)(a), (f)(3)(x)(a), and (f)(3)(x)(c) to read as follows: ■ Monensin. * * * * * (f) * * * (3) * * * (iii) * * * (a) Indications for use. Growing cattle on pasture or in dry lot (stocker and feeder cattle and dairy and beef replacement heifers): For increased rate of weight gain; for prevention and control of coccidiosis due to Eimeria bovis and E. zuernii. * * * * * (x) * * * (a) Indications for use. Growing cattle on pasture or in dry lot (stocker and feeder cattle and dairy and beef replacement heifers): For increased rate of weight gain; for prevention and control of coccidiosis due to Eimeria bovis and E. zuernii. * * * * * (c) Limitations. Feed at a rate of 50 to 200 milligrams per head per day. During the first 5 days of feeding, cattle should receive no more than 100 milligrams per day. Do not feed additional salt or minerals. Do not mix with grain or other feeds. Monensin is toxic to cattle when consumed at higher than approved levels. Stressed and/or feed- and/or water-deprived cattle should be adapted to the pasture and to unmedicated mineral supplement before using the monensin mineral supplement. The product’s effectiveness in cull cows and bulls has not been established. Consumption by unapproved species may result in toxic reactions. * * * * * Dated: December 14, 2005. Stephen D. Vaughn, Director, Office of New Animal Drug Evaluation, Center for Veterinary Medicine. [FR Doc. 05–24671 Filed 12–30–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4160–01–S PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 Internal Revenue Service 26 CFR Parts 1 and 602 [TD 9237] Authority: 21 U.S.C. 360b, 371. § 558.355 DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY RIN 1545–BE05 Designated Roth Contributions to Cash or Deferred Arrangements Under Section 401(k) AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Final regulations. SUMMARY: This document contains amendments to the regulations under section 401(k) and (m) of the Internal Revenue Code. These regulations provide guidance concerning the requirements for designated Roth contributions under qualified cash or deferred arrangements described in section 401(k). These regulations affect section 401(k) plans that provide for designated Roth contributions and participants eligible to make elective contributions under these plans. DATES: Effective Date: These regulations are effective January 1, 2006. Applicability Date: These regulations apply to plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2006. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cathy A. Vohs, 202–622–6090 or R. Lisa Mojiri-Azad, 202–622–6060 (not tollfree numbers). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Paperwork Reduction Act The collection of information contained in these final regulations has been reviewed and approved by the Office of Management and Budget in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3507(d)) under control number 1545– 1930. The collection of information in these regulations is in 26 CFR 1.401(k)– 1(f)(1)&(2). This information is required to comply with the separate accounting and recordkeeping requirements of section 402A. The estimated annual burden per respondent under control number 1545– 1930 is 1 hour. Comments concerning the accuracy of this burden estimate and suggestions for reducing this burden should be sent to the Internal Revenue Service, Attn: IRS Reports Clearance Officer, SE:CAR:MP:T:T:SP Washington, DC 20224, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Attn: Desk Officer for the Department of the Treasury, Office of E:\FR\FM\03JAR1.SGM 03JAR1 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 1 / Tuesday, January 3, 2006 / Rules and Regulations rmajette on DSK29S0YB1PROD with RULES6 Information and Regulatory Affairs, Washington, DC 20503. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid control number assigned by the Office of Management and Budget. Books or records relating to a collection of information must be retained as long as their contents might become material in the administration of any Internal Revenue law. Generally, tax returns and tax return information are confidential, as required by 26 U.S.C. 6103. Background This document contains amendments to the Income Tax Regulations (26 CFR Part 1) under section 401(k) and (m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (Code). The amendments provide guidance on designated Roth contributions under section 402A of the Code, added by section 617(a) of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (Pub. L. 107– 16, 115 Stat. 38) (EGTRRA). Section 401(k) provides that a profitsharing, stock bonus, pre-ERISA money purchase or rural cooperative plan will not fail to qualify under section 401(a) merely because it contains a qualified cash or deferred arrangement. Contributions made at the election of an employee under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement are known as elective contributions. Generally, such elective contributions are not includible in gross income at the time contributed and are sometimes referred to as pre-tax elective contributions. Under section 402A, effective for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2006, a plan may permit an employee who makes elective contributions under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement to designate some or all of those contributions as designated Roth contributions. Designated Roth contributions are elective contributions under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement that, unlike pre-tax elective contributions, are currently includible in gross income. However, a qualified distribution of designated Roth contributions is excludable from gross income. Although designated Roth contributions under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement bear some similarity to contributions to a Roth IRA described in section 408A (e.g., contributions to either type of account are after-tax contributions and qualified distributions from either type of account are excludable from gross income), there are many differences between these VerDate Mar<15>2010 10:44 Nov 10, 2010 Jkt 223001 types of arrangements. For example, under section 408A(c)(3), an individual is ineligible to make Roth IRA contributions if his or her modified adjusted gross income exceeds certain limits, but section 402A does not impose any comparable income limits on an individual’s eligibility to make designated Roth contributions under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement. In addition, under section 408A(d)(3), a traditional IRA may be converted to a Roth IRA, but section 402A does not provide for a conversion of a pre-tax elective contribution account under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement to a designated Roth account. Also, under section 408A(d)(4), specific ordering rules apply to distributions from Roth IRAs. Section 402A, however, does not provide a specific ordering rule for distributions from designated Roth accounts, so section 72 applies to determine the character of distributions from such accounts. On December 29, 2004, final regulations under section 401(k) were issued (69 FR 78144). Those regulations generally apply to plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2006, although they also may be applied to plan years ending after December 29, 2004. Under those final regulations, § 1.401(k)–1(f) was reserved for special rules for designated Roth contributions. On March 2, 2005, proposed regulations to fill in that reserved paragraph and provide additional rules applicable to designated Roth contributions were issued (70 FR 10062). Written public comments were received on the proposed regulations and public reaction to the proposed regulations generally was favorable. After consideration of the comments, these final regulations adopt the provisions of the proposed regulations with certain modifications, the most significant of which are highlighted below. Explanation of Provisions Rules Relating to Designated Roth Contributions These final regulations retain the special rules which were included in the proposed regulations relating to designated Roth contributions under a section 401(k) plan. Thus, these final regulations amend § 1.401(k)–1(f) to provide a definition of designated Roth contributions and special rules with respect to such contributions. Under these final regulations, designated Roth contributions are defined as elective contributions under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement that are: (1) Designated irrevocably by the employee at the time of the cash or deferred PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 7 election as designated Roth contributions that are being made in lieu of all or a portion of the pre-tax elective contributions the employee is otherwise eligible to make under the plan; (2) treated by the employer as includible in the employee’s gross income at the time the employee would have received the contribution amounts in cash if the employee had not made the cash or deferred election (e.g., by treating the contributions as wages subject to applicable withholding requirements); and (3) maintained by the plan in a separate account. The regulations also provide that elective contributions may only be treated as designated Roth contributions to the extent permitted under the plan. Some commentators requested that an employer sponsoring a qualified cash or deferred arrangement be permitted to offer only designated Roth contributions. However, under section 402A(b)(1), designated Roth contributions are made in lieu of all or a portion of elective contributions that the employee is otherwise eligible to make