Treas. Reg. § 1.430(g)-1 — Valuation date and valuation of plan assets.

(a) In general

(1) Overview. This section provides rules relating to a plan's valuation date and the valuation of a plan's assets for a plan year under section 430(g). Section 430 and this section apply to single employer defined benefit plans (including multiple employer plans as defined in section 413(c)) that are subject to the rules of section 412, but do not apply to multiemployer plans (as defined in section 414(f)). Paragraph (b) of this section describes valuation date rules. Paragraph (c) of this section describes rules regarding the determination of the asset value for purposes of a plan's actuarial valuation. Paragraph (d) of this section contains rules for taking employer contributions into account in the determination of the value of plan assets. Paragraph (e) of this section contains examples. Paragraph (f) of this section sets forth effective/applicability dates and transition rules.

(2) Special rules for multiple employer plans. In the case of a multiple employer plan to which section 413(c)(4)(A) applies, the rules of section 430 and this section are applied separately for each employer under the plan as if each employer maintained a separate plan. Thus, in such a case, the value of plan assets is determined separately for each employer under the plan. In the case of a multiple employer plan to which section 413(c)(4)(A) does not apply (that is, a plan described in section 413(c)(4)(B) that has not made the election for section 413(c)(4)(A) to apply), the rules of section 430 and this section are applied as if all participants in the plan were employed by a single employer.

(b) Valuation date

(1) In general. The determination of the funding target, target normal cost, and value of plan assets for a plan year is made as of the valuation date for that plan year. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, the valuation date for any plan year is the first day of the plan year.

(2) Exception for small plans

(i) In general. If, on each day during the preceding plan year, a plan had 100 or fewer participants determined by applying the rules of § 1.430(d)-1(e)(1) and (2) (including active and inactive participants and all other individuals entitled to future benefits), then the plan may designate any day during the plan year as its valuation date for that plan year and succeeding plan years. For purposes of this paragraph (b)(2)(i), all defined benefit plans (other than multiemployer plans as defined in section 414(f)) maintained by an employer are treated as one plan, but only participants with respect to that employer are taken into account.

(ii) Employer determination. For purposes of this paragraph (b)(2), the employer includes all members of the employer's controlled group determined pursuant to section 414(b), (c), (m), and (o) and includes any predecessor of the employer that, during the prior year, employed any employees of the employer who are covered by the plan.

(iii) Application of exception in first plan year. In the case of the first plan year of any plan, the exception for small plans under paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section is applied by taking into account the number of participants that the plan is reasonably expected to have on each day during the first plan year.

(iv) Valuation date is part of funding method. The selection of a plan's valuation date is part of the plan's funding method and, accordingly, may only be changed with the consent of the Commissioner. A change of a plan's valuation date that is required by section 430 is treated as having been approved by the Commissioner and does not require the Commissioner's prior specific approval. Thus, if a plan that ceases to be eligible for the small plan exception under this paragraph (b)(2) for a plan year because the number of participants exceeded 100 in the prior plan year, then the resulting change in the valuation date to the first day of the plan year is automatically approved by the Commissioner.

(1) In general

(i) General use of fair market value. Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph (c), the value of plan assets for purposes of section 430 is equal to the fair market value of plan assets on the valuation date. Prior year contributions made after the valuation date and current year contributions made before the valuation date are taken into account to the extent provided in paragraph (d) of this section.

(ii) Fair market value. The fair market value of an asset is determined as the price at which the asset would change hands between a willing buyer and a willing seller, neither being under any compulsion to buy or sell and both having reasonable knowledge of relevant facts. Except as otherwise provided by the Commissioner, any guidance on the valuation of insurance contracts under Subchapter D of Chapter 1 the Internal Revenue Code applies for purposes of this paragraph (c)(1)(ii).

(2) Averaging of fair market values

(i) In general. Subject to the plan asset corridor rules of paragraph (c)(2)(iii) of this section, a plan is permitted to determine the value of plan assets on the valuation date as the average of the fair market value of assets on the valuation date and the adjusted fair market value of assets determined for one or more earlier determination dates (adjusted using the method described in paragraph (c)(2)(ii) of this section). The method of determining the value of assets is part of the plan's funding method and, accordingly, may only be changed with the consent of the Commissioner.

(ii) Adjusted fair market value

(A) Determination dates. The period of time between each determination date (treating the valuation date as a determination date) must be equal and that period of time cannot exceed 12 months. In addition, the earliest determination date with respect to a plan year cannot be earlier than the last day of the 25th month before the valuation date of the plan year (or a similar period in the case of a valuation date that is not the first day of a month). In a typical situation, the earlier determination dates will be the two immediately preceding valuation dates. However, these rules also permit the use of more frequent determination dates. For example, monthly or quarterly determination dates may be used.

(B) Adjustments for contributions and distributions. The adjusted fair market value of plan assets for a prior determination date is the fair market value of plan assets on that date, increased for contributions included in the plan's asset balance on the valuation date that were not included in the plan's asset balance on the earlier determination date, reduced for benefits and all other amounts paid from plan assets during the period beginning with the prior determination date and ending immediately before the valuation date, and adjusted for expected earnings as described in paragraph (c)(2)(ii)(D) of this section. For this purpose, the fair market value of assets as of a determination date includes any contribution for a plan year that ends with or prior to the determination date that is receivable as of the determination date (but only if the contribution is actually made within 8 _1/2 months after the end of the applicable plan year). If the contribution that is receivable as of the determination date is for a plan year beginning on or after January 1, 2008, then only the present value as of the determination date (determined using the effective interest rate under section 430(h)(2)(A) for the plan year for which the contribution is made) is included in the fair market value of assets.

