S 1443 — Retirement Parity for Student Loans Act

(a) Requirements for qualification A trust created or organized in the United States and forming part of a stock bonus, pension, or profit-sharing plan of an employer for the exclusive benefit of his employees or their beneficiaries shall constitute a qualified trust under this section— (1) if contributions are made to the trust by such employer, or employees, or both, or by another employer who is entitled to deduct his contributions under section 404(a)(3)(B) (relating to deduction for contributions to profit-sharing and stock bonus plans), or by a charitable remainder trust pursuant to a qualified gratuitous transfer (as defined in section 664(g)(1)), for the purpose of distributing to such employees or their beneficiaries the corpus and income of the fund accumulated by the trust in accordance with such plan; (2) if under the trust instrument it is impossible, at any time prior to the satisfaction of all liabilities with respect to employees and their beneficiaries under the trust, for any part of the corpus or income to be (within the taxable year or thereafter) used for, or diverted to, purposes other than for the exclusive benefit of his employees or their beneficiaries (but this paragraph shall not be construed, in the case of a multiemployer plan, to prohibit the return of a contribution within 6 months after the plan administrator determines that the contribution was made by a mistake of fact or law (other than a mistake relating to whether the plan is described in section 401(a) or the trust which is part of such plan is exempt from taxation under section 501(a), or the return of any withdrawal liability payment determined to be an overpayment within 6 months of such determination)); (3) if the plan of which such trust is a part satisfies the requirements of section 410 (relating to minimum participation standards); and (4) if the contributions or benefits provided under the plan do not discriminate in favor of highly compensated employees (within the meaning of section 414(q)). For purposes of this paragraph, there shall be excluded from consideration employees described in section 410(b)(3)(A) and (C). (5) Special rules relating to nondiscrimination requirements.— (A) Salaried or clerical employees.— A classification shall not be considered discriminatory within the meaning of paragraph (4) or section 410(b)(2)(A)(i) merely because it is limited to salaried or clerical employees. (B) Contributions and benefits may bear uniform relationship to compensation.— A plan shall not be considered discriminatory within the meaning of paragraph (4) merely because the contributions or benefits of, or on behalf of, the employees under the plan bear a uniform relationship to the compensation (within the meaning of section 414(s)) of such employees. (C) Certain disparity permitted.— A plan shall not be considered discriminatory within the meaning of paragraph (4) merely because the contributions or benefits of, or on behalf of, the employees under the plan favor highly compensated employees (as defined in section 414(q)) in the manner permitted under subsection (l). (D) Integrated defined benefit plan.— (i) In general.— A defined benefit plan shall not be considered discriminatory within the meaning of paragraph (4) merely because the plan provides that the employer-derived accrued retirement benefit for any participant under the plan may not exceed the excess (if any) of— (I) the participant’s final pay with the employer, over (II) the employer-derived retirement benefit created under Federal law attributable to service by the participant with the employer.  For purposes of this clause, the employer-derived retirement benefit created under Federal law shall be treated as accruing ratably over 35 years. (ii) Final pay.— For purposes of this subparagraph, the participant’s final pay is the compensation (as defined in section 414(q)(4)) paid to the participant by the employer for any year— (I) which ends during the 5-year perio...

(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) Special rule for health and long-term care insurance To the extent provided in section 402(l), paragraph (1) shall not apply to the amount distributed under the contract which is otherwise includible in gross income under this subsection. (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 The rules of paragraphs (2) through (7) and (11) and (9) of section 402(c) and section 402(f) 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. (6) Qualified long-term care distributions An annuity contract shall not fail to be subject to this subsection solely by reason of allowing distributions to which section 401(a)(39) applies. (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 contri...

