IRS Provides Mortality Tables For Plan Benefits And Limitations.

Rev. Rul. 2001-62

ISSUE

[1] What mortality table is the prescribed table under § 415(b)(2)(E)(v) of the Internal Revenue Code (the "Code") and the applicable mortality table under § 417(e)(3)(A)(ii)(I)?

LAW AND ANALYSIS

[2] Section 415(b) provides for limitations on benefits payable under qualified defined benefit plans. Section 415(b)(1) provides, for limitation years ending on or before December 31, 2001, that the limitation on benefits, when expressed as an annual benefit (i.e., a benefit payable annually in the form of a straight life annuity with no ancillary benefits) is the lesser of (a) $90,000 (as adjusted for increases in the cost of living) or (b) 100 percent of the participant's average compensation for the high 3 years. Section 415(b)(2)(B) provides that, if the benefit under the plan is payable in any form other than a straight life annuity, the determination of whether the limitation of § 415(b)(1) has been satisfied is made by adjusting such benefit so that it is equivalent to a straight life annuity. Sections 415(b)(2)(C) and (D) provide, for limitation years ending on or before December 31, 2001, for adjustments to the $90,000 (as adjusted for increases in the cost of living) limit when benefits begin at an age other than at social security retirement age.

[3] For limitation years ending after December 31, 2001, section 611(a) of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, Public Law 107-16 (EGTRRA), made a number of changes to the limitations under § 415 of the Code. For limitation years ending after December 31, 2001, the adjustments under § 415(b)(2)(C) apply to benefits that commence before age 62 and the adjustments under § 415(b)(2)(D) apply to benefits that begin after age 65.

[4] Section 415(b)(2)(E)(v) provides that, for purposes of adjusting any benefit or limitation under § 415(b)(2)(B), (C), or (D), the mortality table used is the table prescribed by the Secretary. The statute further provides that the table is based on the prevailing commissioners' standard table (described in § 807(d)(5)(A)) used to determine reserves for group annuity contracts issued on the date the adjustment is being made (without regard to any other subparagraph of § 807(d)(5)).

[5] Section 417(e)(3) provides rules for the determination of the present value of plan benefits for purposes of § 417(e). Section 417(e)(3)(A)(i) generally provides that, for purposes of § 417(e)(1) and (e)(2), the present value is not less than the present value calculated by using the applicable mortality table and the applicable interest rate. In addition, § 411(a)(11)(B) provides that, the determination of present value for purposes of § 411(a)(11)(A) is calculated in accordance with § 417(e)(3). Sections 203(e)(1), 203(e)(2), and 205(g)(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) provide corresponding provisions to §§ 411(a)(11)(A), 411(a)(11)(B), and 417(e)(3) of the Code.

[6] Section 417(e)(3)(A)(ii)(I) defines the term "applicable mortality table" as the mortality table prescribed by the Secretary. The statute further provides that the table is based on the prevailing commissioners' standard table (described in § 807(d)(5)(A)) used to determine reserves for group annuity contracts issued on the date the adjustment is being made (without regard to any other subparagraph of § 807(d)(5)).

[7] Section 1.417(e)-1(d)(1) of the Income Tax Regulations provides that a defined benefit plan must provide that the present value of any accrued benefit and the amount (subject to §§ 411(c)(3) and 415) of any distribution, including a single sum, must not be less than the amount calculated using the applicable interest rate described in § 1.417(e)-1(d)(3) (determined for the month described in § 1.417(e)-1(d)(4)) and the applicable mortality table described in § 1.417(e)-1(d)(2). The present value of any optional form of benefit cannot be less than the present value of the normal retirement benefit determined in accordance with the preceding sentence. Under § 1.417(e)-1(d)(1), these rules must also be used to compute the present value of the benefit for purposes of determining whether consent for a distribution is required.

[8] Section 1.417(e)-1(d)(2) provides that the applicable mortality table is the mortality table based on the prevailing commissioners' standard table (described in § 807(d)(5)(A)) used to determine reserves for group annuity contracts issued on the date as of which present value is being determined (without regard to any other subparagraph of § 807(d)(5)), that is prescribed by the Commissioner in revenue rulings, notices, or other guidance published in the Internal Revenue Bulletin. The Commissioner may also prescribe rules that apply in the case of a change to the prevailing commissioners' standard table.