under the cash or deferred arrangement. If a cash or deferred arrangement offered only designated Roth contributions, an employee participating in the arrangement would not be electing to make such contributions in lieu of elective contributions he or she was otherwise eligible to make under the plan. Thus, these final regulations clarify that, in order to provide for designated Roth contributions, a qualified cash or deferred arrangement must also offer pre-tax elective contributions. Separate Accounting Requirement These final regulations also retain the rule that, under the separate accounting requirement, contributions and withdrawals of designated Roth contributions must be credited and debited to a designated Roth account maintained for the employee and the plan must maintain a record of the employee’s investment in the contract (i.e., designated Roth contributions that have not been distributed) with respect to the employee’s designated Roth account. In addition, gains, losses, and other credits or charges must be separately allocated on a reasonable and consistent basis to the designated Roth account and other accounts under the plan. The proposed regulations provided that forfeitures may not be allocated to the designated Roth account. The final regulations retain this rule and, in response to comments, clarify that no contributions other than designated Roth contributions and rollover contributions described in E:\FR\FM\03JAR1.SGM 03JAR1 8 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 1 / Tuesday, January 3, 2006 / Rules and Regulations rmajette on DSK29S0YB1PROD with RULES6 section 402A(c)(3)(B) are permitted to be allocated to a designated Roth account. For example, matching contributions are not permitted to be allocated to a designated Roth account. The final regulations also retain the rule that the separate accounting requirement applies at the time the designated Roth contribution is contributed to the plan and must continue to apply until the designated Roth account is completely distributed. Other Rules These final regulations retain the requirement that a designated Roth contribution must satisfy the requirements applicable to any other elective contributions made under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement. Thus, designated Roth contributions are subject to the nonforfeitability and distribution restrictions applicable to elective contributions and are taken into account under the actual deferral percentage test (ADP test) of section 401(k)(3) in the same manner as pre-tax elective contributions. Similarly, designated Roth contributions may be treated as catch-up contributions and serve as the basis for a participant loan. A number of commentators discussed the application of section 401(a)(9) to plans to which designated Roth contributions are made. These commentators pointed out that under section 408A, Roth IRAs are not subject to the rules of section 401(a)(9)(A) (i.e., Roth IRAs are not subject to the rules of section 401(a)(9) while the Roth IRA owner is alive). Although Roth IRAs are not subject to section 401(a)(9) while the IRA owner is alive, section 402A does not provide comparable rules regarding the application of section 401(a)(9) to designated Roth accounts under a cash or deferred arrangement. Thus, such designated Roth accounts are subject to the rules of section 401(a)(9)(A) and (B) in the same manner as pre-tax elective contributions. In response to comments asking for clarification, the final regulations provide rules regarding elections to make designated Roth contributions. These rules specifically provide that the rules in § 1.401(k)–1(e)(2)(ii) regarding frequency of elections to make pre-tax elective contributions also apply to elections to make designated Roth contributions. The rules also specifically address automatic enrollment and permit a plan to utilize automatic enrollment in conjunction with designated Roth contributions. Under the final regulations, a plan that provides for a cash or deferred election under which contributions are made in the absence of an affirmative election VerDate Mar<15>2010 10:44 Nov 10, 2010 Jkt 223001 and that has both pre-tax elective contributions and designated Roth contributions must set forth the extent to which those default contributions are pre-tax elective contributions or designated Roth contributions. If the default contributions are designated Roth contributions, then an employee who has not made an affirmative election is deemed to have irrevocably designated the contributions (in accordance with section 402A(c)(1)(B)) as designated Roth contributions. A number of commentators addressed direct rollovers of amounts from a designated Roth account. In response to these comments, the regulations clarify that a direct rollover from a designated Roth account under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement may only be made to another designated Roth account under an applicable retirement plan described in section 402A(e)(1) or to a Roth IRA described in section 408A, and only to the extent the direct rollover is permitted under the rules of section 402(c). In addition, a plan is permitted to treat the balance of the participant’s designated Roth account and the participant’s other accounts under the plan as accounts held under two separate plans (within the meaning of section 414(l)) for purposes of applying the special rule in A–11 of § 1.401(a)(31)–1 (under which a plan will satisfy section 401(a)(31) even though the plan administrator does not permit any distributee to elect a direct rollover with respect to eligible rollover distributions during a year that are reasonably expected to total less than $200). Thus, if a participant’s balance in the designated Roth account is less than $200, then the plan is not required to offer a direct rollover election with respect to that account or to apply the automatic rollover provisions of section 401(a)(31)(B) with respect to that account. Section 1.401(k)–2 contains correction methods that may be used when a plan fails to satisfy the ADP test for a year. These final regulations retain the rule in the proposed regulations relating to these correction methods that permits a highly compensated employee (HCE), as defined in section 414(q), with elective contributions for a year that include both pre-tax elective contributions and designated Roth contributions to elect whether excess contributions are to be attributed to pre-tax elective contributions or designated Roth contributions. There is no requirement that the plan provide this option, and a plan may provide for one of the correction methods described in the final regulations without permitting an HCE to make such an election. PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 These final regulations also retain the rule that a distribution of excess contributions is not includible in gross income to the extent it represents a distribution of designated Roth contributions. However, the income allocable to a corrective distribution of excess contributions that are designated Roth contributions is includible in gross income in the same manner as income allocable to a corrective distribution of excess contributions that are pre-tax elective contributions. The regulations also provide a similar rule under the correction methods that may be used when a plan fails to satisfy the actual contribution percentage (ACP) test in § 1.401(m)–2. Additional Plan Terms In addition to the rules relating to section 401(k) and (m) discussed above, there are other aspects of designated Roth contributions that would be reflected in plan terms and are not addressed in these regulations. For example, while a plan is permitted to allow an employee to elect the character of a distribution (i.e., whether the distribution will be made from the designated Roth account or other accounts), the extent to which a plan so permits must be set forth in the terms of the plan. Certain Issues Addressed in Proposed Regulations These final regulations do not provide guidance with respect to the taxation of distributions of designated Roth contributions. For example, the regulations do not provide guidance with respect to the recovery of an employee’s investment in the contract associated with his or her designated Roth contributions. Proposed regulations under section 402A, to be issued in the near future, address these taxation issues. Effective Date Section 402A is effective for an employee’s taxable years beginning after December 31, 2005. These regulations have the same effective date as the regulations under section 401(k) that they are amending. Thus, these final regulations are generally applicable to plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2006. If a plan is applying the section 401(k) regulations as of an earlier effective date (as provided under those regulations), to the extent that section 402A is effective, that same early effective date applies to these regulations. For a plan that has an effective date for the section 401(k) regulations that is after the effective date of section 402A (either an employer that E:\FR\FM\03JAR1.SGM 03JAR1 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 1 / Tuesday, January 3, 2006 / Rules and Regulations does not have a calendar year plan or a plan established pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement that has a delayed effective date for the section 401(k) regulations), the employer may rely on these regulations prior to the effective date of the final section 401(k) regulations for the plan, even if the plan does not otherwise implement the section 401(k) regulations earlier than required. These regulations do not provide rules