[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 113 (Thursday, June 11, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 35746-35789]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-11859]



[[Page 35745]]

Vol. 85

Thursday,

No. 113

June 11, 2020

Part III





Department of the Treasury





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Internal Revenue Service





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26 CFR Parts 1 and 53





Tax on Excess Tax-Exempt Organization Executive Compensation; Proposed 
Rule

  Federal Register / Vol. 85 , No. 113 / Thursday, June 11, 2020 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 35746]]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Internal Revenue Service

26 CFR Parts 1 and 53

[REG-122345-18]
RIN 1545-BO99


Tax on Excess Tax-Exempt Organization Executive Compensation

AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: This document sets forth proposed regulations under section 
4960 of the Internal Revenue Code (Code), which imposes an excise tax 
on remuneration in excess of $1,000,000 and any excess parachute 
payment paid by an applicable tax-exempt organization to any covered 
employee. The regulations affect certain tax-exempt organizations and 
certain entities that are treated as related to those organizations. 
This document also provides notice of a public hearing on these 
proposed regulations.

DATES: Written or electronic comments and requests for a public hearing 
must be received by August 10, 2020. Requests for a public hearing must 
be submitted as prescribed in the ``Comments and Requests for a Public 
Hearing'' section.

ADDRESSES: Commenters are strongly encouraged to submit public comments 
electronically. Submit electronic submissions via the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov (indicate IRS and 
REG-122345-18) by following the online instructions for submitting 
comments. Once submitted to the Federal eRulemaking Portal, comments 
cannot be edited or withdrawn. The IRS expects to have limited 
personnel available to process public comments that are submitted on 
paper through mail. Until further notice, any comments submitted on 
paper will be considered to the extent practicable. The Department of 
the Treasury (Treasury Department) and the IRS will publish for public 
availability any comment submitted electronically, and, to the extent 
practicable, on paper to its public docket.
    Send paper submissions to: CC:PA:LPD:PR (REG-122345-18), Room 5203, 
Internal Revenue Service, P.O. Box 7604, Ben Franklin Station, 
Washington, DC 20044.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Concerning these proposed regulations, 
William McNally at (202) 317-5600 or Patrick Sternal at (202) 317-5800; 
concerning submission of comments and/or requests for a public hearing, 
Regina Johnson, (202) 317-5177 (not toll-free numbers).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

I. Section 4960--Enactment and Essential Statutory Provisions

    This document sets forth proposed regulations under section 4960 of 
the Internal Revenue Code (Code) amending part 53 of the Excise Tax 
Regulations (26 CFR part 53). Section 4960 was added to the Code by 
section 13602 of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Public Law 115-97, 131 
Stat. 2054, 2157 (TCJA). Section 4960(a) generally provides that an 
applicable tax-exempt organization (ATEO) that for a taxable year pays 
to a covered employee remuneration in excess of $1 million or any 
excess parachute payment is subject to an excise tax on the amount of 
the excess remuneration plus excess parachute payments paid during that 
taxable year at a rate equal to the rate of tax imposed on corporations 
under section 11 (21 percent for 2020).
    ATEO is defined in section 4960(c)(1) as any organization which for 
the taxable year is exempt from taxation under section 501(a), is a 
farmers' cooperative organization described in section 521(b)(1), has 
income excluded from taxation under section 115(1), or is a political 
organization described in section 527(e)(1).
    Covered employee is defined in section 4960(c)(2) as any employee 
(including any former employee) of an ATEO if the employee is one of 
the five highest-compensated employees of the organization for the 
taxable year or was a covered employee of the organization (or 
predecessor) for any preceding taxable year beginning after December 
31, 2016.
    Remuneration is defined in section 4960(c)(3)(A) as wages (as 
defined in section 3401(a)), except that such term does not include any 
section 402A(c) designated Roth contribution and includes amounts 
required to be included in gross income under section 457(f). The flush 
language of section 4960(a) provides that for purposes of applying 
section 4960(a)(1) and (2), remuneration is treated as paid when there 
is no substantial risk of forfeiture (within the meaning of section 
457(f)(3)(B)) of the rights to such remuneration. Section 4960(c)(3)(B) 
provides that remuneration does not include any remuneration paid to a 
licensed medical professional (including a veterinarian) for the 
performance of medical or veterinary services.
    Section 4960(c)(4)(A) provides that remuneration paid to a covered 
employee by an ATEO includes any remuneration paid with respect to 
employment of such employee by any related person or governmental 
entity. Section 4960(c)(4)(B) provides that a person or governmental 
entity is treated as related to an ATEO if such person or governmental 
entity: Controls, or is controlled by, the ATEO; is controlled by one 
or more persons which control the ATEO; is a supported organization (as 
defined in section 509(f)(3)) during the taxable year with respect to 
the ATEO; is a supporting organization described in section 509(a)(3) 
during the taxable year with respect to the ATEO; or, in the case of an 
ATEO which is a voluntary employees' beneficiary association (VEBA) 
under section 501(c)(9), establishes, maintains, or makes contributions 
to the VEBA.
    Excess parachute payment is defined in section 4960(c)(5)(A) as an 
amount equal to the excess of any parachute payment over the portion of 
the base amount allocated to such payment. Section 4960(c)(5)(D) 
provides that rules similar to the rules of section 280G(b)(3) apply 
for purposes of determining the ``base amount.'' Section 280G(b)(3) 
provides that the ``base amount'' is an individual's annualized 
compensation over the ``base period,'' which is the individual's last 
five taxable years.
    Parachute payment is defined in section 4960(c)(5)(B) as any 
payment in the nature of compensation to (or for the benefit of) a 
covered employee if the payment is contingent on the employee's 
separation from employment with the employer and the aggregate present 
value of the payments in the nature of compensation to (or for the 
benefit of) the individual that are contingent on the separation equals 
or exceeds 3-times the base amount. Section 4960(c)(5)(C) provides that 
a parachute payment does not include any payment: Described in section 
280G(b)(6) (relating to exemption from payments under qualified plans); 
made under or to an annuity contract described in section 403(b) or a 
plan described in section 457(b); made to a licensed medical 
professional (including a veterinarian) to the extent the payment is 
for the performance of medical or veterinary services by the 
professional; or made to an individual who is not a highly compensated 
employee as defined in section 414(q).
    The statute grants the Secretary authority to prescribe regulations 
as may be necessary to prevent avoidance of the tax under section 4960, 
including

[[Page 35747]]

regulations to prevent avoidance of the tax through the performance of 
services other than as an employee or by providing compensation through 
a pass-through or other entity to avoid the tax.
    Section 4960, added to the Code by section 13602(a) of TCJA, is 
effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017.

II. Notice 2019-09

    On December 31, 2018, the Treasury Department and the IRS issued 
Notice 2019-09 (2019-04 I.R.B. 403), setting forth initial guidance on 
the application of section 4960. The notice provides that taxpayers may 
rely on that guidance, and that, until further guidance is issued, in 
order to comply with the requirements of section 4960, taxpayers may 
base their positions upon a reasonable, good faith interpretation of 
the statute (including consideration of the legislative history, as 
appropriate). The notice also provides that certain interpretations of 
section 4960 are not consistent with a reasonable, good faith 
interpretation of the statutory language, and that the Treasury 
Department and the IRS intend to embody those positions as part of 
forthcoming proposed regulations. For further information about 
continued reliance on the guidance in Notice 2019-09, see part VII of 
the Explanation of Provisions section, titled ``Proposed Applicability 
Dates.''
    The notice provides that any future guidance will be prospective 
and requests comments on the topics addressed in the notice, as well as 
comments on any other issues arising under section 4960. The Treasury 
Department and the IRS considered each of the comments received in 
drafting these proposed regulations. These proposed regulations are 
based in large part on Notice 2019-09, with changes as appropriate 
based on comments received.

Explanation of Provisions

I. Scope of Proposed Regulations

    These proposed regulations are intended to provide comprehensive 
guidance with regard to section 4960. These proposed regulations 
restate certain statutory definitions and define various terms 
appearing in section 4960. These proposed regulations also provide 
rules for determining: The amount of remuneration paid for a taxable 
year (including for purposes of identifying covered employees); whether 
a parachute payment is paid; whether excess remuneration is paid and in 
what amount; whether an excess parachute payment is paid and in what 
amount; and the allocation of liability for the excise tax among 
related organizations. These definitions and rules are proposed to 
apply solely for purposes of section 4960.

II. Definitions

A. Applicable Tax-Exempt Organization
    Commenters requested clarification of the status of governmental 
entities as ATEOs. As defined in section 4960(c)(1), ``ATEO'' includes 
an organization that has income excluded from taxation under section 
115(1) or an organization that is exempt from taxation under section 
501(a). For example, Federal instrumentalities exempt from tax under 
section 501(c)(1) and public universities with IRS determination 
letters recognizing their tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) are 
governmental entities exempt from tax under section 501(a), and thus 
are ATEOs.
    A governmental entity that is separately organized from a state or 
political subdivision of a state may meet the requirements to exclude 
income from gross income (and thereby have income excluded from 
taxation) under section 115(1). See Rev. Rul. 77-261 (1977-2 C.B. 45). 
However, a state, political subdivision of a state, or integral part of 
a state or political subdivision, often referred to as a ``governmental 
unit'' (as in sections 170(b)(1)(A)(v) and 170(c)(1)) does not meet the 
requirements to exclude income from gross income under section 115(1) 
because section 115(1) does not apply to income from an activity that 
the state conducts directly, rather than through a separate entity. See 
Rev. Rul. 77-261; see also Rev. Rul. 71-131 (1971-1 C.B. 28) 
(superseding and restating the position stated in G.C.M. 14407 (1935-1 
C.B. 103)).
    Instead, under the doctrine of implied statutory immunity, the 
income of a governmental unit generally is not taxable in the absence 
of specific statutory authorization for taxing that income. See Rev. 
Rul. 87-2 (1987-1 C.B. 18); Rev. Rul. 71-131; Rev. Rul. 71-132 (1971-1 
C.B. 29); and G.C.M. 14407. Section 511(a)(2)(B), which imposes tax on 
the unrelated business taxable income of state colleges and 
universities, is an example of a specific statutory authorization for 
taxing income earned by a state, a political subdivision of a state, or 
an integral part of a state or political subdivision of a state. Thus, 
under section 4960(c)(1), a governmental entity (including a state 
college or university) that does not have a determination letter 
recognizing its exemption from taxation under section 501(a) and that 
does not exclude income from gross income under section 115(1) is not 
an ATEO. However, such a governmental entity may be liable for excise 
tax under section 4960 if it is a related organization under section 
4960(c)(4)(B) with respect to an ATEO.
    A governmental entity that sought and received a determination 
letter recognizing its tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) may 
relinquish this status pursuant to the procedures described in section 
3.01(12) of Rev. Proc. 2020-5 (2020-1 I.R.B. 241, 246) (or the 
analogous section in any successor revenue procedure). However, an 
entity that excludes all or part of its income from gross income under 
section 115(1) is an ATEO regardless of whether it has a private letter 
ruling to that effect.
    One commenter requested that proposed regulations specify that 
certain Federal instrumentalities are not subject to section 4960 
excise tax because their enabling statute exempts them from all 
existing and future Federal taxes, reasoning that Congress did not 
specifically override the enabling statute in enacting section 4960. 
This reasoning, if accepted, would exempt many or most Federal 
instrumentalities from tax under section 4960, both as ATEOs and as 
related persons or governmental entities. Section 4960 explicitly 
designates as ATEOs all organizations exempt from taxation under 
section 501(a). Federal instrumentalities organized under an Act of 
Congress before July 18, 1984, and exempt from Federal income tax under 
such Act, are exempt organizations under section 501(a) because they 
are described in section 501(c)(1). A section 501(c)(1) organization is 
also a ``person or governmental entity'' that may be a related 
organization under section 4960(c)(4). Other Code provisions, such as 
section 511(a)(2)(A) (which extended unrelated business income tax to 
exempt organizations), specifically exclude section 501(c)(1) 
organizations (or particular section 501(c)(1) organizations).\1\ In 
contrast, a similar

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exclusion was not included in section 4960 even though section 4960 
applies to section 501(c)(1) organizations through reference to 
entities exempt under section 501(a). Thus, the Treasury Department and 
the IRS consider Federal instrumentalities to be subject to section 
4960, and these proposed regulations do not adopt the commenter's 
suggestion. However, the Treasury Department and the IRS request 
comments regarding the application of section 4960 to these Federal 
instrumentalities.
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    \1\ Sections 3112 and 3308 provide that Federal 
instrumentalities are not exempt from Federal Insurance 
Contributions Act (FICA) taxes and Federal Unemployment Tax Act 
(FUTA) taxes, respectively, unless there is a specific provision of 
law granting that exemption. Prior to 1950, the predecessor to the 
FICA statute itself incorporated an exemption from FICA for ``an 
instrumentality of the United States which is . . . exempt from the 
employers' tax imposed by [the predecessor of section 3111 imposing 
the employer share of FICA tax] of the Internal Revenue Code by 
virtue of any other provision of law.'' Congress amended the statute 
in 1949 to exempt such instrumentalities only if they are exempt 
from the tax ``by virtue of any provision of law which specifically 
refers to such section in granting such exemption.'' (Emphasis 
added.) Accordingly, prior to 1950, a general exemption was 
effective for purposes of FICA's predecessor but only because the 
general exemption was incorporated into the predecessor statute. 
That is not the case with section 4960. Rather federal 
instrumentalities are subject to section 4960 by virtue of being 
``organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(a),'' and no 
exemption is provided.
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    These proposed regulations also address the status of foreign 
organizations as ATEOs. A foreign organization that otherwise qualifies 
as an ATEO will be treated as an ATEO unless it is described in section 
4948(b) and the regulations thereunder. Section 4948(b) excludes 
foreign organizations from the application of excise taxes under 
chapter 42 (which includes section 4960) if they receive substantially 
all of their support (other than gross investment income) from sources 
outside the United States. Section 53.4948-1(a)(1) defines a ``foreign 
organization'' for this purpose as an organization not described in 
section 170(c)(2)(A) (that is, not created or organized in the United 
States or in any possession thereof, or under the law of the United 
States, any State, the District of Columbia, or any possession of the 
United States).
    One commenter asked whether a foreign organization can be a related 
organization. Section 4960(c)(4)(B) does not distinguish between 
domestic and foreign organizations for purposes of determining status 
as a related organization to an ATEO. However, the Treasury Department 
and the IRS are considering whether section 4948(b) should apply to 
exempt a foreign organization (that otherwise meets the definition of 
``related organization'') from liability for tax under section 
4960(c)(4)(C). For example, in the context of the section 4958 excise 
tax on excess benefit transactions, an organization is excepted from 
status as an applicable tax-exempt organization if it is described in 
section 4948(b) (see Sec.  53.4958-2(b)(2)); thus, the tax under 
section 4958 does not apply to a disqualified person with respect to 
such a foreign organization. The Treasury Department and the IRS 
request comments on whether a foreign related organization described in 
section 4948(b) may be liable for tax under section 4960(c)(4)(C). The 
Treasury Department and the IRS also request comments on whether, for 
purposes of determining excess remuneration and allocating liability 
among the ATEO and related organizations, remuneration paid by a 
foreign related organization described in section 4948(b) should be 
taken into account even if the foreign related organization is exempt 
from liability for section 4960 tax.
B. Applicable Year
1. In General
    Section 4960(a)(1) refers to remuneration paid ``for the taxable 
year,'' but does not specify which taxpayer's taxable year is 
referenced, what it means for remuneration to be paid ``for'' a taxable 
year, or how to measure remuneration if an ATEO and a related 
organization have different taxable years. These proposed regulations 
provide that remuneration is paid for a taxable year if it is paid 
during the ``applicable year,'' which is defined in these proposed 
regulations as the calendar year ending with or within an ATEO's 
taxable year.
    Commenters were unsure whether ``taxable year'' refers to the 
taxable year of the ATEO, the related organization, or the covered 
employee. In addition, commenters noted that a tax-exempt 
organization's ``taxable year'' for purposes of section 4960 is not 
always obvious because generally a tax-exempt organization does not pay 
taxes and because section 4960 does not include its own definition of 
``taxable year.'' The Treasury Department and IRS developed the 
applicable year concept to resolve this ambiguity. Prescribing a single 
period resolves this issue and also reduces the administrative burdens 
that would arise if ATEOs and related organizations liable for the 
excise tax were required to allocate remuneration paid during a single 
calendar year to multiple non-calendar taxable years. Moreover, this 
approach reduces administrative burdens by aligning more closely with 
the calendar year reporting of compensation on Form W-2, ``Wage and Tax 
Statement,'' and on Part VII and Schedule J of Form 990, ``Return of 
Organization Exempt From Income Tax.'' Finally, the concept of an 
applicable year aligns with the period for identifying highly 
compensated employees under section 414(q), as required for determining 
whether certain payments are excess parachute payments.
    Remuneration paid during an applicable year is also used for 
identifying the five highest-compensated employees for a taxable year 
and thus the covered employees of the ATEO for the taxable year (who 
will remain covered employees for all future taxable years). Generally, 
status as an ATEO will not change during the taxable year, in which 
case the full twelve months of the applicable year is used as the 
measuring period. However, for the taxable year in which the ATEO 
becomes an ATEO (for example, if the ATEO is formed mid-year), or 
taxable year in which the ATEO ceases to be an ATEO (for example, due 
to corporate dissolution or revocation of exemption), adjustments to 
the standard applicable year may be necessary.
2. Rules Addressing the First Taxable Year an Organization Becomes an 
ATEO
    For the taxable year in which an organization becomes an ATEO, the 
applicable year begins on the date the organization becomes an ATEO and 
ends on December 31 of that calendar year (``short applicable year''). 
For a calendar year taxpayer, the short applicable year is taken into 
account for the taxable year ending on the same date. For fiscal year 
taxpayers, the short applicable year is taken into account for the 
taxable year in which the short applicable year ends. If the ATEO has 
any related organizations, only the compensation paid (or treated as 
paid) by the related organizations during the short applicable year is 
taken into account for purposes of determining the amount of 
remuneration paid by the ATEO for that year.
3. Rules Addressing the Taxable Year in Which ATEO Status Terminates
    For ATEOs with a calendar year taxable year, termination of ATEO 
status generally results in a short applicable year. The applicable 
year starts with January 1 and ends on the date of termination of ATEO 
status. For ATEOs with a fiscal year taxable year, termination of ATEO 
status may result in two applicable years being taken into account for 
the taxable year in which termination occurs. If the termination of 
ATEO status occurs on or before December 31 of the calendar year ending 
within the taxable year of the termination, then the applicable year 
for that taxable year starts January 1 and ends on the date of 
termination of status. If the termination of ATEO status occurs after 
December 31 of the calendar year ending within the taxable year of the 
termination, then the ATEO has two

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applicable years for the taxable year: The full calendar year ending 
within the taxable year in which the termination of ATEO status occurs 
and the period starting on January 1 of the calendar year in which 
termination of ATEO status occurs and ending on the date of 
termination. While liability for the tax for both applicable years is 
aggregated and reported for the taxable year of termination of ATEO 
status, covered employees and the amount of the tax for each applicable 
year are determined separately for each applicable year. For example, 
if an ATEO with no related organizations paid a covered employee $1.1 
million of remuneration in the first applicable year (the full 12-month 
applicable year) and $500,000 in the second applicable year (the short 
applicable year ending on the date of termination of ATEO status), the 
ATEO would be liable for excise tax only on the $100,000 of excess 
remuneration it paid in the first (full) applicable year and would not 
be treated as paying any excess remuneration for the second (short) 
applicable year.
C. Employee
    Section 4960(a) imposes a tax on excess remuneration and any excess 
parachute payment paid by an ATEO for the taxable year with respect to 
employment of a covered employee. Section 4960(c)(2) defines a 
``covered employee'' as an employee (including any former employee) of 
the ATEO who meets certain other conditions. Accordingly, the tax 
imposed by section 4960(a) applies only with respect to a current or 
former employee of the ATEO.
    Because the tax under section 4960(a)(1) applies to remuneration 
paid to a covered employee, and section 4960(c)(3)(A) defines 
``remuneration'' as including wages under section 3401(a) (related to 
Federal income tax withholding) other than any designated Roth 
contribution as defined in section 402A(c), these proposed regulations 
define ``employee'' consistent with the definition of ``employee'' for 
purposes of Federal income tax withholding in section 3401(c) and the 
regulations thereunder. Specifically, the proposed regulations cross-
reference the definition of ``employee'' in Sec.  31.3401(c)-1, which 
includes common-law employees, officers or elected or appointed 
officials of governments, or agencies or instrumentalities thereof, and 
certain officers of corporations. These proposed regulations reiterate 
certain rules from Sec.  31.3401(c)-1 that are particularly relevant to 
section 4960, including the rules that a member of a board of directors 
of a corporation is not an employee of the corporation (in the capacity 
as a director), and that an officer is an employee of the entity for 
which the officer serves as an officer (unless the officer performs no 
services or only minor services and neither receives, nor is entitled 
to receive, any remuneration, as discussed in part II.E. of this 
preamble, titled ``Covered employee''). Accordingly, the Treasury 
Department and the IRS did not adopt one commenter's suggestion that an 
officer of an ATEO not be presumptively treated as an employee of the 
ATEO. For further discussion of this definition of ``employee'' and 
other proposed rules intended to address employees of non-ATEO related 
organizations performing limited or temporary services for the related 
ATEO (in particular, while also receiving compensation from the non-
ATEO related organization), see part II.E.2. of this preamble, titled 
``Volunteer Services and Similar Exceptions.''
D. Employer
    Section 4960(b) provides that the employer is liable for the tax 
imposed under section 4960(a). Similar to the definition of 
``employee,'' these proposed regulations define ``employer'' consistent 
with the definition of ``employer'' for purposes of Federal income tax 
withholding in section 3401(d) and the regulations thereunder, without 
regard to the special rules in section 3401(d)(1) and (2). Accordingly, 
control of the payment of wages is not relevant for determining whether 
an entity is the employer for section 4960 purposes. Further, these 
proposed regulations provide that a person or governmental entity does 
not avoid status as an employer of an employee by using a third-party 
payor to pay remuneration to that employee. Third-party payors include 
a payroll agent, common paymaster, statutory employer under section 
3401(d)(1), or certified professional employer organization under 
section 7705 (under the Code, an ``employer'' for subtitle C purposes 
only). Further, consistent with existing principles for determining the 
employer, under certain facts and circumstances, a management company 
may also be acting as a third-party payor for the employees of its ATEO 
client, rather than as the common law employer of the employees. Thus, 
as set forth in these proposed regulations, remuneration that is paid 
by a separate organization to an individual for services the individual 
performed as an employee of the ATEO, whether related to the ATEO or 
not, is deemed remuneration paid by the ATEO for purposes of section 
4960. These proposed regulations also specify that calculation of the 
excise tax is separate from any arrangement that an ATEO and any 
related organization may have for bearing the cost of the excise tax 
under section 4960.
    In addition, these proposed regulations provide that the sole owner 
of an entity that is disregarded as separate from its owner under Sec.  
301.7701-2(c)(2)(i) is treated as the employer of any employee of the 
disregarded entity, notwithstanding that the entity is regarded for 
subtitle C purposes under Sec.  301.7701-2(c)(2)(iv).
E. Covered Employee
1. In General
    Consistent with section 4960(c)(2), these proposed regulations 
define ``covered employee'' to mean any individual who is one of the 
five highest-compensated employees of the ATEO for a taxable year or 
was a covered employee of the ATEO (or any predecessor) for any 
preceding taxable year beginning after December 31, 2016. These 
proposed regulations provide that whether an employee is one of the 
five highest-compensated employees of an ATEO is determined separately 
for each ATEO and not for the entire group of related organizations. As 
a result, a group of related ATEOs can have more than five highest-
compensated employees for a taxable year. Similarly, an employee may be 
a covered employee of more than one ATEO in a related group of 
organizations for a taxable year. Once an employee is a covered 
employee of an ATEO, the employee continues to be a covered employee 
for all subsequent taxable years of that ATEO. One commenter suggested 
a minimum dollar threshold for determining the five highest-compensated 
employees. These proposed regulations do not set a minimum dollar 
threshold for an employee to be a covered employee because there is no 
minimum threshold provided in the statute. Thus, an employee need not 
be paid excess remuneration or an excess parachute payment or be a 
highly compensated employee within the meaning of section 414(q) to be 
a covered employee of an ATEO for a taxable year and all future taxable 
years. (Note, however, that if an ATEO never pays a covered employee 
excess remuneration or an excess parachute payment, then there would be 
no section 4960 excise tax with respect to the covered employee.)
    Commenters suggested that the Treasury Department and the IRS 
provide a rule of administrative

