Brief Case
Pension Resource

I.R.C. § 413

Collectively bargained plans, etc.
USC 1994 ed., current through 1995-01-04 · superseded Jan 3, 2007 · last amended by Pub. L. 101-508
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(a) Application of subsection (b) Subsection (b) applies to—
(1) a plan maintained pursuant to an agreement which the Secretary of Labor finds to be a collective-bargaining agreement between employee representatives and one or more employers, and
(2) each trust which is a part of such plan.
(b) General rule If this subsection applies to a plan, notwithstanding any other provision of this title—
(1) Participation Section 410 shall be applied as if all employees of each of the employers who are parties to the collective-bargaining agreement and who are subject to the same benefit computation formula under the plan were employed by a single employer.
(2) Discrimination, etc. Sections 401(a)(4) and 411(d)(3) shall be applied as if all participants who are subject to the same benefit computation formula and who are employed by employers who are parties to the collective bargaining agreement were employed by a single employer.
(3) Exclusive benefit For purposes of section 401(a), in determining whether the plan of an employer is for the exclusive benefit of his employees and their beneficiaries, all plan participants shall be considered to be his employees.
(4) Vesting Section 411 (other than subsection (d)(3)) shall be applied as if all employers who have been parties to the collective-bargaining agreement constituted a single employer, except that the application of any rules with respect to breaks in service shall be made under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Labor.
(5) Funding The minimum funding standard provided by section 412 shall be determined as if all participants in the plan were employed by a single employer.
(6) Liability for funding tax For a plan year the liability under section 4971 of each employer who is a party to the collective bargaining agreement shall be determined in a reasonable manner not inconsistent with regulations prescribed by the Secretary—
(A) first on the basis of their respective delinquencies in meeting required employer contributions under the plan, and
(B) then on the basis of their respective liabilities for contributions under the plan.
For purposes of this subsection and the last sentence of section 4971(a), an employer's withdrawal liability under part 1 of subtitle E of title IV of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 shall not be treated as a liability for contributions under the plan.
(7) Deduction limitations Each applicable limitation provided by section 404(a) shall be determined as if all participants in the plan were employed by a single employer. The amounts contributed to or under the plan by each employer who is a party to the agreement, for the portion of his taxable year which is included within such a plan year, shall be considered not to exceed such a limitation if the anticipated employer contributions for such plan year (determined in a manner consistent with the manner in which actual employer contributions for such plan year are determined) do not exceed such limitation. If such anticipated contributions exceed such a limitation, the portion of each such employer's contributions which is not deductible under section 404 shall be determined in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary.
(8) Employees of labor unions For purposes of this subsection, employees or employee representatives shall be treated as employees of an employer described in subsection (a)(1) if such representatives meet the requirements of sections 401(a)(4) and 410 with respect to such employees.
(9) Plans covering a professional employee Notwithstanding subsection (a), in the case of a plan (and trust forming part thereof) which covers any professional employee, paragraph (1) shall be applied by substituting “section 410(a)” for “section 410”, and paragraph (2) shall not apply.
(c) Plans maintained by more than one employer In the case of a plan maintained by more than one employer—
(1) Participation Section 410(a) shall be applied as if all employees of each of the employers who maintain the plan were employed by a single employer.
(2) Exclusive benefit For purposes of section 401(a), in determining whether the plan of an employer is for the exclusive benefit of his employees and their beneficiaries all plan participants shall be considered to be his employees.
(3) Vesting Section 411 shall be applied as if all employers who maintain the plan constituted a single employer, except that the application of any rules with respect to breaks in service shall be made under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Labor.
(4) Funding
(A) In general In the case of a plan established after December 31, 1988, each employer shall be treated as maintaining a separate plan for purposes of section 412 unless such plan uses a method for determining required contributions which provides that any employer contributes not less than the amount which would be required if such employer maintained a separate plan.
(B) Other plans In the case of a plan not described in subparagraph (A), the requirements of section 412 shall be determined as if all participants in the plan were employed by a single employer unless the plan administrator elects not later than the close of the first plan year of the plan beginning after the date of enactment of the Technical and Miscellaneous Revenue Act of 1988 to have the provisions of subparagraph (A) apply. An election under the preceding sentence shall take effect for the plan year in which made and, once made, may be revoked only with the consent of the Secretary.
(5) Liability for funding tax For a plan year the liability under section 4971 of each employer who maintains the plan shall be determined in a reasonable manner not inconsistent with regulations prescribed by the Secretary—
(A) first on the basis of their respective delinquencies in meeting required employer contributions under the plan, and
(B) then on the basis of their respective liabilities for contributions under the plan.
(6) Deduction limitations
(A) In general In the case of a plan established after December 31, 1988, each applicable limitation provided by section 404(a) shall be determined as if each employer were maintaining a separate plan.
(B) Other plans
(i) In general In the case of a plan not described in subparagraph (A), each applicable limitation provided by section 404(a) shall be determined as if all participants in the plan were employed by a single employer, except that if an election is made under paragraph (4)(B), subparagraph (A) shall apply to such plan.
(ii) Special rule If this subparagraph applies, the amounts contributed to or under the plan by each employer who maintains the plan (for the portion of the taxable year included within a plan year) shall be considered not to exceed any such limitation if the anticipated employer contributions for such plan year (determined in a reasonable manner not inconsistent with regulations prescribed by the Secretary) do not exceed such limitation. If such anticipated contributions exceed such a limitation, the portion of each such employer's contributions which is not deductible under section 404 shall be determined in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary.
(7) Allocations
(A) In general Except as provided in subparagraph (B), allocations of amounts under paragraphs (4), (5), and (6) among the employers maintaining the plan shall not be inconsistent with regulations prescribed for this purpose by the Secretary.
(B) Assets and liabilities of plan For purposes of applying paragraphs (4)(A) and (6)(A), the assets and liabilities of each plan shall be treated as the assets and liabilities which would be allocated to a plan maintained by the employer if the employer withdrew from the multiple employer plan.
Source credit, amendments & notes