for the application of the EGTRRA sunset provision (section 901 of EGTRRA), under which the provisions of EGTRRA do not apply to taxable, plan, or limitation years beginning after December 31, 2010. Unless the EGTRRA sunset provision is repealed before it becomes effective, additional guidance will be needed to clarify its application. Special Analyses It has been determined that these regulations are not a significant regulatory action as defined in Executive Order 12866. Therefore, a regulatory assessment is not required. It has also been determined that 5 U.S.C. 553(b) does not apply to these regulations. It is hereby certified that the collection of information in these regulations will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. This certification is based on the fact that most small entities that maintain a section 401(k) plan use a third party provider to administer the plan. Therefore, an analysis under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. chapter 6) is not required. Pursuant to section 7805(f) of the Code, the proposed regulations preceding these regulations were submitted to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration for comment on its impact on small business. Drafting Information The principal authors of these regulations are R. Lisa Mojiri-Azad and Cathy A. Vohs 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 the development of these regulations. rmajette on DSK29S0YB1PROD with RULES6 List of Subjects 26 CFR Part 1 (1.401–0—1.420–1) Bonds; Employee benefit plans; Income taxes; Pensions; Reporting and recordkeeping requirements; Securities; Trusts and trustees. 26 CFR Part 602 Reporting and recordkeeping requirements. VerDate Mar<15>2010 10:44 Nov 10, 2010 Jkt 223001 Adoption of Amendments to the Regulations Accordingly, 26 CFR part 1 is amended as follows: ■ PART 1—INCOME TAXES Paragraph 1. The authority citation for part 1 continues to read, in part, as follows: ■ Authority: 26 U.S.C. 7805 * * * Par. 2. Section 1.401(k)–0 is amended as follows: 1. The entry for § 1.40(k)–1(f) is revised and entries for § 1.401(k)–1(f)(1), (2), (3), (4) and (5) are added. 2. An entry for § 1.401(k)– 2(b)(2)(vi)(C) is added. The additions read as follows: ■ § 1.401(k)–0 * * Table of contents. * * * § 1.401(k)–1 Certain cash or deferred arrangements. * * * * * (f) Special rules for designated Roth contributions. (1) In general. (2) Separate accounting required. (3) Designated Roth contributions must satisfy rules applicable to elective contributions. (i) In general. (ii) Special rules for direct rollovers. (4) Rules regarding designated Roth contribution elections. (i) Frequency of elections. (ii) Default elections. (5) Effective date. (i) In general. (ii) Sunset provisions. * * * * * § 1.401(k)–2 ADP test. * * * * * (b) * * * (2) * * * (vi) * * * (C) Corrective distributions attributable to designated Roth contributions. * * * * * ■ Par. 3. Section 1.401(k)–1(f) is revised as follows: § 1.401(k)–1 Certain cash or deferred arrangements. * * * * * (f) Special rules for designated Roth contributions—(1) In general. The term designated Roth contribution means an elective contribution under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement that, to the extent permitted under the plan, is— (i) Designated irrevocably by the employee at the time of the cash or deferred election as a designated Roth PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 9 contribution that is being made in lieu of all or a portion of the pre-tax elective contributions the employee is otherwise eligible to make under the plan; (ii) Treated by the employer as includible in the employee’s gross income at the time the employee would have received the amount in cash if the employee had not made the cash or deferred election (e.g., by treating the contributions as wages subject to applicable withholding requirements); and (iii) Maintained by the plan in a separate account (in accordance with paragraph (f)(2) of this section). (2) Separate accounting required. Under the separate accounting requirement of this paragraph (f)(2), contributions and withdrawals of designated Roth contributions must be credited and debited to a designated Roth account maintained for the employee and the plan must maintain a record of the employee’s investment in the contract (i.e., designated Roth contributions that have not been distributed) with respect to the employee’s designated Roth account. In addition, gains, losses, and other credits or charges must be separately allocated on a reasonable and consistent basis to the designated Roth account and other accounts under the plan. However, forfeitures may not be allocated to the designated Roth account and no contributions other than designated Roth contributions and rollover contributions described in section 402A(c)(3)(B) may be allocated to such account. The separate accounting requirement applies at the time the designated Roth contribution is contributed to the plan and must continue to apply until the designated Roth account is completely distributed. (3) Designated Roth contributions must satisfy rules applicable to elective contributions—(i) In general. A designated Roth contribution must satisfy the requirements applicable to elective contributions made under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement. Thus, for example, a designated Roth contribution must satisfy the requirements of paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section and is treated as an employer contribution for purposes of sections 401(a), 401(k), 402, 404, 409, 411, 412, 415, 416 and 417. In addition, the designated Roth contributions are treated as elective contributions for purposes of the ADP test. Similarly, the designated Roth account under the plan is subject to the rules of section 401(a)(9)(A) and (B) in the same manner as an account that contains pre-tax elective contributions. E:\FR\FM\03JAR1.SGM 03JAR1 rmajette on DSK29S0YB1PROD with RULES6 10 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 1 / Tuesday, January 3, 2006 / Rules and Regulations (ii) Special rules for direct rollovers. A direct rollover from a designated Roth account under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement may only be made to another designated Roth account under an applicable retirement plan described in section 402A(e)(1) or to a Roth IRA described in section 408A, and only to the extent the rollover is permitted under the rules of section 402(c). Moreover, a plan is permitted to treat the balance of the participant’s designated Roth account and the participant’s other accounts under the plan as accounts held under two separate plans (within the meaning of section 414(l)) for purposes of applying the special rule in A–11 of § 1.401(a)(31)–1 (under which a plan will satisfy section 401(a)(31) even though the plan administrator does not permit any distributee to elect a direct rollover with respect to eligible rollover distributions during a year that are reasonably expected to total less than $200). (4) Rules regarding designated Roth contribution elections—(i) Frequency of elections. The rules under paragraph (e)(2)(ii) of this section regarding frequency of elections apply in the same manner to both pre-tax elective contributions and designated Roth contributions. Thus, an employee must have an effective opportunity to make (or change) an election to make designated Roth contributions at least once during each plan year. (ii) Default elections—(A) In the case of a plan that provides for both pre-tax elective contributions and designated Roth contributions and in which, under paragraph (a)(3)(ii) of this section, the default in the absence of an affirmative election is to make a contribution under the cash or deferred arrangement, the plan terms must provide the extent to which the default contributions are pretax elective contributions and the extent to which the default contributions are designated Roth contributions. (B) If the default contributions under the plan are designated Roth contributions, then an employee who has not made an affirmative election is deemed to have irrevocably designated the contributions (in accordance with section 402A(c)(1)(B)) as designated Roth contributions. (5) Effective date—(i) In general. Section 402A is effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2005. (ii) Sunset provisions. The rules set forth in this paragraph (f) do not address the application of section 901 of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (Public Law 107–16; 115 Stat. 38) (under which the VerDate Mar<15>2010 10:44 Nov 10, 2010 Jkt 223001 amendments made by that Act do not apply to taxable, plan, or limitation years beginning after December 31, 2010). * * * * * ■ Par. 4. Section 1.401(k)–2 is amended as follows: 1. A new sentence is added after the second sentence in paragraph (b)(1)(ii). 2. The last sentence in paragraph (b)(2)(vi)(B) is amended by adding the phrase ‘‘, except to the extent provided in paragraph (b)(2)(vi)(C) of this section’’ at the end. 3. Paragraph (b)(2)(vi)(C) is added. The additions read as follows: § 1.401(k)–2 ADP test. * * * * * (b) * * * (1) * * * (ii) * * * Similarly, a plan may permit an HCE with elective contributions for a year that includes both pre-tax elective contributions and designated Roth contributions to elect whether the excess contributions are to be attributed to pre-tax elective contributions or designated Roth contributions. * * * * * * * * (2) * * * (vi) * * * (C) Corrective distributions attributable to designated Roth contributions. Notwithstanding paragraphs (b)(2)(vi)(A) and (B) of this section, a distribution of excess contributions is not includible in gross income to the extent it represents a distribution of designated Roth contributions. However, the income allocable to a corrective distribution of excess contributions that are designated Roth contributions is included in gross income in accordance with paragraph (b)(2)(vi)(A) or (B) of this section (i.e., in the same manner as income allocable to a corrective distribution of excess contributions that are pre-tax elective contributions). * * * * * ■ Par. 5. Section 1.401(k)–6 is amended as follows: 1. The definitions of ‘‘Designated Roth account’’ and ‘‘Designated Roth contributions’’ are added after the definition of Current year testing method. 