[[Page 35750]]

convenience under which a covered employee is no longer considered a 
covered employee of an ATEO after a certain period of time has elapsed 
during which the employee was not an active employee of the ATEO. These 
proposed regulations do not adopt that suggestion because such a rule 
would be inconsistent with the statute.
    The Treasury Department and the IRS considered using certain 
existing reporting standards for determining the amount of compensation 
paid to an employee for purposes of identifying the five highest-
compensated employees for a taxable year under section 4960, such as 
the Securities and Exchange Commission standards that are used for 
section 162(m) purposes or the standards that are used for Form 990 
reporting purposes. These proposed regulations generally use 
remuneration paid during the applicable year for purposes of 
identifying an ATEO's five highest-compensated employees for a taxable 
year because remuneration is an appropriate representation of 
compensation earned by an employee and it is more administrable to use 
a single standard for identifying covered employees and computing the 
tax, if any, imposed by section 4960(a)(1). However, these proposed 
regulations provide that while remuneration for which a deduction is 
disallowed under section 162(m) is generally not taken into account for 
purposes of determining the amount of remuneration paid for a taxable 
year, it is taken into account as remuneration paid for purposes of 
determining an ATEO's five highest-compensated employees. This rule is 
needed to ensure proper coordination between the rules under section 
162(m) and the rules under section 4960.
    These proposed regulations also provide that, for purposes of 
determining whether an employee is one of an ATEO's five highest-
compensated employees for a taxable year, remuneration paid by the ATEO 
during the applicable year is aggregated with remuneration paid by any 
related organization during the ATEO's applicable year, including 
remuneration paid by a related for-profit organization or governmental 
entity, for services performed as an employee of such related 
organization. For a description of proposed rules intended to address 
certain situations in which an employee of a non-ATEO performs limited 
or temporary services for a related ATEO, see part II.E.2. of this 
preamble, titled ``Volunteer Services and Similar Exceptions.''
    Consistent with section 4960(c)(3)(B), these proposed regulations 
provide that for purposes of identifying an ATEO's five highest-
compensated employees for a taxable year, remuneration paid during the 
applicable year for medical services is not taken into account. See H. 
Rept. 115-466, at 494 (2017) (``[f]or purposes of determining a covered 
employee, remuneration paid to a licensed medical professional which is 
directly related to the performance of medical or veterinary services 
by such professional is not taken into account, whereas remuneration 
paid to such a professional in any other capacity is taken into 
account.''). For a discussion of the proposed rules addressing 
identification of remuneration paid for medical or veterinary services, 
see section II.F. of this preamble, titled ``Medical Services.''
2. Volunteer Services and Similar Exceptions
    Many commenters expressed concern that the rules for identifying an 
ATEO's five highest-compensated employees provided in Notice 2019-09 
would subject a non-ATEO to the excise tax on remuneration it pays to 
an employee who performs limited or temporary services for a related 
ATEO and who typically receives remuneration only from the non-ATEO. In 
this scenario, the allocation rules in Notice 2019-09 would allocate 
the entire excise tax to the non-ATEO. In addition, because the 
individual would continue to be treated as a covered employee of the 
ATEO for all subsequent taxable years, the non-ATEO would continue to 
be subject to the excise tax on any excess remuneration it paid to that 
employee for his or her remaining period of service as an employee of 
the non-ATEO, even if the individual ceased performing services as an 
employee of the ATEO (for example, upon ``returning'' to the non-ATEO 
after a temporary assignment at the ATEO). The commenters criticized 
this result, suggesting that the individual typically is performing 
services for the ATEO solely as a ``volunteer'' and that application of 
the excise tax would force significant changes to existing structures 
to avoid the tax, including possible dissolution of the ATEO or 
utilization of ATEO funds to procure separate services from other 
individuals with no employment relationship at the related non-ATEO. 
They argued that Congress did not intend to impose the excise tax under 
section 4960 in these circumstances.
    Commenters suggested several modifications to the guidance provided 
in Notice 2019-09 in order to avoid these results. After consideration 
of the comments received, the Treasury Department and the IRS propose 
exceptions to the definition of ``employee'' and ``covered employee'' 
and the rules for identifying the five highest-compensated employees to 
address these concerns. These exceptions are intended to ensure that 
certain employees of a related non-ATEO providing services as an 
employee of an ATEO are not treated as one of the five highest-
compensated employees of the ATEO, provided that certain conditions 
related to the individuals' remuneration or hours of service are met. 
To avoid manipulation of the rules through the deferral of 
compensation, in determining whether an employee is one of the five 
highest-compensated employees, a grant of a legally binding right to 
vested remuneration is considered to be remuneration paid, and any 
grant of a legally binding right to nonvested remuneration by the ATEO 
(or a related ATEO), for example, under a deferred compensation plan or 
arrangement, disqualifies the ATEO from claiming a relevant exception.
    Remuneration paid to an individual who is never an employee of the 
ATEO is not taken into account for purposes of section 4960. For 
example, an individual who, under all the facts and circumstances, 
performs services for the ATEO solely as a bona fide independent 
contractor is not an employee of the ATEO and thus is not considered 
for purposes of determining the ATEO's five highest-compensated 
employees. Similarly, an individual who, under all the facts and 
circumstances, performs services solely as a bona fide employee of a 
related organization, including a related organization that provides 
services to the ATEO, is not an employee of the ATEO and thus is not 
considered for purposes of determining the ATEO's five highest-
compensated employees.
    In addition, these proposed regulations provide that for purposes 
of determining an ATEO's five highest-compensated employees for a 
taxable year, an employee is disregarded if neither the ATEO nor any 
related organization pays remuneration or grants a legally binding 
right to nonvested remuneration for services the individual performed 
as an employee of the ATEO or any related organization. This clarifies 
that if none of the ATEO's employees received remuneration from the 
ATEO or from a related organization, then the ATEO has no covered 
employees (instead of requiring that some employee be treated as a 
covered employee). Note, however, that employees who had been properly 
classified as covered employees in any

[[Page 35751]]

prior taxable year would continue to be covered employees.
    This rule also addresses concerns commenters expressed regarding 
situations in which the ATEO (and its related organizations) may not 
provide an employee a salary or monetary compensation but may provide 
other nontaxable benefits. The Treasury Department and the IRS note 
that benefits excluded from gross income are not considered 
remuneration, including expense allowances and reimbursements under an 
accountable plan (see Sec.  1.62-2) and most insurance for liability 
arising from service with an ATEO, such as directors and officers 
liability insurance (see Sec.  1.132-5(r)(3)). The Treasury Department 
and the IRS request comments on whether certain taxable benefits, such 
as employer-provided parking in excess of the value excluded under 
section 132, should be disregarded for purposes of determining whether 
an individual receives remuneration for services for this purpose and, 
if so, what standards should apply to identify those benefits.
    Several commenters suggested that an employee who works for an ATEO 
for a small percentage of the employee's total hours worked for the 
ATEO and all its related organizations should be disregarded for 
purposes of determining that ATEO's five highest-compensated employees. 
To accommodate those situations in which an employee of a related non-
ATEO provides limited services as an employee of the ATEO without any 
payment of compensation by the ATEO, these proposed regulations also 
provide a ``limited-hours'' exception for purposes of determining the 
five highest-compensated employees of the ATEO. Under this exception, 
an employee of an ATEO is disregarded for purposes of determining the 
ATEO's five highest-compensated employees for a taxable year if neither 
the ATEO nor any related ATEO pays remuneration or grants a legally 
binding right to nonvested remuneration to the employee for services 
performed for the ATEO and the employee performs only limited services 
for the ATEO. For purposes of the requirement that an employee not be 
paid remuneration by the ATEO, the ATEO is not deemed to pay 
remuneration for services performed for the ATEO that is paid by a 
related organization that also employs the individual, so long as the 
ATEO does not reimburse the payor and is not treated as paying 
remuneration paid by a related organization for services performed for 
the related organization (although, as discussed in section III.A of 
this preamble, titled ``In General,'' for other purposes, this 
remuneration generally is treated as paid by the ATEO).
    In addition, an employee qualifies for this exception only if the 
hours of service the employee performs as an employee of the ATEO 
comprise 10 percent or less of the employee's total hours of service 
for the ATEO and all related organizations during the applicable year. 
For example, an employee of an ATEO and a related organization who 
works on average 10 hours per month as an employee of the ATEO (or 120 
hours for the applicable year) and works on average 165 hours per month 
as an employee of the related organization (or 1,980 hours for the 
applicable year) is not counted among the ATEO's five highest-
compensated employees for the taxable year, regardless of the amount of 
the employee's total remuneration, provided the ATEO does not pay the 
employee any remuneration. In addition, these proposed regulations 
provide a safe harbor under which an employee who performs fewer than 
100 hours of services as an employee of an ATEO (and all related ATEOs) 
during an applicable year is treated as having worked less than 10 
percent of the employee's total hours for the ATEO (and all related 
ATEOs).
    Commenters have raised concerns that an employee of a taxable 
organization who performs more significant services for a related ATEO 
as an employee of the ATEO, but with no remuneration paid by the ATEO, 
may be treated as one of the ATEO's five highest-compensated employees 
solely based on the remuneration the employee receives from his or her 
regular, permanent employment with the related taxable organization. 
The Treasury Department and the IRS understand that the common practice 
of a taxable organization donating services of their employees to a 
related ATEO, without the ATEO incurring any expense for these 
services, is often premised on a desire to assist the ATEO in 
furthering its exempt purposes without the ATEO inadvertently paying 
compensation that may be subject to excise tax under sections 4941, 
4945, or 4958. Furthermore, in these situations, the ATEO is not 
expending any of its funds for the employee's services. Regarding the 
reason for enacting section 4960, the House Report referenced payment 
of excessive compensation using tax-exempt funds, as well as aligning 
the tax treatment between for-profit and tax-exempt employers. 
Specifically, the House Report provided:

    The Committee believes that tax-exempt organizations enjoy a tax 
subsidy from the Federal government because contributions to such 
organizations generally are deductible and such organizations 
generally are not subject to tax (except on unrelated business 
income). As a result, such organizations are subject to the 
requirement that they use their resources for specific purposes, and 
the Committee believes that excessive compensation (including 
excessive severance packages) paid to senior executives of such 
organizations diverts resources from those particular purposes. The 
Committee further believes that alignment of the tax treatment of 
excessive executive compensation (as top executives may 
inappropriately divert organizational resources into excessive 
compensation) between for-profit and tax-exempt employers furthers 
the Committee's larger tax reform effort of making the system fairer 
for all businesses.

    H. Rep. 115-409, 115th Cong., 1st Sess. 333 (Nov. 13, 2017). 
Accordingly, these proposed regulations also provide a ``nonexempt 
funds'' exception for employees of controlling taxable organizations 
that perform more substantial services as an employee of the ATEO under 
certain circumstances.
    Under the nonexempt funds exception, an employee is disregarded for 
purposes of determining an ATEO's five highest-compensated employees 
for a taxable year if neither the ATEO, nor any related ATEO, nor any 
taxable related organization controlled by the ATEO pays the employee 
of the ATEO any remuneration for services performed for the ATEO or 
grants a legally binding right to nonvested remuneration to the 
employee. As under the limited hours exception, for purposes of the 
requirement that an employee not be paid remuneration by the ATEO, the 
ATEO is not deemed to pay remuneration that is paid by a related 
organization that also employs the individual, so long as the ATEO does 
not reimburse the payor and is not treated as paying remuneration paid 
by a related organization for services performed for the related 
organization. In addition, to prevent indirect payment of remuneration 
by the ATEO, related ATEOs, or taxable related organizations controlled 
by the ATEO, the related taxable organization paying the employee 
remuneration must not provide services for a fee to the ATEO, related 
ATEOs, or their controlled taxable related organizations.
    Further, the employee must have provided services primarily to the 
related taxable organization or other non-ATEO (other than a taxable 
subsidiary of the ATEO) during the applicable year. For purposes of 
this exception, an employee is treated as having provided services 
primarily to

[[Page 35752]]

the related taxable organization or other non-ATEO (other than a 
taxable subsidiary of the ATEO) only if the employee provided services 
to the related non-ATEO for more than 50 percent of the employee's 
total hours worked for the ATEO and all related organizations 
(including ATEOs) during the applicable year. For example, an 
individual who works 40 total hours per week, 15 of which are for an 
ATEO and 25 of which are for a related taxable organization, would 
primarily provide services for the related taxable organization. The 
determination is made for each applicable year, so an employee who 
provides services full-time for 3 \1/2\ months of an applicable year to 
an ATEO and the remaining 8 \1/2\ months to the related taxable 
organization would be considered as providing services primarily to the 
related taxable organization.
    The ``limited services'' exception set forth in Q/A-10(b) of Notice 
2019-09 provides that an employee is not one of an ATEO's five highest-
compensated employees for a taxable year if, during the applicable 
year, the ATEO paid less than 10 percent of the employee's total 
remuneration during the applicable year for services performed as an 
employee of the ATEO and all related organizations. However, if an 
employee would not be treated as one of the five highest-compensated 
employees of any ATEO in an ATEO's group of related organizations 
because no ATEO in the group paid at least 10 percent of the total 
remuneration paid by the group during the applicable year, then this 
exception does not apply to the ATEO that paid the employee the most 
remuneration during that applicable year. These proposed regulations 
adopt a substantially similar rule that has been modified to simplify 
the structure of the exception and to clarify that the exception does 
not apply if the ATEO has no related ATEOs.
    Several other comments were received relating to the issue of 
employees of a non-ATEO providing temporary or limited services to a 
related ATEO. Several commenters suggested that ``volunteers'' should 
be excluded from the definition of ``employee.'' The term ``employee'' 
for Federal tax purposes generally is understood to refer to a common-
law employee. Whether a service provider is a common-law employee 
generally turns on whether the service recipient has the right to 
direct and control the service provider, not only as to the result to 
be accomplished by the work but also as to the details and means by 
which that result is accomplished. See, e.g., Sec.  31.3121(d)-1(c)(2). 
The determination does not depend on whether or how the individual is 
compensated or by which person. The Treasury Department and the IRS do 
not adopt the suggestion to modify the common-law standard for 
determining employee status solely for purposes of section 4960 or to 
use a definition other than the common law standard. Nonetheless, the 
limited hours and nonexempt funds exceptions provided in these proposed 
regulations exclude certain employees that some may view as 
``volunteers'' from status as one of an ATEO's five highest-compensated 
employees, and, as discussed in section II.C. of this preamble, titled 
``Employee,'' these proposed regulations exclude certain ``volunteer'' 
officers, consistent with employment tax regulations.
    A commenter suggested that the definition of ``employee'' under 
Notice 2019-09 be modified so that officer status is not presumptive of 
common-law employee status. Another commenter suggested that officers 
who are not paid directly by the ATEO and who perform only minor 
services for the ATEO be excluded either from the definition of 
``employee'' or from the five highest-compensated employees. Under 
section 4960(c)(3)(A), whether an amount is remuneration generally is 
based on whether an amount is wages as defined in section 3401(a). 
Section 31.3401(c)-1(f) provides that an officer generally is treated 
as an employee, but provides an exception under which an employee of 
the corporation does not include an officer who performs no services, 
or performs only minor services, and who neither receives, nor is 
entitled to receive, any remuneration. Because the definition of 
``remuneration'' is tied to the definition of ``wages'' under section 
3401(a) and Sec.  31.3401(c)-1(f) provides that officers generally are 
treated as employees, the Treasury Department and the IRS do not agree 
that it is appropriate to provide categorically that officers are not 
employees. However, consistent with Sec.  31.3401(c)-1(f), these 
proposed regulations define ``employee'' to exclude any officer who as 
such does not perform any services or performs only minor services and 
who neither receives, nor is entitled to receive, any remuneration.
    A commenter suggested that an exception to the definition of 
``employee'' for purposes of section 4960 that would align with the 
``volunteer'' exception used for purposes of reporting employee 
compensation on the Form 990. Under this exception, an employee of a 
for-profit entity would not be considered an employee of the ATEO if 
the ATEO does not control the for-profit entity, the for-profit entity 
does not provide management services for a fee to the ATEO, and the 
employee provides only ``volunteer'' services to the ATEO (that is, 
services for which the ATEO pays no compensation to the employee). The 
Treasury Department and the IRS decline to adopt this approach because 
the considerations underlying the Form 990 definition of ``employee'' 
are different than those underlying section 4960. However, the limited 
hours and nonexempt funds exceptions provided in these proposed 
regulations are similar to the Form 990 ``volunteer'' exception and 
will cover many of the same employees.
    Commenters suggested that an individual not be treated as one of an 
ATEO's five highest-compensated employees if the compensation paid 
directly by the ATEO (regardless of the compensation paid by one or 
more related organizations) did not meet a certain threshold amount or 
if the employee did not receive from the ATEO more than a threshold 
percentage of total compensation from the ATEO and its related 
organizations. Commenters also suggested that, for purposes of 
determining an ATEO's five highest-compensated employees, the amount 
paid to an employee should include only the amount paid by an ATEO (or 
by an ATEO and related ATEOs) and not by any of its related 
organizations (or not by any of its related non-ATEOs). The Treasury 
Department and the IRS do not adopt these suggestions because of 
concerns that these standards would permit taxpayers to restructure 
compensation arrangements so that a related organization pays 
compensation on behalf of an ATEO or break up operations into multiple 
ATEOs, each paying below the threshold, in order to control the 
identification of the ATEO's covered employees (and, in particular, 
would permit taxpayers to ensure that any individuals being paid 
overall remuneration in excess of $1 million are not identified as 
covered employees).
    Commenters also suggested that, for purposes of determining an 
ATEO's five highest-compensated employees, the amount paid to an 
employee should be measured only by reference to compensation paid to 
the employee for services rendered as an employee of the ATEO 
(regardless of the payor). The Treasury Department and the IRS do not 
adopt this suggestion because an arrangement between entities for 
compensating employees of two or more of the entities may not 
accurately reflect the relative value of the services an employee 
provides to each of the

