Employee Benefits Security Administration Issues Final Rule on Annual Funding Notice for Defined Benefit Pension Plans

Targeted News Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 -- The U.S. Employee Benefits Security Administration published the following rule in the Federal Register:

Annual Funding Notice for Defined Benefit Plans

A Rule by the Employee Benefits Security Administration on 02/02/2015

Publication Date: Monday, February 02, 2015

Agencies: Department of Labor

Employee Benefits Security Administration

Entry Type: Rule

Action: Final rule.

Document Citation: 80 FR 5625

Page: 5625 -5663 (39 pages)

CFR: 29 CFR 2520

RIN: 1210-AB18

Document Number: 2015-01884

Shorter URL: https://federalregister.gov/a/2015-01884

Action

Final Rule.

Summary

This document contains a final rule implementing the annual funding notice requirement of section 101(f) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA). The final rule requires the administrators of defined benefit plans (single-employer and multiemployer) to furnish an annual funding notice to participants, beneficiaries, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, and certain other persons. The rule enhances retirement security and increases pension plan transparency by ensuring that workers receive timely and accurate notification annually of the funded status of their defined benefit pension plans. This document also contains necessary conforming amendments to other regulations under ERISA, such as the summary annual report regulation.

DATES:

Effective date: March 4, 2015.

Applicability date: The final rule is applicable to notices for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2015. Prior to this applicability date, however, plan administrators may elect to comply with the requirements of the final regulation and the Department of Labor, as a matter of enforcement, will consider such compliance as satisfying the requirements of section 101(f) of ERISA. This temporary enforcement policy does not address the rights or obligations of other parties.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Thomas M. Hindmarch or Stephanie Ward Cibinic, Office of Regulations and Interpretations, Employee Benefits Security Administration, (202) 693-8500. This is not a toll-free number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Executive Summary

In accordance with Executive Order 13563 (76 FR 3821), this section of the preamble contains an executive summary of the rulemaking in order to promote public understanding of the content of the final rule. Sections B through G of this preamble, below, contain a more detailed description of the final regulatory provisions and need for the rulemaking as well as its costs and benefits.

1. Purpose of Regulatory Action

This final rule implements the annual funding notice requirement of section 101(f) of ERISA as amended by the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA), Public Law 109-280, 120 Stat. 780. The PPA made significant changes to the existing funding notice requirement by enhancing the content of the notice, shortening the timeframe for providing notices, and expanding the requirement to provide funding notices from multiemployer defined benefit plans (which have been required to provide funding notices starting with plan years beginning in 2005) to all defined benefit plans. Section 501 of the PPA authorizes the Secretary of Labor to promulgate rules to implement the amendments to the annual funding notice requirement and to publish model notices.

2. Summary of Major Provisions

The final rule requires the plan administrator of a defined benefit pension plan that is subject to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's Insurance Program to furnish a funding notice annually to participants, beneficiaries, labor organizations representing such participants or beneficiaries, employers obligated to make contributions to a multiemployer plan, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). Large plans must furnish the notice by the 120th day following the end of the plan year to which the notice relates (the "notice year"). A small plan may furnish a funding notice on or before the due date, with extensions, of the plan's Form 5500 Annual Return/Report filed with the Department of Labor (the Department). While the Department made some changes, the final rule is substantially the same as the proposal (published in November 2010) with respect to specific funding information disclosed in the notice. For example, the funding notice must show the plan's funding percentage, the assets and liabilities that determine the funding percentage, the fair market value of the plan's assets on the last day of the plan year, the plan's funding and investment policies and allocation of assets, known events that are projected to have a material effect on the plan's funding, and other information. Significant changes from the proposal include: exempting certain terminating single-employer plans from furnishing their funding notices; establishing alternative methods of compliance for multiemployer pension plans that have terminated by mass withdrawal and for plans described in section 412(e)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (hereinafter "Code"); and including a rule of administrative convenience that if an otherwise disclosable material event first becomes known to the plan administrator 120 days or less before the due date of the funding notice, the event is not required to be disclosed in the notice.

3. Costs and Benefits

The Department estimates that the costs attributable to the final rule will be approximately $51 million in the first year and $46.5 million in each subsequent year. [1] The Department expects that the final rule will increase the transparency of information about the funding status of defined benefit plans, which benefits all parties interested in the financial viability of such plans by providing them with a greater opportunity to monitor the plans' funding status and take action when necessary. In addition, the rule will benefit plan administrators by providing them with model notices, which should mitigate burden and contribute to the efficiency of compliance. The Department believes that these benefits justify the costs associated with the final rule. The Department's full cost/benefit analysis is set forth below in Section G of this preamble, entitled "Regulatory Impact Analysis."