2. A new definition of ‘‘Pre-tax elective contributions’’ is added after the definition of Pre-ERISA money purchase pension plan. The additions read as follows: § 1.401(k)–6 Definitions. * * * * * Designated Roth account. Designated Roth account means a separate account PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 maintained by a plan to which only designated Roth contributions (including income, expenses, gains and losses attributable thereto) are made. Designated Roth contributions. Designated Roth contributions means designated Roth contributions as defined in § 1.401(k)–1(f)(1). * * * * * Pre-tax elective contributions. Pre-tax elective contributions means elective contributions under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement that are not designated Roth contributions. * * * * * ■ Par. 6. Section 1.401(m)–0 is amended by adding an entry for § 1.401(m)– 2(b)(2)(vi)(C) to read as follows: § 1.401(m)–0 * * * § 1.401(m)–2 Table of contents. * * ACP test. * * * * * (b) * * * (2) * * * (vi) * * * (C) Corrective distributions attributable to designated Roth contributions. * * * * * ■ Par. 7. Section 1.401(m)–2 is amended as follows: 1. The last sentence in paragraph (b)(2)(vi)(B) is amended by adding the phrase ‘‘, or as provided in paragraph (b)(2)(vi)(C) of this section’’ at the end. 2. Paragraph (b)(2)(vi)(C) is added. The additions read as follows: § 1.401(m)–2 * ACP test. * * * * (b) * * * (2) * * * (vi) * * * (C) Corrective distributions attributable to designated Roth contributions. Notwithstanding paragraphs (b)(2)(vi)(A) and (B) of this section, a distribution of excess aggregate contributions is not includible in gross income to the extent it represents a distribution of designated Roth contributions. However, the income allocable to a corrective distribution of excess aggregate contributions that are designated Roth contributions is taxed in accordance with paragraph (b)(2)(vi)(A) or (B) of this section (i.e., in the same manner as income allocable to a corrective distribution of excess aggregate contributions that are not designated Roth contributions). * * * * * ■ Par. 8. Section 1.401(m)–5 is amended by adding a definition of ‘‘Designated Roth contributions’’ after the definition E:\FR\FM\03JAR1.SGM 03JAR1 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 1 / Tuesday, January 3, 2006 / Rules and Regulations temporary regulations relate to sections 6011 and 6302 of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) concerning reporting and § 1.401(m)–5 Definitions. paying income taxes withheld from * * * * * wages and reporting and paying taxes Designated Roth contributions. under the Federal Insurance Designated Roth contributions means Contributions Act (FICA) (collectively, designated Roth contributions as employment taxes). These temporary defined in § 1.401(k)–1(f)(1). regulations provide requirements for * * * * * filing returns under FICA and returns of income tax withheld under section 6011 PART 602—OMB CONTROL NUMBERS and §§ 31.6011(a)–1 and 31.6011(a)–4 of UNDER THE PAPERWORK the Employment Tax Regulations. REDUCTION ACT These temporary regulations generally require employers who receive written ■ Par. 9. The authority citation for part notification from the Commissioner of 602 continues to read as follows: their qualification for the Form 944 Authority: 26 U.S.C. 7805. Program to file a Form 944, ‘‘Employer’s ■ Par. 10. In § 602.101, paragraph (b) is Annual Federal Tax Return,’’ rather than amended by adding an entry for Form 941, ‘‘Employer’s Quarterly ‘‘1.401(k)–1’’ in numerical order to the Federal Tax Return.’’ In addition, these table to read, in part, as follows: temporary regulations provide requirements for employers to make § 602.101 OMB Control numbers. deposits of employment taxes under * * * * * section 6302 and § 31.6302–1. These (b) * * * temporary regulations permit employers in the Form 944 Program to deposit or CFR part or section where Current OMB remit their accumulated employment identified and described control No. taxes annually with their Form 944 if they satisfy the provisions of the de * * * * * minimis deposit rule, as modified. Also, 1.401(k)–1 ............................. 1545–1930 these temporary regulations modify the lookback period used to determine an * * * * * employer’s status as a monthly or semiweekly depositor. Mark E. Matthews, The portions of this document that are Deputy Commissioner for Services and final regulations provide necessary Enforcement. cross-references to the temporary Approved: December 13, 2005. regulations as well as technical Eric Solomon, revisions. The technical revisions Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tax correct the table of contents in Policy. § 31.6302–0 and a cross-reference in [FR Doc. 05–24495 Filed 12–30–05; 8:45 am] § 31.6302–1(e)(2) and remove all references to an IRS district director, as BILLING CODE 4830–01–P that position no longer exists within the IRS. In addition, a cross-reference to the DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY temporary regulations under section 6011 was added to the final regulations Internal Revenue Service under section 6071, regarding the time for filing returns. The text of the 26 CFR Parts 1 and 31 temporary regulations also serves, in part, as the text of the proposed [TD 9239] regulations set forth in the Proposed RIN 1545–BE00 Rules section in this issue of the Federal Register. In addition to the provisions Time for Filing Employment Tax contained in these temporary Returns and Modifications to the regulations related to the Form 944 Deposit Rules Program, the proposed regulations AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), provide a modification to the de Treasury. minimis deposit rule applicable to quarterly return filers. ACTION: Final and temporary regulations. DATES: Effective Date: These regulations rmajette on DSK29S0YB1PROD with RULES6 of Current year testing method to read as follows: SUMMARY: This document contains temporary regulations establishing the Employers’ Annual Federal Tax Program (Form 944) (hereinafter referred to as the Form 944 Program). The VerDate Mar<15>2010 10:44 Nov 10, 2010 Jkt 223001 are effective as of January 1, 2006. Applicability Date: These regulations apply with respect to taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2006. The applicability of §§ 31.6011–1T, PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 11 31.6011–4T, and 31.6302–1T will expire on or before December 30, 2008. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Raymond Bailey, (202) 622–4910 (filing requirements under section 6011), or Audra Dineen, (202) 622–4940 (deposit requirements under section 6302) (not toll-free numbers). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background and Explanation of Provisions These temporary regulations amend the Regulations on Employment Taxes and Collection of Income Tax at Source (26 CFR part 31) under section 6011 relating to the Federal employment tax return filing requirements and section 6302 relating to the employment tax deposit requirements. Section 31.6011(a)–1 of the Employment Tax Regulations provides rules requiring employers to file returns quarterly to report FICA taxes. Section 31.6011(a)–4 of the Employment Tax Regulations requires that every person required to make a return of income tax withheld from wages pursuant to section 3402 shall make a return quarterly. Under these existing regulations, employers must file Form 941, ‘‘Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return,’’ each quarter reporting FICA taxes and income tax withheld. Certain employers, however, file returns reporting FICA and income tax withheld annually, such as agricultural employers who file Form 943, ‘‘Employer’s Annual Federal Tax Return for Agricultural Employees.’’ Section 31.6011(a)–4(a)(3). Existing regulations also provide certain exceptions to the quarterly filing requirement for wages paid for domestic service. Section 31.6302–1 of the Employment Tax Regulations provides rules for employers to make deposits of employment taxes. Under these rules, deposits of employment taxes reported on Form 941 are generally made either monthly or semi-weekly. In order for an employer to determine its status as a monthly or semi-weekly depositor, an employer determines the aggregate amount of employment taxes reported in the 12-month period ending the preceding June 30 (the lookback period). New employers are treated as having an employment tax liability of zero for any part of the lookback period before the date they started or acquired their business. All employers are subject to a ‘‘One-Day rule’’ requiring employment taxes to be deposited on the next banking day if the employer has accumulated $100,000 or more of employment taxes. If an employer fails to make timely deposits of employment E:\FR\FM\03JAR1.SGM 03JAR1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 3, 2006)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 6-11]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-24495]