(Added Pub. L. 93–406, title II, §1014, Sept. 2, 1974, 88 Stat. 924; amended Pub. L. 94–455, title XIX, §1906(b)(13)(A), Oct. 4, 1976, 90 Stat. 1834; Pub. L. 96–364, title II, §208(d), Sept. 26, 1980, 94 Stat. 1290; Pub. L. 100–647, title I, §1011(h)(10), title VI, §6058(a)–(c), Nov. 10, 1988, 102 Stat. 3466, 3698, 3699; Pub. L. 101–508, title XI, §11704(a)(4), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1388–518.)

References in Text

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, referred to in subsec. (b)(6), is Pub. L. 93–406, Sept. 2, 1974, 88 Stat. 829, as amended. Part 1 of subtitle E of title IV of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 is classified generally to part 1 (§1381 et seq.) of subtitle E of subchapter III of chapter 18 of Title 29, Labor. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 1001 of Title 29 and Tables.

The date of enactment of the Technical and Miscellaneous Revenue Act of 1988, referred to in subsec. (c)(4)(B), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 100–647, which was approved Nov. 10, 1988.

Amendments

1990—Subsec. (c)(7)(B). Pub. L. 101–508 substituted “Assets” for “Asset” in heading.

1988—Subsec. (b)(9). Pub. L. 100–647, §1011(h)(10), added par. (9).

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 100–647, §6058(c), struck out at end “Allocations of amounts under paragraphs (4), (5), and (6), among the employers maintaining the plan, shall not be inconsistent with regulations prescribed for this purpose by the Secretary.”

Subsec. (c)(4). Pub. L. 100–647, §6058(a), amended par. (4) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (4) read as follows: “The minimum funding standard provided by section 412 shall be determined as if all participants in the plan were employed by a single employer.”

Subsec. (c)(6). Pub. L. 100–647, §6058(b), amended par. (6) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (6) read as follows: “Each applicable limitation provided by section 404(a) shall be determined as if all participants in the plan were employed by a single employer. The amounts contributed to or under the plan by each employer who maintains the plan, for the portion of this taxable year which is included within such a plan year, shall be considered not to exceed such a limitation if the anticipated employer contributions for such plan year (determined in a reasonable manner not inconsistent with regulations prescribed by the Secretary) do not exceed such limitation. If such anticipated contributions exceed such a limitation, the portion of each such employer's contributions which is not deductible under section 404 shall be determined in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary.”

Subsec. (c)(7). Pub. L. 100–647, §6058(c), added par. (7).

1980—Subsec. (b)(6). Pub. L. 96–364 inserted provisions relating to withdrawal liability of employer.

1976—Subsecs. (b), (c). Pub. L. 94–455 struck out “or his delegate” after “Secretary”.

Effective Date of 1988 Amendment

Amendment by section 1011(h)(10) of Pub. L. 100–647 effective, except as otherwise provided, as if included in the provision of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, Pub. L. 99–514, to which such amendment relates, see section 1019(a) of Pub. L. 100–647, set out as a note under section 1 of this title.

Section 6058(d) of Pub. L. 100–647 provided that: “Except as provided in paragraph (2), the amendments made by this section [amending this section] shall apply to plan years beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act [Nov. 10, 1988].”

Effective Date of 1980 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 96–364 effective Sept. 26, 1980, see section 210(a) of Pub. L. 96–364, set out as an Effective Date note under section 418 of this title.

Effective Date

Section applicable, except as otherwise provided in section 1017(c) through (i) of Pub. L. 93–406, for plan years beginning after Sept. 2, 1974, and, in the case of plans in existence on Jan. 1, 1974, for plan years beginning after Dec. 31, 1975, see section 1017 of Pub. L. 93–406, set out as an Effective Date; Transitional Rules note under section 410 of this title.

I.R.C. § 413 — Collectively bargained plans, etc. · USC 1994 ed., current through 1995-01-04 · https://pensionresource.website/EAMain?content=EAMain.Law&id=irc-413&asof=1997-02-10 · printed Oct 16, 2026
On this page
  • (a) Application of subsection (b)
  • (b) General rule
  • (c) Plans maintained by more than one employer
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Department of Labor (EBSA)
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Proposed Rules
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EffectiveThroughSourceAmended by
Jan 4, 1995Jan 2, 2007USC 1994 ed., current through 1995-01-04 run 49Pub. L. 101-508View
Jan 3, 2007Jan 4, 2015USC 2013 ed., current through 2014-01-16 run 13Pub. L. 101-508View · Redline (sign in)
Jan 5, 2015Jan 11, 2018USC 2014 ed., current through 2015-01-05 run 14Pub. L. 113-97View · Redline (sign in)
Jan 12, 2018Jan 13, 2019USC 2017 ed., current through 2018-01-12 run 17Pub. L. 113-97View · Redline (sign in)
Jan 14, 2019Jan 12, 2021USC 2018 ed., current through 2019-01-14 run 18Pub. L. 115-141View · Redline (sign in)
Jan 13, 2021currentUSC 2024 ed., current through 2025-01-06 run 1Pub. L. 116-94View · Redline (sign in)
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