B. Background

In 2006, section 501(a) of the PPA significantly amended section 101(f) of ERISA. Before the PPA, section 101(f) of ERISA only required multiemployer defined benefit pension plans to furnish a funding notice annually to plan participants and others. [2] Now, section 101(f) of ERISA, as amended by the PPA, requires administrators of all defined benefit plans that are subject to title IV of ERISA, not only multiemployer plans, to furnish annual funding notices. In addition, the PPA shortened the time frame for providing funding notices and changed the content requirements. These changes and others are discussed in detail below. Pursuant to section 501(d) of the PPA, the amendments to section 101(f) apply to plan years beginning after December 31, 2007.

In 2009, the Department issued Field Assistance Bulletin 2009-01 (FAB 2009-01) to provide interim guidance to plan administrators in discharging their obligations under the new annual funding notice requirements. FAB 2009-01 addresses a number of issues under section 101(f) of ERISA and includes model funding notices. Much of the guidance in FAB 2009-01 was incorporated into the proposed regulation and now into the final regulation contained in this document. The final rule supersedes FAB 2009-01 as of the applicability date of the final rule. Until the applicability date, plan administrators may continue to rely on FAB 2009-01 or they may elect to comply with the requirements of the final regulation.

In 2010, the Department published in the Federal Register a proposed rule under section 101(f) of ERISA and invited interested parties to comment. [3] The Department received 11 written comments on the proposal. Copies of these comments are available to the public on the Department's Web site at http://www.dol.gov/ebsa.

In 2012, section 40211(b)(2)(A) of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), Public Law 112-141, 126 Stat. 405, amended the annual funding notice requirements by adding a new paragraph (2)(D) to ERISA section 101(f). The additional MAP-21 disclosures relate to the effect of the ERISA section 303(h)(2)(C)(iv) funding stabilization rules on single-employer plan liabilities and minimum required contributions to such plans for the 2012, 2013, and 2014 plan years. Section 40211(b)(2)(B) of MAP-21 directed the Department to modify the model annual funding notice required under section 501(c) of the PPA to prominently include these new disclosures. On March 8, 2013, the Department issued Field Assistance Bulletin 2013-01 (FAB 2013-01), which included a supplement to the model annual funding notice for single-employer defined benefit pension plans and a number of questions and answers providing guidance on how to comply with the MAP-21 requirements.

In 2014, section 2003(b) of the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014 (HATFA), Public Law 113-159, 128 Stat. 1839, modified the MAP-21 funding stabilization rules of section 303(h)(2)(C)(iv) of ERISA and the disclosure requirements of section 101(f)(2)(D) of ERISA and directed the Department to modify the MAP-21 supplement to the model annual funding notice. To reflect the changes made to the funding stabilization rules, section 2003(b)(2)(A)(ii) of HATFA changed the plan years subject to disclosures required by section 101(f)(2)(D) from plan years 2012 through 2014 to plan years 2012 through 2019. Section 2003(b)(2)(A)(i) of HATFA added a reference to HATFA in the disclosure statements required by sections 101(f)(2)(D)(i)(I) and (II) of ERISA. On January 14, 2015, the Department issued Field Assistance Bulletin 2015-01 (FAB 2015-01), providing guidance on how to comply with the HATFA requirements. [4]

The Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 2014 (MPRA), Public Law 113-235 (2014), added new disclosure requirements to section 101(f)(2)(B) of ERISA relating to the new multiemployer funding classification of "critical and declining status." In addition to these new disclosures, other MPRA changes affect the model annual funding notice for multiemployer plans.

After careful consideration of the issues raised by the written comments, the Department is adopting the final rule contained herein. While the Department has made some changes to the proposed rule, the final regulation, described below, is substantially the same as the proposal.