[[Page 35753]]

entities. In addition, due to the highly factual nature of the analysis 
and the potential for differing conclusions, such a rule would not 
result in a predictable standard for taxpayers or the IRS to apply. 
However, the limited hours and nonexempt funds exceptions set forth in 
these proposed regulations are intended to address the concerns of 
these commenters.
    Finally, a commenter suggested that a rule be provided under which 
an ATEO is permitted to choose one of several permissible methods to 
determine its five highest-compensated employees. A standard that would 
permit an ATEO to select among various identification methods would 
create administrative burdens and complexities not only in implementing 
that ATEO's election, but also in coordinating among related ATEOs (and 
their related non-ATEOs) with differing identification methods, 
applying changes in methods selected by ATEOs, and determining the 
consequences of corporate transactions involving ATEOs (for example, a 
merger of two ATEOs using two different identification methods). In 
addition, the Treasury Department and the IRS anticipate that the 
definitions of ``employee'' and ``five highest-compensated employees'' 
in these proposed regulations will address the issues raised by 
commenters concerning employees of non-ATEOs performing limited or 
temporary services for a related ATEO. For these reasons, these 
proposed regulations do not adopt this suggestion. However, the 
Treasury Department and the IRS continue to invite comments on any 
modifications to these proposed regulations with respect to identifying 
an ATEO's five highest-compensated employees that are consistent with 
the statutory provisions, treat similarly situated taxpayers 
consistently, do not permit improper avoidance of the provisions, and 
are administrable and not overly burdensome.
F. Medical Services
    Section 4960(c)(3)(B) provides that remuneration for purposes of 
section 4960 does not include the portion of any remuneration paid to a 
licensed medical professional (including a veterinarian) that is for 
the performance of medical or veterinary services by such professional. 
Section 4960(c)(5)(C)(iii) provides a substantially similar exception 
from the definition of ``parachute payment.'' Commenters requested 
clarification of the types of services that for this purpose are 
medical or veterinary services.
    These proposed regulations define ``medical services'' as the 
diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in 
humans or animals; services provided for the purpose of affecting any 
structure or function of the human or animal body; and other services 
integral to providing such medical services, that are directly 
performed by a licensed medical professional. This standard is 
consistent with the statement in the Conference Report to TCJA, H. 
Rept. 115-466, at 494 (2017) that the exception applies only to 
remuneration ``directly related'' to the performance of medical 
services (including veterinary services). This standard is based on the 
definition of ``medical care'' under section 213(d)(1)(A) and Sec.  
1.213-1(a), which is a developed area of Federal tax law. Under these 
proposed regulations, only the remuneration paid by the employer to a 
licensed medical professional for the actual provision of medical 
services (or administrative tasks integral to such services) is 
disregarded for purposes of determining the amount of remuneration paid 
to the licensed medical professional for the applicable year (and the 
amount of any parachute payment under section 4960(c)(5)(C)(iii)). The 
proposed regulations provide that certain administrative tasks, such as 
creating patient records, are so integral to performing medical 
services that they constitute the performance of medical services. 
Further, the proposed regulations provide that, for purposes of section 
4960, remuneration paid to a licensed medical professional for teaching 
or research services does not qualify for the exclusion from 
remuneration under section 4960(b)(3)(B) (or the exclusion from amounts 
treated as a parachute payment under section 4960(c)(5)(C)(iii)) except 
to the extent those services constitute medical services.
    The Conference Report to TCJA states that ``[a] medical 
professional for this purpose includes a doctor, nurse, or 
veterinarian.'' H. Rept. 115-466, at 494 (2017). To further clarify the 
standard, these proposed regulations provide that a ``licensed medical 
professional'' is an individual who is licensed under state or local 
law to perform medical services. In addition to doctors, nurses, and 
veterinarians, as listed in the legislative history, a licensed medical 
professional generally would include dentists and nurse practitioners 
and may include other medical professionals, depending on the 
applicable state or local law.
    For a discussion of other issues related to remuneration for 
medical or veterinary services, including a proposed rule for 
allocating remuneration received for a combination of medical and non-
medical services, see part III of this preamble, titled 
``Remuneration.''
G. Predecessor Organization
    Section 4960(c)(2)(B) provides that a covered employee includes any 
employee who was a covered employee of the ATEO (or any predecessor) 
for any preceding taxable year beginning after December 31, 2016. 
Because, under section 4960(c)(2), a covered employee must be (or have 
been) an employee of an ATEO, the predecessor must also have been an 
ATEO. Thus, an individual who is a covered employee of an ATEO (or of 
an ATEO predecessor of an ATEO) for one taxable year remains a covered 
employee of that ATEO (and any successor ATEOs) for subsequent taxable 
years.
    These proposed regulations define ``predecessor'' by reference to 
several enumerated categories of organizational changes, including 
acquisitions, mergers, other reorganizations, and changes in tax-exempt 
status. A predecessor ATEO ordinarily is an ATEO that has transferred, 
by any of several legal means, its assets and operations to another 
pre-existing or newly created ATEO (the successor of the predecessor 
ATEO). This definition generally is consistent with the proposed 
regulations under section 162(m), 84 FR 70356 (December 20, 2019), with 
certain differences discussed in this section of the preamble. Section 
162(m)(1) disallows a deduction for compensation in excess of $1 
million paid by publicly-held corporations to certain executive 
officers, and the proposed regulations under section 162(m) define 
certain similar terms, including predecessor organization.
    These proposed regulations provide that if an acquiror ATEO 
acquires at least 80 percent of the operating assets or total assets 
(determined by fair market value on the date of acquisition) of a 
target ATEO, then the target ATEO is a predecessor of the acquiror ATEO 
(the 80 percent asset transfer rule). However, the proposed regulations 
provide that only the target ATEO's covered employees that commence the 
performance of services for the acquiror ATEO (or an organization 
related to the acquiror) during the period beginning 12 months before 
and ending 12 months after the date on which all events necessary for 
the acquisition have occurred become the acquiror ATEO's covered 
employees (the 24-month services rule). For acquisitions of assets that 
occur over time, these proposed regulations generally provide that only 
acquisitions that occur within a twelve-

[[Page 35754]]

month period are taken into account for purposes of applying the 80 
percent asset transfer rule, though the period is extended during any 
period in which there is a plan to acquire the target's assets. The 
acquisition may be by gift or for bona fide consideration.
    The 24-month services rule differs from the corresponding rule in 
the proposed regulations under section 162(m) in that for section 
162(m), the proposed rule relates to hiring by the publicly held 
corporation (including its affiliated group), whereas the rule in these 
proposed regulations relates to hiring by an ATEO or any related 
organization. This difference reflects a structural difference in the 
two statutes, but the two rules are meant to have substantively similar 
effects.
    These proposed regulations provide that a predecessor of an 
acquiror ATEO includes an ATEO that is acquired (target), or the assets 
of which are acquired, by another ATEO (acquiror) in most corporate 
reorganization transactions defined in section 368. Accordingly, the 
covered employees of a target are also covered employees of the 
acquiror. For nonprofit corporations, such reorganizations would 
commonly include mergers described in section 368(a)(1)(A). These 
proposed regulations also treat as a predecessor an organization that 
merely changes its form or place of organization as described in 
section 368(a)(1)(F).
    The categories of organizational changes in these proposed 
regulations resulting in a predecessor and a successor are not mutually 
exclusive. For example, these proposed regulations treat a 
restructuring ATEO that changes its organizational form or place of 
organization as a predecessor of the surviving organization. Many or 
most such transactions, though not all, result in the same treatment 
under one or more of the 80 percent asset transfer rule, section 
368(a)(1)(F), or Rev. Proc. 2018-15, 2018-9 I.R.B. 378.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ Because these proposed regulations essentially treat the 
covered employees of a predecessor of an ATEO as the covered 
employees of the ATEO, these proposed regulations do not distinguish 
between a reorganization of an ATEO in which the restructured 
organization must re-apply for recognition of exemption and a 
reorganization in which the restructured organization is still 
recognized as exempt, such as pursuant to certain changes in form or 
place of organization.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    ATEOs generally are defined as organizations exempt from tax under 
one of several Code sections. For purposes of section 4960(c)(2)(B), an 
ATEO may be a predecessor of itself due to its moving in and out of 
status as an ATEO. Specifically, these proposed regulations provide 
that a predecessor of an ATEO includes an ATEO that, after ceasing to 
be an ATEO, again becomes an ATEO effective for a taxable year (or part 
of the taxable year) ending before the date that is 36 months following 
the due date (disregarding any extensions) for the filing of the ATEO's 
information return under section 6033, such as Form 990 (or Federal 
income tax return in the case of section 115 instrumentalities or 
section 521 farmers' cooperatives), for the most recent taxable year 
during which the organization was an ATEO. The 36-month limitation is 
included for reasons similar to those underlying the proposed 
definition of ``predecessor'' for purposes of section 162(m)(3)(C). See 
Prop. Sec.  1.162-33(c)(2)(ii)(C) and (H). These proposed regulations 
also provide that a predecessor of an ATEO includes any predecessor of 
its predecessor (thus, there may be a chain of predecessors).
    ATEOs, which are defined in section 4960(c)(1), differ in their 
organizational structures and basis for tax exemption and in the types 
of reorganizational changes that they may undergo. For instance, 
predecessor rules involving transfers of stock generally will apply 
only to a limited class of ATEOs because ATEOs generally are not stock 
corporations. These proposed regulations specify that, in the case of 
an election to treat as an asset purchase either the sale, exchange, or 
distribution of stock pursuant to regulations under section 336(e) or 
the purchase of stock pursuant to regulations under section 338, the 
ATEO is treated as the same organization before and after the 
transaction for which the election is made. Comments are requested on 
the application of these rules to ATEOs and whether any other types of 
transactions involving ATEOs should be analyzed to determine if the 
predecessor rules do or should apply.
H. Related Organization
    Section 4960(c)(4)(A) provides that remuneration paid to a covered 
employee by an ATEO includes any remuneration paid with respect to 
employment of the employee by any related person or governmental 
entity.\3\ Similar to the comment that only remuneration paid by the 
ATEO or related ATEO should be considered for purposes of determining 
an ATEO's five highest-compensated employees (described in paragraph 
II.E.1. of this preamble, titled ``In General''), one commenter 
requested that, for purposes of applying the definition of 
``remuneration,'' the phrase ``any related person or governmental 
entity'' be limited to the employer ATEO and any related ATEOs, but not 
any related non-ATEOs. Because section 4960(c)(4)(B) does not include 
this limitation in the definition of a ``related organization,'' these 
proposed regulations do not adopt this suggestion. Rather, these 
proposed regulations include in the definition of ``remuneration'' any 
remuneration paid by the employer ATEO, related ATEOs, and related non-
ATEOs (including for-profit entities, nonprofit entities that are not 
ATEOs, and governmental entities that are not ATEOs).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ The proposed regulations refer to related persons and 
governmental entities collectively as related organizations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section 4960(c)(4) does not provide a definition of ``control'' for 
purposes of identifying related organizations. For purposes of defining 
``control'' within the meaning of section 4960(c)(4)(B)(i) and (ii), 
two commenters suggested using the control standard under Sec.  
1.414(c)-5, with one of the commenters suggesting replacement of the 
``at least 80 percent'' standard with a ``more than 50 percent'' 
standard to align with the Form 990 instructions. Such a standard is 
similar to the definition of ``control'' under section 512(b)(13)(D).
    Consistent with Notice 2019-09, Q/A-8, for this purpose, these 
proposed regulations generally utilize the definition of ``control'' 
set forth in section 512(b)(13)(D) and Sec.  1.512(b)-1(l)(4). That 
standard (and its ``greater than 50 percent'' threshold) generally 
aligns the definition of ``related organization'' for purposes of 
section 4960 with the definition of ``related organization'' for 
purposes of the annual reporting requirements on Form 990, reducing the 
burden on organizations in identifying related organizations, 
calculating compensation and remuneration from related organizations, 
and determining liability (if any) under section 4960. Use of a 
``greater than 50 percent'' standard also aligns more closely with 
other exempt organization control tests and prevents abuse that may 
occur in the section 4960 context if a higher percentage threshold for 
control were adopted.
    Following the standard in section 512(b)(13)(D), these proposed 
regulations define control of a stock corporation as ownership (by vote 
or value) of more than 50 percent of its stock, control of a 
partnership as ownership of more than 50 percent of its profits or 
capital interests, and control of a trust with beneficial interests as 
ownership of more than 50 percent of its beneficial interests. 
Consistent with the rule set forth in section 512(b)(13)(D)(ii), these 
proposed regulations provide that the attribution rules of section 318 
apply in determining constructive or indirect ownership of stock in a 
stock

[[Page 35755]]

corporation and that similar principles apply in determining 
constructive or indirect ownership of partnership interests or 
beneficial interests in a trust. For example, under section 318(a)(1), 
an individual is considered to own stock owned by the individual's 
spouse, child, grandchild, or parent. In general, the principles of 
section 318 are not readily applicable to nonstock organizations, which 
do not have ownership interests like other entities. However, some of 
the principles may be applied by analogy (such as proportional 
ownership under section 318(a)(2)), as set forth in these proposed 
regulations and examples. Similar rules apply in determining an 
indirect excess benefit transaction through a controlled entity in 
Sec.  53.4958-4(a)(2)(ii)(B) for purposes of imposing the excise tax in 
section 4958 on excess benefit transactions. The Treasury Department 
and the IRS request comments on other circumstances for which 
clarifying regulations or examples would be helpful or whether a 
different standard should be considered.
    Since most tax-exempt organizations are nonstock organizations, 
these proposed regulations also set forth a rule of ``control'' in the 
context of nonstock organizations to determine if the nonstock 
organization is a related organization. For this purpose, the proposed 
regulations define a ``nonstock organization'' as a nonprofit 
organization or other organization without owners, including a 
governmental entity. Similar to several other provisions and 
regulations dealing with controlled tax-exempt organizations (Sec.  
1.512(b)-1(l)(4)(i)(b), Sec.  53.4958-4(a)(2)(ii)(B)(1)(iii), and Sec.  
1.414(c)-5(b)),\4\ these proposed regulations provide that a person 
controls a nonstock organization under either a ``removal power'' test 
or a ``representative'' test.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ See also the representative test in section 4911(f)(2)(B)(i) 
for determining affiliated organizations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Under the removal power test, a person controls a nonstock 
organization if the person has the power, directly or indirectly, to 
remove more than 50 percent of the trustees or directors of the 
nonstock organization and designate new trustees or directors. These 
proposed regulations specify that power to remove at regular intervals 
(for example, at the end of a board member's term of years) is 
sufficient for removal power to exist.
    Under the representative test, a person or governmental entity 
generally controls a nonstock organization if more than 50 percent of 
the nonstock organization's directors or trustees are also trustees, 
directors, officers, agents, or employees of the person or governmental 
entity. Unlike the representative test in Sec.  1.512(b)-1(l)(4)(i)(b), 
Sec.  53.4958-4(a)(2)(ii)(B)(1)(iii), and Sec.  1.414(c)-5(b), these 
proposed regulations expressly include an officer of the person or 
governmental entity as a representative for purposes of determining 
control of the nonstock organization.
    One commenter suggested the representative test is overbroad, 
resulting in deemed control by the person because of the person's mere 
capacity to influence the nonstock organization, even if the person has 
no intent or interest in doing so, and even if the person has no 
knowledge of the nonstock organization (a phenomenon referred to here 
as ``accidental control''). For example, according to the commenter, 
the representative test could unintentionally include an employer as a 
controlling person of an ATEO that two of the employer's employees 
established well before they became employees of the employer.
    The representative test has an established history in tax law 
relating to tax-exempt organizations, appearing with minor variations 
in Sec.  1.512(b)-1(l)(4)(i)(b), section 4911(f)(2)(B)(i), Sec.  
53.4958-4(a)(2)(ii)(B)(1)(iii), Sec.  1.414(c)-5(b), and the 
instructions to the Form 990 (for 2008 and subsequent years) defining 
``related organizations.'' The test may result in accidental control in 
some situations but is designed as a bright-line rule to avoid disputes 
over intent. However, to address the issue raised by the commenter, 
these proposed regulations permit a nonstock organization (or its 
putative controlling person or governmental entity) to qualify for an 
exception from control status if a director or trustee of the nonstock 
organization who is also a lower-level employee of the person or 
governmental entity (that is, not a trustee, director, or officer, or 
employee with the powers of a director or officer, of the person or 
governmental entity) is not acting as a representative of the person or 
governmental entity in his or her service with the nonstock 
organization. A nonstock organization that is relying on this exception 
must report that it is relying on the exception on the applicable Form 
990 and provide details supporting the application of the exception.

III. Remuneration

A. In General
    Consistent with section 4960(c)(3)(A), these proposed regulations 
define ``remuneration'' as wages under section 3401(a) (amounts 
generally subject to Federal income tax withholding), but excluding 
designated Roth contributions under section 402A(c) and including 
amounts required to be included in gross income under section 457(f). 
Remuneration does not include certain retirement benefits, including 
payments: That are contributions to or distributions from a trust 
described in section 401(a); under or to an annuity plan which, at the 
time of the payment, is a plan described in section 403(a); described 
in section 402(h)(1) and (2) if, at the time of the payment, it is 
reasonable to believe that the employee will be entitled to an 
exclusion under that section for the payment; under an arrangement to 
which section 408(p) applies; or under or to an eligible deferred 
compensation plan which, at the time of the payment, is a plan 
described in section 457(b) that is maintained by an eligible employer 
described in section 457(e)(1)(A) (governmental employer). See section 
3401(a)(12). Remuneration also does not include an excess parachute 
payment but does include a parachute payment that is not an excess 
parachute payment.
    In addition, these proposed regulations include in remuneration any 
amounts includible in gross income as compensation under section 7872 
and related regulations. For example, under Sec.  1.7872-15(e)(1)(i), a 
below-market split-dollar loan between an employer and employee 
generally is a compensation-related loan and any imputed transfer from 
the employer to the employee generally is a payment of compensation. 
Although section 7872(f)(9) provides that no amount shall be withheld 
under Chapter 24 of the Code with respect to any amount treated as 
transferred or retransferred under section 7872(a) or received under 
section 7872(b), those amounts are ``remuneration . . . for services 
performed by an employee for his employer'' within the meaning of 
section 3401(a) and are not specifically excluded from wages under 
section 3401(a). Thus, these amounts are remuneration as defined in 
section 4960(c)(3)(A). This analysis applies by analogy to other 
remuneration for services performed by an employee that is included in 
wages under section 3401(a) but is nonetheless not subject to income 
tax withholding under section 3402.
    One commenter requested that remuneration be read to include 
amounts paid by any related person or governmental entity only with 
respect to employment of the employee by the ATEO and not with respect 
to

[[Page 35756]]

employment of the employee by the related person or government entity. 
Neither the statute nor the legislative history indicates that this was 
the intended reading. In defining ``remuneration,'' section 
4960(c)(4)(A) provides that ``remuneration of a covered employee by an 
[ATEO] shall include any remuneration paid with respect to employment 
of the employee by any related person or governmental entity.'' In 
addition, the legislative history indicates an intent to align the tax 
treatment of certain executive compensation payments made by for-profit 
employers and tax-exempt employers. The commenter's reading would be 
inconsistent with this intent, since section 162(m)(1) requires 
aggregation of amounts paid and proration of the resulting amount 
disallowed as a deduction if a covered employee of one member of an 
affiliated group is paid compensation by other members of the 
affiliated group. See Sec.  1.162-27(c)(1)(ii) and Prop. Sec.  1.162-
33(c)(1)(ii). For these reasons, these proposed regulations do not 
limit the application of section 4960(c)(4)(A) to remuneration paid 
solely with respect to employment by the ATEO or for services rendered 
to the ATEO.
B. Remuneration Related to Medical Services
    Remuneration that is paid to a licensed medical professional for 
medical services is excluded from the definition of ``remuneration'' 
for purposes of section 4960. (See part II.F. of this preamble, titled 
``Medical Services'' for a further discussion of the scope of this 
exception.) When an employer compensates an employee for both medical 
services (including related services, such as medical recordkeeping) 
and other services, the employer must allocate remuneration paid to the 
employee between remuneration paid for medical services and 
remuneration paid for other services. These proposed regulations permit 
taxpayers to use a reasonable, good faith method to allocate 
remuneration between these two categories of services. For this 
purpose, taxpayers may rely on a reasonable allocation set forth in an 
employment agreement allocating remuneration between medical services 
and other services. If some or all of the remuneration is not 
reasonably allocated in an employment agreement, taxpayers must use 
another reasonable method of allocation. For example, allocating 
remuneration to medical services in the proportion that time spent 
providing medical services (determined based on records such as 
patient, insurance, Medicare/Medicaid billing records, or internal time 
reporting mechanisms) bears to the total hours the covered employee 
worked for the employer (including hours worked as an employee for all 
employers in a related group of organizations) would be a reasonable 
method. The Treasury Department and the IRS request comments providing 
examples of other reasonable methods of allocating remuneration between 
medical services and other services (or reasonable methods in 
particular circumstances).
C. When Remuneration Is Treated as Paid
    These proposed regulations address when remuneration is treated as 
paid for purposes of section 4960. The flush language at the end of 
section 4960(a) provides that, for purposes of section 4960(a), 
remuneration is treated as paid when there is no substantial risk of 
forfeiture of the rights to the remuneration within the meaning of 
section 457(f)(3)(B). Although section 4960(a) cross-references the 
definition of ``substantial risk of forfeiture'' in section 
457(f)(3)(B), the rule under section 4960(a) providing that 
remuneration is treated as paid upon when there is no substantial risk 
of forfeiture of the rights to the remuneration is neither limited to 
remuneration that is otherwise subject to section 457(f) nor limited to 
amounts paid pursuant to a nonqualified deferred compensation 
arrangement. Rather, for purposes of section 4960(a), this timing rule 
applies to all forms of remuneration.
    To make clear when remuneration that is never subject to a 
substantial risk of forfeiture is treated as paid, these proposed 
regulations provide that remuneration that is a ``regular wage'' within 
the meaning of Sec.  31.3402(g)-1(a)(ii) is treated as paid at actual 
or constructive payment. A ``regular wage'' is defined in Sec.  
31.3402(g)-1(a)(ii) as remuneration ``paid at a regular hourly, daily, 
or similar periodic rate (and not an overtime rate) for the current 
payroll period or at a predetermined fixed determinable amount for the 
current payroll period.'' Remuneration that is not a regular wage but 
that is never subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture is treated as 
paid on the first date the service provider has a legally binding right 
to the payment.
    With respect to payments that are at some time subject to a 
substantial risk of forfeiture, these proposed regulations refer to 
remuneration as ``vested'' when it is no longer subject to a 
substantial risk of forfeiture, and this remuneration is treated as 
paid when it vests. The Treasury Department and the IRS issued proposed 
regulations under section 457(f) in 2016 (81 FR 40548 (June 22, 2016)), 
upon which taxpayers may rely for periods before they are finalized. 
Under proposed Sec.  1.457-12(e)(1), an amount of compensation is 
subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture only if entitlement to the 
amount is conditioned on the future performance of substantial 
services, or upon the occurrence of a condition that is related to a 
purpose of the compensation if the possibility of forfeiture is 
substantial. See Prop. Sec.  1.457-12(e)(3) for examples of the rules 
relating to substantial risk forfeiture. The Treasury Department and 
the IRS anticipate that the final regulations under section 4960 will 
adopt the definition of ``substantial risk of forfeiture'' in proposed 
Sec.  1.457-12(e)(1). Any changes to the proposed regulations under 
section 457(f) when finalized will be taken into account for purposes 
of section 4960, and further guidance may be issued, if appropriate.
    Although requested by commenters, these proposed regulations do not 
provide a short-term deferral rule (such as the rules provided in Sec.  
1.409A-1(b)(4) and proposed Sec.  1.457-12(d)(2)) that would change the 
date remuneration is treated as paid depending on the timing of vesting 
in relation to the timing of actual payment (typically of cash) to the 
employee. Allowing a short-term deferral similar to that allowed in 
Sec.  1.409A-1(b)(4) and proposed Sec.  1.457-(12)(d)(2) would permit 
the employer to determine the taxable year in which the amount is 
treated as paid and would be inconsistent with the statute. The 
Treasury Department and the IRS are concerned that providing this type 
of exception to the timing rule under section 4960 would permit ATEOs 
and related organizations to spread remuneration across multiple 
applicable years by delaying actual payment of an amount that is 
already vested and thus potentially avoid the tax. However, the 
Treasury Department and the IRS invite comments regarding any burdens 
that could be avoided through a short-term deferral rule and how such a 
rule could be designed to avoid permitting inappropriate avoidance of 
the tax.
    While a short-term deferral exception might allow an employer to 
choose the taxable year in which a payment is made in order to avoid 
the excise tax, the Treasury Department and the IRS understand that for 
routine salary and other similar payments made for the final pay period 
of a calendar year, most employers do not distinguish between the 
amounts earned in the initial year and the amounts earned in the