=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Internal Revenue Service

26 CFR Parts 1 and 602

[TD 9237]
RIN 1545-BE05


Designated Roth Contributions to Cash or Deferred Arrangements 
Under Section 401(k)

AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury.

ACTION: Final regulations.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This document contains amendments to the regulations under 
section 401(k) and (m) of the Internal Revenue Code. These regulations 
provide guidance concerning the requirements for designated Roth 
contributions under qualified cash or deferred arrangements described 
in section 401(k). These regulations affect section 401(k) plans that 
provide for designated Roth contributions and participants eligible to 
make elective contributions under these plans.

DATES: Effective Date: These regulations are effective January 1, 2006. 
Applicability Date: These regulations apply to plan years beginning on 
or after January 1, 2006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cathy A. Vohs, 202-622-6090 or R. Lisa 
Mojiri-Azad, 202-622-6060 (not toll-free numbers).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Paperwork Reduction Act

    The collection of information contained in these final regulations 
has been reviewed and approved by the Office of Management and Budget 
in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3507(d)) under control number 1545-1930.
    The collection of information in these regulations is in 26 CFR 
1.401(k)-1(f)(1)&(2). This information is required to comply with the 
separate accounting and recordkeeping requirements of section 402A.
    The estimated annual burden per respondent under control number 
1545-1930 is 1 hour.
    Comments concerning the accuracy of this burden estimate and 
suggestions for reducing this burden should be sent to the Internal 
Revenue Service, Attn: IRS Reports Clearance Officer, SE:CAR:MP:T:T:SP 
Washington, DC 20224, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Attn: 
Desk Officer for the Department of the Treasury, Office of

[[Page 7]]

Information and Regulatory Affairs, Washington, DC 20503.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid 
control number assigned by the Office of Management and Budget.
    Books or records relating to a collection of information must be 
retained as long as their contents might become material in the 
administration of any Internal Revenue law. Generally, tax returns and 
tax return information are confidential, as required by 26 U.S.C. 6103.

Background

    This document contains amendments to the Income Tax Regulations (26 
CFR Part 1) under section 401(k) and (m) of the Internal Revenue Code 
of 1986 (Code). The amendments provide guidance on designated Roth 
contributions under section 402A of the Code, added by section 617(a) 
of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (Pub. 
L. 107-16, 115 Stat. 38) (EGTRRA).
    Section 401(k) provides that a profit-sharing, stock bonus, pre-
ERISA money purchase or rural cooperative plan will not fail to qualify 
under section 401(a) merely because it contains a qualified cash or 
deferred arrangement. Contributions made at the election of an employee 
under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement are known as elective 
contributions. Generally, such elective contributions are not 
includible in gross income at the time contributed and are sometimes 
referred to as pre-tax elective contributions.
    Under section 402A, effective for tax years beginning on or after 
January 1, 2006, a plan may permit an employee who makes elective 
contributions under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement to 
designate some or all of those contributions as designated Roth 
contributions. Designated Roth contributions are elective contributions 
under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement that, unlike pre-tax 
elective contributions, are currently includible in gross income. 
However, a qualified distribution of designated Roth contributions is 
excludable from gross income.
    Although designated Roth contributions under a qualified cash or 
deferred arrangement bear some similarity to contributions to a Roth 
IRA described in section 408A (e.g., contributions to either type of 
account are after-tax contributions and qualified distributions from 
either type of account are excludable from gross income), there are 
many differences between these types of arrangements. For example, 
under section 408A(c)(3), an individual is ineligible to make Roth IRA 
contributions if his or her modified adjusted gross income exceeds 
certain limits, but section 402A does not impose any comparable income 
limits on an individual's eligibility to make designated Roth 
contributions under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement. In 
addition, under section 408A(d)(3), a traditional IRA may be converted 
to a Roth IRA, but section 402A does not provide for a conversion of a 
pre-tax elective contribution account under a qualified cash or 
deferred arrangement to a designated Roth account. Also, under section 
408A(d)(4), specific ordering rules apply to distributions from Roth 
IRAs. Section 402A, however, does not provide a specific ordering rule 
for distributions from designated Roth accounts, so section 72 applies 
to determine the character of distributions from such accounts.
    On December 29, 2004, final regulations under section 401(k) were 
issued (69 FR 78144). Those regulations generally apply to plan years 
beginning on or after January 1, 2006, although they also may be 
applied to plan years ending after December 29, 2004. Under those final 
regulations, Sec.  1.401(k)-1(f) was reserved for special rules for 
designated Roth contributions. On March 2, 2005, proposed regulations 
to fill in that reserved paragraph and provide additional rules 
applicable to designated Roth contributions were issued (70 FR 10062). 
Written public comments were received on the proposed regulations and 
public reaction to the proposed regulations generally was favorable. 
After consideration of the comments, these final regulations adopt the 
provisions of the proposed regulations with certain modifications, the 
most significant of which are highlighted below.

