Laws: Cases and Codes : U.S. Code : Title 26 : Section 403


   
U.S. Code as of: 01/19/04
Section 403. Taxation of employee annuities

    (a) Taxability of beneficiary under a qualified annuity plan
      (1) Distributee taxable under section 72
        If an annuity contract is purchased by an employer for an
      employee under a plan which meets the requirements of section
      404(a)(2) (whether or not the employer deducts the amounts paid
      for the contract under such section), the amount actually
      distributed to any distributee under the contract shall be
      taxable to the distributee (in the year in which so distributed)
      under section 72 (relating to annuities).
      [(2) Repealed. Pub. L. 99-514, title XI, Sec. 1122(b)(1)(B), Oct.
        22, 1986, 100 Stat. 2466]
      (3) Self-employed individuals
        For purposes of this subsection, the term "employee" includes
      an individual who is an employee within the meaning of section
      401(c)(1), and the employer of such individual is the person
      treated as his employer under section 401(c)(4).
      (4) Rollover amounts
        (A) General rule
          If - 
            (i) any portion of the balance to the credit of an employee
          in an employee annuity described in paragraph (1) is paid to
          him in an eligible rollover distribution (within the meaning
          of section 402(c)(4)),
            (ii) the employee transfers any portion of the property he
          receives in such distribution to an eligible retirement plan,
          and
            (iii) in the case of a distribution of property other than
          money, the amount so transferred consists of the property
          distributed,

        then such distribution (to the extent so transferred) shall not
        be includible in gross income for the taxable year in which
        paid.
        (B) Certain rules made applicable
          Rules similar to the rules of paragraphs (2) through (7) of
        section 402(c) shall apply for purposes of subparagraph (A).
      (5) Direct trustee-to-trustee transfer
        Any amount transferred in a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer
      in accordance with section 401(a)(31) shall not be includible in
      gross income for the taxable year of such transfer.
    (b) Taxability of beneficiary under annuity purchased by section
      501(c)(3) organization or public school
      (1) General rule
        If - 
          (A) an annuity contract is purchased - 
            (i) for an employee by an employer described in section
          501(c)(3) which is exempt from tax under section 501(a),
            (ii) for an employee (other than an employee described in
          clause (i)), who performs services for an educational
          organization described in section 170(b)(1) (A)(ii), by an
          employer which is a State, a political subdivision of a
          State, or an agency or instrumentality of any one or more of
          the foregoing, or
            (iii) for the minister described in section 414(e)(5)(A) by
          the minister or by an employer,

          (B) such annuity contract is not subject to subsection (a),
          (C) the employee's rights under the contract are
        nonforfeitable, except for failure to pay future premiums,
          (D) except in the case of a contract purchased by a church,
        such contract is purchased under a plan which meets the
        nondiscrimination requirements of paragraph (12), and
          (E) in the case of a contract purchased under a salary
        reduction agreement, the contract meets the requirements of
        section 401(a)(30),

      then contributions and other additions by such employer for such
      annuity contract shall be excluded from the gross income of the
      employee for the taxable year to the extent that the aggregate of
      such contributions and additions (when expressed as an annual
      addition (within the meaning of section 415(c)(2))) does not
      exceed the applicable limit under section 415. The amount
      actually distributed to any distributee under such contract shall
      be taxable to the distributee (in the year in which so
      distributed) under section 72 (relating to annuities). For
      purposes of applying the rules of this subsection to
      contributions and other additions by an employer for a taxable
      year, amounts transferred to a contract described in this
      paragraph by reason of a rollover contribution described in
      paragraph (8) of this subsection or section 408(d)(3)(A)(ii)
      shall not be considered contributed by such employer.
      [(2) Repealed. Pub. L. 107-16, title VI, Sec. 632(a)(2)(B), June
        7, 2001, 115 Stat. 113]
      (3) Includible compensation
        For purposes of this subsection, the term "includible
      compensation" means, in the case of any employee, the amount of
      compensation which is received from the employer described in
      paragraph (1)(A), and which is includible in gross income
      (computed without regard to section 911) for the most recent
      period (ending not later than the close of the taxable year)
      which under paragraph (4) may be counted as one year of service,
      and which precedes the taxable year by no more than five years.
      Such term does not include any amount contributed by the employer
      for any annuity contract to which this subsection applies. Such
      term includes - 
          (A) any elective deferral (as defined in section 402(g)(3)),
        and
          (B) any amount which is contributed or deferred by the
        employer at the election of the employee and which is not
        includible in the gross income of the employee by reason of
        section 125, 132(f)(4), or 457.
      (4) Years of service
        In determining the number of years of service for purposes of
      this subsection, there shall be included - 
          (A) one year for each full year during which the individual
        was a full-time employee of the organization purchasing the
        annuity for him, and
          (B) a fraction of a year (determined in accordance with
        regulations prescribed by the Secretary) for each full year
        during which such individual was a part-time employee of such
        organization and for each part of a year during which such
        individual was a full-time or part-time employee of such
        organization.