[[Page 35757]]

subsequent year that are both paid in the subsequent year. Because 
these regulations provide that remuneration that is a regular wage 
within the meaning of Sec.  31.3402(g)-1(a)(1)(ii) is treated as paid 
when actually or constructively paid, the employer will not need to 
determine amounts that vested in the initial year for purposes of 
section 4960. Thus, if a pay period ends December 26, 2020, but the 
salary for that period is not actually paid until January 2, 2021, then 
the salary is treated as paid in 2021 and the employer need not treat 
any amount as vested in 2020. But if the employee also vested in a 
bonus on December 26, 2020, that is actually paid on January 2, 2021, 
the bonus is treated as paid in 2020.
    These proposed regulations provide that the amount of remuneration 
treated as paid generally is the present value of the remuneration on 
the date on which the covered employee vests in the right to payment of 
the remuneration. The employer must determine the present value using 
reasonable actuarial assumptions regarding the amount, time, and 
probability that the payment will be made. These proposed regulations 
do not provide rules for the determination of present value. However, 
an employer may determine the present value using the rules set forth 
in proposed Sec.  1.457-12(c)(1). The Treasury Department and the IRS 
anticipate that final regulations covering the determination of present 
value for purposes of section 4960 will be issued when final 
regulations under section 457(f) are issued. In addition, to reduce the 
administrative burden for determining the present value of remuneration 
under a nonaccount balance plan described in Sec.  1.409A-1(c)(2)(i)(C) 
scheduled to be paid within 90 days after vesting (which would result 
in minimal discounting), the employer may treat the amount that is to 
be paid as the present value of the amount on the date of vesting. For 
example, an employer is not required to discount an annual bonus of 
$10,000 that vests on December 31, 2020, and is scheduled to be paid on 
February 15, 2021, to reflect the delay in actual payment, but instead 
may treat $10,000 of remuneration as paid in 2020. Until actually or 
constructively paid or otherwise includible in gross income of the 
employee, any amount treated as paid at vesting is referred to as 
``previously paid remuneration.''
D. Earnings and Losses
    These proposed regulations provide specific rules for the treatment 
of earnings and losses on previously paid remuneration, intended to 
minimize administrative burden. These proposed regulations provide that 
net earnings on previously paid remuneration are treated as vested (and 
therefore paid) on the last day of the applicable year in which they 
are accrued unless otherwise actually or constructively paid before 
that date. For example, the present value of vested remuneration 
accrued to an employee's account under an account balance plan 
described in Sec.  1.409A-1(c)(2)(i)(A) (under which the earnings and 
losses attributed to the account are based solely on a predetermined 
actual investment or a reasonable market interest rate) is treated as 
paid on the date accrued to the employee's account and, until 
subsequently actually or constructively paid, is treated as previously 
paid remuneration. In addition, at the end of each applicable year in 
which there is this type of previously paid remuneration allocable to a 
covered employee, the present value of any net earnings accrued on that 
previously paid remuneration (the increase in present value due to the 
application of a predetermined actual investment or a reasonable market 
interest rate) is treated as remuneration paid in that applicable 
year.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ This remuneration is then treated as previously paid 
remuneration for subsequent applicable years until actually or 
constructively paid.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Similarly, the present value of a vested, fixed amount of 
remuneration under a nonaccount balance plan described in Sec.  1.409A-
1(c)(2)(i)(C) is treated as paid on the date of vesting and 
subsequently treated as previously paid remuneration until actually or 
constructively paid. In addition, at the end of each applicable year in 
which there is this type of previously paid remuneration allocable to a 
covered employee, the net increase in the present value of that amount 
during the year due solely to the passage of time constitutes earnings 
and is treated as remuneration paid. For this purpose, earnings and 
losses from one plan or arrangement are aggregated with earnings and 
losses from any other plan or arrangement in which the employee 
participates that is provided by the same employer, resulting in an 
individual amount of remuneration paid by each employer and separate 
carryover of any net losses (but no carryover of gains, since any net 
gain would be treated as remuneration for the taxable year). For 
purposes of determining earnings and losses, previously paid 
remuneration is reduced by the amount actually or constructively paid 
under the plan or arrangement granting the rights to such remuneration. 
These proposed regulations further illustrate the operation of these 
rules through examples.
E. Request for a Grandfather Rule
    Commenters requested a ``grandfather'' rule for section 4960 
similar to the grandfather rule under section 13601 of TCJA, which 
amended section 162(m). Section 13601(e) of TCJA provides that the 
amendments to section 162(m) are effective for taxable years beginning 
after December 31, 2017, unless remuneration is provided pursuant to a 
written binding contract that was in effect on November 2, 2017, and 
that was not modified in any material respect on or after December 31, 
2017. Section 13602(c) of TCJA added section 4960 to the Code, but it 
did not provide for a grandfather rule and there is no indication in 
the legislative history that Congress intended to adopt one. In 
addition, notwithstanding the suggestion of one commenter, the Treasury 
Department and the IRS do not agree that the regulatory authority 
provided in section 4960(d) to prevent avoidance of the tax is 
applicable to the adoption of a grandfather rule. A rule permitting the 
exclusion of certain amounts from remuneration would not prevent 
taxpayer abuse of failing to report and pay the applicable tax. 
Accordingly, these proposed regulations do not provide a grandfather 
rule.
    However, these proposed regulations provide rules that have the 
effect of grandfathering certain compensation. The proposed regulations 
provide that any nonqualified deferred compensation that vested prior 
to the first day of the first taxable year of the ATEO beginning after 
December 31, 2017, is not considered remuneration for purposes of 
section 4960. Specifically, these proposed regulations provide that any 
vested remuneration, including vested but unpaid earnings accrued on 
deferred amounts, that is treated as paid before the effective date of 
section 4960 (January 1, 2018, for a calendar year employer) is not 
subject to the excise tax imposed under section 4960(a)(1). All 
earnings on that remuneration that accrue or vest after the effective 
date, however, are treated as remuneration paid for purposes of section 
4960(a)(1).
    Similarly, for an employee who has vested deferred compensation 
from years prior to the taxable year in which the employee first became 
a covered employee, these proposed regulations provide that vested 
remuneration (including vested but unpaid earnings) that would have 
been treated as remuneration paid for a taxable year

[[Page 35758]]

before the taxable year in which an employee first became a covered 
employee under section 4960 is not remuneration subject to the excise 
tax imposed by section 4960(a)(1) for the first taxable year in which 
the employee becomes a covered employee or any subsequent year. 
However, subsequent earnings that accrue on those vested amounts while 
the employee is a covered employee may be subject to the excise tax 
imposed under section 4960(a)(1).
    One commenter requested that, for determining when remuneration is 
paid for purposes of section 4960, taxpayers be permitted to allocate 
ratably over the vesting period benefit amounts accruing under section 
457(f) plans and subject to ``cliff vesting'' (generally referring to 
amounts accruing based on services performed over a period of time with 
the right to the entire amount vesting only at the end of that period). 
The commenter reasoned that the vesting period may span many years 
(including years prior to the date that section 4960 first applies to 
the employer) and therefore only the amount accrued for each year, 
regardless of whether it is vested, should be treated as paid for 
purposes of section 4960. Additionally, the commenter observed that 
treating amounts that cliff vest as paid at vesting increases the 
likelihood that remuneration treated as paid to the employee will 
exceed the $1 million threshold for that taxable year. Nonetheless, 
because the flush language of section 4960(a) provides explicitly that 
remuneration is treated as paid at vesting as determined under section 
457(f)(3)(B) and there is nothing in section 457(f)(3)(B) that would 
permit such a ratable allocation rule, this suggestion is not 
incorporated into these proposed regulations.
    One commenter requested relief from sections 409A and 457(f) so 
that affected taxpayers can delay vesting or payment of amounts that, 
as of November 2, 2017, were subject to a legally binding obligation to 
be paid in the future, to the extent necessary to avoid application of 
section 4960. Because the timing of payment of remuneration under 
section 4960 is based on the vesting date, the delay in an actual or 
constructive payment date generally will not affect when that 
remuneration is treated as paid for purposes of section 4960. However, 
an extension of a vesting period may have consequences both with 
respect to when remuneration is treated as paid under section 4960 and 
under section 457(f) and section 409A. The regulations under section 
409A and the proposed regulations under section 457(f) impose 
limitations on the extension of the vesting period applicable to 
deferrals of compensation. Under those rules, in general, an amount 
will not be considered subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture 
beyond the date or time at which the recipient otherwise could have 
elected to receive the amount of compensation, unless the present value 
of the amount subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture is materially 
greater than the present value of the amount the recipient otherwise 
could have elected to receive absent such risk of forfeiture. See Sec.  
1.409A-1(d)(1) and proposed Sec.  1.457-12(e)(2). With respect to 
section 4960, the statute does not provide for a grandfathering rule or 
otherwise provide an exception to the application of section 
457(f)(3)(A) and its definition of a ``substantial risk of forfeiture'' 
for purposes of determining the timing of payments. In addition, it is 
not appropriate to waive the otherwise applicable definition of 
``substantial risk of forfeiture,'' which only recognizes extensions of 
vesting periods for which there is a rational economic basis 
(disregarding tax consequences) for purposes of section 4960. 
Accordingly, these proposed regulations do not adopt this suggestion.
F. Remuneration Paid to a Covered Employee for Which a Deduction Is 
Disallowed Under Section 162(m)
    Consistent with section 4960(c)(6), these proposed regulations 
provide that remuneration for which a deduction is disallowed under 
section 162(m) is not treated as remuneration paid to a covered 
employee. Thus, remuneration that is paid to a covered employee of an 
ATEO who is also a covered employee of a related ``publicly held 
corporation'' or an applicable individual of a related ``covered health 
insurance provider'' (as defined in section 162(m)(2) and (m)(6)(C), 
respectively), for which a deduction is disallowed under section 
162(m), generally is not treated as remuneration for purposes of 
section 4960 However, that remuneration is taken into account for 
purposes of determining the ATEO's five highest-compensated employees. 
See section II.E.1. of this preamble, titled ``In General.''
    In some circumstances, it may not be known at the time remuneration 
is treated as paid to a covered employee of the ATEO whether a 
deduction for such remuneration will be disallowed under section 
162(m). For example, for purposes of section 4960(a)(1), nonqualified 
deferred compensation is treated as remuneration paid when the right to 
it vests (see section III.C of this preamble, titled ``When 
Remuneration is Treated as Paid''). Whether a deduction for payment of 
the compensation would be precluded by section 162(m) may not be known 
until a subsequent taxable year, since the timing of an employer's 
otherwise available deduction for a payment of deferred compensation is 
delayed until the amount is includible in the employee's gross income, 
which is generally when the amount is actually or constructively paid 
to the employee.
    A second example includes the situation in which a covered employee 
of an ATEO becomes a covered employee of a related publicly held 
corporation or an applicable individual of a related covered health 
insurance provider after the taxable year for which an amount has been 
treated as excess remuneration under section 4960(a), but before the 
taxable year in which the remuneration is deductible (subject to the 
disallowance under section 162(m)). This may occur because, at the time 
the remuneration is treated as paid, the covered employee of the ATEO 
did not meet the definition of ``covered employee'' under section 
162(m)(3) or ``applicable individual'' under section 162(m)(6)(F) or 
because the related organization did not meet the definition of 
``publicly held corporation'' under section 162(m)(2) or ``covered 
health insurance provider'' under section 162(m)(6)(C). Further, the 
present value of a future payment that is contingent on a separation 
from employment may be taken into account for purposes of determining 
whether an excess parachute payment is made, but when the payment is 
made in a subsequent taxable year, the corresponding deduction may be 
disallowed under section 162(m). (See section IV. of this preamble, 
titled Excess Parachute Payments). In these circumstances if, after 
including an amount in remuneration under section 4960, it is 
determined that section 162(m) disallows a deduction for that 
remuneration for a subsequent taxable year, a taxpayer may file a 
refund claim for the excise tax paid as a result of including the 
amount in remuneration, provided the period for making a refund claim 
has not expired.
    In certain circumstances, however, it may not be known until after 
the period for making a refund claim has expired whether an amount that 
has been treated as excess remuneration is subject to the deduction 
disallowance under section 162(m). These proposed regulations do not 
address the coordination of sections 4960 and 162(m) in these 
circumstances, but instead this preamble describes possible approaches 
for future regulations coordinating these provisions and requests 
comments.

[[Page 35759]]

    One possible approach is to permit the employer to exclude an 
amount from remuneration if the amount may reasonably be expected to be 
disallowed as a deduction under section 162(m) for a subsequent taxable 
year. Under this approach, for purposes of determining whether it is 
reasonably expected that an amount will be disallowed under section 
162(m), the employer would be required to assume that remuneration is 
paid pursuant to the terms of the plan or arrangement under which the 
compensation is deferred, as in effect on the last day of the taxable 
year for which the amount is treated as remuneration paid. The Treasury 
Department and the IRS anticipate that this approach would permit this 
assumption only with respect to an organization that was a publicly 
held corporation or covered health insurance provider at the time the 
remuneration was treated as paid for purposes of section 4960 and only 
with respect to an employee that for that taxable year was a covered 
employee or applicable individual under section 162(m). In other words, 
the organization could not assume either that it would become a 
publicly held corporation or covered health insurance provider by the 
time the amount became deductible but for the application of section 
162(m) or that an individual who was not a covered employee or 
applicable individual under section 162(m) would become one by the time 
the amount became deductible but for the application of section 162(m). 
The Treasury Department and the IRS request comments on this approach, 
including:
     Whether it should be assumed that no other remuneration 
will be paid to the covered employee in the year the amount is 
otherwise deductible but for section 162(m) and, if not, how to account 
for other payments subject to section 162(m). For example, how to 
address ordering of payments subject to the deduction limitation under 
section 162(m).
     Whether, in determining when amounts will be paid as part 
of applying this approach, the potential for payment to be accelerated 
based on death, disability, change in control, unforeseeable 
emergencies, or other events outside of the control of the individual 
should be disregarded.
     Whether this approach should be available when a plan or 
arrangement provides for different forms of payment and, if so, whether 
it should be assumed that amounts will be paid in the most rapid form 
in these circumstances (for example, if a plan may pay either a lump 
sum or installments depending on the particular payment event, whether 
it should be assumed that the amount will be paid in a lump sum).
     Whether the assumption provided in proposed Sec.  1.457-
12(c)(1)(ii)(C)(2), which provides that a separation from employment 
will occur no later than five years from the vesting date, should be 
adopted to determine when the deduction limitation under section 162(m) 
is reasonably expected to apply and, if not, what assumptions should be 
used with respect to payments due upon separation from employment.
     Whether, in circumstances in which payments are made upon 
the occurrence of an event other than separation from employment and 
that payment event has not yet occurred, it is reasonable to assume 
that the section 162(m) deduction limitation will apply to amounts that 
are payable upon the occurrence of such a payment event and when such a 
payment event should be deemed to occur.
    Comments are also requested on how to treat an amount that is 
reasonably determined to be subject to the deduction limitation under 
section 162(m), but for which the deduction is not subsequently 
limited. For example, a taxpayer may reasonably determine that the 
amount that is treated as paid for a taxable year for purposes of 
section 4960 will exceed the section 162(m) threshold for the taxable 
year when it is paid, but the amount that is ultimately included in the 
employee's gross income (together with any other amount that is 
potentially subject to section 162(m) for the year) may not exceed the 
162(m) threshold in that year due to, for example, investment losses.
    A second possible approach to address these circumstances is to 
permit an employer to offset remuneration subject to section 4960 in a 
later taxable year by an amount equal to the amount that was treated as 
excess remuneration under section 4960 in a previous taxable year for 
which the deduction is subsequently disallowed under section 162(m). 
This approach would only benefit employers that pay excess remuneration 
in subsequent years.
    The Treasury Department and the IRS request comments on these 
potential approaches, including how each might be offered as an 
alternative, and any other approach that may be helpful in coordinating 
sections 4960 and 162(m).

IV. Excess Remuneration

    In general, the excise tax imposed under section 4960(a)(1) is 
based on the remuneration paid (other than any excess parachute 
payment) by an ATEO for the taxable year with respect to employment of 
any covered employee in excess of $1 million. These proposed 
regulations refer to this amount as ``excess remuneration.'' Consistent 
with section 4960(a)(1), the $1 million threshold is not adjusted for 
inflation. An amount subject to tax under section 4960(a)(2) as an 
excess parachute payment is not subject to tax under section 4960(a)(1) 
as excess remuneration.
    As provided in section 4960(c)(4)(C), if an individual performs 
services as an employee for two or more related organizations during 
the applicable year, one or more of which is an ATEO, each employer is 
liable for its proportional share of the excise tax. These proposed 
regulations provide rules for allocating liability for the excise tax 
among the employers. For this purpose, remuneration that is paid by a 
separate organization (whether related to the ATEO or not) for services 
performed as an employee of the ATEO is treated as remuneration paid by 
the ATEO. For a further discussion of when amounts are treated as paid 
on behalf of an ATEO, see part VI of this preamble, titled 
``Calculation, Reporting, and Payment of the Tax.''

V. Excess Parachute Payments

A. In General
    Section 4960(a)(2) imposes an excise tax on any excess parachute 
payment. Section 4960(c)(5)(A) provides that ``excess parachute 
payment'' means an amount equal to the excess of any parachute payment 
over the portion of the base amount allocated to such payment. Section 
4960(c)(5)(B) provides that ``parachute payment'' means any payment in 
the nature of compensation to (or for the benefit of) a covered 
employee if the payment is contingent on the employee's separation from 
employment with the employer and the aggregate present value of the 
payments in the nature of compensation to (or for the benefit of) the 
individual that are contingent on the separation equals or exceeds an 
amount equal to 3-times the base amount. Under section 4960(c)(5)(C), 
certain retirement plan payments, certain payments to licensed medical 
professionals, and payments to an individual who is not a ``highly 
compensated employee'' (HCE) as defined in section 414(q) are not 
excess parachute payments.\6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \6\ Under section 414(q), a ``highly compensated employee'' 
generally is defined as any employee who was a five-percent owner at 
any time during the year or the preceding year or who had 
compensation from the employer in the preceding year in excess of an 
inflation-adjusted amount. Notice 2018-83 (2018-47 I.R.B. 774) and 
Notice 2019-59 (2019-47 I.R.B. 1091), provide that the inflation-
adjusted amounts for 2019 and 2020 are $125,000 and $130,000, 
respectively. See section 414(q) and the regulations thereunder for 
additional details, including the availability of an election to 
treat no more than the top 20 percent of an employer's employees as 
highly compensated employees by reason of their compensation.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Page 35760]]

    The excess parachute payment rules under section 4960 are modeled 
after section 280G, but section 4960(c)(5)(B) defines ``parachute 
payment'' differently than section 280G(b)(2). The section 4960 
definition refers to payments contingent on an employee's separation 
from employment, whereas the section 280G definition refers to payments 
contingent on a change in the ownership or effective control of a 
corporation (or in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets 
of the corporation). While these proposed regulations incorporate many 
of the concepts found in the rules under Sec.  1.280G-1, with 
modifications to reflect the statutory differences between sections 
280G and 4960, they do not incorporate other rules under Sec.  1.280G-1 
because those rules address issues that do not arise under section 
4960. In addition, many provisions in these proposed regulations do not 
have parallel rules under Sec.  1.280G-1 because they address issues 
that arise under section 4960, but not under section 280G.
    The following sections provide an overview of the guidance in these 
proposed regulations for purposes of calculating the excise tax imposed 
under section 4960(a)(2), noting certain similarities and differences 
between these proposed regulations and the rules under Sec.  1.280G-1.
B. Definitions Related to Excess Parachute Payments
    These proposed regulations define ``excess parachute payment'' and 
the term ``parachute payment'' for purposes of section 4960. Any 
payment in the nature of compensation made by an ATEO (or its 
predecessor or related organization) to a covered employee that is 
contingent on the employee's separation from employment is taken into 
account for purposes of the parachute payment calculation, assuming no 
exclusion applies. Those combined payments constitute a parachute 
payment if the aggregate present value of all such payments made to an 
individual equals or exceeds 3-times the individual's base amount. A 
parachute payment is an excess parachute payment to the extent it 
exceeds one-times the individual's base amount allocated to the 
payment.
    These proposed regulations define a ``payment in the nature of 
compensation'' based on Sec.  1.280G-1, Q/A-11 and Q/A-14. In general, 
any payment arising out of an employment relationship is a payment in 
the nature of compensation. A payment in the nature of compensation is 
reduced, however, by any consideration paid by the covered employee in 
exchange for the payment.
C. Payments Contingent on a Separation From Employment
1. In General
    Although section 4960 does not define what it means for a payment 
to be contingent on a separation from employment, these proposed 
regulations generally treat a payment as contingent on an employee's 
separation from employment only if there is an involuntary separation 
from employment. If the payment is subject to a substantial risk of 
forfeiture (defined in a manner consistent with section 457(f)) at the 
time of an involuntary separation from employment, and the separation 
causes the risk of forfeiture to lapse, the payment is contingent on 
separation from employment.
2. Requirement of Involuntary Separation From Employment
    Separation from employment (whether voluntary or involuntary) is 
often used in compensation arrangements as a trigger to pay vested 
compensation. For example, it is typical for a nonqualified deferred 
compensation plan to provide that a payment or a series of payments 
will be made or begin upon a separation from employment, including 
separation from employment resulting from death or disability. The 
vested amounts that are to be paid after a separation from employment 
generally are not treated as contingent on a separation from employment 
because the amounts will never be subject to forfeiture or otherwise 
not paid (even if an employee does not voluntarily or involuntarily 
terminate employment during the employee's lifetime, the payments will 
be made upon the employee's death). In these cases, the separation from 
employment functions only as a payment timing event and is neither a 
contingent event that may not occur nor a precondition to entitlement 
to the payment.
3. Definition of ``Involuntary Separation from Employment''
    If an amount is payable solely upon an involuntary separation from 
employment, then it is a payment contingent on an event that may not 
occur and that is a precondition to entitlement to the payment. The 
definition of an ``involuntary separation from employment'' set forth 
in these proposed regulations is modeled after the definition of an 
``involuntary separation from service'' in Sec.  1.409A-1(n)(1), which 
also was the model for the definition of an ``involuntary severance 
from employment'' under proposed Sec.  1.457-11(d)(2). A separation 
from employment for good reason is treated as an involuntary separation 
from employment for purposes of section 4960 if certain conditions are 
met. For this purpose, these proposed regulations generally adopt the 
standards set forth in Sec.  1.409A-1(n)(2) and proposed Sec.  1.457-
11(d)(2)(ii).
    In addition, these proposed regulations generally adopt the 
standards of the regulations under section 409A for purposes of 
determining whether there has been a separation from employment, except 
that a bona fide change from employee to independent contractor status 
is treated as a separation from employment. However, the IRS may 
assert, based on all the facts and circumstances, that there was not a 
bona fide change from employee to independent contractor status. 
Specifically, these proposed regulations adopt the standards of Sec.  
1.409A-1(h)(1)(ii), providing that an anticipated reduction in the 
level of services of more than 80 percent is treated as a separation 
from employment, an anticipated reduction in the level of services of 
less than 50 percent is not treated as a separation from employment, 
and the treatment of an anticipated reduction between these two levels 
will depend on the facts and circumstances. The measurement of the 
anticipated reduction in the level of services is based on the average 
level of bona fide services performed over the immediately preceding 
three years (or shorter period for an employee employed for less than 
three full prior years). However, the proposed regulations do not adopt 
the rule of Sec.  1.409A-1(h)(1)(ii), under which an employer may 
modify the level of the anticipated reduction in future services that 
will be considered to result in a separation from employment. Finally, 
because the section 409A regulations do not provide a standard for 
determining when an involuntary change of status from employee to 
independent contractor results in a separation from employment, the 
Treasury Department and the IRS request comments on whether additional 
guidance is needed on this issue.

