Cases: Lee Eng'g Supply Co. v. Commissioner, 101 T.C. 189 (1993); United States v. Juvenile Shoe Corp. of America, 99 F.3d 898 (8th Cir. 1996); Research Corp. v. Commissioner, 138 T.C. 192 (2012)
(a) Imposition of tax There is hereby imposed a tax of 20 percent of the amount of any employer reversion from a qualified plan.
Amended 1988, 1990, 1996
- 1996 Pub. L. 104-188 Pub. L. 104–188 provided that, except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in title XII of Pub. L. 101–508 an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or other provision of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Sections 12001 and 12002(a) of title XII of Pub. L. 101–508 directed the amendment of this section without specifying that the amendment was to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. See 1990 Amendment note below.
- 1990 Pub. L. 101-508 Pub. L. 101–508, § 12001, which directed the substitution of “20 percent” for “15 percent” in “section 4980(a)” without specifying the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, was executed to subsec. (a) of this section. See 1996 Amendment note above.
- 1988 Pub. L. 100-647 Pub. L. 100–647, § 6069(a), substituted “15” for “10”.
Cited by 4
(b) Liability for tax The tax imposed by subsection (a) shall be paid by the employer maintaining the plan.
(c) Definitions and special rules For purposes of this section—
(1) Qualified plan The term “qualified plan” means any plan meeting the requirements of section 401(a) or 403(a), other than—
Cited by 2
(A) a plan maintained by an employer if such employer has, at all times, been exempt from tax under subtitle A, or
Amended 1988
- 1988 Pub. L. 100-647 Pub. L. 100–647, § 1011A(f)(1), substituted “subtitle A” for “this subtitle”.
Cited by 1
(B) a governmental plan (within the meaning of section 414(d)).
Cited by 1
Such term shall include any plan which, at any time, has been determined by the Secretary to be a qualified plan.
(2) Employer reversion
Cited by 1
(A) In general The term “employer reversion” means the amount of cash and the fair market value of other property received (directly or indirectly) by an employer from the qualified plan.
(B) Exceptions The term “employer reversion” shall not include—
(i) except as provided in regulations, any amount distributed to or on behalf of any employee (or his beneficiaries) if such amount could have been so distributed before termination of such plan without violating any provision of section 401,
(ii) any distribution to the employer which is allowable under section 401(a)(2)—
(I) in the case of a multiemployer plan, by reason of mistakes of law or fact or the return of any withdrawal liability payment,
(II) in the case of a plan other than a multiemployer plan, by reason of mistake of fact, or
(III) in the case of any plan, by reason of the failure of the plan to initially qualify or the failure of contributions to be deductible, or
Cited by 1
(iii) any transfer described in section 420(f)(2)(B)(ii)(II).
Amended 2008
- 2008 Pub. L. 110-458 Pub. L. 110–458 added cl. (iii).
(3) Exception for employee stock ownership plans
(A) In general If, upon an employer reversion from a qualified plan, any applicable amount is transferred from such plan to an employee stock ownership plan described in section 4975(e)(7) or a tax credit employee stock ownership plan (as described in section 409), such amount shall not be treated as an employer reversion for purposes of this section (or includible in the gross income of the employer) if the requirements of subparagraphs (B), (C), and (D) are met.
Amended 1988, 2006
- 2006 Pub. L. 109-280 Pub. L. 109–280 substituted “if the requirements of subparagraphs (B), (C), and (D) are met” for “if—
“(i) the requirements of subparagraphs (B), (C), and (D) are met, and
“(ii) under the plan, employer securities to which subparagraph (B) applies must, except to the extent necessary to meet the requirements of section 401(a)(28), remain in the plan until distribution to participants in accordance with the provisions of such plan”.
- 1988 Pub. L. 100-647 Pub. L. 100–647, § 1011A(f)(2), inserted “or a tax credit employee stock ownership plan (as described in section 409)” after “section 4975(e)(7)” in introductory text, and “, except to the extent necessary to meet the requirements of section 401(a)(28),” after “must” in cl. (ii).
(B) Investment in employer securities The requirements of this subparagraph are met if, within 90 days after the transfer (or such longer period as the Secretary may prescribe), the amount transferred is invested in employer securities (as defined in section 409(l)) or used to repay loans used to purchase such securities.
“As the Secretary may prescribe” leaves this to Treasury. No regulation cites this provision (eCFR, Oct 19, 2026)
Cited by 2
(C) Allocation requirements The requirements of this subparagraph are met if the portion of the amount transferred which is not allocated under the plan to accounts of participants in the plan year in which the transfer occurs—
(i) is credited to a suspense account and allocated from such account to accounts of participants no less rapidly than ratably over a period not to exceed 7 years, and
(ii) when allocated to accounts of participants under the plan, is treated as an employer contribution for purposes of section 415(c), except that—
(I) the annual addition (as determined under section 415(c)) attributable to each such allocation shall not exceed the value of such securities as of the time such securities were credited to such suspense account, and
(II) no additional employer contributions shall be permitted to an employee stock ownership plan described in subparagraph (A) of the employer before the allocation of such amount.