[9] For purposes of § 807(d)(5) of the Code, Rev. Rul. 92-19, 1992-1 C.B. 227, sets forth the prevailing commissioners' standard table for group annuities as the 1983 Group Annuity Mortality Table (83 GAM) for contracts issued after January 1, 1985.

[10] The U.S. Supreme Court, in Arizona v. Norris, 463 U.S. 1073, 1084-1086 (1983), held that the application of sex- distinct actuarial tables to employees based upon their gender in calculating the amount of retirement benefits violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

[11] Rev. Rul. 95-6, 1995-1 C.B. 80, provided a mortality table, based upon a fixed blend of 50 percent of the male mortality rates and 50 percent of the female mortality rates from the 83 GAM, as the applicable mortality table for purposes of adjusting benefits or limitations under § 415(b)(2) of the Code and determining the present value of plan benefits under § 417(e)(3). Rev. Rul. 98-1, 1998-1 C.B. 249, Q & A-6, provides that Rev. Rul. 95-6, provides the mortality table which generally must be used for the purposes of adjusting any benefit or limitation under §§ 415(b)(2)(B), (C), or (D).

[12] For purposes of § 807(d)(5) of the Code, Rev. Rul. 2001-38, 2001-33 I.R.B 124, supplements Rev. Rul. 92-19 by setting forth, for certain insurance products issued on or after January 1, 1999, the prevailing commissioners' standard table for group annuities as the 1994 Group Annuity Reserving Table (94 GAR).

[13] Section 411(d)(6) of the Code generally prohibits a plan amendment that decreases a participant's accrued benefit. Section 411(d)(6)(B) provides that an amendment that eliminates an optional form of benefit is treated as reducing a participant's accrued benefit, but permits the Secretary of Treasury to provide for the elimination of certain optional forms of benefits under regulations. Section 1.411(d)-4, Q & A-2(b) provides that the Commissioner may, through the publication of revenue rulings, notices and other items of general applicability, provide for the elimination or reduction of certain § 411(d)(6) protected benefits that have already accrued.

[14] Section 401(b) and the regulations thereunder provide a remedial amendment period during which an amendment to a disqualifying provision may be made retroactively effective, under certain circumstances, to comply with the requirements of § 401(a). In Notice 2001-42, 2001-30 I.R.B. 70, the Service provided that the remedial amendment period for changes in the plan qualification requirements made by EGTRRA would end no earlier than the end of the first plan year beginning on or after January 1, 2005. This "EGTRRA remedial amendment period" is available only if good faith EGTRRA plan amendments have been adopted by, generally, the end of the first plan year beginning on or after January 1, 2002.

HOLDING

[15] The following mortality table, based upon a fixed blend of 50 percent of the unloaded male mortality rates and 50 percent of the unloaded female mortality rates underlying the mortality rates in the 94 GAR, projected to 2002, is the applicable mortality table for purposes of adjusting benefits or limitations under § 415(b)(2) of the Code and for determining the present value of plan benefits under § 417(e)(3) and the corresponding provisions of ERISA. The table shows, for each age, the number living based upon a starting population of one million lives at age 1 (l_x), and the annual rate of mortality (q_x).

[16] Plans may incorporate this table by reference to this revenue ruling. A plan amendment will not violate section § 411(d)(6)(B) of the Code and the corresponding provision of ERISA solely because of a reduction in any annuity distribution with an annuity starting date on or after the later of the adoption date or the effective date of this amendment if the cause of such reduction is the substitution of the table in this revenue ruling for the table in Rev. Rul. 95-6. If the effective date is earlier than the adoption date of this plan amendment, § 415(b)(2)(B) of the Code will not be violated if such amendment provides that any payments made after the adoption date will be reduced actuarially by the value of the excess, if any, of annuity distributions paid before the adoption date of this amendment over annuity distributions that would have been permissible under section § 415(b)(2)(B) if the amendment had been adopted as of such effective date.

                            Mortality Table

[17] The required use of the mortality table in this revenue ruling is effective for distributions with annuity starting dates on or after December 31, 2002, except that a plan may specify any earlier date during calendar year 2002 as the effective date for the required use of the mortality table in this revenue ruling under the plan. The effective date for the required use of the mortality table set forth in this revenue ruling for a plan is referred to as the plan's 94 GAR effective date. A plan's 94 GAR effective date must apply uniformly for purposes of §§ 415 and 417(e) of the Code and § 205(g)(3) of ERISA.

