Include notes

Treas. Reg. § 1.404(a)-9

[Reserved]

CFR 2016 annual edition (revised as of 2016-04-01) · in effect Apr 1, 1997 to May 18, 2016 · last amended by T.D. 6534, 26 FR 516, Jan. 20, 1961
(a) If contributions are paid by an employer to a profit-sharing or stock bonus trust for employees and the general conditions and limitations applicable to deductions for such contributions are satisfied (see § 1.404(a)-1), the contributions are deductible under section 404(a)(3)(A) if the further conditions provided therein are also satisfied. In order to be deductible under the first, second, or third sentence of section 404(a)(3)(A), the contributions must be paid (or deemed to have been paid under section 404(a)(6)) in a taxable year of the employer which ends with or within a taxable year of the trust for which it is exempt under section 501(a) and the trust must not be designed to provide retirement benefits for which the contributions can be determined actuarially. Excess contributions paid in such a taxable year of the employer may be carried over and deducted in a succeeding taxable year of the employer in accordance with the third sentence of section 404(a)(3)(A), whether or not such succeeding taxable year ends with or within a taxable year of the trust for which it is exempt under section 501(a). This section is also applicable to contributions to a foreign situs profit-sharing or stock bonus trust which could qualify for exemption under section 501(a) except that it is not created or organized and maintained in the United States.
(b) The amount of deductions under section 404(a)(3)(A) for any taxable year is subject to limitations based on the compensation otherwise paid or accrued by the employer during such taxable year to employees who are beneficiaries under the plan. For purposes of computing this limitation, the following rules are applicable:
(1) In the case of a taxable year of the employer which ends with or within a taxable year of the trust for which it is exempt under section 501(a), the limitation shall be based on the compensation otherwise paid or accrued by the employer during such taxable year of the employer to the employees who, in such taxable year of the employer, are beneficiaries of the trust funds accumulated under the plan.
(2) In the case of a taxable year of the employer which ends with or within a taxable year of the trust during which it is not exempt under section 501(a), or which ends after the trust has terminated, the limitation shall be based on the compensation otherwise paid or accrued by the employer during such taxable year of the employer to the employees who, at any time during the one-year period ending on the last day of the last calendar month during which the trust was exempt under section 501(a), were beneficiaries of the trust funds accumulated under the plan.
For purposes of this paragraph, “compensation otherwise paid or accrued” means all of the compensation paid or accrued except that for which a deduction is allowable under a plan that qualifies under section 401(a), including a plan that qualifies under section 404(a)(2). The limitations under section 404(a)(3)(A) apply to the total amount deductible for contributions to the trust regardless of the manner in which the funds of the trust are invested, applied, or distributed, and no other deduction is allowable on account of any benefits provided by contributions to the trust or by the funds thereof. Where contributions are paid to two or more profit-sharing or stock bonus trusts satisfying the conditions for deduction under section 404(a)(3)(A), such trusts are considered as a single trust in applying these limitations.
(c) The primary limitation on deductions for a taxable year is 15 percent of the compensation otherwise paid or accrued by the employer during such taxable year to the employees who are beneficiaries under the plan. See paragraph (b) of this section for rules for determining who are the beneficiaries under the plan.
(d) In order that the deductions may average 15 percent of compensation otherwise paid or accrued over a period of years, where contributions in some taxable year are less than the primary limitation but contributions in some succeeding taxable year exceed the primary limitation, deductions in each succeeding year are subject to a secondary limitation instead of to the primary limitation. The secondary limitation for any year is equal to the lesser of (1) twice the primary limitation for the year, or (2) any excess of (i) the aggregate of the primary limitations for the year and for all prior years over (ii) the aggregate of the deductions allowed or allowable under the limitations provided in section 404(a)(3)(A) for all prior years. Since contributions paid into a profit-sharing or stock bonus trust are deductible under section 404(a)(3)(A) only if they are paid (or deemed to have been paid under section 404(a)(6)) in a taxable year of the employer which ends with or within a taxable year of the trust for which it is exempt under section 501(a), the secondary limitation described in this paragraph is not applicable with respect to determining amounts deductible for a taxable year of the employer which ends with or within a taxable year of the trust during which it is not exempt under section 501(a), or which ends after the trust has terminated. See paragraph (e) of this section for rules relating to amounts which are deductible in such a taxable year.
(e) In any case when the contributions in a taxable year exceed the amount allowable as a deduction for the year under section 404(a)(3)(A), the excess is deductible in succeeding taxable years, in order of time, in accordance with the following limitations:
(1) If the succeeding taxable year ends with or within a taxable year of the trust for which it is exempt under section 501(a), such excess is deductible in any such succeeding taxable year in which the contributions are less than the primary limitation for that year; but the total deduction for such succeeding taxable year cannot exceed the lesser of (i) the primary limitation for such year, or (ii) the sum of the contributions in such year and the excess contributions not deducted under the limitations of section 404(a)(3)(A) for prior years.
(2) If the succeeding taxable year ends with or within a taxable year of the trust during which it is not exempt under section 501(a), or if such succeeding taxable year ends after the trust has terminated, the total deduction for such succeeding taxable year cannot exceed the lesser of (i) the primary limitation for such succeeding taxable year, or (ii) the excess contributions not deducted under the limitations of section 404(a)(3)(A) for prior years.
In no case, however, are excess contributions deductible in a succeeding taxable year if such contributions were not paid (or deemed to have been paid under section 404(a)(6)) in a taxable year of the employer which ends with or within a taxable year of the trust for which it is exempt under section 501(a).
(f) In case deductions are allowable under section 404(a) (1) or (2), as well as under section 404(a)(3)(A), the limitations under section 404(a) (1) and (3)(A) are determined and applied without giving effect to the provisions of section 404(a)(7), but the amounts allowable as deductions are subject to the further limitations provided in section 404(a)(7). See § 1.404(a)-13.
(g) The provisions of section 404(a)(3)(A) before giving effect to section 404(a)(7), may be illustrated as follows:
Illustration of Provisions of Section 404(a)(3)(A) for a Plan Put Into Effect in the Taxable (Calendar) Year 1954, Before Giving Effect to Section 404(a)(7) (All Figures Represent Thousands of Dollars and All Taxable (Calendar) Years Are Years Which End With or Within a Taxable Year of the Trust For Which it is Exempt Under Section 501(a))
Taxable (calendar) years1954195519561957195819591960
1. Amount of contributions:
(i) In taxable year$65$10$15$100$70$40$30
(ii) Carried over from prior taxable years0800453
2. Primary limitation applicable to year:
15 percent of covered compensation in year 157545148454239
3. Secondary limitation applicable to year:
(i) Twice primary limitation969084
(ii) (a) Aggregate primary limitations (see item 2)210255297
(b) Aggregate prior deductions (see item 4 (iii))90186255
(c) Excess of (a) over (b)1206942
(iii) Lesser of (i) or (ii)966942
4. Amount deductible for year on account of:
(i) Contributions in year57101596694030
(ii) Contributions carried over0800023
(iii) Total57181596694233
5. Excess contributions carried over to succeeding years.8004530
Pension Law Library · https://pensionresource.website/EAMain?content=EAMain.Law&id=cfr26-1.404%28a%29-9&asof=2006-01-02 · printed October 16, 2026. Unofficial copy compiled from official federal sources; verify against the official text before relying on it.