The amount allocated in the year of transfer shall not be less than the lesser of the maximum amount allowable under section 415 or ⅛ of the amount attributable to the securities acquired. In the case of dividends on securities held in the suspense account, the requirements of this subparagraph are met only if the dividends are allocated to accounts of participants or paid to participants in proportion to their accounts, or used to repay loans used to purchase employer securities.
Amended 1988
- 1988 Pub. L. 100-647 Pub. L. 100–647, § 1011A(f)(3), struck out “(by reason of the limitations of section 415)” after “not allocated” in introductory text, and inserted sentence at end relating to minimum amount allocated in year of transfer.
- 1988 Pub. L. 100-647 Pub. L. 100–647, § 1011A(f)(7), inserted sentence at end relating to dividends on securities held in suspense account.
Cited by 2
(D) Participants The requirements of this subparagraph are met if at least half of the participants in the qualified plan are participants in the employee stock ownership plan (as of the close of the 1st plan year for which an allocation of the securities is required).
Cited by 1
(E) Applicable amount For purposes of this paragraph, the term “applicable amount” means any amount which—
(i) is transferred after March 31, 1985, and before January 1, 1989, or
(ii) is transferred after December 31, 1988, pursuant to a termination which occurs after March 31, 1985, and before January 1, 1989.
(F) No credit or deduction allowed No credit or deduction shall be allowed under chapter 1 for any amount transferred to an employee stock ownership plan in a transfer to which this paragraph applies.
Amended 1988
- 1988 Pub. L. 100-647 Pub. L. 100–647, § 1011A(f)(6), added subpars. (F) and (G).
(G) Amount transferred to include income thereon, etc. The amount transferred shall not be treated as meeting the requirements of subparagraphs (B) and (C) unless amounts attributable to such amount also meet such requirements.
Amended 1988
- 1988 Pub. L. 100-647 Pub. L. 100–647, § 1011A(f)(6), added subpars. (F) and (G).
(4) Time for payment of tax For purposes of subtitle F, the time for payment of the tax imposed by subsection (a) shall be the last day of the month following the month in which the employer reversion occurs.
Amended 1988
- 1988 Pub. L. 100-647 Pub. L. 100–647, § 5072(a), added par. (4).
(d) Increase in tax for failure to establish replacement plan or increase benefits
Amended 1990, 1996
- 1996 Pub. L. 104-188 Pub. L. 104–188 provided that, except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in title XII of Pub. L. 101–508 an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or other provision of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Sections 12001 and 12002(a) of title XII of Pub. L. 101–508 directed the amendment of this section without specifying that the amendment was to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. See 1990 Amendment note below.
- 1990 Pub. L. 101-508 Pub. L. 101–508, § 12002(a), which directed the addition of subsec. (d) to “section 4980” without specifying the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, was executed to this section. See 1996 Amendment note above.
Cited by 2
(1) In general Subsection (a) shall be applied by substituting “50 percent” for “20 percent” with respect to any employer reversion from a qualified plan unless—
(A) the employer establishes or maintains a qualified replacement plan, or
(B) the plan provides benefit increases meeting the requirements of paragraph (3).
(2) Qualified replacement plan For purposes of this subsection, the term “qualified replacement plan” means a qualified plan established or maintained by the employer in connection with a qualified plan termination (hereinafter referred to as the “replacement plan”) with respect to which the following requirements are met:
Cited by 1
(A) Participation requirement At least 95 percent of the active participants in the terminated plan who remain as employees of the employer after the termination are active participants in the replacement plan.
Cited by 1
(B) Asset transfer requirement
(i) 25 percent cushion A direct transfer from the terminated plan to the replacement plan is made before any employer reversion, and the transfer is in an amount equal to the excess (if any) of—
Cited by 2
(I) 25 percent of the maximum amount which the employer could receive as an employer reversion without regard to this subsection, over
(II) the amount determined under clause (ii).
(ii) Reduction for increase in benefits The amount determined under this clause is an amount equal to the present value of the aggregate increases in the accrued benefits under the terminated plan of any participants or beneficiaries pursuant to a plan amendment which—
Cited by 3
(I) is adopted during the 60-day period ending on the date of termination of the qualified plan, and
(II) takes effect immediately on the termination date.
(iii) Treatment of amount transferred In the case of the transfer of any amount under clause (i)—
(I) such amount shall not be includible in the gross income of the employer,
(II) no deduction shall be allowable with respect to such transfer, and
(III) such transfer shall not be treated as an employer reversion for purposes of this section.
(C) Allocation requirements
Cited by 3
(i) In general In the case of any defined contribution plan, the portion of the amount transferred to the replacement plan under subparagraph (B)(i) is—
(I) allocated under the plan to the accounts of participants in the plan year in which the transfer occurs, or
(II) credited to a suspense account and allocated from such account to accounts of participants no less rapidly than ratably over the 7-plan-year period beginning with the year of the transfer.