[[Page 35761]]

4. When a Payment Is Contingent on Separation From Employment
    In defining when a payment is contingent on separation from 
employment, these proposed regulations do not focus solely on whether 
the payment would not have been made but for a separation from 
employment, but instead also take into consideration whether the 
separation from employment accelerates the lapse of the substantial 
risk of forfeiture with respect to the right to payment or accelerates 
the right to payment. Generally, if the lapse of a substantial risk of 
forfeiture is accelerated or payment is accelerated as a result of an 
involuntary separation from employment (such as a payment that 
otherwise would have vested and been paid had the employee remained 
employed for a subsequent period of time), then the value of the 
accelerated payment plus the value of the lapse of the substantial risk 
of forfeiture is treated as contingent on a separation from employment 
(since the employer would not have provided the increased value in the 
absence of an involuntary separation from employment). However, if the 
lapse of the substantial risk of forfeiture is dependent on an event 
other than the performance of services, such as the attainment of a 
performance goal, and if that event does not occur prior to the 
employee's separation from employment, but the payment vests due to the 
employee's involuntary separation from employment, then the full amount 
of the payment is treated as contingent on the separation from 
employment.
    A payment the right to which is not subject to a substantial risk 
of forfeiture within the meaning of section 457(f)(3)(B) at the time of 
an involuntary separation from employment generally is not contingent 
on a separation from employment (since the right to the payment is not 
triggered by the separation from employment). However, the increased 
value of an accelerated payment of a previously vested amount resulting 
from an involuntary separation from employment is treated as a payment 
contingent on a separation from employment. These proposed regulations 
adopt the rules of Sec.  1.280G-1, Q/A-24(c) for purposes of 
determining the value of accelerated vesting.
    If a covered employee involuntarily separates from employment 
before the end of a contract term and is paid damages for breach of 
contract pursuant to an employment agreement, those damages are treated 
as a payment that is contingent on a separation from employment. For 
purposes of these proposed regulations, ``employment agreement'' means 
an agreement between an employee and employer that describes, among 
other things, the amount of compensation or remuneration payable to the 
employee for services performed during the term of the agreement.
    A payment under an agreement requiring a covered employee to 
refrain from performing services (for example, a covenant not to 
compete) is a payment that is contingent on a separation from 
employment if the payment would not have been made in the absence of an 
involuntary separation from employment. For example, if a covenant not 
to compete including one or more payments contingent on compliance in 
whole or in part with the covenant not to compete is negotiated as part 
of a severance arrangement arising from an involuntary separation from 
employment, generally the payment(s) will be treated as contingent on a 
separation from employment regardless of whether the payment(s) may be 
considered reasonable compensation for services provided. Similarly, if 
a covenant not to compete negotiated as part of an employment agreement 
provides for a benefit upon an involuntary separation, then the benefit 
is contingent on a separation from employment regardless of whether the 
payment may be considered reasonable compensation for services 
provided. This treatment is different from the treatment of payments 
made under a covenant not to compete in Sec. Sec.  1.280G-1, Q/A-9, Q/
A-40(b), and Q/A-42(b), under which payments made under a covenant not 
to compete may be treated as reasonable compensation for services (and 
thus excluded from the calculation of parachute payments) even if the 
payments would not have been made in the absence of a change in 
control. The Treasury Department and the IRS have concluded that the 
different treatment is warranted because in these cases a covenant not 
to compete is integrally related to the involuntary separation from 
employment, whereas a covenant not to compete generally is not 
integrally related to a change in ownership or control.
    Actual or constructive payment of an amount that was previously 
includible in gross income is not a payment contingent on a separation 
from employment. For example, a payment of deferred compensation after 
an involuntary separation from employment that vested based on years of 
service completed before the involuntary separation from employment 
generally is not a payment that is contingent on a separation from 
employment because the separation from employment may affect the time 
of, but not the right to, the payment (although the value of an 
acceleration of the payment may be contingent on a separation from 
employment). Similarly, medical benefits that vested based on years of 
service completed before an involuntary separation from employment but 
that are provided after the involuntary separation from employment 
generally are not treated as payments that are contingent on a 
separation from employment. In contrast, a payment under a window 
program described in Sec.  1.409A-1(b)(9)(vi) is contingent on a 
separation from employment.
    Unlike Q/A-25 and Q/A-26 of Sec.  1.280G-1, these proposed 
regulations do not provide a presumption that a payment made pursuant 
to an agreement entered into or modified within twelve months of a 
separation from employment is a payment that is contingent on a 
separation from employment. However, as discussed further below, if the 
facts and circumstances demonstrate that either the vesting or the 
payment of an amount would not have occurred but for the involuntary 
nature of the separation from employment, the amount will be treated as 
a payment contingent on a separation from employment.
    In addition, these proposed regulations do not provide a rule 
similar to the one found in Sec.  1.280G-1, Q/A-9 (exempting reasonable 
compensation for services rendered on or after a change in ownership or 
control from the definition of ``parachute payment''), that would 
exclude reasonable compensation for services provided after a 
separation from employment. In most cases, the issue of whether 
payments made after a separation from employment are reasonable 
compensation for services will not arise because the employee will not 
provide services after the separation from employment. However, if the 
employee continues to provide services (including as a bona fide 
independent contractor) after an involuntary separation from 
employment, payments for those services are not contingent on the 
involuntary separation from employment to the extent those payments are 
reasonable and are not made due to the involuntary nature of the 
separation from employment. Nonetheless, as discussed previously in 
this section of this preamble, these proposed regulations provide that 
an agreement under which the employee must refrain from performing 
services (for example, a covenant not to compete) is not treated as an 
agreement for the performance of services. See the

[[Page 35762]]

discussion in section V.B.4 of this preamble.
    Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the facts and circumstances 
demonstrate that either vesting or payment of an amount (whether before 
or after an involuntary separation from employment) would not have 
occurred but for the involuntary nature of the separation from 
employment, the amount will be treated as contingent on a separation 
from employment. For example, an employer's exercise of discretion to 
accelerate vesting of an amount shortly before an involuntary 
separation from employment may indicate that the acceleration of 
vesting was due to the involuntary nature of the separation from 
employment and was therefore contingent on the employee's separation 
from employment. Similarly, payment of an amount in excess of an amount 
otherwise payable (for example, increased salary) shortly before or 
after an involuntary separation from employment may indicate that the 
amount was paid because the separation was involuntary and was 
therefore contingent on the employee's separation from employment.
    The Treasury Department and the IRS request comments on whether 
there are types of payments made in connection with separation from 
employment other than those described in the preceding paragraphs and 
the extent to which the final regulations under section 4960 should be 
modified to ensure appropriate classification of those payments as 
contingent or not contingent on separation from employment.
D. Three-Times-Base-Amount Test
    Section 4960(c)(5) provides rules for determining the tax on any 
excess parachute payment imposed under section 4960(a)(2). Section 
4960(c)(5)(B) provides that a payment is a parachute payment only if 
the aggregate present value of the payments in the nature of 
compensation to (or for the benefit of) an individual that are 
contingent on a separation from employment equals or exceeds an amount 
equal to 3-times the base amount. Section 4960(c)(5)(D) provides that 
rules similar to the rules of section 280G(b)(3) apply for purposes of 
determining the base amount, and section 4960(c)(5)(E) provides that 
rules similar to the rules of section 280G(d)(3) and (4) apply for 
purposes of present value determinations. Section 280G(b)(3) provides 
that ``base amount'' means an individual's annualized includible 
compensation for the base period. Section 280G(d)(2) defines ``base 
period'' as the period consisting of the five most recent taxable years 
of the service provider ending before the date on which the change in 
ownership or control occurs or the portion of such period during which 
the individual performed personal services for the corporation. Section 
280G(d)(3) provides that any transfer of property is treated as a 
payment and is taken into account at its fair market value. Section 
280G(d)(4) provides that present value is determined using a discount 
rate equal to 120 percent of the applicable Federal rate determined 
under section 1274(d), compounded semiannually.
    These proposed regulations provide that the ``base amount'' is the 
average annual compensation as an employee of the ATEO (including 
services performed as an employee of a predecessor or related 
organization) for the taxable years in the ``base period'' and that the 
base period is the five most recent taxable years during which the 
individual was an employee of the ATEO (or predecessor or related 
organization) or the portion of the five-year period during which the 
employee was an employee of the ATEO (or predecessor or related 
organization).
    These proposed regulations provide rules for determining whether a 
payment is an excess parachute payment, including rules for applying 
the 3-times-base-amount test. Under the proposed regulations, payments 
in the nature of compensation that are contingent on a separation from 
employment are parachute payments if the aggregate present value of the 
payments equals or exceeds 3-times the employee's base amount. In 
addition, reasonable actuarial assumptions must be used to determine 
the aggregate present value of payments to be made in years subsequent 
to the year of separation from employment, and a special rule for the 
valuation of an obligation to provide health care benefits is proposed. 
These proposed regulations also provide that the discount rate to be 
used in determining aggregate present value is 120 percent of the 
applicable Federal rate under section 1274(d), compounded semi-
annually. These proposed regulations further provide rules for 
determining the present value of a payment to be made in the future 
that is based on uncertain future events.
    The rules proposed for determining the base amount, base period, 
and present value, including determining the present value of payments 
that are contingent on uncertain future events, are based on the rules 
under Sec.  1.280G-1, Q/A-30 through Q/A-36 (substituting an 
involuntary separation from employment for a change in control). These 
proposed regulations describe when a payment in the nature of 
compensation is considered made for purposes of section 4960(a)(2), 
based on the rules found in Sec.  1.280G-1, Q/A-11 through Q/A-14. 
Similar to Sec.  1.280G-1, Q/A-11, a payment in the nature of 
compensation generally is considered made in the same taxable year as 
the year in which the amount is includible in the employee's gross 
income or, in the case of fringe benefits and other benefits excludible 
from income, in the year of receipt. In the case of taxable non-cash 
fringe benefits, these proposed regulations generally incorporate the 
income recognition timing rules found in Announcement 85-113 (1985-31 
I.R.B. 31). Under these rules, for taxable non-cash fringe benefits 
provided in a calendar year, payment is considered made on any date or 
dates the employer chooses during the year (but not later than December 
31) or, if provided during the last two months of the calendar year, 
during the subsequent year (subject to limitations).
    These proposed regulations provide that the transfer of section 83 
property generally is considered a payment made in the taxable year in 
which the property is transferred or would be includible in the gross 
income of the covered employee under section 83, disregarding any 
election made by the employee under section 83(b) or (i). This rule is 
consistent with the rules provided under Sec.  1.280G-1, Q/A-12(a). In 
addition, similar to the rules provided under Sec.  1.280G-1, Q/A-
13(a), these proposed regulations generally provide that stock options 
and stock appreciation rights are treated as property transferred on 
the date of vesting (regardless of whether the option has a ``readily 
ascertainable value'' as defined in Sec.  1.83-7(b)). For purposes of 
determining the timing and amount of any payment related to an option 
or a stock appreciation right, the principles of Sec.  1.280G-1, Q/A-13 
and Rev. Proc. 2003-68 (2003-2 C.B. 398) apply.
E. Computation of Excess Parachute Payments
    Consistent with section 4960(c)(5)(A), these proposed regulations 
provide that an ``excess parachute payment'' is an amount equal to the 
excess of any parachute payment over the portion of the base amount 
allocated to the payment. The portion of the base amount allocated to 
any parachute payment is the amount that bears the same ratio to the 
base amount as the present value of the parachute payment bears to the 
aggregate present value of all parachute payments to be made to the 
covered employee. The rules on

[[Page 35763]]

allocation of the base amount provided in these proposed regulations 
are based on Sec.  1.280G-1, Q/A-38.

VI. Calculation, Reporting, and Payment of the Tax

    Some ATEOs (and any related non-ATEO organizations) will not be 
affected by section 4960 because they do not pay any employee 
sufficient remuneration to trigger the tax. There can be no excess 
remuneration under section 4960(a)(1) if an ATEO (together with any 
related organization) does not pay more than $1 million of remuneration 
to any employee for a taxable year, and there can be no excess 
parachute payment under section 4960(a)(2) if the employer does not 
have any HCEs under section 414(q) \7\ for the taxable year. In these 
cases, no excise tax under section 4960 is owed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \7\ See footnote 8.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    These proposed regulations provide rules regarding the entity that 
is liable for the excise tax under section 4960 and how that excise tax 
is calculated. These proposed regulations provide that the employer, as 
determined under section 3401(d), without regard to paragraph (d)(1) or 
(d)(2), is liable for the excise tax imposed under section 4960. 
Pursuant to section 4960(d), a payment by the employer may be treated 
as remuneration or a parachute payment if, based on the facts and 
circumstances, the payment is structured such that it has the effect of 
avoiding the tax applicable under section 4960. For example, the excise 
tax under section 4960 would apply if it would otherwise apply with 
respect to an individual who is an employee of the ATEO or related 
organization but who is incorrectly classified as an independent 
contractor. Similarly, the excise tax under section 4960 would apply to 
an amount paid to a limited liability company or other entity owned all 
or in part by an employee (or owned by another entity unrelated to the 
ATEO or related organization) for services performed by an employee of 
the ATEO or related organization if the arrangement would otherwise 
have the effect of avoiding the tax applicable under section 4960. For 
a further discussion of the definition of ``employer'' under these 
proposed regulations, see section II.D. of this preamble, titled 
``Employer.''
A. Calculation of Tax on Excess Remuneration
    An individual may perform services as an employee of an ATEO and as 
an employee of one or more related organizations during the same 
applicable year, in which case remuneration paid for the taxable year 
is aggregated for purposes of determining whether excess remuneration 
has been paid. To address these cases, these proposed regulations 
provide rules for allocating liability for the excise tax among the 
related employers. As provided in section 4960(c)(4)(C), in any case in 
which an ATEO includes remuneration from one or more related 
organizations as separate employers of the individual in determining 
the excise tax imposed by section 4960(a), each employer is liable for 
its proportional share of the excise tax. In contrast, a payment for 
the services of an individual who performs services only as an employee 
of an ATEO, that is made by one or more other organizations (whether 
those organizations are related to the ATEO or not), is treated as 
remuneration paid by the ATEO and thus is aggregated with any 
remuneration paid directly by the ATEO (and the related liability is 
not allocated to the other organizations). If a covered employee is 
employed by one employer when the legally binding right to the 
remuneration is granted and employed by a different employer at 
vesting, then the covered employee's employer at vesting is treated as 
paying the remuneration, provided the employment relationship is bona 
fide and not a means to avoid tax under section 4960. The Treasury 
Department and the IRS request comments on whether there is a more 
appropriate approach to allocating liability for the excise tax where 
services performed for more than one employer during a vesting period 
are credited towards a vesting requirement based on the performance of 
services.
    Consistent with the discussion of short applicable years in part 
II.B. of this preamble, titled ``Applicable year,'' a related 
organization may become related (or may cease to be related) during the 
applicable year, in which case only remuneration the related 
organization pays (or is treated as paying due to vesting) to the 
ATEO's covered employee during the portion of the applicable year that 
it is a related organization is treated as paid by the ATEO for the 
taxable year, as provided in section 4960(c)(4)(A).
    If an employee is a covered employee of more than one ATEO, these 
proposed regulations provide that each ATEO calculates its liability 
under section 4960(a)(1), taking into account remuneration paid to the 
employee by the organizations to which it is related. These proposed 
regulations also provide that, rather than owing tax as both an ATEO 
and a related organization for the same remuneration paid to a covered 
employee, each employer is liable only for the greater of the excise 
tax it would owe as an ATEO or the excise tax it would owe as a related 
organization with respect to that covered employee. These proposed 
regulations also provide rules for determining liability when a related 
organization has a termination of ATEO status.
    In order to calculate its liability for the tax on excess 
remuneration, an ATEO may take the following steps:
    Step 1: Calculate total remuneration paid (other than any excess 
parachute payment) to each covered employee, including remuneration 
from all related organizations. The total tax liability for the ATEO 
and related organizations with respect to each covered employee is 21 
percent (for 2020) of the total remuneration paid to the covered 
employee that exceeds $1 million;
    Step 2: Calculate the share of the liability for each employer of 
the covered employee as the portion of the total tax liability that 
bears the same ratio to the total tax liability as the ratio of the 
amount of remuneration paid by the employer to the total remuneration 
calculated in step 1;
    Step 3: Inform each related organization of its share of the 
liability calculated in step 2;
    Step 4: Obtain information on the ATEO's share of the liability as 
a related organization for any covered employee of another ATEO. If the 
ATEO is a related organization with respect to more than one other 
ATEO, treat the ATEO's highest share of the liability as a related 
organization as its liability as a related organization for the covered 
employee; and
    Step 5: Compare the ATEO's liability as an ATEO in step 2 to its 
share of the liability as a related organization under step 4 for each 
of the ATEO's covered employees. The ATEO's share of the liability is, 
and the ATEO reports, the greater of the share calculated under step 2 
or step 4.
B. Calculation of Tax on an Excess Parachute Payment
    With respect to the calculation of, and liability for, the tax on 
excess parachute payments, these proposed regulations differ in one 
respect from the guidance provided in Q/A-1 of Notice 2019-09. Notice 
2019-09 provided that an ATEO or related organization may be liable for 
the tax on an excess parachute payment based on the aggregate parachute 
payments made by the ATEO and its related organizations, including 
parachute payments based on separation from employment from a related 
organization. These proposed

[[Page 35764]]

regulations provide that only an excess parachute payment paid by an 
ATEO is subject to the excise tax on excess parachute payments. 
However, consistent with the provision in section 4960(c)(5)(D) that 
rules similar to section 280G(b)(3) apply for purposes of determining 
the base amount under section 4960, payments from related organizations 
that are not ATEOs are considered for purposes of determining the base 
amount and total payments in the nature of compensation that are 
contingent on the covered employee's separation from employment with 
the employer. See Sec.  1.280G-1, Q/A-34. Generally, this means that a 
covered employee's base amount calculation includes remuneration from 
all ATEOs and related organizations, and that a covered employee's 
parachute payment calculation includes all payments (made from all 
ATEOs and related organizations) that are contingent on the employee's 
involuntary separation from employment. However, only ATEOs are subject 
to the excise tax on excess parachute payments they make to a covered 
employee. A non-ATEO that pays an amount that would otherwise be an 
excess parachute payment is not subject to the excise tax. These 
proposed regulations further provide that, based on the facts and 
circumstances, the Commissioner may reallocate excess parachute 
payments to an ATEO if it is determined that excess parachute payments 
were made by a non-ATEO for the purpose of avoiding the tax under 
section 4960.
    In order to calculate its liability for the tax on excess parachute 
payments, an ATEO may take the following steps:
    Step 1: Determine whether a covered employee is entitled to receive 
payments in the nature of compensation that are contingent on an 
involuntary separation from employment (contingent payments) and are 
not excluded from the definition of ``excess parachute payment'';
    Step 2: Calculate the total aggregate present value of the 
contingent payments, taking into account the rules that apply when an 
involuntary separation from employment accelerates the timing of a 
payment or the vesting of a right to a payment;
    Step 3: Calculate the covered employee's base amount with respect 
to the base period;
    Step 4: Determine whether the contingent payments are parachute 
payments. Contingent payments are parachute payments if their total 
aggregate present value equals or exceeds an amount equal to 3-times 
the covered employee's base amount;
    Step 5: Calculate the amount of excess parachute payments. A 
parachute payment is an excess parachute payment to the extent the 
payment exceeds the base amount allocated to the payment; and
    Step 6: Calculate the amount of excise tax imposed under section 
4960(a)(2). The excise tax is the amount equal to the product of the 
rate of tax under section 11 (21 percent for 2020) and the sum of any 
excess parachute payments paid by an ATEO or related organization 
during a taxable year to the covered employee.
C. Reporting and Payment of the Tax
    On April 9, 2019, the Treasury Department and the IRS issued final 
regulations under sections 6011 and 6071 (Sec. Sec.  53.6011-1 and 
53.6071-1, T.D. 9855, 84 FR 14008) to address reporting and the due 
date for paying the section 4960 tax. Those final regulations provide 
that the excise tax under section 4960 is reported on Form 4720, 
``Return of Certain Excise Taxes Under Chapters 41 and 42 of the 
Internal Revenue Code,'' which is the form generally used for reporting 
and paying chapter 42 taxes. Those final regulations provide that the 
reporting and payment of any applicable taxes are due when payments of 
chapter 42 taxes are ordinarily due (the 15th day of the 5th month 
after the end of the taxpayer's taxable year--May 15 for a calendar 
year employer), subject to an extension of time for filing returns and 
making payments \8\ that generally applies.
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    \8\ The tentative tax, an estimate, must be paid by the due date 
of Form 4720 without extensions. and may be paid with Form 8868, 
``Application for Automatic Extension of Time To File an Exempt 
Organization Return.''
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    These proposed regulations provide that each employer liable for 
section 4960 tax, whether an ATEO or a related organization described 
in section 4960(c)(4)(B), is responsible for separately reporting and 
paying its share of the tax. These proposed regulations also provide 
that an employer may elect to prepay the excise tax imposed under 
section 4960(a)(2) for excess parachute payments in the year of 
separation from employment or any taxable year prior to the year in 
which the parachute payment is actually paid. This prepayment rule for 
the tax applicable to excess parachute payments is similar to the rule 
in Sec.  1.280G-1, Q/A-11(c), under which a disqualified employee may 
elect to prepay the excise tax under section 4999 based on the present 
value of the excise tax that would be owed by the employee when the 
parachute payments are actually made.
    Some commenters requested clarification as to whether the section 
4960 excise tax is subject to quarterly payments of estimated tax under 
section 6655. Because section 6655 has not been amended to include 
section 4960, no quarterly payments of estimated section 4960 excise 
tax are required under section 6655.