Explanation of Provisions

Rules Relating to Designated Roth Contributions

    These final regulations retain the special rules which were 
included in the proposed regulations relating to designated Roth 
contributions under a section 401(k) plan. Thus, these final 
regulations amend Sec.  1.401(k)-1(f) to provide a definition of 
designated Roth contributions and special rules with respect to such 
contributions. Under these final regulations, designated Roth 
contributions are defined as elective contributions under a qualified 
cash or deferred arrangement that are: (1) Designated irrevocably by 
the employee at the time of the cash or deferred election as designated 
Roth contributions that are being made in lieu of all or a portion of 
the pre-tax elective contributions the employee is otherwise eligible 
to make under the plan; (2) treated by the employer as includible in 
the employee's gross income at the time the employee would have 
received the contribution amounts in cash if the employee had not made 
the cash or deferred election (e.g., by treating the contributions as 
wages subject to applicable withholding requirements); and (3) 
maintained by the plan in a separate account. The regulations also 
provide that elective contributions may only be treated as designated 
Roth contributions to the extent permitted under the plan.
    Some commentators requested that an employer sponsoring a qualified 
cash or deferred arrangement be permitted to offer only designated Roth 
contributions. However, under section 402A(b)(1), designated Roth 
contributions are made in lieu of all or a portion of elective 
contributions that the employee is otherwise eligible to make under the 
cash or deferred arrangement. If a cash or deferred arrangement offered 
only designated Roth contributions, an employee participating in the 
arrangement would not be electing to make such contributions in lieu of 
elective contributions he or she was otherwise eligible to make under 
the plan. Thus, these final regulations clarify that, in order to 
provide for designated Roth contributions, a qualified cash or deferred 
arrangement must also offer pre-tax elective contributions.

Separate Accounting Requirement

    These final regulations also retain the rule that, under the 
separate accounting requirement, contributions and withdrawals of 
designated Roth contributions must be credited and debited to a 
designated Roth account maintained for the employee and the plan must 
maintain a record of the employee's investment in the contract (i.e., 
designated Roth contributions that have not been distributed) with 
respect to the employee's designated Roth account. In addition, gains, 
losses, and other credits or charges must be separately allocated on a 
reasonable and consistent basis to the designated Roth account and 
other accounts under the plan. The proposed regulations provided that 
forfeitures may not be allocated to the designated Roth account. The 
final regulations retain this rule and, in response to comments, 
clarify that no contributions other than designated Roth contributions 
and rollover contributions described in

[[Page 8]]

section 402A(c)(3)(B) are permitted to be allocated to a designated 
Roth account. For example, matching contributions are not permitted to 
be allocated to a designated Roth account. The final regulations also 
retain the rule that the separate accounting requirement applies at the 
time the designated Roth contribution is contributed to the plan and 
must continue to apply until the designated Roth account is completely 
distributed.

Other Rules

    These final regulations retain the requirement that a designated 
Roth contribution must satisfy the requirements applicable to any other 
elective contributions made under a qualified cash or deferred 
arrangement. Thus, designated Roth contributions are subject to the 
nonforfeitability and distribution restrictions applicable to elective 
contributions and are taken into account under the actual deferral 
percentage test (ADP test) of section 401(k)(3) in the same manner as 
pre-tax elective contributions. Similarly, designated Roth 
contributions may be treated as catch-up contributions and serve as the 
basis for a participant loan.
    A number of commentators discussed the application of section 
401(a)(9) to plans to which designated Roth contributions are made. 
These commentators pointed out that under section 408A, Roth IRAs are 
not subject to the rules of section 401(a)(9)(A) (i.e., Roth IRAs are 
not subject to the rules of section 401(a)(9) while the Roth IRA owner 
is alive). Although Roth IRAs are not subject to section 401(a)(9) 
while the IRA owner is alive, section 402A does not provide comparable 
rules regarding the application of section 401(a)(9) to designated Roth 
accounts under a cash or deferred arrangement. Thus, such designated 
Roth accounts are subject to the rules of section 401(a)(9)(A) and (B) 
in the same manner as pre-tax elective contributions.
    In response to comments asking for clarification, the final 
regulations provide rules regarding elections to make designated Roth 
contributions. These rules specifically provide that the rules in Sec.  
1.401(k)-1(e)(2)(ii) regarding frequency of elections to make pre-tax 
elective contributions also apply to elections to make designated Roth 
contributions. The rules also specifically address automatic enrollment 
and permit a plan to utilize automatic enrollment in conjunction with 
designated Roth contributions. Under the final regulations, a plan that 
provides for a cash or deferred election under which contributions are 
made in the absence of an affirmative election and that has both pre-
tax elective contributions and designated Roth contributions must set 
forth the extent to which those default contributions are pre-tax 
elective contributions or designated Roth contributions. If the default 
contributions are designated Roth contributions, then an employee who 
has not made an affirmative election is deemed to have irrevocably 
designated the contributions (in accordance with section 402A(c)(1)(B)) 
as designated Roth contributions.
    A number of commentators addressed direct rollovers of amounts from 
a designated Roth account. In response to these comments, the 
regulations clarify that a direct rollover from a designated Roth 
account under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement may only be made 
to another designated Roth account under an applicable retirement plan 
described in section 402A(e)(1) or to a Roth IRA described in section 
408A, and only to the extent the direct rollover is permitted under the 
rules of section 402(c). In addition, a plan is permitted to treat the 
balance of the participant's designated Roth account and the 
participant's other accounts under the plan as accounts held under two 
separate plans (within the meaning of section 414(l)) for purposes of 
applying the special rule in A-11 of Sec.  1.401(a)(31)-1 (under which 
a plan will satisfy section 401(a)(31) even though the plan 
administrator does not permit any distributee to elect a direct 
rollover with respect to eligible rollover distributions during a year 
that are reasonably expected to total less than $200). Thus, if a 
participant's balance in the designated Roth account is less than $200, 
then the plan is not required to offer a direct rollover election with 
respect to that account or to apply the automatic rollover provisions 
of section 401(a)(31)(B) with respect to that account.
    Section 1.401(k)-2 contains correction methods that may be used 
when a plan fails to satisfy the ADP test for a year. These final 
regulations retain the rule in the proposed regulations relating to 
these correction methods that permits a highly compensated employee 
(HCE), as defined in section 414(q), with elective contributions for a 
year that include both pre-tax elective contributions and designated 
Roth contributions to elect whether excess contributions are to be 
attributed to pre-tax elective contributions or designated Roth 
contributions. There is no requirement that the plan provide this 
option, and a plan may provide for one of the correction methods 
described in the final regulations without permitting an HCE to make 
such an election.
    These final regulations also retain the rule that a distribution of 
excess contributions is not includible in gross income to the extent it 
represents a distribution of designated Roth contributions. However, 
the income allocable to a corrective distribution of excess 
contributions that are designated Roth contributions is includible in 
gross income in the same manner as income allocable to a corrective 
distribution of excess contributions that are pre-tax elective 
contributions. The regulations also provide a similar rule under the 
correction methods that may be used when a plan fails to satisfy the 
actual contribution percentage (ACP) test in Sec.  1.401(m)-2.