      In no case shall the number of years of service be less than one.
      (5) Application to more than one annuity contract
        If for any taxable year of the employee this subsection applies
      to 2 or more annuity contracts purchased by the employer, such
      contracts shall be treated as one contract.
      [(6) Repealed. Pub. L. 107-147, title IV, Sec. 411(p)(2), Mar. 9,
        2002, 116 Stat. 50]
      (7) Custodial accounts for regulated investment company stock
        (A) Amounts paid treated as contributions
          For purposes of this title, amounts paid by an employer
        described in paragraph (1)(A) to a custodial account which
        satisfies the requirements of section 401(f)(2) shall be
        treated as amounts contributed by him for an annuity contract
        for his employee if - 
            (i) the amounts are to be invested in regulated investment
          company stock to be held in that custodial account, and
            (ii) under the custodial account no such amounts may be
          paid or made available to any distributee before the employee
          dies, attains age 59 1/2 , has a severance from employment,
          becomes disabled (within the meaning of section 72(m)(7)), or
          in the case of contributions made pursuant to a salary
          reduction agreement (within the meaning of section
          3121(a)(1)(D)), encounters financial hardship.
        (B) Account treated as plan
          For purposes of this title, a custodial account which
        satisfies the requirements of section 401(f)(2) shall be
        treated as an organization described in section 401(a) solely
        for purposes of subchapter F and subtitle F with respect to
        amounts received by it (and income from investment thereof).
        (C) Regulated investment company
          For purposes of this paragraph, the term "regulated
        investment company" means a domestic corporation which is a
        regulated investment company within the meaning of section
        851(a).
      (8) Rollover amounts
        (A) General rule
          If - 
            (i) any portion of the balance to the credit of an employee
          in an annuity contract described in paragraph (1) is paid to
          him in an eligible rollover distribution (within the meaning
          of section 402(c)(4)),
            (ii) the employee transfers any portion of the property he
          receives in such distribution to an eligible retirement plan
          described in section 402(c)(8)(B), and
            (iii) in the case of a distribution of property other than
          money, the property so transferred consists of the property
          distributed,

        then such distribution (to the extent so transferred) shall not
        be includible in gross income for the taxable year in which
        paid.
        (B) Certain rules made applicable
          The rules of paragraphs (2) through (7) and (9) of section
        402(c) and section 402(f) shall apply for purposes of
        subparagraph (A), except that section 402(f) shall be applied
        to the payor in lieu of the plan administrator.
      (9) Retirement income accounts provided by churches, etc.
        (A) Amounts paid treated as contributions
          For purposes of this title - 
            (i) a retirement income account shall be treated as an
          annuity contract described in this subsection, and
            (ii) amounts paid by an employer described in paragraph
          (1)(A) to a retirement income account shall be treated as
          amounts contributed by the employer for an annuity contract
          for the employee on whose behalf such account is maintained.
        (B) Retirement income account
          For purposes of this paragraph, the term "retirement income
        account" means a defined contribution program established or
        maintained by a church, a convention or association of
        churches, including an organization described in section
        414(e)(3)(A), to provide benefits under section 403(b) for an
        employee described in paragraph (1) or his beneficiaries.
      (10) Distribution requirements
        Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary, this subsection
      shall not apply to any annuity contract (or to any custodial
      account described in paragraph (7) or retirement income account
      described in paragraph (9)) unless requirements similar to the
      requirements of sections 401(a)(9) and 401(a)(31) are met (and
      requirements similar to the incidental death benefit requirements
      of section 401(a) are met) with respect to such annuity contract
      (or custodial account or retirement income account). Any amount
      transferred in a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer in accordance
      with section 401(a)(31) shall not be includible in gross income
      for the taxable year of the transfer.
      (11) Requirement that distributions not begin before age 59 1/2 ,
        severance from employment, death, or disability
        This subsection shall not apply to any annuity contract unless
      under such contract distributions attributable to contributions
      made pursuant to a salary reduction agreement (within the meaning
      of section 402(g)(3)(C)) may be paid only - 
          (A) when the employee attains age 59 1/2 , has a severance
        from employment, dies, or becomes disabled (within the meaning
        of section 72(m)(7)), or
          (B) in the case of hardship.

