Determination Letters for Governmental Plans Don’t Address Pick-Up Contributions and Excess Benefit Arrangements (Posted on January 23, 2015 by )


irsThe IRS has issued a reminder that governmental plan sponsors who apply for IRS determination letters covering the qualified status of their plans can’t rely on a favorable letter for whether:

  • contributions made to the plan are the employer’s “pick-up contributions” (i.e., pretax employee contributions under section 414(h)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code), or
  • the plan has a qualified governmental excess benefit arrangement (i.e., a separate trust that provides only a participant’s annual benefit in excess of the limits under Internal Revenue Code section 415).

Sponsors may, however, apply for a private letter ruling from the IRS for these matters. The IRS document linked above discusses the requirements for such rulings.