PLAN AMENDMENT

[18] The latest date by which a plan may be amended to comply with this revenue ruling is the last day of the plan year that contains the plan's 94 GAR effective date. Thus, a plan with a July 1 to June 30 fiscal plan year ending June 30, 2002, must be amended no later than June 30, 2002, if the effective date is between January 1, 2002, and June 30, 2002. If such a plan is amended during its July 1, 2002, to June 30, 2003, plan year, the plan's 94 GAR effective date may be no earlier than July 1, 2002.

[19] For a plan amendment adopted to comply with this revenue ruling no later than the last day of the plan year that contains the plan's 94 GAR effective date, the remedial amendment period under § 401(b) will end at the end of the EGTRRA remedial amendment period.

DETERMINATION LETTERS

[20] Determination letter applications filed on or after the last day of the plan year that contains the plan's 94 GAR effective date will be reviewed with respect to whether the form of the plan satisfies the requirements of this revenue ruling. Determination letter applications filed before the last day of the plan year that contains the plan's 94 GAR effective date will be reviewed with respect to whether the form of the plan satisfies the requirements of this revenue ruling if an amendment to comply with the ruling is submitted with the request for the determination letter. In either case, determination letters issued with respect to such applications may be relied on with respect to the requirements of this revenue ruling.

MODEL PLAN AMENDMENTS

[21] The Appendix provides two alternative model plan amendments that a plan sponsor, or a sponsor of a pre-approved plan, may adopt to comply with this revenue ruling. The first model amendment is intended to have the effect of adopting the mortality table set forth in this revenue ruling for purposes of adjusting any benefit or limitation under § 415(b)(2)(B), (C), or (D) and the applicable mortality table used for purposes of satisfying the requirements of § 417(e). The second model amendment is intended to have the effect of substituting the mortality table set forth in this revenue ruling for the mortality table set forth in Rev. Rul. 95-6 for all purposes under the plan for which the use of the mortality table set forth in Rev. Rul. 95-6 is specified. A plan sponsor should consider which of these two approaches is appropriate for the particular plan, or whether some other approach should be chosen for the plan.

[22] A pre-approved plan (that is, a master or prototype or volume submitter plan) may be amended by the document's sponsor to comply with this revenue ruling to the extent authorized. Alternatively, adopting employers may adopt a plan amendment as an addendum to the plan or adoption agreement. The inclusion of either of the model plan amendments below in an addendum to a plan adopted to comply with EGTRRA will not cause a pre-approved plan to be treated as an individually designed plan,

[23] A plan sponsor that adopts either of the model amendments verbatim (or with only minor changes) will have reliance that the form of its plan satisfies the requirements of this revenue ruling, and the adoption of such an amendment will not adversely affect the plan sponsor's reliance on a favorable determination, opinion or advisory letter.

EFFECT ON OTHER DOCUMENTS

[24] Rev. Rul. 95-6 is superseded for distributions with annuity starting dates on or after the earlier of December 31, 2002, or the date specified in the plan for which the use of the mortality table set forth in this revenue ruling is specified (which may be no earlier than January 1, 2002).

[25] Rev. Rul. 98-1 is modified.

COMMENTS REQUESTED

[26] The 94 GAR is designed as a generational table that incorporates mortality improvements on an annual basis. The table in this revenue ruling is based on the 94 GAR projected, using Scale AA, to 2002. Comments are requested in regard to how often the mortality table for §§ 415 and 417(e) of the Code should be updated. Comments should be sent to Commissioner of Internal Revenue Service, Attention T:EP:RA:T:A1, Washington D.C. 20224.

DRAFTING INFORMATION

[27] The principal author of this revenue ruling is Lawrence Isaacs of Employee Plans, Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division. For further information regarding this revenue ruling, please contact the Employee Plans' taxpayer assistance telephone service at 1-877-829-5500 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday (a toll-free number). Mr. Isaacs may be reached at 1-202-283-9710 (not a toll free number).

Appendix -- MODEL AMENDMENTS

     The following are amendments that sponsors of qualified defined