(C) Treatment of spin-offs and plan-to-plan transfers. For purposes of determining the adjusted fair market value of plan assets, assets spun-off from a plan as a result of a spin-off described in § 1.414(l)-1(b)(4) are treated as an amount paid from plan assets. Except as otherwise provided by the Commissioner, for purposes of determining the adjusted fair market value of plan assets, assets that are added to a plan as a result of a plan-to-plan transfer described in § 1.414(l)-1(b)(3) are treated in the same manner as contributions.

(D) Adjustments for expected earnings. [Reserved]

(E) Assumed rate of return. [Reserved]

(F) Limitation on the assumed rate of return for periods within plan years for which the three segment rates were used. [Reserved]

(G) Limitation on the assumed rate of return for periods within plan years for which the full yield curve was used. [Reserved]

(iii) Restriction to 90-110 percent corridor

(A) In general. This paragraph (c)(2)(iii) provides rules for applying the 90 to 110 percent corridor set forth in section 430(g)(3)(B)(iii). The rules for accounting for contribution receipts under paragraphs (d)(1) and (d)(2) of this section are applied prior to the application of the 90 to 110 percent corridor under this paragraph (c)(2)(iii).

(B) Asset value less than 90 percent of fair market value. If the value of plan assets determined under paragraph (c)(2)(i) of this section is less than 90 percent of the fair market value of plan assets, then the value of plan assets under this paragraph (c)(2) is equal to 90 percent of the fair market value of plan assets.

(C) Asset value greater than 110 percent of fair market value. If the value of plan assets determined under paragraph (c)(2)(i) of this section is greater than 110 percent of the fair market value of plan assets, then the value of plan assets under this paragraph (c)(2) is equal to 110 percent of the fair market value of plan assets.

(3) Qualified transfers to health benefit accounts. In the case of a qualified transfer (as defined in section 420), any assets so transferred are not treated as plan assets for purposes of section 430 and this section.

(d) Accounting for contribution receipts

(1) Prior year contributions

(i) In general. For purposes of determining the value of plan assets under paragraph (c) of this section, if an employer makes a contribution to the plan after the valuation date for the current plan year and the contribution is for an earlier plan year, then the present value of the contribution determined as of that valuation date is taken into account as an asset of the plan as of the valuation date, but only if the contribution is made before the deadline for contributions as described in section 430(j)(1) for the plan year immediately preceding the current plan year. For this purpose, the present value is determined using the effective interest rate under section 430(h)(2)(A) for the plan year for which the contribution is made.

(ii) Special rule for contributions for the 2007 plan year

(A) Timely contributions. Notwithstanding paragraph (d)(1)(i) of this section, if the employer makes a contribution to the plan after the valuation date for the first plan year that begins on or after January 1, 2008, and the contribution is for the immediately preceding plan year and is made by the deadline for contributions for that preceding plan year under section 412(c)(10) (as in effect before amendment by the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA '06), Public Law 109-280 (120 Stat. 780)), then the contribution is taken into account as a plan asset under paragraph (d)(1)(i) of this section without applying any present value discount.

(B) Late contributions. If a contribution is for the plan year that immediately precedes the first plan year that begins on or after January 1, 2008, and is not described in paragraph (d)(1)(ii)(A) of this section, then the rules of paragraph (d)(1)(i) apply to the contribution except that the present value is determined using the valuation interest rate under section 412(c)(2) for that plan year.

(iii) Ordering rules. For purposes of this paragraph (d)(1), the ordering rules of section 4971(c)(4)(B) apply for purposes of determining the plan year for which a contribution is made.

(2) Current year contributions made before valuation date. In the case of a plan with a valuation date that is not the first day of the plan year, for purposes of determining the value of plan assets under paragraph (c) of this section, if an employer makes a contribution for a plan year before that year's valuation date, that contribution (and any interest on the contribution for the period between the contribution date and the valuation date, determined using the effective interest rate under section 430(h)(2)(A) for the plan year) must be subtracted from plan assets in determining the value of plan assets as of the valuation date. If the result of this subtraction is a number less than zero, the value of plan assets as of the valuation date is equal to zero.

(e) Examples. [Reserved]

(f) Effective/applicability dates and transition rules

(1) Statutory effective date/applicability date. Section 430 generally applies to plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2008. The applicability of section 430 for purposes of determining the minimum required contribution is delayed for certain plans in accordance with sections 104 through 106 of PPA '06.

(2) Effective date/applicability date of regulations

(i) In general. This section applies to plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2010, regardless of whether section 430 applies to determine the minimum required contribution for the plan year. For plan years beginning before January 1, 2010, plans are permitted to rely on the provisions set forth in this section for purposes of satisfying the requirements of section 430.

(ii) Permission to use averaging for 2008. For purposes of determining the actuarial value of assets for a plan year beginning during 2008 using the averaging rules of paragraph (c)(2) of this section, a plan is permitted to apply an assumed earnings rate of zero under paragraph (c)(2)(ii)(E) of this section (even if zero is not the actuary's best estimate of the anticipated annual rate of return on plan assets).

(3) Approval for changes in the valuation date and valuation method. Any change in a plan's valuation date or asset valuation method that satisfies the rules of this section and is made for either the first plan year beginning in 2008, the first plan year beginning in 2009, or the first plan year beginning in 2010 is treated as having been approved by the Commissioner and does not require the Commissioner's specific prior approval. In addition, a change in a plan's valuation date or asset valuation method for the first plan year to which section 430 applies to determine the plan's minimum required contribution (even if that plan year begins after December 31, 2010) that satisfies the rules of this section is treated as having been approved by the Commissioner and does not require the Commissioner's specific prior approval.