C. Overview of Final Rule

1. In General section 2520.101-5(a)

a. Scope

Paragraph (a)(1) of the final regulation sets forth the general requirement that, unless otherwise exempted, all defined benefit plans subject to title IV of ERISA must furnish compliant funding notices to eligible recipients. Paragraphs (a)(2) and (3) of the final regulation provide limited exceptions for certain plans, and paragraphs (j), (k) and (l) provide alternative methods of compliance where exceptions are not appropriate. The limited exceptions are discussed immediately below and the alternative methods of compliance are discussed in subsection C.8 of this preamble.

b. Limited Exceptions for Certain Multiemployer Plans

The exception to the annual funding notice requirement for insolvent multiemployer plans in paragraph (a)(2)(i) of the proposal was reordered as paragraph (a)(2)(i)(A) in the final regulation, but the substance is unchanged from the proposal. Under this exception, the plan administrator of an insolvent multiemployer plan that is in compliance with the insolvency notice requirements of sections 4245(e) or 4281(d)(3) of ERISA before the due date of the funding notice for a plan year is not, for such year, required to furnish the funding notice to the parties otherwise entitled to such notice. Inasmuch as this exception is predicated on sufficient alternative notification under sections 4245(e) and 4281(d)(3) of ERISA, the exception would cease to be available with respect to a plan that emerges from insolvency or ceases to comply with the insolvency notice requirements under title IV of ERISA. The Department received no comments on this provision.

Under paragraph (a)(2)(i)(B) of the final regulation, the plan administrator of a multiemployer plan that has terminated by mass withdrawal under section 4041A(a)(2) of ERISA is not required to furnish a funding notice for a plan year if the due date for such notice is on or after the date the plan has distributed assets in satisfaction of all nonforfeitable benefit liabilities in accordance with section 4041A of ERISA and Subpart D of 29 CFR part 4041A. This new provision provides relief to multiemployer plans similar to the relief available under paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(C) for single-employer plans.

c. Limited Exceptions for Certain Single-Employer Plans

Proposed paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(A) provided that the plan administrator of a single-employer plan is not required to furnish a funding notice for a plan year if the due date for such notice is on or after the date the PBGC is appointed trustee of the plan pursuant to section 4042 of ERISA. Proposed paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(B) provided for similar relief when a plan has distributed assets in satisfaction of all benefit liabilities in a distress termination pursuant to section 4041(c)(3)(B)(i) or of all guaranteed benefits in a distress termination pursuant to section 4041(c)(3)(B)(ii) of ERISA. The Department's rationale for these exceptions was based on termination procedures and the disclosure regime under title IV of ERISA discussed in the preamble to the proposal. [5] The Department received no negative comments on these provisions. They have been adopted as is from the proposal.

Based in large part on the exceptions discussed immediately above, paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(B) of the proposal provided similar relief for a plan that distributed assets in satisfaction of all benefit liabilities in a standard termination pursuant to section 4041(b). One commenter requested that this exception be expanded to provide relief from the annual funding notice requirements for plan years after the plan's termination, but before the plan actually distributes assets in satisfaction of all benefit liabilities. Typically this occurs when a plan is waiting for a favorable determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Such plans, according to a commenter, ordinarily will not have the information they need to complete annual funding notices during this period. The funding target attainment percentage, value of assets and liabilities that determine the plan's funding target attainment percentage, and year-end liabilities will not be readily available because such plans are no longer subject to the minimum funding requirements in section 430 of the Code (ERISAsection 303) or the requirement to file a Schedule SB to the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report after the plan year of termination. [6] Thus, in the absence of the exception in paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of the final regulation, such plans would have to hire an actuary as if the plan were subject to these requirements, solely to obtain the missing section 101(f) information. The commenter argues that valuable resources will be expended unnecessarily in this regard. The Department agrees with this commenter that such an outcome is not in the best interests of plan participants and beneficiaries in these limited circumstances. For these reasons, and after consulting with the PBGC, Treasury and the IRS, the Department adopts paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(C) of the final rule which exempts the plan administrator from providing a funding notice for a plan year if the due date for the funding notice is on or after the date the plan administrator files a standard termination notice (i.e., PBGC Form 500) pursuant to 29 CFR 4041.25, provided that the proposed termination date is on or before the due date of the funding notice and a final distribution of assets in satisfaction of the plan's benefit liabilities proceeds according to the requirements of section 4041(b) of ERISA. If, for some reason, the termination does not proceed according to the requirements of section 4041(b) of ERISA with a distribution of assets in satisfaction of all benefit liabilities and the plan again becomes subject to the minimum funding standards, the exception ceases to apply.

The following example illustrates the exception in paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(C).

Example:

On March 1, 2017, the plan administrator furnishes to all affected parties a notice of intent to terminate, stating that Plan Y, a calendar year plan, will terminate on April 30, 2016. On April 15, 2017, the plan administrator files a standard notice of termination (PBGC Form 500) with the PBGC. Under the exception in paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(C) of the final rule, the funding notice for the 2015 notice year (due no later than April 30, 2016) is the final funding notice of Plan Y, since both the proposed termination date and the date the PBGC Form 500 is filed with the PBGC occur on or before the April 30, 2017, due date of the 2016 funding notice.