(a) Individual retirement account For purposes of this section, the term “individual retirement account” means a trust created or organized in the United States for the exclusive benefit of an individual or his beneficiaries, but only if the written governing instrument creating the trust meets the following requirements: (1) Except in the case of a rollover contribution described in subsection (d)(3) or in section 402(c), 403(a)(4), 403(b)(8), or 457(e)(16), no contribution will be accepted unless it is in cash, and contributions will not be accepted for the taxable year on behalf of any individual in excess of the amount in effect for such taxable year under section 219(b)(1)(A). (2) The trustee is a bank (as defined in subsection (n)) or such other person who demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Secretary that the manner in which such other person will administer the trust will be consistent with the requirements of this section. (3) No part of the trust funds will be invested in life insurance contracts. (4) The interest of an individual in the balance in his account is nonforfeitable. (5) The assets of the trust will not be commingled with other property except in a common trust fund or common investment fund. (6) Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary, rules similar to the rules of section 401(a)(9) and the incidental death benefit requirements of section 401(a) shall apply to the distribution of the entire interest of an individual for whose benefit the trust is maintained. (b) Individual retirement annuity For purposes of this section, the term “individual retirement annuity” means an annuity contract, or an endowment contract (as determined under regulations prescribed by the Secretary), issued by an insurance company which meets the following requirements: (1) The contract is not transferable by the owner. (2) Under the contract— (A) the premiums are not fixed, (B) the annual premium on behalf of any individual will not exceed the dollar amount in effect under section 219(b)(1)(A), and (C) any refund of premiums will be applied before the close of the calendar year following the year of the refund toward the payment of future premiums or the purchase of additional benefits. (3) Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary, rules similar to the rules of section 401(a)(9) and the incidental death benefit requirements of section 401(a) shall apply to the distribution of the entire interest of the owner. (4) The entire interest of the owner is nonforfeitable. Such term does not include such an annuity contract for any taxable year of the owner in which it is disqualified on the application of subsection (e) or for any subsequent taxable year. For purposes of this subsection, no contract shall be treated as an endowment contract if it matures later than the taxable year in which the individual in whose name such contract is purchased attains the applicable age (determined under section 401(a)(9)(C)(v) for the calendar year in which such taxable year begins); if it is not for the exclusive benefit of the individual in whose name it is purchased or his beneficiaries; or if the aggregate annual premiums under all such contracts purchased in the name of such individual for any taxable year exceed the dollar amount in effect under section 219(b)(1)(A). (c) Accounts established by employers and certain associations of employees A trust created or organized in the United States by an employer for the exclusive benefit of his employees or their beneficiaries, or by an association of employees (which may include employees within the meaning of section 401(c)(1)) for the exclusive benefit of its members or their beneficiaries, shall be treated as an individual retirement account (described in subsection (a)), but only if the written governing instrument creating the trust meets the following requirements: (1) The trust satisfies the requirements of paragraphs (1) through (6) of subsection (a). (2) There is a separate ...

(a) Year of inclusion in gross income (1) In general Any amount of compensation deferred under an eligible deferred compensation plan, and any income attributable to the amounts so deferred, shall be includible in gross income only for the taxable year in which such compensation or other income— (A) is paid to the participant or other beneficiary, in the case of a plan of an eligible employer described in subsection (e)(1)(A), and (B) is paid or otherwise made available to the participant or other beneficiary, in the case of a plan of an eligible employer described in subsection (e)(1)(B). (2) Special rule for rollover amounts To the extent provided in section 72(t)(9), section 72(t) shall apply to any amount includible in gross income under this subsection. (3) Special rule for health and long-term care insurance In the case of a plan of an eligible employer described in subsection (e)(1)(A), to the extent provided in section 402(l), paragraph (1) shall not apply to amounts otherwise includible in gross income under this subsection. (b) Eligible deferred compensation plan defined For purposes of this section, the term “eligible deferred compensation plan” means a plan established and maintained by an eligible employer— (1) in which only individuals who perform service for the employer may be participants, (2) which provides that (except as provided in paragraph (3)) the maximum amount which may be deferred under the plan for the taxable year (other than rollover amounts) shall not exceed the lesser of— (A) the applicable dollar amount, or (B) 100 percent of the participant’s includible compensation, (3) which may provide that, for 1 or more of the participant’s last 3 taxable years ending before he attains normal retirement age under the plan, the ceiling set forth in paragraph (2) shall be the lesser of— (A) twice the dollar amount in effect under subsection (b)(2)(A), or (B) the sum of— (i) the plan ceiling established for purposes of paragraph (2) for the taxable year (determined without regard to this paragraph), plus (ii) so much of the plan ceiling established for purposes of paragraph (2) for taxable years before the taxable year as has not previously been used under paragraph (2) or this paragraph, (4) which provides that compensation— (A) in the case of an eligible employer described in subsection (e)(1)(A), will be deferred only if an agreement providing for such deferral has been entered into before the compensation is currently available to the individual, and (B) in any other case, will be deferred for any calendar month only if an agreement providing for such deferral has been entered into before the beginning of such month, (5) which meets the distribution requirements of subsection (d), and (6) except as provided in subsection (g), which provides that— (A) all amounts of compensation deferred under the plan, (B) all property and rights purchased with such amounts, and (C) all income attributable to such amounts, property, or rights, shall remain (until made available to the participant or other beneficiary) solely the property and rights of the employer (without being restricted to the provision of benefits under the plan), subject only to the claims of the employer’s general creditors. A plan which is established and maintained by an employer which is described in subsection (e)(1)(A) and which is administered in a manner which is inconsistent with the requirements of any of the preceding paragraphs shall be treated as not meeting the requirements of such paragraph as of the 1st plan year beginning more than 180 days after the date of notification by the Secretary of the inconsistency unless the employer corrects the inconsistency before the 1st day of such plan year. A plan which is established and maintained by an employer which is described in subsection (e)(1)(A) shall not be treated as failing to meet the requirements of this subsection solely because the plan, or another plan maintained by the employ...