      Such contract may not provide for the distribution of any income
      attributable to such contributions in the case of hardship.
      (12) Nondiscrimination requirements
        (A) In general
          For purposes of paragraph (1)(D), a plan meets the
        nondiscrimination requirements of this paragraph if - 
            (i) with respect to contributions not made pursuant to a
          salary reduction agreement, such plan meets the requirements
          of paragraphs (4), (5), (17), and (26) of section 401(a),
          section 401(m), and section 410(b) in the same manner as if
          such plan were described in section 401(a), and
            (ii) all employees of the organization may elect to have
          the employer make contributions of more than $200 pursuant to
          a salary reduction agreement if any employee of the
          organization may elect to have the organization make
          contributions for such contracts pursuant to such agreement.

        For purposes of clause (i), a contribution shall be treated as
        not made pursuant to a salary reduction agreement if under the
        agreement it is made pursuant to a 1-time irrevocable election
        made by the employee at the time of initial eligibility to
        participate in the agreement or is made pursuant to a similar
        arrangement involving a one-time irrevocable election specified
        in regulations. For purposes of clause (ii), there may be
        excluded any employee who is a participant in an eligible
        deferred compensation plan (within the meaning of section 457)
        or a qualified cash or deferred arrangement of the organization
        or another annuity contract described in this subsection. Any
        nonresident alien described in section 410(b)(3)(C) may also be
        excluded. Subject to the conditions applicable under section
        410(b)(4), there may be excluded for purposes of this
        subparagraph employees who are students performing services
        described in section 3121(b)(10) and employees who normally
        work less than 20 hours per week.
        (B) Church
          For purposes of paragraph (1)(D), the term "church" has the
        meaning given to such term by section 3121(w)(3)(A). Such term
        shall include any qualified church-controlled organization (as
        defined in section 3121(w)(3)(B)).
        (C) State and local governmental plans
          For purposes of paragraph (1)(D), the requirements of
        subparagraph (A)(i) (other than those relating to section
        401(a)(17)) shall not apply to a governmental plan (within the
        meaning of section 414(d)) maintained by a State or local
        government or political subdivision thereof (or agency or
        instrumentality thereof).
      (13) Trustee-to-trustee transfers to purchase permissive service
        credit
        No amount shall be includible in gross income by reason of a
      direct trustee-to-trustee transfer to a defined benefit
      governmental plan (as defined in section 414(d)) if such transfer
      is - 
          (A) for the purchase of permissive service credit (as defined
        in section 415(n)(3)(A)) under such plan, or
          (B) a repayment to which section 415 does not apply by reason
        of subsection (k)(3) thereof.
    (c) Taxability of beneficiary under nonqualified annuities or under
      annuities purchased by exempt organizations
      Premiums paid by an employer for an annuity contract which is not
    subject to subsection (a) shall be included in the gross income of
    the employee in accordance with section 83 (relating to property
    transferred in connection with performance of services), except
    that the value of such contract shall be substituted for the fair
    market value of the property for purposes of applying such section.
    The preceding sentence shall not apply to that portion of the
    premiums paid which is excluded from gross income under subsection
    (b). In the case of any portion of any contract which is
    attributable to premiums to which this subsection applies, the
    amount actually paid or made available under such contract to any
    beneficiary which is attributable to such premiums shall be taxable
    to the beneficiary (in the year in which so paid or made available)
    under section 72 (relating to annuities).



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