VII. Proposed Applicability Date

    These regulations are proposed to apply to taxable years beginning 
on or after the date the final regulations are published in the Federal 
Register. The Treasury Department and the IRS understand that the date 
during a calendar year on which final regulations are issued may affect 
the time an ATEO and its related organization(s) will have to 
familiarize themselves with the regulations and to respond with 
adjustments to compensation structures or other adjustments. The 
Treasury Department and the IRS will take this into account when 
issuing the final regulations, but also request comments on the burdens 
anticipated and the timeframe expected to be necessary to implement the 
final regulations (taking into account that the statutory provisions 
are already effective).
    The guidance provided in these proposed regulations generally is 
consistent with the guidance provided in Notice 2019-09. However, in 
certain instances these proposed regulations modify the guidance 
provided in Notice 2019-09. Until the applicability date of the final 
regulations, taxpayers may rely on the guidance provided in Notice 
2019-09 or, alternatively, on the guidance provided in these proposed 
regulations, including for periods prior to June 11, 2020.
    Taxpayers may also base their positions upon a reasonable, good 
faith interpretation of the statute that includes consideration of any 
relevant legislative history. Whether a taxpayer's position that is 
inconsistent with Notice 2019-09 or these proposed regulations 
constitutes a reasonable, good faith interpretation of the statute 
generally will be determined based upon all of the relevant facts and 
circumstances, including whether the taxpayer has applied the position 
consistently and the extent to which the taxpayer has resolved 
interpretive issues based on consistent principles and in a consistent 
manner. Notwithstanding the previous sentence, the preamble to Notice 
2019-09 describes certain positions that the Treasury Department and 
the IRS have concluded are not consistent with a reasonable, good faith 
interpretation of the statutory language, and these proposed 
regulations reflect this view.

[[Page 35765]]

Specifically, the following positions will continue to be treated as 
inconsistent with a reasonable, good faith interpretation of the 
statutory language:
    (1) Remuneration paid by a separate employer that is a related for-
profit or governmental entity (other than an ATEO). The position that 
remuneration paid by a separate employer that is a related for-profit 
or governmental entity (other than an ATEO) is taken into account in 
determining whether a covered employee has remuneration in excess of $1 
million, but that the related entity is not liable for its share of the 
excise tax under section 4960, is not consistent with a reasonable, 
good faith interpretation of the statutory language. There is no 
statutory support for such an exception for for-profit and governmental 
entities. Section 4960(c)(4)(B), which defines ``related 
organizations,'' applies to any ``person or governmental entity'' that 
meets any of the relationship tests in section 4960(c)(4)(B)(i) through 
(v). Unlike the definition of an ``ATEO'' under section 4960(c)(1)(C), 
which applies only to a governmental entity that excludes income from 
taxation under section 115(1), section 4960(c)(4)(B) applies to any 
``governmental entity'' that is related to an ATEO. Similarly, a for-
profit entity is a ``person'' under generally applicable tax 
principles. In addition, excepting for-profit entities from liability 
as related organizations would be inconsistent with section 4960(c)(6), 
which coordinates the tax on excess parachute payments with the section 
162(m) deduction limitation (which only applies to for-profit 
entities). Finally, section 4960(c)(4)(C), which describes the 
liability for the excise tax, refers to any case in which remuneration 
from more than one employer is taken into account, stating that ``each 
such employer'' shall be liable, without qualification as to the 
employer's status as an ATEO.
    (2) Continued treatment of a covered employee as a covered 
employee. The position that a covered employee ceases to be a covered 
employee after a certain period of time is not consistent with a 
reasonable, good faith interpretation of the statute. Although 
commenters requested that the Treasury Department and the IRS provide a 
rule of administrative convenience under which a covered employee is no 
longer considered a covered employee of an ATEO after a certain period 
of time during which the individual was not an active employee of the 
ATEO, neither Notice 2019-09 nor these proposed regulations adopt that 
suggestion because it is inconsistent with the statute.
    (3) Remuneration for medical services for purposes of determining 
the five highest-compensated employees. The position that remuneration 
for medical services is taken into account for purposes of identifying 
the five highest-compensated employees is not consistent with a 
reasonable, good faith interpretation of the statute. As the Conference 
Report to TCJA states, ``[f]or purposes of determining a covered 
employee, remuneration paid to a licensed medical professional which is 
directly related to the performance of medical or veterinary services 
by such professional is not taken into account, whereas remuneration 
paid to such a professional in any other capacity is taken into 
account.'' H. Rept. 115-466, at 494 (2017).
    (4) Covered employees of a group of related organizations. The 
position that a group of related ATEOs may have only five highest-
compensated employees among all of the related ATEOs is not consistent 
with a reasonable, good faith interpretation of the statute. Section 
4960 does not provide for such treatment. Further, to the extent 
section 4960 is analogous to the compensation deduction limitation 
under section 162(m), Sec.  1.162-27(c)(1)(ii) provides that each 
related subsidiary within an affiliated group of corporations that is 
itself a publicly held corporation is separately subject to the 
deduction limitation, just as each ATEO within a group of related 
organizations is separately subject to section 4960.

Special Analyses

I. Regulatory Planning and Review

    Executive Orders 13771, 13563, and 12866 direct agencies to assess 
costs and benefits of available regulatory alternatives and, if 
regulation is necessary, to select regulatory approaches that maximize 
net benefits (including potential economic, environmental, public 
health and safety effects, distributive impacts, and equity). Executive 
Order 13563 emphasizes the importance of quantifying both costs and 
benefits, of reducing costs, of harmonizing rules, and of promoting 
flexibility. The Executive Order 13771 designation for any final rule 
resulting from the proposed regulation will be informed by comments 
received. The preliminary Executive Order 13771 designation for this 
proposed rule is ``regulatory.''
    The proposed regulations have been designated as subject to review 
under Executive Order 12866 pursuant to the Memorandum of Agreement 
(April 11, 2018) between the Treasury Department and the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) regarding review of tax regulations. The 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) has designated the 
proposed rulemaking as significant under section 1(c) of the Memorandum 
of Agreement. Accordingly, OMB has reviewed the proposed regulations.
A. Background
1. The Excise Tax Under Section 4960
    Section 4960 was added to the Code by TCJA. Section 4960(a) 
subjects excess remuneration above $1 million and excess parachute 
payments that an ATEO pays to a covered employee to an excise tax equal 
to the rate of tax imposed on corporations under section 11 (21 percent 
for 2020). Before TCJA, compensation paid by tax-exempt organizations 
was not subject to an excise tax, although section 4958 applies an 
excise tax to penalize excess benefit transactions in which an 
``applicable tax-exempt organization'' (as defined in section 4958) 
provides a benefit to a disqualified person that exceeds the reasonable 
fair market value of the services received.
    Section 4960 defines an ``ATEO'' as any organization which is 
exempt from taxation under section 501(a), is a farmers' cooperative 
organization described in section 521(b)(1), has income excluded from 
taxation under section 115(1), or is a political organization described 
in section 527(e)(1). Covered employees of an ATEO include the five 
highest-compensated employees of the organization for the taxable year 
and any employee or former employee who was a covered employee of the 
organization (or predecessor) for any preceding taxable year beginning 
after December 31, 2016.
    ``Remuneration'' means ``wages'' as defined in section 3401(a) 
(excluding designated Roth contributions) and includes amounts required 
to be included in gross income under section 457(f). Section 4960 
excludes from remuneration any amount paid to a licensed medical 
professional for medical or veterinary services provided. Remuneration 
also includes payments with respect to employment of a covered employee 
by any person or government entity related to the ATEO. A person or 
governmental entity is treated as related to the ATEO if that person or 
governmental entity controls, or is controlled by, the ATEO, is 
controlled by one or more persons which control the ATEO, is a 
``supported organization'' (as defined in

[[Page 35766]]

section 509(f)(3)) during the taxable year with respect to the ATEO, is 
a supporting organization described in section 509(a)(3) during the 
taxable year with respect to the ATEO, or in the case of an 
organization which is a voluntary employees' beneficiary association 
(VEBA) under section 501(c)(9), established, maintains, or makes 
contribution to such VEBA.
2. Notice 2019-09 and the Proposed Regulations
    Notice 2019-09 provides taxpayers with initial guidance on the 
application of section 4960, including that taxpayers may base their 
positions on a reasonable, good faith interpretation of the statute 
until further guidance is issued. These proposed regulations are 
largely based on Notice 2019-09 with changes in part addressing 
comments received.
    The Treasury Department and the IRS received 14 comments in 
response to Notice 2019-09. The comments primarily discussed the 
treatment of employees of a related person who also provide services to 
the ATEO, suggesting various exceptions for such situations. Comments 
also addressed the possibility of a grandfather rule for compensation 
under prior arrangements, treatment of deferred compensation as 
remuneration, the definition of ``control,'' and which organizations 
are ATEOs.
B. Baseline
    The Treasury Department and the IRS have assessed the benefits and 
costs of the proposed regulations relative to a no-action baseline 
reflecting anticipated Federal income tax-related behavior in the 
absence of these regulations.
C. Affected Entities
    The proposed regulations affect an estimated 261,000 ATEOs and 
77,000 non-ATEO related organizations of ATEOs that in historical 
filings report substantial executive compensation.\9\ Of the roughly 
261,000 such ATEOs based on filings for tax year 2017, 239,000 are 
section 501(a) exempt organizations (including 23,000 private 
foundations), 19,000 are section 115 state and local instrumentalities, 
2,000 are section 527 political organizations, 600 are exempt farmers' 
cooperative organizations described in section 521(b)(1), and 200 are 
federal instrumentalities.
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    \9\ The methods and data used to estimate the number of affected 
entities are discussed in detail in the Paperwork Reduction Act 
special analysis.
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D. Economic Analysis
    This section describes the key economic effects of the provisions 
of these proposed regulations.
1. Clarifications
    Most provisions of the proposed regulations clarify aspects of the 
excise tax imposed by section 4960, minimizing the burdens entities 
bear to comply with section 4960, and have little other economic 
impact. Clarifications reduce uncertainty, lowering the effort required 
to infer which organizations, employees, and payments are subject to 
the excise tax and the potential for conflict if entities and tax 
administrators interpret provisions differently. Examples of provisions 
of the proposed regulations that are primarily clarifications include 
the definition of ``control,'' treatment of deferred compensation and 
vesting, and which organizations are ATEOs.
2. ``Volunteer'' Exceptions
    Several commenters expressed concern that highly-paid employees of 
a non-ATEO performing services for a related ATEO without receiving 
compensation from the ATEO may be subject to the excise tax. To avoid 
the excise tax, individuals might cease performing such services, or 
ATEOs might dissolve their relationships with related non-ATEOs, 
reducing donations from related non-ATEOs.
    The proposed regulations include exceptions to the definitions of 
``employee'' and ``covered employees'' (specifically to the rules for 
determining the five highest compensated employees for purposes of 
identifying covered employees) to address such situations. With respect 
to the first exception, the regulations define ``employee'' consistent 
with section 3401(c), in particular adopting the rule that a director 
is not an employee in the capacity as a director and an officer 
performing minor or no services and not receiving any remuneration for 
those services is not an employee.
    The general rule provides that employees of a related non-ATEO are 
not considered for purposes of determining the five highest-compensated 
employees if they are never employees of the ATEO. In addition, 
individuals who receive no remuneration (or grant of a legally binding 
right to remuneration) from the ATEO or a related organization cannot 
be among the ATEO's five highest-compensated employees.
    Under the exceptions, an ATEO's five highest-compensated employees 
also exclude an employee of the ATEO who receives no remuneration from 
the ATEO and performs only limited services for the ATEO, which means 
that no more than 10 percent of total annual hours worked for the ATEO 
and related organizations are for services performed for the ATEO. An 
employee who performs fewer than 100 hours of services as an employee 
of an ATEO and its related ATEOs is treated as having worked less than 
10 percent of total hours for the ATEO and related ATEOs. An employee 
who is not compensated by an ATEO, related ATEO, or any taxable related 
organization controlled by the ATEO and who primarily (more than 50 
percent of total hours worked) provides services to a related non-ATEO 
is also disregarded. Likewise, an employee is disregarded if an ATEO 
paid less than 10 percent of the employee's total remuneration for 
services performed for the ATEO and all related organizations. However, 
in the case of related ATEOs, if neither the ATEO nor any related ATEO 
paid more than 10 percent of the employee's total remuneration, then 
the ATEO that paid the highest percent of remuneration does not meet 
this exception.
    Consider, for example, a corporate employee making $2 million per 
year who spends 5 percent of her time (roughly one day each month) 
working for the corporation's foundation, a related ATEO, without 
receiving compensation from the ATEO and who would be a covered 
employee of the ATEO absent the exceptions. The value of the employee's 
services provided to the ATEO is roughly five percent of her salary, or 
$100,000. Without the exceptions, her compensation in excess of $1 
million from the corporation, which is a related party of the 
foundation, is subject to a 21 percent excise tax, or $210,000 in 
excise tax liability. The exceptions remove that liability and the 
incentive it provides to stop providing such services or to dissolve 
the relationship between the ATEO and the related organization.
    The exceptions in the proposed regulations may have a substantial 
impact on donations relative to a no-action baseline, although the 
magnitude of the potential impact depends on how often the exceptions 
apply and on how responsive organizations and employees are to the 
excise tax, both of which are uncertain.
    The exceptions apply only in particular circumstances: The employee 
must be employed by a related organization (typically an organization 
that controls or is controlled by the ATEO), the employee must be 
highly compensated, and the employee's work for the ATEO must be 
sufficiently

[[Page 35767]]

minimal. Historically, many ATEOs report employees with compensation 
from related organizations. An estimated 8,500 ATEOs filing Form 990 in 
tax year 2017 reported both compensation of $500,000 or more for any 
person and any compensation from related organizations. These ATEOs are 
estimated to have an average of 18 non-ATEO related organizations based 
on information reported on Form 990 Schedule R, yielding an estimated 
154,000 non-ATEO related organizations, of which half, or 77,000, are 
estimated to employ a covered employee of the ATEO. The fraction of the 
154,000 non-ATEO related organizations with employees to whom the 
exceptions apply (and who are thus not covered employees of the ATEO) 
is uncertain, but perhaps half the related organizations, or 77,000, 
have such an employee.
    This entity count omits a substantial number of private foundations 
which may have employees who receive no compensation from the ATEO but 
who are highly compensated by related organizations, because while the 
ATEO count used in these estimates includes approximately 100 private 
foundations that have historically reported employee compensation of 
$500,000 or more on Form 990-PF, Form 990-PF (unlike Form 990) does not 
include information on employee compensation received from related 
organizations. The exceptions are particularly likely to apply to 
donations to foundations related to non-ATEO businesses, as companies 
are highly likely to be related organizations of a company's 
foundation, many family foundations are controlled by the same family 
that controls a private business, and executives of the related 
business often provide services to the foundation without payment from 
the foundation. Because of these facts, looking at pre-TCJA tax forms 
may underestimate the number of entities potentially affected by the 
exceptions. In the U.S. in 2015, there were about 2,000 company 
foundations responsible for $5.5 billion in giving, and 42,000 family 
foundations.\10\ It is reasonable to assume that about half of these 
foundations, or 22,000, have a related business with an employee to 
whom the exceptions apply.
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    \10\ http://data.foundationcenter.org/.
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    Under reasonable assumptions about the response of donated services 
to the excise tax, the exceptions restore substantial donations 
(transfers) of services that the excise tax would otherwise eliminate. 
Totaling both private foundations and other ATEOs, roughly 99,000 
related organizations are estimated to have employees to whom the 
exceptions apply. If the excise tax would have reduced services that 
are donated under the exceptions by an average of just over $5,000 per 
related organization, the total transfer reduction exceeds $500 
million.
    Absent the exceptions, organizations may also avoid the excise tax 
by dissolving the relationship between the ATEO and non-ATEO, which may 
affect donations of money as well as services. Considering only 
corporate foundations and setting aside other ATEOs, if such 
dissolutions would lead to a two percent reduction in the $5.5 billion 
in corporate giving that would otherwise take place through related 
foundations, the reduction exceeds $100 million. The Treasury 
Department and the IRS request comments on the impact of the exceptions 
on the dissolution of relationships between ATEOs and related 
organizations.
    It is plausible that the proposed regulations restore substantial 
economic activity relative to a no-action baseline, under which the 
excise tax would discourage highly-compensated employees of related 
non-ATEOs from providing services to a related ATEO without 
compensation from the ATEO and discourage relationships between ATEOs 
and non-ATEOs.
3. Summary
    This analysis suggests that the proposed regulations will reduce 
compliance burden on affected entities by providing clarifications and, 
through the exceptions, increase services provided to ATEOs without 
compensation from the ATEO by a small but potentially economically 
significant amount ($100 million or more), relative to a no-action 
baseline. The Treasury Department and the IRS request comments on the 
economic impact of these proposed regulations. In particular, comments 
that provide data, other evidence, or models that provide insight are 
requested.

II. Paperwork Reduction Act

    The collections of information in these proposed regulations are in 
proposed Sec.  53.4960-1(d), (h), (i)(2) and (j); Sec.  53.4960-2(a), 
(c) and (d); and Sec.  53.4960-4(a) and (d). This information is 
required to determine an ATEO's ``covered employees'' as defined in 
section 4960(c)(2); to calculate remuneration in excess of $1 million 
as described in section 4960(c)(3); to determine remuneration from 
related organizations and allocation of liability as described in 
section 4960(c)(4); and to determine any excess parachute payments to 
covered employees described in section 4960(c)(5).
    The IRS intends that the burden of the collections of information 
will be reflected in the burden associated with Form 4720, under OMB 
approval number 1545-0047. The burden associated with Form 4720 is 
included in the aggregated burden estimates for OMB control number 
1545-0047. For purposes of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Treasury 
Department and the IRS have not estimated the burden, including that of 
any new information collections, related to the requirements under the 
proposed regulations.
    The expected burden for ATEOs as described in section 4960(c)(1) 
and related organizations as described in section 4960(c)(4)(B) is 
listed below:
    Estimated number of respondents: 337,888.
    Estimated average annual burden hours per response: 0.20 hours 
(based on 66,509 total hours).
    Estimated total annual burden: $3,569,632 (2020).
    Estimated frequency of collection: Annual.
    The Treasury Department and the IRS request comments on all aspects 
of information collection burdens related to the proposed regulations, 
including estimates for how much time it would take to comply with the 
paperwork burdens described above for each relevant form and ways for 
the IRS to minimize the paperwork burden. Proposed revisions (if any) 
to these forms that reflect the information collections contained in 
the final regulations will be made available for public comment at 
https://apps.irs.gov/app/picklist/list/draftTaxForms.html and will not 
be finalized until after these forms have been approved by OMB under 
the PRA. Comments on these forms can be submitted at https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/comment-on-tax-forms-and-publications.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid 
control number assigned by the Office of Management and Budget.
    Books or records relating to a collection of information must be 
retained as long as their contents may become material in the 
administration of any internal revenue law. Generally, tax returns and 
return information are confidential, as required by 26 U.S.C. 6103.