Additional Plan Terms

    In addition to the rules relating to section 401(k) and (m) 
discussed above, there are other aspects of designated Roth 
contributions that would be reflected in plan terms and are not 
addressed in these regulations. For example, while a plan is permitted 
to allow an employee to elect the character of a distribution (i.e., 
whether the distribution will be made from the designated Roth account 
or other accounts), the extent to which a plan so permits must be set 
forth in the terms of the plan.

Certain Issues Addressed in Proposed Regulations

    These final regulations do not provide guidance with respect to the 
taxation of distributions of designated Roth contributions. For 
example, the regulations do not provide guidance with respect to the 
recovery of an employee's investment in the contract associated with 
his or her designated Roth contributions. Proposed regulations under 
section 402A, to be issued in the near future, address these taxation 
issues.

Effective Date

    Section 402A is effective for an employee's taxable years beginning 
after December 31, 2005. These regulations have the same effective date 
as the regulations under section 401(k) that they are amending. Thus, 
these final regulations are generally applicable to plan years 
beginning on or after January 1, 2006. If a plan is applying the 
section 401(k) regulations as of an earlier effective date (as provided 
under those regulations), to the extent that section 402A is effective, 
that same early effective date applies to these regulations. For a plan 
that has an effective date for the section 401(k) regulations that is 
after the effective date of section 402A (either an employer that

[[Page 9]]

does not have a calendar year plan or a plan established pursuant to a 
collective bargaining agreement that has a delayed effective date for 
the section 401(k) regulations), the employer may rely on these 
regulations prior to the effective date of the final section 401(k) 
regulations for the plan, even if the plan does not otherwise implement 
the section 401(k) regulations earlier than required.
    These regulations do not provide rules for the application of the 
EGTRRA sunset provision (section 901 of EGTRRA), under which the 
provisions of EGTRRA do not apply to taxable, plan, or limitation years 
beginning after December 31, 2010. Unless the EGTRRA sunset provision 
is repealed before it becomes effective, additional guidance will be 
needed to clarify its application.

Special Analyses

    It has been determined that these regulations are not a significant 
regulatory action as defined in Executive Order 12866. Therefore, a 
regulatory assessment is not required. It has also been determined that 
5 U.S.C. 553(b) does not apply to these regulations. It is hereby 
certified that the collection of information in these regulations will 
not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small 
entities. This certification is based on the fact that most small 
entities that maintain a section 401(k) plan use a third party provider 
to administer the plan. Therefore, an analysis under the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. chapter 6) is not required. Pursuant to 
section 7805(f) of the Code, the proposed regulations preceding these 
regulations were submitted to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the 
Small Business Administration for comment on its impact on small 
business.

Drafting Information

    The principal authors of these regulations are R. Lisa Mojiri-Azad 
and Cathy A. Vohs 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 the development of these 
regulations.

List of Subjects

26 CFR Part 1 (1.401-0--1.420-1)

    Bonds; Employee benefit plans; Income taxes; Pensions; Reporting 
and recordkeeping requirements; Securities; Trusts and trustees.

26 CFR Part 602

    Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

Adoption of Amendments to the Regulations

0
Accordingly, 26 CFR part 1 is amended as follows:

PART 1--INCOME TAXES

0
Paragraph 1. The authority citation for part 1 continues to read, in 
part, as follows:

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


0
Par. 2. Section 1.401(k)-0 is amended as follows:
    1. The entry for Sec.  1.40(k)-1(f) is revised and entries for 
Sec.  1.401(k)-1(f)(1), (2), (3), (4) and (5) are added.
    2. An entry for Sec.  1.401(k)-2(b)(2)(vi)(C) is added.
    The additions read as follows:


Sec.  1.401(k)-0  Table of contents.

* * * * *


Sec.  1.401(k)-1  Certain cash or deferred arrangements.

* * * * *
    (f) Special rules for designated Roth contributions.
    (1) In general.
    (2) Separate accounting required.
    (3) Designated Roth contributions must satisfy rules applicable to 
elective contributions.
    (i) In general.
    (ii) Special rules for direct rollovers.
    (4) Rules regarding designated Roth contribution elections.
    (i) Frequency of elections.
    (ii) Default elections.
    (5) Effective date.
    (i) In general.
    (ii) Sunset provisions.
* * * * *


Sec.  1.401(k)-2  ADP test.

* * * * *
    (b) * * *
    (2) * * *
    (vi) * * *
    (C) Corrective distributions attributable to designated Roth 
contributions.
* * * * *

0
Par. 3. Section 1.401(k)-1(f) is revised as follows:


Sec.  1.401(k)-1  Certain cash or deferred arrangements.

* * * * *
    (f) Special rules for designated Roth contributions--(1) In 
general. The term designated Roth contribution means an elective 
contribution under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement that, to 
the extent permitted under the plan, is--
    (i) Designated irrevocably by the employee at the time of the cash 
or deferred election as a designated Roth contribution that is being 
made in lieu of all or a portion of the pre-tax elective contributions 
the employee is otherwise eligible to make under the plan;
    (ii) Treated by the employer as includible in the employee's gross 
income at the time the employee would have received the amount in cash 
if the employee had not made the cash or deferred election (e.g., by 
treating the contributions as wages subject to applicable withholding 
requirements); and
    (iii) Maintained by the plan in a separate account (in accordance 
with paragraph (f)(2) of this section).
    (2) Separate accounting required. Under the separate accounting 
requirement of this paragraph (f)(2), contributions and withdrawals of 
designated Roth contributions must be credited and debited to a 
designated Roth account maintained for the employee and the plan must 
maintain a record of the employee's investment in the contract (i.e., 
designated Roth contributions that have not been distributed) with 
respect to the employee's designated Roth account. In addition, gains, 
losses, and other credits or charges must be separately allocated on a 
reasonable and consistent basis to the designated Roth account and 
other accounts under the plan. However, forfeitures may not be 
allocated to the designated Roth account and no contributions other 
than designated Roth contributions and rollover contributions described 
in section 402A(c)(3)(B) may be allocated to such account. The separate 
accounting requirement applies at the time the designated Roth 
contribution is contributed to the plan and must continue to apply 
until the designated Roth account is completely distributed.
    (3) Designated Roth contributions must satisfy rules applicable to 
elective contributions--(i) In general. A designated Roth contribution 
must satisfy the requirements applicable to elective contributions made 
under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement. Thus, for example, a 
designated Roth contribution must satisfy the requirements of 
paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section and is treated as an employer 
contribution for purposes of sections 401(a), 401(k), 402, 404, 409, 
411, 412, 415, 416 and 417. In addition, the designated Roth 
contributions are treated as elective contributions for purposes of the 
ADP test. Similarly, the designated Roth account under the plan is 
subject to the rules of section 401(a)(9)(A) and (B) in the same manner 
as an account that contains pre-tax elective contributions.