Finally, one commenter recommended expanding the exception to excuse the plan administrator of a single-employer plan from furnishing a funding notice if the plan administrator reasonably believed that the PBGC would appoint itself trustee within the next 12 months. The same commenter also recommended excusing the plan administrator from furnishing a funding notice after commencement of the distribution of assets under a standard or distress termination instead of after the final distribution of all assets as set out in the proposal. Neither of these recommendations is adopted in the final rule. The first recommendation, without more, would give too much discretion to the plan administrator to determine whether or not to provide the funding notice. In addition, unlike the other exceptions in the final rule, the first recommendation is not grounded on a factor such as cost savings to the plan or an absence of information needed to complete the annual funding notice (for example, because the plan is no longer subject to the funding rules under the Code or ERISA's annual reporting requirements); nor does it appear to rest on any separate disclosure requirements applicable to such plans under title IV of ERISA. The commenter's second recommendation was not adopted for essentially the same reasons against the first recommendation, but also because the new exception in paragraph (a)(2)(ii)C), in the Department's view, provides substantially equivalent relief in the case of a standard termination.

d. Mergers and Consolidations

Paragraph (a)(3) of the final regulation, like the proposal, provides relief in the case of a merger or consolidation of two or more plans. The final plan year of a plan that has legally transferred control of its assets to a successor plan (hereafter the "non-successor plan") ends upon the occurrence of the merger or consolidation. Under this exception, the plan administrator of a non-successor plan is not required to furnish a funding notice for its final plan year.

For example, if plan A were to merge with plan B in 2017 and plan B is the successor plan (i.e., the plan to which control of the assets of plan A was legally transferred), then the plan administrator of plan A is not required to furnish a funding notice for plan A for its final plan year, which ends upon the occurrence of the merger in 2017. However, the funding notice of plan B (i.e., the plan to which control of the assets of plan A was legally transferred) must satisfy the general content requirements in paragraph (b) of the final regulation and, in addition, contain a general explanation of the merger or consolidation. The general explanation must include the effective date of, and identify each plan involved with, the merger or consolidation. Given that participants and beneficiaries will look to the successor plan for their pension benefits following the merger or consolidation, rather than the plan whose assets and liabilities were transferred to the successor plan, the Department believes that participants and beneficiaries would realize little, if any, benefit from receiving a funding notice from the non-successor plan. In addition, including an explanation of the merger in the funding notice of the successor plan should abate any participant confusion that might exist by virtue of not receiving a funding notice from the non-successor plan.

One commenter requested clarification whether the funding notice of the successor plan for the year of the merger must reflect the funding percentages, assets, and liabilities of the non-successor plan for the two preceding plan years. Because the assets and liabilities of the non-successor plan were not assets and liabilities of the successor plan before the merger or consolidation, the successor plan's funding notice for the year of the merger would not have to reflect this information. The year-end data in this funding notice, however, would reflect the combined assets (both single and multiemployer plans) and liabilities (single-employer plans only). No changes to the operative text were needed for this clarification.

2. Content Requirements section 2520.101-5(b)

a. Identifying Information (section 2520.101-5(b)(1))

Paragraph (b)(1) of the final regulation, like the proposal, provides that a funding notice must include the name of the plan, the plan number, name of each plan sponsor, the employer identification number of the plan sponsor, and the name, address and telephone number of the plan administrator (and the name, address and phone number of the plan's principal administrative officer if the principal administrative officer is different from the plan administrator). For purposes of this requirement, employer identification numbers, name of plan sponsor, and plan numbers are the same as those used in the Form 5500 Annual Return/Report filed in accordance with section 104(a) of ERISA. The Department received no comments on this provision, as proposed, and it is adopted without change in the final rule.

b. Funding Percentage (section 2520.101-5(b)(2))