III. Regulatory Flexibility Act

    Pursuant to the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) (5 U.S.C. chapter 
6), it is hereby certified that these proposed

[[Page 35768]]

regulations would not have a significant economic impact on a 
substantial number of small entities.
    The Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) (RFA) 
generally defines a ``small entity'' as (1) a proprietary firm meeting 
the size standards of the Small Business Administration (SBA) (13 CFR 
121.201), (2) a nonprofit organization that is not dominant in its 
field, or (3) a small government jurisdiction with a population of less 
than 50,000. (States and individuals are not included in the definition 
of ``small entity.'') The Treasury Department and IRS estimate that 
these proposed regulations will affect 324,000 small entities, 73,000 
of which are proprietary firms meeting the size standards of the SBA 
and 251,000 of which are nonprofit organizations that are not dominant 
in their fields or small government jurisdictions with a population of 
less than 50,000.
    The Treasury Department and IRS estimated the number of ATEOs, 
based primarily on Form 990 data for filers with at least one employee 
(and thus having a burden, at a minimum, of maintaining annual lists of 
covered employees), as 261,118, and the number of non-ATEO related 
organizations employing at least one covered employee of an ATEO as 
76,770, for a total of 337,888 affected entities. The SBA defines a 
small business as an independent business having fewer than 500 
employees. (See A Guide for Government Agencies, How to Comply with the 
Regulatory Flexibility Act, Appendix B \11\). Tax data available to 
Treasury Department and IRS include employee counts for only half the 
affected entities, as employee counts are included on Form 990, but not 
on other forms including Form 990-EZ and 990-PF. An examination of tax 
data from 2016 shows that for filers for whom employee counts were 
available and who had at least one employee, 96.5 percent had fewer 
than 500 employees. Similarly, there are no bright lines in the 
available data to distinguish small nonprofit organizations that are 
not dominant in their field. An examination of non-tax data shows that 
a similar proportion, approximately 96 percent, of all incorporated 
cities, towns, and villages in 2014 had a population of less than 
50,000, which may serve as a proxy for small government jurisdictions 
generally.\12\ By applying the 96 percent estimate to all entities 
affected by section 4960, the Treasury Department and IRS estimate that 
324,000 small entities are affected by these regulations.
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    \11\ https://advocacy.sba.gov/2017/08/31/a-guide-for-government-agencies-how-to-comply-with-the-regulatory-flexibility-act/.
    \12\ See https://www.statista.com/statistics/241695/number-of-us-cities-towns-villages-by-population-size/.
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    Section 4960 imposes the excise tax on ATEOs and their related 
organizations to the extent they pay certain compensation to a covered 
employee. Because covered employee status is permanent, every ATEO must 
determine its five highest-compensated employees for the taxable year--
even if the ATEO is not subject to the tax for that taxable year--and 
maintain a list of covered employees. Accordingly, the proposed rules 
likely will affect a substantial number of small entities, especially 
nonprofit entities that are not dominant in their fields.
    The Treasury Department and the IRS estimate that vast majority of 
ATEOs, particularly small ATEOs, can determine their five highest-
compensated employees for the taxable year under the method provided in 
the proposed rule very quickly and at negligible cost using information 
already collected in the normal course of business. The time necessary 
to determine an ATEO's five highest-compensated employees is positively 
correlated with the size of the entity (that is, the smaller the 
entity, the less time such a determination should take). Larger ATEOs 
may take more time, but it is estimated that this determination will 
take less than seven hours. The burden for making this determination is 
estimated to fall on the small number of larger ATEOs. Putting these 
two groups together, the total estimated cost for all 261,118 ATEOs to 
make these determinations is $1,255,760 per year, averaging $4.81 per 
ATEO. Thus, the Treasury Department and the IRS have determined that 
the proposed rules regarding an ATEO's covered employees are unlikely 
to have a significant economic impact on affected small entities.
    Notwithstanding this certification, the Treasury Department and the 
IRS invite comments from the public on both the number of entities 
affected (including whether specific industries are affected) and the 
economic impact of this proposed rule on small entities.
    Pursuant to section 7805(f) of the Code, this proposed rule has 
been submitted to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business 
Administration for comment on its impact on small entities.

IV. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act

    Section 202 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 requires 
that agencies assess anticipated costs and benefits and take certain 
other actions before issuing a final rule that includes any Federal 
mandate that may result in expenditures in any one year by a state, 
local, or tribal government, in the aggregate, or by the private 
sector, of $100 million in 1995 dollars, updated annually for 
inflation. In 2019, that threshold is approximately $164 million. This 
rule does not include any Federal mandate that may result in 
expenditures by state, local, or tribal governments, or by the private 
sector in excess of that threshold.

V. Executive Order 13132: Federalism, Congressional Review Act

    Executive Order 13132 (titled ``Federalism'') prohibits an agency 
from publishing any rule that has federalism implications if the rule 
either imposes substantial, direct compliance costs on state and local 
governments, and is not required by statute, or preempts state law, 
unless the agency meets the consultation and funding requirements of 
section 6 of the Executive Order. This proposed rule does not have 
federalism implications that are not required by the statute and does 
not impose substantial direct compliance costs on state and local 
governments or preempt state law within the meaning of the Executive 
Order.

Comments and Requests for a Public Hearing

    Before these proposed regulations are adopted as final regulations, 
consideration will be given to comments that are submitted timely to 
the IRS as prescribed in this preamble under the ADDRESSES section. The 
Treasury Department and the IRS request comments on all aspects of 
these proposed regulations. Any electronic comments submitted and, to 
the extent practicable, any paper comments submitted will be made 
available at https://www.regulations.gov or upon request.
    A public hearing will be scheduled if requested in writing by any 
person who timely submits electronic or written comments. Requests for 
a public hearing are also encouraged to be made electronically. If a 
public hearing is scheduled, notice of the date and time for the public 
hearing will be published in the Federal Register. Announcement 2020-4, 
2020-17 IRB 1, provides that until further notice, public hearings 
conducted by the IRS will be held telephonically. Any telephonic 
hearing will be made accessible to people with disabilities.

Drafting Information

    The principal authors of these regulations are William McNally of 
the Office of Associate Chief Counsel

[[Page 35769]]

(Employee Benefits, Exempt Organizations and Employment Taxes, 
Executive Compensation branch) and Patrick Sternal of the Office of 
Associate Chief Counsel (Employee Benefits, Exempt Organizations and 
Employment Taxes, Exempt Organizations branch). However, other 
personnel from the Treasury Department and the IRS participated in 
their development.

Statement of Availability

    IRS Revenue Procedures, Revenue Rulings, Notices, and other 
guidance cited in this preamble are published in the Internal Revenue 
Bulletin (or Cumulative Bulletin) and are available from the 
Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office, 
Washington, DC 20402, or by visiting the IRS website at https://www.irs.gov.

List of Subjects

26 CFR Part 1

    Income taxes, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

26 CFR Part 53

    Excise taxes, Foundations, Investments, Lobbying, Reporting and 
recordkeeping requirements.

Proposed Amendments to the Regulations

    Accordingly, the Department of the Treasury and the Internal 
Revenue Service propose to amend 26 CFR parts 1 and 53 as follows:

PART 1--INCOME TAXES

0
Paragraph 1. The authority citation for part 1 continues to read in 
part as follows:

    Authority: 26 U.S.C. 7805 * * *.

0
Par. 2. Section 1.338-1 is amended by revising paragraph (b)(2)(i) to 
read as follows:


Sec.  1.338-1  General principles; status of old target and new target.

* * * * *
    (b) * * *
    (2) * * *
    (i) The rules applicable to employee benefit plans (including those 
plans described in sections 79, 104, 105, 106, 125, 127, 129, 132, 137, 
and 220), qualified pension, profit-sharing, stock bonus and annuity 
plans (sections 401(a) and 403(a)), simplified employee pensions 
(section 408(k)), tax qualified stock option plans (sections 422 and 
423), welfare benefit funds (sections 419, 419A, 512(a)(3), and 4976), 
voluntary employee benefit associations (section 501(c)(9) and the 
regulations thereunder), and tax on excess tax-exempt organization 
executive compensation (section 4960) and the regulations in part 53 
under section 4960;
* * * * *

PART 53--FOUNDATION AND SIMILAR EXCISE TAXES

0
Par. 3. The authority citation for part 53 is revised to read in part 
as follows:

    Authority: 26 U.S.C. 7805; 4960.
* * * * *
0
Par. 4. Sections 53.4960-0 through 53.4960-5 are added to read as 
follows:

Sec.
* * * * *
53.4960-0 Table of contents.
53.4960-1 Scope and definitions.
53.4960-2 Determination of remuneration paid for an applicable year.
53.4960-3 Determination of whether there is a parachute payment.
53.4960-4 Liability for tax on excess remuneration and excess 
parachute payments.
53.4960-5 Applicability date.
* * * * *


Sec.  53.4960-0  Table of contents.

Sec.  53.4960-1 Scope and definitions.

    (a) Scope.
    (b) Applicable tax-exempt organization.
    (1) In general.
    (i) Section 501(a) organization.
    (ii) Section 521 farmers' cooperative.
    (iii) Section 115(1) organization.
    (iv) Section 527 political organization.
    (2) Certain foreign organizations.
    (c) Applicable year.
    (1) In general.
    (2) Examples.
    (3) Short applicable years.
    (i) In general
    (ii) Initial year of ATEO status.
    (iii) Year of termination of ATEO status.
    (A) Termination on or before the close of the calendar year 
ending with or within the taxable year of termination.
    (B) Termination after the close of the calendar year ending in 
the taxable year of termination.
    (4) Examples.
    (d) Covered employee.
    (1) In general.
    (2) Five highest-compensated employees.
    (i) In general.
    (ii) Limited hours exception.
    (A) In general.
    (1) Remuneration requirement.
    (2) Hours of service requirement.
    (B) Certain payments disregarded.
    (C) Safe harbor.
    (iii) Nonexempt funds exception.
    (A) In general.
    (1) Remuneration requirement.
    (2) Hours of service requirement.
    (3) Related organizations requirement.
    (B) Certain payments disregarded.
    (iv) Limited-services exception.
    (A) Remuneration requirement.
    (B) Related organization requirement.
    (1) Ten percent remuneration condition.
    (2) Less remuneration condition.
    (3) Examples.
    (e) Employee.
    (1) In general.
    (2) Directors.
    (3) Trustees.
    (f) Employer.
    (1) In general.
    (2) Disregarded entities.
    (g) Medical services.
    (1) Medical and veterinary services.
    (i) In general.
    (ii) Examples.
    (2) Definition of licensed medical professional.
    (h) Predecessor.
    (1) Asset acquisitions.
    (2) Corporate reorganizations.
    (3) Predecessor change of form or of place of organization.
    (4) ATEO that becomes a non-ATEO.
    (i) General rule.
    (ii) Intervening changes or entities.
    (5) Predecessor of a predecessor.
    (6) Elections under sections 336(e) and 338.
    (7) Date of transaction.
    (i) Related organization.
    (1) In general.
    (i) Controls or controlled by test.
    (ii) Controlled by same persons test.
    (iii) Supported organization test.
    (iv) Supporting organization test.
    (v) VEBA test.
    (2) Control.
    (i) In general.
    (ii) Stock corporation.
    (iii) Partnership.
    (iv) Trust.
    (v) Nonstock organization.
    (A) In general.
    (B) Control of a trustee or director of a nonstock organization.
    (C) Representatives.
    (vi) Brother-sister related organizations.
    (vii) Section 318 principles.
    (A) In general.
    (B) Nonstock organizations.
    (1) Attribution of ownership interest from a nonstock 
organization to a controlling person.
    (2) Attribution of ownership interest from a controlling person 
to a nonstock organization.
    (3) Indirect control of a nonstock organization through another 
nonstock organization.
    (4) Attribution of control of nonstock organization to family 
member.
    (3) Examples.

Sec.  53.4960-2 Determination of remuneration paid for a taxable 
year.

    (a) Remuneration.
    (1) In general
    (2) Exclusion of remuneration for medical services.
    (i) In general.
    (ii) Allocation of remuneration for medical services and non-
medical services.
    (iii) Examples.
    (b) Source of payment.
    (1) Remuneration paid by third parties for employment by an 
employer.
    (2) Remuneration paid by a related organization for employment 
by the related organization.
    (c) Applicable year in which remuneration is treated as paid.

[[Page 35770]]

    (1) In general.
    (2) Vested remuneration.
    (3) Change in related status during the year.
    (d) Amount of remuneration treated as paid.
    (1) In general.
    (2) Earnings and losses on previously paid remuneration.
    (i) In general.
    (ii) Previously paid remuneration.
    (A) New covered employee.
    (B) Existing covered employee.
    (iii) Earnings.
    (iv) Losses.
    (v) Net earnings.
    (vi) Net losses.
    (3) Remuneration paid for a taxable year before the employee 
becomes a covered employee
    (i) In general.
    (ii) Examples.
    (e) Calculation of present value.
    (1) In general.
    (2) Treatment of future payment amount as present value for 
certain amounts.
    (f) Coordination with section 162(m).
    (1) In general.
    (2) Five highest-compensated employees.
    (3) Example.
    (g) Examples.

Sec.  53.4960-3 Determination of whether there is a parachute 
payment.

    (a) Parachute payment.
    (1) In general.
    (2) Exclusions.
    (i) Certain qualified plans.
    (ii) Certain annuity contracts.
    (iii) Compensation for medical services.
    (iv) Payments to non-HCEs.
    (3) Determination of HCEs for purposes of the exclusion from 
parachute payments.
    (b) Payment in the nature of compensation.
    (1) In general.
    (2) Consideration paid by covered employee.
    (c) When payment is considered to be made.
    (1) In general.
    (2) Transfers of section 83 property.
    (3) Stock options and stock appreciation rights.
    (d) Payment contingent on an employee's separation from 
employment.
    (1) In general.
    (2) Employment agreements.
    (i) In general.
    (ii) Example.
    (3) Noncompetition agreements.
    (4) Payment of amounts previously included in income or excess 
remuneration.
    (5) Window programs.
    (6) Anti-abuse provision.
    (e) Involuntary separation from employment.
    (1) In general.
    (2) Separation from employment for good reason.
    (i) In general.
    (ii) Material negative change required.
    (iii) Deemed material negative change.
    (A) Material diminution of compensation.
    (B) Material diminution of responsibility.
    (C) Material diminution of authority of a supervisor.
    (D) Material diminution of a location.
    (E) Material change of location.
    (F) Other material breach.
    (3) Separation from employment.
    (f) Accelerated payment or accelerated vesting resulting from an 
involuntary separation from employment.
    (1) In general.
    (2) Nonvested payments subject to a non-service vesting 
condition.
    (3) Vested payments.
    (4) Nonvested payments subject to a service vesting condition.
    (i) In general.
    (A) Vesting trigger.
    (B) Vesting condition.
    (C) Services condition.
    (ii) Value of the lapse of the obligation to continue to perform 
services.
    (iii) Accelerated vesting of equity compensation.
    (5) Application to benefits under a nonqualified deferred 
compensation plan.
    (6) Present value.
    (7) Examples.
    (g) Three-times-base-amount test for parachute payments.
    (1) In general.
    (2) Examples.
    (h) Calculating present value.
    (1) In general.
    (2) Deferred payments.
    (3) Health care.
    (i) Discount rate.
    (j) Present value of a payment to be made in the future that is 
contingent on an uncertain future event or condition.
    (1) Treatment based on the estimated probability of payment.
    (2) Correction of incorrect estimates.
    (3) Initial option value estimate.
    (4) Examples.
    (k) Base amount.
    (1) In general.
    (2) Short or incomplete taxable years.
    (3) Excludable fringe benefits.
    (4) Section 83(b) income.
    (l) Base period.
    (1) In general.
    (2) Determination of base amount if employee separates from 
employment in the year hired.
    (3) Examples.

Sec.  53.4960-4 Liability for tax on excess remuneration and excess 
parachute payments.

    (a) Liability, reporting, and payment of excise taxes.
    (1) Liability.
    (2) Reporting and payment.
    (3) Arrangements between an ATEO and a related organization
    (b) Amounts subject to tax.
    (1) Excess remuneration
    (i) In general.
    (ii) Exclusion for excess parachute payments.
    (2) Excess parachute payment.
    (c) Calculation of liability for tax on excess remuneration
    (1) In general.
    (2) Calculation of the tax for overlapping groups of related 
organizations.
    (i) In general.
    (ii) Calculation when an ATEO has a short applicable year.
    (3) Examples.
    (d) Calculation of liability for excess parachute payments.
    (1) In general.
    (2) Computation of excess parachute payments.
    (3) Examples.
    (4) Reallocation when the payment is disproportionate to base 
amount.
    (5) Election to prepay tax.
    (6) Liability after a redetermination of total parachute 
payments.
    (7) Examples.

Sec.  53.4960-5 Applicability date.

    (a) General applicability date.


Sec.  53.4960-1  Scope and definitions.

    (a) Scope. This section provides definitions for purposes of 
section 4960, this section, and Sec. Sec.  53.4960-2 through 53.4960-5. 
Section 53.4960-2 provides definitions and rules for determining the 
amount of remuneration paid for a taxable year. Section 53.4960-3 
provides definitions and rules for determining whether a parachute 
payment is paid. Section 53.4960-4 provides definitions and rules for 
calculating the amount of excess remuneration paid for a taxable year, 
excess parachute payments paid in a taxable year, and liability for the 
excise tax. Section 53.4960-5 provides rules regarding the 
applicability date for the regulations under section 4960. The rules 
and definitions provided in this section through Sec.  53.4960-5 apply 
solely for purposes of section 4960 and this section through Sec.  
53.4960-5 unless specified otherwise.
    (b) Applicable tax-exempt organization--(1) In general. Applicable 
tax-exempt organization or ATEO means any organization that is the any 
of following types of organizations:
    (i) Section 501(a) organization. The organization is exempt from 
taxation under section 501(a);
    (ii) Section 521 farmers' cooperative. The organization is a 
farmers' cooperative organization described in section 521(b)(1);
    (iii) Section 115(1) organization. The organization has income 
excluded from taxation under section 115(1); or
    (iv) Section 527 political organization. The organization is a 
political organization described in section 527(e)(1).
    (2) Certain foreign organizations. A foreign organization (as 
defined in Sec.  53.4948-1(a)) that, for its taxable year, receives 
substantially all of its support (other than gross investment income) 
from the date of its creation from sources outside of the United States 
is not an ATEO. See section 4948(b).
    (c) Applicable year--(1) In general. Applicable year means the 
calendar year ending with or within the ATEO's taxable year. See Sec.  
53.4960-4 regarding

[[Page 35771]]

how an ATEO's applicable year affects the liability of related 
organizations.
    (2) Examples. The following examples illustrate the rules of 
paragraph (c)(1) of this section.

    (i) Example 1 (Calendar year taxpayer)--(A) Facts. ATEO 1 uses 
the calendar year as its taxable year and became an ATEO before 
2021.
    (B) Conclusion. ATEO 1's applicable year for its 2021 taxable 
year is the period from January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021 
(that is, the 2021 calendar year).
    (ii) Example 2 (Fiscal year taxpayer)--(A) Facts. ATEO 2 uses a 
taxable year that starts July 1 and ends June 30 and became an ATEO 
before 2021.
    (B) Conclusion. ATEO 2's applicable year for the taxable year 
beginning July 1, 2021, and ending June 30, 2022, is the 2021 
calendar year.

    (3) Short applicable years--(i) In general. An ATEO may have an 
applicable year that does not span the entire calendar year for the 
initial taxable year that the organization is an ATEO or for the 
taxable year in which the taxpayer ceases to be an ATEO. The beginning 
and end dates of the applicable year in the case of an ATEO's change in 
status depend on when the change in status occurs.
    (ii) Initial year of ATEO status. For the taxable year in which an 
ATEO first becomes an ATEO, applicable year means the period beginning 
on the date the ATEO first becomes an ATEO and ending on the last day 
of the calendar year ending with or within such taxable year (or, if 
earlier, the date of termination of ATEO status, as described in 
paragraph (c)(3)(ii)(A) of this section). If the taxable year in which 
an ATEO first becomes an ATEO ends before the end of the calendar year 
in which the ATEO first becomes an ATEO, then there is no applicable 
year for the ATEO's first taxable year; however, for the ATEO's next 
taxable year, applicable year means the period beginning on the date 
the ATEO first becomes an ATEO and ending on December 31 of the 
calendar year (or, if earlier, the date of termination of ATEO status, 
as described in paragraph (c)(3)(ii)(A) of this section).
    (iii) Year of termination of ATEO status--(A) Termination on or 
before the close of the calendar year ending with or within the taxable 
year of termination. If an ATEO has a termination of ATEO status during 
the taxable year and the termination of ATEO status occurs on or before 
the close of the calendar year ending with or within such taxable year, 
then, for the taxable year of termination of ATEO status, applicable 
year means the period starting January 1 of the calendar year of the 
termination of ATEO status and ending on the date of the termination of 
ATEO status.
    (B) Termination after the close of the calendar year ending in the 
taxable year of termination. If an ATEO has a termination of ATEO 
status during the taxable year and the termination of ATEO status 
occurs after the close of the calendar year ending within such taxable 
year, then, for the taxable year of the termination of ATEO status, 
applicable year means both the calendar year ending within such taxable 
year and the period beginning January 1 of the calendar year of the 
termination of ATEO status and ending on the date of the termination of 
ATEO status. Both such applicable years are treated as separate 
applicable years. See Sec.  53.4960-4(b)(2)(ii) for rules regarding 
calculation of the tax in the event there are multiple applicable years 
associated with a taxable year.
    (4) Examples. The following examples illustrate the rules of 
paragraph (c)(3) of this section. For purposes of these examples, 
assume any entity referred to as ``ATEO'' is an ATEO and any entity 
referred to as ``CORP'' is not an ATEO.

    (i) Example 1 (Taxable year of formation ending after December 
31)--(A) Facts. ATEO 1, ATEO 2, and CORP 1 are related organizations 
that all use a taxable year that starts July 1 and ends June 30. 
ATEO 1 is recognized as a section 501(c)(3) organization by the IRS 
on May 8, 2022, effective as of October 1, 2021. ATEO 2 became an 
ATEO in 2017.
    (B) Conclusion (ATEO 1). ATEO 1's applicable year for the 
taxable year beginning October 1, 2021, and ending June 30, 2022, is 
the period beginning October 1, 2021, and ending December 31, 2021. 
For purposes of determining the amount of remuneration paid by ATEO 
1 and all related organizations for ATEO 1's taxable year beginning 
October 1, 2021, and ending June 30, 2022, (including for purposes 
of determining ATEO 1's covered employees), only remuneration paid 
between October 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021, is taken into 
account. Thus, any remuneration paid by ATEO 1, ATEO 2, or CORP 1 
before October 1, 2021, is disregarded for purposes of ATEO 1's 
applicable year associated with its initial taxable year.
    (C) Conclusion (ATEO 2). ATEO 2's applicable year for its 
taxable year beginning July 1, 2021, and ending June 30, 2022, is 
the 2021 calendar year. Thus, any remuneration paid by ATEO 1, ATEO 
2, or CORP 1 during the 2021 calendar year is taken into account for 
purposes of determining ATEO 2's covered employees and remuneration 
paid for ATEO 2's taxable year ending June 30, 2022.
    (ii) Example 2 (Taxable year of formation ending before December 
31)--(A) Facts. Assume the same facts as in paragraph (c)(4)(i)(A) 
of this section (Example 1), except that ATEO 1 is recognized as a 
section 501(c)(3) organization effective as of March 15, 2022.
    (B) Conclusion. ATEO 1 has no applicable year for the taxable 
year starting March 15, 2022, and ending June 30, 2022, because no 
calendar year ends (or termination of ATEO status occurs) with or 
within the taxable year. ATEO 1's applicable year for the taxable 
year ending June 30, 2023, is the period beginning March 15, 2022, 
and ending December 31, 2022. For purposes of determining the amount 
of remuneration paid by ATEO 1 and all related organizations for 
ATEO 1's taxable year ending June 30, 2023 (including for purposes 
of determining ATEO 1's covered employees), only remuneration paid 
between March 15, 2022, and December 31, 2022, is taken into 
account. The conclusion for ATEO 2 is the same as in paragraph 
(c)(4)(i)(B) of this section (Example 1).
    (iii) Example 3 (Termination before the close of the calendar 
year ending in the taxable year of termination)--(A) Facts. Assume 
the same facts as in paragraph (c)(4)(i)(A) of this section (Example 
1). In addition, ATEO 1 has a termination of ATEO status on 
September 30, 2023.
    (B) Conclusion. For ATEO 1's taxable year beginning July 1, 
2023, and ending September 30, 2023, ATEO 1's applicable year is the 
period beginning January 1, 2023, and ending September 30, 2023.
    (iv) Example 4 (Termination after the close of the calendar year 
ending in the taxable year of termination)--(A) Facts. Assume the 
same facts as in paragraph (c)(4)(i)(A) of this section (Example 1). 
In addition, ATEO 1 has a termination of ATEO status on March 31, 
2024.
    (B) Conclusion. For ATEO 1's taxable year beginning July 1, 
2023, and ending March 31, 2024, ATEO 1 has two applicable years: 
the 2023 calendar year, and the period beginning on January 1, 2024, 
and ending on March 31, 2024.