Cited by 3
(ii) Coordination with section 415 limitation If, by reason of any limitation under section 415, any amount credited to a suspense account under clause (i)(II) may not be allocated to a participant before the close of the 7-year period under such clause—
Cited by 1
(I) such amount shall be allocated to the accounts of other participants, and
(II) if any portion of such amount may not be allocated to other participants by reason of any such limitation, shall be allocated to the participant as provided in section 415.
(iii) Treatment of income Any income on any amount credited to a suspense account under clause (i)(II) shall be allocated to accounts of participants no less rapidly than ratably over the remainder of the period determined under such clause (after application of clause (ii)).
(iv) Unallocated amounts at termination If any amount credited to a suspense account under clause (i)(II) is not allocated as of the termination date of the replacement plan—
(I) such amount shall be allocated to the accounts of participants as of such date, except that any amount which may not be allocated by reason of any limitation under section 415 shall be allocated to the accounts of other participants, and
Cited by 1
(II) if any portion of such amount may not be allocated to other participants under subclause (I) by reason of such limitation, such portion shall be treated as an employer reversion to which this section applies.
(3) Pro rata benefit increases
Cited by 1
(A) In general The requirements of this paragraph are met if a plan amendment to the terminated plan is adopted in connection with the termination of the plan which provides pro rata increases in the accrued benefits of all qualified participants which—
(i) have an aggregate present value not less than 20 percent of the maximum amount which the employer could receive as an employer reversion without regard to this subsection, and
Cited by 1
(ii) take effect immediately on the termination date.
Cited by 1
Cited by 3
(B) Pro rata increase For purposes of subparagraph (A), a pro rata increase is an increase in the present value of the accrued benefit of each qualified participant in an amount which bears the same ratio to the aggregate amount determined under subparagraph (A)(i) as—
(i) the present value of such participant’s accrued benefit (determined without regard to this subsection), bears to
(ii) the aggregate present value of accrued benefits of the terminated plan (as so determined).
Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, the aggregate increases in the present value of the accrued benefits of qualified participants who are not active participants shall not exceed 40 percent of the aggregate amount determined under subparagraph (A)(i) by substituting “equal to” for “not less than”.
(4) Coordination with other provisions
Cited by 1
(A) Limitations A benefit may not be increased under paragraph (2)(B)(ii) or (3)(A), and an amount may not be allocated to a participant under paragraph (2)(C), if such increase or allocation would result in a failure to meet any requirement under section 401(a)(4) or 415.
(B) Treatment as employer contributions Any increase in benefits under paragraph (2)(B)(ii) or (3)(A), or any allocation of any amount (or income allocable thereto) to any account under paragraph (2)(C), shall be treated as an annual benefit or annual addition for purposes of section 415.
(C) 10-year participation requirement Except as provided by the Secretary, section 415(b)(5)(D) shall not apply to any increase in benefits by reason of this subsection to the extent that the application of this subparagraph does not discriminate in favor of highly compensated employees (as defined in section 414(q)).
(5) Definitions and special rules For purposes of this subsection—
(A) Qualified participant The term “qualified participant” means an individual who—
(i) is an active participant,
Cited by 1
(ii) is a participant or beneficiary in pay status as of the termination date,
Cited by 1
(iii) is a participant not described in clause (i) or (ii)—
(I) who has a nonforfeitable right to an accrued benefit under the terminated plan as of the termination date, and
(II) whose service, which was creditable under the terminated plan, terminated during the period beginning 3 years before the termination date and ending with the date on which the final distribution of assets occurs, or
Cited by 1
(iv) is a beneficiary of a participant described in clause (iii)(II) and has a nonforfeitable right to an accrued benefit under the terminated plan as of the termination date.
(B) Present value Present value shall be determined as of the termination date and on the same basis as liabilities of the plan are determined on termination.
(C) Reallocation of increase Except as provided in paragraph (2)(C), if any benefit increase is reduced by reason of the last sentence of paragraph (3)(A)(ii) or paragraph (4), the amount of such reduction shall be allocated to the remaining participants on the same basis as other increases (and shall be treated as meeting any allocation requirement of this subsection).
(D) Plans taken into account For purposes of determining whether there is a qualified replacement plan under paragraph (2), the Secretary may provide that—
(i) 2 or more plans may be treated as 1 plan, or
(ii) a plan of a successor employer may be taken into account.
(E) Special rule for participation requirement For purposes of paragraph (2)(A), all employers treated as 1 employer under section 414(b), (c), (m), or (o) shall be treated as 1 employer.
(6) Subsection not to apply to employer in bankruptcy This subsection shall not apply to an employer who, as of the termination date of the qualified plan, is in bankruptcy liquidation under chapter 7 of title 11 of the United States Code or in similar proceedings under State law.