Paragraph (b)(2) of the final regulation, like the proposal, requires disclosure of a plan's funding percentage. Specifically, in the case of a single-employer plan, paragraph (b)(2)(i) of the final regulation provides that a notice must include a statement as to whether the plan's funding target attainment percentage for the notice year, and for each of the two preceding plan years, is at least 100 percent (and, if not, the actual percentages). The term "funding target attainment percentage" is defined in section 303(d)(2) of ERISA, which corresponds to Code section 430(d)(2). Guidance issued by the Department of the Treasury under Code section 430 also applies for purposes of section 303 of ERISA. Treasury regulations under Code section 430 provide that the funding target attainment percentage of a plan for a plan year is a fraction (expressed as a percentage), the numerator of which is the value of the plan's assets for the plan year (determined under the rules of 26 CFR 1.430(g)-1) after subtracting the prefunding balance and funding standard carryover balance (collectively the "credit balances") under section 430(f)(4)(B) of the Code and section 1.430(f)-1(c), and the denominator of which is the funding target of the plan for the plan year (determined without regard to the at-risk rules of section 430(i) of the Code and section 1.430(i)-1). [7] Thus, this percentage for a plan year is calculated by dividing the value of the plan's assets for that year (after subtracting the credit balances, if any) by the funding target of the plan for that year (disregarding the at-risk rules).

One commenter expressed concern with using the funding target attainment percentage calculated in the manner described above. This commenter believes there are circumstances when this percentage does not necessarily show the most accurate picture of the plan's funded status. For instance, this commenter believes it is misleading to subtract the credit balances discussed above when the plan otherwise is 100 percent funded. Such a subtraction, according to this commenter, could show a funding target attainment percentage of less than 80 percent when the plan is 100 percent or more funded before such subtraction and needlessly raise the concerns of participants regarding the application of the benefit restrictions and limitations of section 436 of the Code. [8] ERISA section 101(f)(2)(B)(i), however, specifically requires a plan administrator to disclose the funding target attainment percentage determined by subtracting the credit balances from the value of the plan's assets.

Paragraph (b)(12) of the final rule permits plan administrators to include additional information in funding notices if the additional information is either necessary or helpful to understanding the mandated information. The Department is of the view, however, that ordinarily a funding notice with more than one funding percentage for the same plan year would be very confusing to participants and beneficiaries. Thus, the Department strongly discourages this practice. One exception may be when the plan administrator concludes it is necessary or helpful to explain that a benefit restriction or limitation under Code section 436 has not been triggered despite the funding target attainment percentage disclosed in the funding notice being below 80 percent. Even in these circumstances, however, a narrative explanation ordinarily should suffice.

In the case of a multiemployer plan, paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of the final regulation, like the proposal, provides that a notice must include a statement as to whether the plan's funded percentage for the notice year, and for each of the two preceding plan years, is at least 100 percent (and, if not, the actual percentages). The term "funded percentage" is defined in section 305(i) of ERISA, which corresponds to section 432(i) of the Code. Guidance issued by the Department of the Treasury under section 432 of the Code also applies for purposes of section 305 of ERISA. Proposed Treasury regulations under Code section 432 provide that the funded percentage of a plan for a plan year is a fraction (expressed as a percentage), the numerator of which is the actuarial value of the plan's assets as determined under section 431(c)(2) of the Code and the denominator of which is the accrued liability of the plan, determined using the actuarial assumptions described in section 431(c)(3) of the Code and the unit credit funding method. [9] Thus, this percentage for a plan year is calculated by dividing the plan's assets for that year by the accrued liability of the plan for that year, determined using the unit credit funding method. The Department received no comments on this provision and it was adopted in the final rule without change.

c. Assets and Liabilities (section 2520.101-5(b)(3))

(i) Single-Employer Plans--Assets and Liabilities as of the Valuation Date

In the case of a single-employer plan, paragraph (b)(3)(i)(A) of the final regulation, like the proposal, requires that a funding notice include a statement of the total assets (separately stating the prefunding balance and the funding standard carryover balance) and liabilities of the plan for the notice year and each of the two preceding plan years. Like section 101(f)(2)(B)(ii)(I)(aa) of the statute, the final regulation provides that assets and liabilities are to be determined "in the same manner as under section 303" of ERISA. The Department interprets the quoted statutory language to mean that the total assets and liabilities used for this purpose are the same as those used to determine a plan's funding target attainment percentage (as well as the plan's "at-risk" liabilities pursuant to section 303(i) of ERISA, taking into account section 303(i)(5), if the plan is in "at-risk" status). The Department received no comments on this provision, as proposed. It was adopted without change in the final regulation. (ii) Single-Employer Plans--Assets and Liabilities as of the Last Day of the Plan Year

Section 101(f)(2)(B)(ii)(I)(bb) of ERISA states that a funding notice must include, in the case of a single-employer plan, "the value of the plan's assets and liabilities for the plan year to which the notice relates as of the last day of the plan year to which the notice relates determined using the asset valuation under subclause (II) of section 4006(a)(3)(E)(iii) and the interest rate under section 4006(a)(3)(E)(iv)[.]"

