(a) General rules. In the case of a trust forming a part of a qualified pension plan, the plan must expressly provide that forfeitures arising from severance of employment, death, or for any other reason, must not be applied to increase the benefits any employee would otherwise receive under the plan at any time prior to the termination of the plan or the complete discontinuance of employer contributions thereunder. The amounts so forfeited must be used as soon as possible to reduce the employer's contributions under the plan. However, a qualified pension plan may anticipate the effect of forfeitures in determining the costs under the plan. Furthermore, a qualified plan will not be disqualified merely because a determination of the amount of forfeitures under the plan is made only once during each taxable year of the employer.
(b) Examples. The rules of paragraph (a) of this section may be illustrated by the following examples:
Example 1.The B Company Pension Trust forms a part of a pension plan which is funded by individual level annual premium annuity contracts. The plan requires ten years of service prior to obtaining a vested right to benefits under the plan. One of the company's employees resigns his position after two years of service. The insurance company paid to the trustees the cash surrender value of the contract—$750. The B Company must reduce its next contribution to the pension trust by this amount.Example 2.The C Corporation's trusteed pension plan has been in existence for 20 years. It is funded by individual contracts issued by an insurance company, and the premiums thereunder are paid annually. Under such plan, the annual premium accrued for the year 1966 is due and is paid on January 2, 1966, and on July 1 of the same year the plan is terminated due to the liquidation of the employer. Some forfeitures were incurred and collected by the trustee with respect to those participants whose employment terminated between January 2 and July 1. The plan provides that the amount of such forfeitures is to be applied to provide additional annuity benefits for the remaining employees covered by the plan. The pension plan of the C Corporation satisfies the provisions of section 401(a)(8). Although forfeitures are used to increase benefits in this case, this use of forfeitures is permissible since no further contributions will be made under the plan.(c) Effective date. This section applies to taxable years of a qualified plan commencing after September 30, 1963. However, a plan which is qualified on September 30, 1963, will not be disqualified merely because it does not expressly include the provisions prescribed by this section.
[T.D. 6675, 28 FR 10121, Sept. 17, 1963]
Notes of Decisions
Cited in
7
cases (
5 in the last 5 years), 1976–2026 · leading case:
Bolinger v. Comm'r, 77 T.C. 1353 (Tax Ct. 1981).
Bolinger v. Comm'r, 77 T.C. 1353 (Tax Ct. 1981).
· cites it 4× “The amounts so forfeited must be used *1357 as soon as possible to reduce the employer's contributions under the plan. * * * [Sec.”
Hutchins v. HP Inc. (N.D. Cal. 2024).
· cites it 5× “First, 26 C.F.R. § 1.401-7 (a) provides: 17 In the case of a trust forming a part of a qualified pension plan, the plan must expressly provide that forfeitures arising from severance of 18 employment, death, or for any other reason, must not be applied to increase the benefits…”
McWashington v. Nordstrom Inc. (W.D. Wash. 2025).
· cites it 2× “27, 2023) (proposing amendments to 26 C.F.R. § 1.401-7 )).27 In its notice of 19 rulemaking, the IRS discussed a Conference Report in which Congress was advised, 20 when enacting the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (“TRA 86”), that, following the changes 21 22 27 The changes to 26 C.”
Gardner-Keegan (N.D. Ill. 2026).
· cites it 2× “Defendants nevertheless maintain that a long history of Treasury Department regulations—including 26 C.F.R. § 1.401-7 (a) and Use of Forfeitures in Qualified Retirement Plans, 88 FR 12282 -01 (proposed Feb.”
Naylor v. BAE Sys., Inc. (E.D. Va. 2024).
“On 7 Specifically, Defendant cites several regulatory sources, including 26 C.F.R. § 1.401-7 (a), which regulates pension plans and holds that forfeitures may not be used to increase plan member benefits; and proposed Treasury Department regulations providing that plans such as…”
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