Regulations under sections 430(d),
430(g), 430(h)(2), and 430(i) provide guidance on the determination
of benefit liabilities and the valuation of plan assets for
purposes of the funding requirements that apply to single employer
defined benefit plans pursuant to changes made by the Pension
Protection Act of 2006. In order to implement the statutory
provisions under section 430(h)(2), the regulations provide for the
sponsor of a defined benefit plan to make any of several elections
related to the interest rate used for minimum funding purposes and
require written notification of any such election to be provided to
the plan's enrolled actuary. These final regulations provide for
the sponsor of a defined benefit pension plan to make any of
several elections.
The Highway and
Transportation Funding Act of 2014 (HATFA), Pub. L. No.113-159, was
enacted on August 8, 2014, and was effective retroactively for
single employer defined benefit pension plans, optional for plan
years beginning in 2013 and mandatory for plan years beginning in
2014. Guidance is needed for plan sponsors to make decisions
affecting minimum required contribution due as early as September
15, 2014, how to apply the changes in funding-based benefit
restrictions potentially affecting distributions in 2013 and 2014
and make any necessary corrections to past distributions, and to
know how to report the resulting minimum funding requirements under
section 6059 of the Internal Revenue Code. Under the draft notice,
plan sponsors will have to make a number of irrevocable decisions
requiring a substantial amount of analysis, by December 31, 2014.
Accordingly, we respectfully request emergency clearance of this
notice because the collection of information is necessary for plan
sponsors who wish to elect to take advantage of various options
available in connection with changes in the minimum funding
requirements and application of benefit restrictions due to changes
in interest rates under HATFA. The agency cannot reasonably comply
with the normal clearance procedures because (1) the HATFA
provisions were effective retroactively upon enactment, (2) plan
sponsors need to make funding decisions for contributions that are
due as early as September 15, 2014, and (3) annual Form 5500
filings for affected plan years are due as early as October 15,
2014. Accordingly, until the guidance necessary to make these
decisions is issued, a large number of plan sponsors will not know
the contribution amounts necessary to meet minimum funding
requirements. For a number of plans, the minimum funding
requirements reported on Form 5500s will need to be adjusted after
the guidance is issued, and retroactive corrections will need to be
made to distributions made to participants. This potentially causes
harm to the plan sponsors and to the participants of affected
plans, and disrupts the collection of information required under
section 6059 of the Internal Revenue Code.
US Code:
44
USC 3507(d) Name of Law: Payments to be treated of withholding
& FICA taxes
PL:
Pub.L. 109 - 280 2003 Name of Law: Pension protection Act of
2006
PL: Pub.L. 113 - 159 2003 Name of Law:
Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014
This request for emergency
clearance will increase the burden by 76,600 responses and 38,000
burden hours due to new statutory requirements of the Highway and
Transportation Funding Act of 2014 (HATFA). Guidance is provided in
Notice 2014-XX on the changes to the funding stabilization rules
for single-employer pension plans under the Code and ERISA that
were made by the section 2003 of HATFA.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.