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Compliance October 13, 2011
IRS Announces Intent to Amend Interest Crediting Rules for Hybrid Plans
October 13, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – The Internal Revenue Service issued Notice 2011-85 announcing that the Treasury Department and the IRS intend to amend the final regulations under § 411(b)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code (Code), which sets forth special rules for statutory hybrid plans, to postpone the effective/applicability date of those provisions which set forth rules relating to interest crediting rates under a cash balance or other statutory hybrid plan.
Reported by Rebecca Moore
The notice also extends the deadline for adopting an interim or discretionary plan amendment under § 411(a)(13) (other than § 411(a)(13)(A)) and § 411(b)(5). In addition, this notice provides that the previously announced limited relief from the requirements of § 411(d)(6) for certain amendments made to comply with § 411(b)(5) is expected to apply to amendments made before the postponed effective date.
The Service’s review of an application for a determination letter submitted to the Service between February 1, 2011, and January 31, 2012, will not consider the final regulations under § 411(a)(13) (other than with respect to § 411(a)(13)(A)) and § 411(b)(5) unless the plan has been amended to satisfy those regulations.
According to the Notice, in Announcement 2009-82, 2009-48 I.R.B. 720, the Treasury Department and the Service announced their intent to provide a special timing rule for providing section 204(h) notice (as defined in § 54.4980F-1, A-4(a) of the Excise Tax Regulations) for certain amendments to change the interest crediting rate under a statutory hybrid plan. The special timing rule only applies to amendments that were adopted after November 10, 2009, and on or before the last day of the first plan year that begins on or after January 1, 2009. Notice 2011-85 formally provides the special timing rule described in Announcement 2009-82.
Notice 2011-85 is here, and will be published in Internal Revenue Bulletin 2011-44 on October 31, 2011.
The IRS previously said that developing final regulations on acceptable ways that employers can add interest to employees’ cash balance pension plan accounts is a priority (see IRS to Focus on Cash Balance Interest Credit Rules).