Based on the foregoing, paragraph (b)(3)(i)(B) of the proposal provided that a single-employer plan must include a statement of the value of the plan's assets and liabilities determined as of the last day of the notice year. For purposes of this statement, plan administrators must report the fair market value of assets as of the last day of the plan year. In addition, a plan's liabilities as of the last day of the plan year are equal to the present value, as of the last day of the plan year, of benefits accrued as of that same date. With the exception of the interest rate assumption, the present value should be determined using the assumptions used to determine the funding target under ERISA section 303. The interest rate assumption is the interest rate provided under section 4006(a)(3)(E)(iv) of ERISA in effect for the last month of the notice year rather than the rate in effect for the month preceding the first month of the notice year. For the reasons set forth below, this proposed provision is adopted without change.

Some commenters expressed their concerns that this aspect of the proposal would lead to confusion. More specifically, they argued that participants and beneficiaries will be confused by seeing year-end figures that are calculated with different assumptions than those used to calculate beginning-of-the-year figures. To illustrate the confusing effect of the proposal, the commenters explained by way of example that a plan's assets and liabilities as of one second before midnight on December 31 could be dramatically different from that plan's assets and liabilities one second later on January 1, for no reason other than the different assumptions prescribed by paragraphs (b)(3)(i)(A) and (b)(3)(i)(B) of the proposal.

The solution offered by one of these commenters is that the proposal should be revised to mandate use of identical assumptions for both dates. Thus, the same interest rate, mortality, and other actuarial assumptions would be used to determine the present value of both the year-end liabilities for the notice year and the valuation date liabilities of the next plan year. This would eliminate the December 31/January 1 difference described above. In this regard, the commenter suggested using the same assumptions used by the plan sponsor to determine pension liabilities in its SEC filings.

The Department did not adopt this recommendation. Because the disclosure requirements in paragraph (b)(3)(i)(B) of the proposal track the statutory requirements in section 101(f)(2)(B)(ii)(I)(bb) of ERISA, adopting this commenter's recommendation would effectively read these requirements out of the statute. Whatever the differences that might exist between year-end assets and liabilities and the next year's valuation date assets and liabilities, such differences result from the actuarial assumptions and methods mandated by the statute.

Other commenters recommended enhanced disclosure of the assumptions behind the year-end figures, including an explanation of how such assumptions differ from the assumptions used for the beginning-of-the-year (i.e., valuation date) figures. These commenters suggested that enhanced disclosure of this type could be helpful in explaining the December 31/January 1 difference described above. Because paragraph (b)(12) of the final regulation permits plan administrators to add additional or supplemental information to funding notices, if appropriate, the Department decided against mandating the specific disclosures suggested by these commenters.

Finally, the Department, in the preamble to the proposal, recognized that some plans may need to estimate their year-end liabilities for the notice year. For instance, this would be necessary if the plan lacked up-to-date information (e.g., hours of service, compensation, eligibility status, etc.) to calculate year-end liabilities by the due date of the funding notice. The preamble discussion further provided that, inasmuch as section 101(f) of ERISA does not specifically set forth any standards to govern such estimations, pending guidance to the contrary, plan administrators may, in a reasonable manner, project liabilities to year-end using standard actuarial techniques. While the Department specifically solicited comments on this issue, none were received. Accordingly, the Department has no reason at this time to provide contrary guidance.

One commenter noted that instructions to "round off all amounts in this notice to the nearest dollar" located under the "Funding Target Attainment Percentage" chart in Appendix A would be difficult in the context of estimating year-end liabilities. The commenter interpreted these instructions to mean plan administrators must estimate year-end liabilities to the nearest dollar. The Department intended for the rounding instruction to apply to valuation date liabilities used to determine the funding target attainment percentage because by the due date of the funding notice, the valuation date liabilities should be precise to the nearest dollar. Accordingly, no change was made to the rounding instruction in the final version of the model notice. With respect to year-end liabilities, however, the plan should use rounding conventions that are standard for estimating projected plan liabilities and are reasonable with regard to the plan. The Department recognizes that plans may not be able to achieve the same level of precision with respect to estimated year-end liabilities as with valuation date figures.

[*Federal RegisterVJ 2015-02-02]

For more information, contact Myron Struck, editor, Targeted News Service, Springfield, Va., 703/304-1897; [email protected]; targetednews.com.

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