[[Page 10]]

    (ii) Special rules for direct rollovers. A direct rollover from a 
designated Roth account under a qualified cash or deferred arrangement 
may only be made to another designated Roth account under an applicable 
retirement plan described in section 402A(e)(1) or to a Roth IRA 
described in section 408A, and only to the extent the rollover is 
permitted under the rules of section 402(c). Moreover, a plan is 
permitted to treat the balance of the participant's designated Roth 
account and the participant's other accounts under the plan as accounts 
held under two separate plans (within the meaning of section 414(l)) 
for purposes of applying the special rule in A-11 of Sec.  
1.401(a)(31)-1 (under which a plan will satisfy section 401(a)(31) even 
though the plan administrator does not permit any distributee to elect 
a direct rollover with respect to eligible rollover distributions 
during a year that are reasonably expected to total less than $200).
    (4) Rules regarding designated Roth contribution elections--(i) 
Frequency of elections. The rules under paragraph (e)(2)(ii) of this 
section regarding frequency of elections apply in the same manner to 
both pre-tax elective contributions and designated Roth contributions. 
Thus, an employee must have an effective opportunity to make (or 
change) an election to make designated Roth contributions at least once 
during each plan year.
    (ii) Default elections--(A) In the case of a plan that provides for 
both pre-tax elective contributions and designated Roth contributions 
and in which, under paragraph (a)(3)(ii) of this section, the default 
in the absence of an affirmative election is to make a contribution 
under the cash or deferred arrangement, the plan terms must provide the 
extent to which the default contributions are pre-tax elective 
contributions and the extent to which the default contributions are 
designated Roth contributions.
    (B) If the default contributions under the plan are designated Roth 
contributions, then an employee who has not made an affirmative 
election is deemed to have irrevocably designated the contributions (in 
accordance with section 402A(c)(1)(B)) as designated Roth 
contributions.
    (5) Effective date--(i) In general. Section 402A is effective for 
taxable years beginning after December 31, 2005.
    (ii) Sunset provisions. The rules set forth in this paragraph (f) 
do not address the application of section 901 of the Economic Growth 
and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-16; 115 Stat. 
38) (under which the amendments made by that Act do not apply to 
taxable, plan, or limitation years beginning after December 31, 2010).
* * * * *

0
Par. 4. Section 1.401(k)-2 is amended as follows:
    1. A new sentence is added after the second sentence in paragraph 
(b)(1)(ii).
    2. The last sentence in paragraph (b)(2)(vi)(B) is amended by 
adding the phrase ``, except to the extent provided in paragraph 
(b)(2)(vi)(C) of this section'' at the end.
    3. Paragraph (b)(2)(vi)(C) is added.
    The additions read as follows:


Sec.  1.401(k)-2  ADP test.

* * * * *
    (b) * * *
    (1) * * *
    (ii) * * * Similarly, a plan may permit an HCE with elective 
contributions for a year that includes both pre-tax elective 
contributions and designated Roth contributions to elect whether the 
excess contributions are to be attributed to pre-tax elective 
contributions or designated Roth contributions. * * *
* * * * *
    (2) * * *
    (vi) * * *
    (C) Corrective distributions attributable to designated Roth 
contributions. Notwithstanding paragraphs (b)(2)(vi)(A) and (B) of this 
section, a distribution of excess contributions is not includible in 
gross income to the extent it represents a distribution of designated 
Roth contributions. However, the income allocable to a corrective 
distribution of excess contributions that are designated Roth 
contributions is included in gross income in accordance with paragraph 
(b)(2)(vi)(A) or (B) of this section (i.e., in the same manner as 
income allocable to a corrective distribution of excess contributions 
that are pre-tax elective contributions).
* * * * *

0
Par. 5. Section 1.401(k)-6 is amended as follows:
    1. The definitions of ``Designated Roth account'' and ``Designated 
Roth contributions'' are added after the definition of Current year 
testing method.
    2. A new definition of ``Pre-tax elective contributions'' is added 
after the definition of Pre-ERISA money purchase pension plan.
    The additions read as follows:


Sec.  1.401(k)-6  Definitions.

* * * * *
    Designated Roth account. Designated Roth account means a separate 
account maintained by a plan to which only designated Roth 
contributions (including income, expenses, gains and losses 
attributable thereto) are made.
    Designated Roth contributions. Designated Roth contributions means 
designated Roth contributions as defined in Sec.  1.401(k)-1(f)(1).
* * * * *
    Pre-tax elective contributions. Pre-tax elective contributions 
means elective contributions under a qualified cash or deferred 
arrangement that are not designated Roth contributions.
* * * * *

0
Par. 6. Section 1.401(m)-0 is amended by adding an entry for Sec.  
1.401(m)-2(b)(2)(vi)(C) to read as follows:


Sec.  1.401(m)-0  Table of contents.

* * * * *


Sec.  1.401(m)-2  ACP test.

* * * * *
    (b) * * *
    (2) * * *
    (vi) * * *
    (C) Corrective distributions attributable to designated Roth 
contributions.
* * * * *

0
Par. 7. Section 1.401(m)-2 is amended as follows:
    1. The last sentence in paragraph (b)(2)(vi)(B) is amended by 
adding the phrase ``, or as provided in paragraph (b)(2)(vi)(C) of this 
section'' at the end.
    2. Paragraph (b)(2)(vi)(C) is added.
    The additions read as follows:


Sec.  1.401(m)-2  ACP test.

* * * * *
    (b) * * *
    (2) * * *
    (vi) * * *
    (C) Corrective distributions attributable to designated Roth 
contributions. Notwithstanding paragraphs (b)(2)(vi)(A) and (B) of this 
section, a distribution of excess aggregate contributions is not 
includible in gross income to the extent it represents a distribution 
of designated Roth contributions. However, the income allocable to a 
corrective distribution of excess aggregate contributions that are 
designated Roth contributions is taxed in accordance with paragraph 
(b)(2)(vi)(A) or (B) of this section (i.e., in the same manner as 
income allocable to a corrective distribution of excess aggregate 
contributions that are not designated Roth contributions).
* * * * *

0
Par. 8. Section 1.401(m)-5 is amended by adding a definition of 
``Designated Roth contributions'' after the definition

[[Page 11]]

of Current year testing method to read as follows:


Sec.  1.401(m)-5  Definitions.

* * * * *
    Designated Roth contributions. Designated Roth contributions means 
designated Roth contributions as defined in Sec.  1.401(k)-1(f)(1).
* * * * *

PART 602--OMB CONTROL NUMBERS UNDER THE PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT

0
Par. 9. The authority citation for part 602 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 26 U.S.C. 7805.


0
Par. 10. In Sec.  602.101, paragraph (b) is amended by adding an entry 
for ``1.401(k)-1'' in numerical order to the table to read, in part, as 
follows:


Sec.  602.101  OMB Control numbers.

* * * * *
    (b) * * *

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                            Current OMB
   CFR part or section where identified and described       control No.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                                * * * * *
1.401(k)-1..............................................       1545-1930
 
                                * * * * *
------------------------------------------------------------------------


Mark E. Matthews,
Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement.
    Approved: December 13, 2005.
Eric Solomon,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy.
[FR Doc. 05-24495 Filed 12-30-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4830-01-P
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