[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 210 (Wednesday, October 30, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58181-58182]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-23690]


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PENSION BENEFIT GUARANTY CORPORATION


Submission of Information Collection for OMB Review; Comment 
Request; Payment of Premiums

AGENCY: Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

ACTION: Notice of request for OMB approval of revised collection of 
information.

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SUMMARY: The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) is requesting 
that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approve, under the 
Paperwork Reduction Act, a modified collection of

[[Page 58182]]

information under its regulation on Payment of Premiums (OMB control 
number 1212-0009; expiring June 30, 2021). This notice informs the 
public of PBGC's request and solicits public comment on the collection.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by November 29, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attention: Desk 
Officer for Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, via electronic mail 
at [email protected] or by fax to 202-395-6974.
    A copy of the request will be posted on PBGC's website at: https://www.pbgc.gov/prac/laws-and-regulation/federal-register-notices-open-for-comment. It may also be obtained without charge by writing to the 
Disclosure Division of the Office of the General Counsel, 1200 K Street 
NW, Washington, DC 20005-4026; faxing a request to 202-326-4042; or, 
calling 202-326-4040 during normal business hours (TTY users may call 
the Federal Relay Service toll-free at 1-800-877-8339 and ask to be 
connected to 202-326-4040). The Disclosure Division will email, fax, or 
mail the information to you, as you request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melissa Rifkin 
([email protected]), Attorney, Regulatory Affairs Division, 
Office of the General Counsel, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, 
1200 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005-4026; 202-229-6563. (TTY users 
may call the Federal relay service toll-free at 800-877-8339 and ask to 
be connected to 202-326-4400, extension 6563.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 4007 of title IV of the Employee 
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) requires pension plans 
covered under title IV pension insurance programs to pay premiums to 
PBGC. All plans covered by title IV pay a flat-rate per-participant 
premium. An underfunded single-employer plan also pays a variable-rate 
premium based on the value of the plan's unfunded vested benefits.
    Pursuant to section 4007, PBGC has issued its regulation on Payment 
of Premiums (29 CFR part 4007). Under Sec.  4007.3 of the premium 
payment regulation, the plan administrator of each pension plan covered 
by title IV of ERISA is required to file a premium payment and 
information prescribed by PBGC for each premium payment year. Premium 
information is filed electronically using ``My Plan Administration 
Account'' (``My PAA'') through PBGC's website. Under Sec.  4007.10 of 
the premium payment regulation, plan administrators are required to 
retain records about premiums and information submitted in premium 
filings.
    Premium filings report (i) the flat-rate premium and related data 
(all plans), (ii) the variable-rate premium and related data (single-
employer plans), and (iii) additional data such as identifying 
information and miscellaneous plan-related or filing-related data (all 
plans). PBGC needs this information to identify the plans for which 
premiums are paid, to verify whether the amounts paid are correct, to 
help PBGC determine the magnitude of its exposure in the event of plan 
termination, to help track the creation of new plans and transfer of 
participants and assets and liabilities among plans, and to keep PBGC's 
insured-plan inventory up to date. That information and the retained 
records are also needed for audit purposes.
    PBGC is modifying the 2020 filing and instructions to require that 
plans offering a lump sum window \1\ separately report the number of 
participants in pay status who were offered and elected a lump sum in 
addition to the related current requirement with respect to 
participants not in pay status. This change reflects recent guidance 
issued by the Internal Revenue Service.\2\ In addition, PBGC is 
changing the reporting period for risk transfer activity (lump sum 
windows and annuity purchases). Rather than the period falling between 
60 days before the prior filing and 60 days before the current filing, 
the reporting period will be the prior premium payment year.
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    \1\ PBGC's premium filing instructions define a lump sum window 
as a temporary opportunity to elect a lump sum in lieu of future 
annuity payments that is offered to individuals meeting specified 
criteria who would not otherwise be eligible to elect a lump sum.
    \2\ See Notice 2019-18, 2019-13 I.R.B. 915.
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    PBGC also is modifying the filing instructions for a plan that 
reports that a premium filing will be the last for the plan and checks 
the ``cessation of covered status'' box as the reason. Currently, such 
a plan must provide an explanation as to why they believe coverage has 
ceased and then PBGC typically contacts the plan to verify that 
coverage has ceased. PBGC is adding to the instructions that a plan 
that claims cessation of coverage status should complete a coverage 
determination request.
    PBGC also is updating the premium rates and making conforming, 
clarifying, and editorial changes to the premium filing instructions.
    On August 1, 2019, PBGC published in the Federal Register (at 84 FR 
37694) a notice informing the public of its intent to request OMB 
approval for the revised information collection. PBGC did not receive 
any comments.
    The collection of information has been approved through June 30, 
2021, by OMB under control number 1212-0009. PBGC is requesting that 
OMB approve the revised collection of information for three years. An 
agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to 
respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently 
valid OMB control number.
    PBGC estimates that it will receive 31,245 premium filings per year 
from 31,245 plan administrators under this collection of information. 
PBGC further estimates that the annual burden of this collection of 
information is 13,540 hours and $21,621,540.

    Issued in Washington, DC.
Hilary Duke,
Assistant General Counsel for Regulatory Affairs, Pension Benefit 
Guaranty Corporation.
[FR Doc. 2019-23690 Filed 10-29-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7709-02-P