    (d) Covered employee--(1) In general. For each taxable year, 
covered employee means any individual who is one of the five highest-
compensated employees of the ATEO for the taxable year, or was a 
covered employee of the ATEO (or any predecessor) for any preceding 
taxable year beginning after December 31, 2016.
    (2) Five highest-compensated employees--(i) In general. Except as 
otherwise provided in this paragraph (d)(2), an individual is one of an 
ATEO's five highest-compensated employees for the taxable year if the 
individual is among the five employees of the ATEO with the highest 
amount of remuneration paid during the applicable year, as determined 
under Sec.  53.4960-2. However, remuneration described in Sec.  
53.4960-2(f)(1), the deduction for which is disallowed by reason of 
section 162(m), is taken into account for purposes of determining an 
ATEO's five highest-compensated employees. The five highest-compensated 
employees of an ATEO for the taxable year are identified on the basis 
of the total

[[Page 35772]]

remuneration paid during the applicable year to the employee for 
services performed as an employee of the ATEO or any related 
organization. An ATEO may have fewer than five highest-compensated 
employees for a taxable year if it has fewer than five employees other 
than employees who are disregarded under paragraphs (d)(2)(ii) through 
(v) of this section. For purposes of this paragraph (d)(2), a grant of 
a legally binding right (within the meaning of Sec.  1.409A-1(b)) to 
vested remuneration is considered to be remuneration paid as of the 
date of grant, as described in Sec.  53.4960-2(c)(1), and a person or 
governmental entity is considered to grant a legally binding right to 
nonvested remuneration if the person or governmental entity grants a 
legally binding right to remuneration that is not vested within the 
meaning of Sec.  53.4960-2(c)(2). An employee is disregarded for 
purposes of determining an ATEO's five highest-compensated employees 
for a taxable year if, during the applicable year, neither the ATEO nor 
any related organization paid remuneration or granted a legally binding 
right to nonvested remuneration to the individual for services the 
individual performed as an employee of the ATEO or any related 
organization.
    (ii) Limited hours exception--(A) In general. An individual is 
disregarded for purposes of determining an ATEO's five highest-
compensated employees for a taxable year if, for the applicable year, 
all of the following requirements are met:
    (1) Remuneration requirement. Neither the ATEO nor any related ATEO 
paid remuneration or granted a legally binding right to nonvested 
remuneration to the individual for services the individual performed as 
an employee of the ATEO; and
    (2) Hours of service requirement. The individual performed services 
as an employee of the ATEO and all related ATEOs for no more than 10 
percent of the total hours the individual worked as an employee of the 
ATEO and all related organizations. For this purpose, an ATEO may 
instead use a percentage of total days worked by the employee, provided 
that any day that the employee works at least one hour for the ATEO is 
treated as a full day worked for the ATEO and not for any other 
organization.
    (B) Certain payments disregarded. For purposes of paragraph 
(d)(2)(ii)(A)(1) of this section, a payment made to the individual 
during the ATEO's applicable year by a related organization that is an 
employer of the employee and for which the related organization is 
neither reimbursed by the ATEO nor entitled to any other consideration 
from the ATEO is not deemed paid by the ATEO under Sec.  53.4960-
2(b)(1) and a payment made to the individual during the ATEO's 
applicable year by a related organization is not treated as paid by the 
ATEO under Sec.  53.4960-2(b)(2).
    (C) Safe harbor. For purposes of paragraph (d)(2)(ii)(A)(2) of this 
section, an individual is treated as having performed services as an 
employee of the ATEO and all related ATEOs for no more than 10 percent 
of the total hours the individual worked as an employee of the ATEO and 
all related organizations during the applicable year if the employee 
performed no more than 100 hours of service for the ATEO and all 
related ATEOs during the applicable year.
    (iii) Nonexempt funds exception--(A) In general. An individual is 
disregarded for purposes of determining an ATEO's five highest-
compensated employees for a taxable year if, for the applicable year, 
all of the following requirements are met:
    (1) Remuneration requirement. Neither the ATEO, nor any related 
ATEO, nor any taxable related organization controlled by the ATEO (or 
by one or more related ATEOs, either alone or together with the ATEO) 
paid remuneration or granted a legally binding right to nonvested 
remuneration to the individual for services the individual performed as 
an employee of an ATEO;
    (2) Hours of service requirement. The individual performed services 
as an employee of the ATEO and all related ATEOs for less than 50 
percent of the total hours worked as an employee of the ATEO and all 
related organizations. For this purpose, an ATEO may instead use a 
percentage of total days worked by the employee, provided that any day 
that the employee works at least one hour for the ATEO or a related 
ATEO is treated as a full day worked for the ATEO and not for any other 
organization; and
    (3) Related organizations requirement. No related organization that 
paid remuneration or granted a legally binding right to nonvested 
remuneration to the individual provided services for a fee to the ATEO, 
to any related ATEO, or to any taxable related organization controlled 
by the ATEO (or by one or more related ATEOs, either alone or together 
with the ATEO).
    (B) Certain payments disregarded. For purposes of paragraph 
(d)(2)(iii)(A)(1) of this section, a payment made to the individual 
during the applicable year by a related organization that is an 
employer of the employee and for which the related organization is 
neither reimbursed by the ATEO nor entitled to any other consideration 
from the ATEO is not deemed paid by the ATEO under Sec.  53.4960-
2(b)(1) and a payment made to the individual during the applicable year 
by a related organization is not treated as paid by the ATEO under 
Sec.  53.4960-2(b)(2).
    (iv) Limited services exception. An employee is disregarded for 
purposes of determining an ATEO's five highest-compensated employees 
for a taxable year even though the ATEO paid remuneration to the 
employee if, for the applicable year, disregarding Sec.  53.4960-
2(b)(2), all of the following requirements are met:
    (A) Remuneration requirement. The ATEO did not pay 10 percent or 
more of the employee's total remuneration for services performed as an 
employee of the ATEO and all related organizations; and
    (B) Related organization requirement. The ATEO had at least one 
related ATEO and one of the following conditions apply:
    (1) Ten percent remuneration condition. A related ATEO paid at 
least 10 percent of the remuneration paid by the ATEO and all related 
organizations; or
    (2) Less remuneration condition. No related ATEO paid at least 10 
percent of the total remuneration paid by the ATEO and all related 
organizations and the ATEO paid less remuneration to the employee than 
at least one related ATEO.
    (3) Examples. The following examples illustrate the rules of this 
paragraph (d). For purposes of these examples, assume any entity 
referred to as ``ATEO'' is an ATEO, any entity referred to as ``CORP'' 
is not an ATEO and is not a publicly-held company within the meaning of 
section 162(m)(2) unless otherwise stated, and each entity has a 
calendar year taxable year.

    (i) Example 1 (Employee of two related ATEOs)--(A) Facts. ATEO 1 
and ATEO 2 are related organizations and have no other related 
organizations. Both employ Employee A during calendar year 2021 and 
pay remuneration to Employee A for Employee A's services. During 
2021, Employee A performed services for 1,000 hours as an employee 
of ATEO 1 and 1,000 hours as an employee of ATEO 2.
    (B) Conclusion. Employee A may be a covered employee of both 
ATEO 1 and ATEO 2 as one of the five highest-compensated employees 
for taxable year 2021 under paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this section 
because the exceptions in paragraphs (d)(2)(ii) through (iv) of this 
section do not apply. Because they are related organizations, ATEO 1 
and ATEO 2 must each include the remuneration paid to Employee A by 
the other during each of their applicable years in determining their

[[Page 35773]]

respective five highest-compensated employees for taxable year 2021.
    (ii) Example 2 (Employee of an ATEO and a related non-ATEO)--(A) 
Facts. Assume the same facts as in paragraph (d)(3)(i) of this 
section (Example 1), except that ATEO 1 is instead CORP 1.
    (B) Conclusion (CORP 1). For taxable year 2021, CORP 1 is not an 
ATEO and therefore does not need to identify covered employees.
    (C) Conclusion (ATEO 2). Employee A may be a covered employee of 
ATEO 2 as one of its five highest-compensated employees for taxable 
year 2021 under paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this section because no 
exception in paragraphs (d)(2)(ii) through (iv) of this section 
applies. ATEO 2 must include the remuneration paid to Employee A by 
CORP 1 during its applicable year in determining ATEO 2's five 
highest-compensated employees for taxable year 2021.
    (iii) Example 3 (Amounts for which a deduction is disallowed 
under section 162(m) are taken into account for purposes of 
determining the five highest-compensated employees)--(A) Facts. CORP 
2 is a publicly-held corporation within the meaning of section 
162(m)(2) and is a related organization of ATEO 3. ATEO 3 is a 
corporation that is part of CORP 2's affiliated group (as defined in 
section 1504, without regard to section 1504(b)) and has no other 
related organizations. Employee B is a covered employee (as defined 
in section 162(m)(3)) of CORP 2 and an employee of ATEO 3. In 2021, 
CORP 2 paid Employee B $8 million of remuneration for services 
provided as an employee of CORP 2 and ATEO 3 paid Employee B 
$500,000 of remuneration for services provided as an employee of 
ATEO 3. $7.5 million of the remuneration is compensation for which a 
deduction is disallowed pursuant to section 162(m)(1).
    (B) Conclusion. The $7.5 million of remuneration for which a 
deduction is disallowed under section 162(m)(1) is taken into 
account for purposes of determining ATEO 3's five highest-
compensated employees. Thus, ATEO 3 is treated as paying Employee B 
$8.5 million of remuneration for purposes of determining its five 
highest-compensated employees.
    (iv) Example 4 (Employee disregarded due to receiving no 
remuneration)--(A) Facts. Employee C is an officer of ATEO 4. In 
2021, neither ATEO 4 nor any related organization paid remuneration 
or granted a legally binding right to any nonvested remuneration to 
Employee C. ATEO 4 paid premiums for insurance for liability arising 
from Employee C's service with ATEO 4, which is properly treated as 
a working condition fringe benefit excluded from gross income under 
Sec.  1.132-5.
    (B) Conclusion. Employee C is disregarded for purposes of 
determining ATEO 4's five highest-compensated employees for taxable 
year 2021 under paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this section because neither 
ATEO 4 nor any related organization paid Employee C any remuneration 
(nor did they grant a legally binding right to nonvested 
remuneration) in applicable year 2021. The working condition fringe 
benefit is not wages within the meaning of section 3401(a), as 
provided in section 3401(a)(19), and thus is not remuneration within 
the meaning of Sec.  53.4960-2(a).
    (v) Example 5 (Limited hours exception)--(A) Facts. ATEO 5 and 
CORP 3 are related organizations. ATEO 5 has no other related 
organizations and does not control CORP 3. Employee D is an employee 
of CORP 3. As part of Employee D's duties at CORP 3, Employee D 
serves as an officer of ATEO 5. Only CORP 3 paid remuneration (or 
granted a legally binding right to nonvested remuneration) to 
Employee D and ATEO 5 did not reimburse CORP 3 for any portion of 
Employee D's remuneration in any manner. During 2021, Employee D 
provided services as an employee for 2,000 hours to CORP 3 and 200 
hours to ATEO 5.
    (B) Conclusion. Employee D is disregarded for purposes of 
determining ATEO 5's five highest-compensated employees for taxable 
year 2021. Employee D qualifies for the exception under paragraph 
(d)(2)(ii) of this section because only CORP 3 paid Employee D any 
remuneration or granted a legally binding right to nonvested 
remuneration in applicable year 2021 and Employee D provided 
services as an employee to ATEO 5 for 200 hours, which is not more 
than ten percent of the total hours (2000 + 200 = 2200) worked as an 
employee of ATEO 5 and all related organizations (200/2200 = 9 
percent).
    (vi) Example 6 (Limited hours exception)--(A) Facts. Assume the 
same facts as in paragraph (d)(3)(v) of this section (Example 5), 
except that ATEO 5 also provides a reasonable allowance for expenses 
incurred by Employee D in executing Employee D's duties as an 
officer of ATEO 5, which is properly excluded from gross income 
under an accountable plan described in Sec.  1.62-2.
    (B) Conclusion. The conclusion is the same as in paragraph 
(d)(3)(v)(B) of this section (Example 5). Specifically, Employee D 
is disregarded for purposes of determining ATEO 5's five highest-
compensated employees for taxable year 2021 under paragraph 
(d)(2)(ii) of this section because the expense allowance under the 
accountable plan is excluded from wages within the meaning of 
section 3401(a), as provided in Sec.  31.3401(a)-4, and thus is not 
remuneration within the meaning of Sec.  53.4960-2(a).
    (vii) Example 7 (No exception applies due to source of 
payment)--(A) Facts. Assume the same facts as in paragraph (d)(3)(v) 
of this section (Example 5), except that ATEO 5 has a contractual 
arrangement with CORP 3 to reimburse CORP 3 for the hours of service 
Employee D provides to ATEO 5 during applicable year 2021 by paying 
an amount equal to the total remuneration received by Employee D 
from both ATEO 5 and CORP 3 multiplied by a fraction equal to the 
hours of service Employee D provided ATEO 5 over Employee D's total 
hours of service to both ATEO 5 and CORP 3.
    (B) Conclusion. Employee D may be one of ATEO 5's five highest-
compensated employees for taxable year 2021 under paragraph 
(d)(2)(i) of this section because the exceptions in paragraphs 
(d)(2)(ii) through (iv) of this section do not apply. Pursuant to 
the contractual arrangement between CORP 3 and ATEO 5, ATEO 5 
reimburses CORP 3 for a portion of Employee D's remuneration during 
applicable year 2021; thus, the exceptions under paragraphs 
(d)(2)(ii) and (iii) of this section do not apply. Further, while 
ATEO 5 paid Employee D less than 10 percent of the total 
remuneration from ATEO 5 and all related organizations (200 hours of 
service to ATEO 5/2200 hours of service to ATEO 5 and all related 
organizations = 9.09 percent), it had no related ATEO; thus, the 
limited services exception under paragraph (d)(2)(iv) of this 
section does not apply.
    (viii) Example 8 (Nonexempt funds exception)--(A) Facts. Assume 
the same facts as in paragraph (d)(3)(v) of this section (Example 
5), except that during applicable year 2021, Employee D provided 
services as an employee for 1,000 hours to CORP 3 and 900 hours to 
ATEO 5 and CORP 3 provided no services to ATEO 5 for a fee.
    (B) Conclusion. Employee D is disregarded for purposes of 
determining ATEO 5's five highest-compensated employees for taxable 
year 2021 under paragraph (d)(2)(iii) of this section because 
Employee D works less than 50 percent of the year providing services 
for ATEO 5, and only CORP 3 paid any remuneration to Employee D 
during applicable year 2021.
    (ix) Example 9 (Limited services exception)--(A) Facts. ATEO 6, 
ATEO 7, ATEO 8, and ATEO 9 are a group of related organizations, 
none of which have any other related organizations. During 2021, 
Employee E is an employee of ATEO 6, ATEO 7, ATEO 8, and ATEO 9. 
During applicable year 2021, ATEO 6 paid 5 percent of Employee E's 
remuneration, ATEO 7 paid 10 percent of Employee E's remuneration, 
ATEO 8 paid 25 percent of Employee E's remuneration, and ATEO 9 paid 
60 percent of Employee E's remuneration. No exception under 
paragraph (d)(2)(ii) or (iii) applies to Employee E for any of ATEO 
6, ATEO 7, ATEO 8, or ATEO 9.
    (B) Conclusion (ATEO 6). Employee E is disregarded for purposes 
of determining ATEO 6's five highest-compensated employees for 
taxable year 2021 under paragraph (d)(2)(iv) of this section because 
ATEO 6 paid less than 10 percent of Employee E's total remuneration 
from ATEO 6 and all related organizations during applicable year 
2021 and another related ATEO paid at least 10 percent of that total 
remuneration.
    (C) Conclusion (ATEO 7, ATEO 8, and ATEO 9). Employee E may be 
one of the five highest-compensated employees of ATEO 7, ATEO 8, and 
ATEO 9 for taxable year 2021 because each of those ATEOs paid 10 
percent or more of E's remuneration during the 2021 applicable year. 
Thus, the limited services exception under paragraph (d)(2)(iv) of 
this section does not apply.
    (x) Example 10 (Limited services exception)--(A) Facts. Assume 
the same facts as in paragraph (d)(3)(ix) of this section (Example 
9), except that for applicable year 2021, ATEO 6, ATEO 7, and ATEO 8 
each paid 5 percent of Employee E's remuneration, ATEO 9 paid 6 
percent of E's remuneration, and Employee E also works as an 
employee of CORP 4, a related organization of ATEO 6, ATEO 7, ATEO 
8, and ATEO 9 that paid 79 percent of Employee E's remuneration for 
applicable year 2021.
    (B) Conclusion (ATEO 9). Employee E may be one of ATEO 9's five 
highest compensated

[[Page 35774]]

employees for taxable year 2021. Although ATEO 9 did not pay 
Employee E 10 percent or more of the total remuneration paid by ATEO 
9 and all of its related organizations, no related ATEO paid more 
than 10 percent of Employee E's remuneration, and ATEO 9 did not pay 
less remuneration to employee E than at least one related ATEO. 
Thus, the limited services exception under paragraph (d)(2)(iv) of 
this section does not apply, and Employee E may be one of ATEO 9's 
five highest-compensated employees because ATEO 9 paid more 
remuneration than any other related ATEO.
    (C) Conclusion (ATEO 6, ATEO 7, and ATEO 8). Employee E is 
disregarded for purposes of determining the five highest-compensated 
employees of ATEO 6, ATEO 7, and ATEO 8 for taxable year 2021 under 
paragraph (d)(2)(iv) of this section because none paid 10 percent or 
more of Employee F's total remuneration, each had no related ATEO 
that paid at least 10 percent of Employee E's total remuneration, 
and each paid less remuneration than at least one related ATEO (ATEO 
9).

    (e) Employee--(1) In general. Employee means an employee as defined 
in section 3401(c) and Sec.  31.3401(c)-1. Section 31.3401(c)-1 
generally defines an employee as any individual performing services if 
the relationship between the individual and the person for whom the 
individual performs services is the legal relationship of employer and 
employee. As set forth in Sec.  31.3401(c)-1, this includes common law 
employees, as well as officers and employees of government entities, 
whether or not elected. An employee generally also includes an officer 
of a corporation, but an officer of a corporation who as such does not 
perform any services or performs only minor services and who neither 
receives, nor is entitled to receive, any remuneration is not 
considered to be an employee of the corporation solely due to the 
individual's status as an officer of the corporation. Whether an 
individual is an employee depends on the facts and circumstances.
    (2) Directors. A director of a corporation (or an individual 
holding a substantially similar position in a corporation or other 
entity) in the individual's capacity as such is not an employee of the 
corporation. See Sec.  31.3401(c)-1(f).
    (3) Trustees. The principles of paragraph (e)(2) of this section 
apply by analogy to a trustee of any arrangement classified as a trust 
for Federal tax purposes in Sec.  301.7701-4(a).
    (f) Employer--(1) In general. Employer means an employer within the 
meaning of section 3401(d), without regard to section 3401(d)(1) or 
(2), meaning generally the person or governmental entity for whom the 
services were performed as an employee. Whether a person or 
governmental entity is the employer depends on the facts and 
circumstances, but a person does not cease to be the employer through 
use of a payroll agent under section 3504, a common paymaster under 
section 3121(s), a person described in section 3401(d)(1) or (2), a 
certified professional employer organization under section 7705, or any 
similar arrangement.
    (2) Disregarded entities. In the case of a disregarded entity 
described in Sec.  301.7701-3, Sec.  301.7701-2(c)(2)(iv) does not 
apply; thus, the sole owner of the disregarded entity is treated as the 
employer of any individual performing services as an employee of the 
disregarded entity.
    (g) Medical services--(1) Medical and veterinary services--(i) In 
general. Medical services means services directly performed by a 
licensed medical professional (as defined in paragraph (g)(2) of this 
section) for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention 
of disease in humans or animals; services provided for the purpose of 
affecting any structure or function of the human or animal body; and 
other services integral to providing such medical services. For 
purposes of section 4960, teaching and research services are not 
medical services except to the extent that they involve the services 
performed to directly diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent 
disease or affect a structure or function of the body. Administrative 
services may be integral to directly providing medical services. For 
example, documenting the care and condition of a patient is integral to 
providing medical services, as is accompanying another licensed 
professional as a supervisor while that medical professional provides 
medical services. However, managing an organization's operations, 
including scheduling, staffing, appraising employee performance, and 
other similar functions that may relate to a particular medical 
professional or professionals who perform medical services, is not 
integral to providing medical services. See Sec.  53.4960-2-(a)(2)(ii) 
for rules regarding allocating remuneration paid to a medical 
professional who performs both medical services and other services.
    (ii) Examples. The following examples illustrate the rules of this 
paragraph (g):

    (A) Example 1 (Administrative tasks that are integral to 
providing medical services)--(1) Facts. Employee A is a doctor who 
is licensed to practice medicine in the state in which Employee A's 
place of employment is located. In the course of Employee A's 
practice, Employee A treats patients and performs some closely-
related administrative tasks, such as examining and updating patient 
records.
    (2) Conclusion. Employee A's administrative tasks are integral 
to providing medical services and thus are medical services.
    (B) Example 2 (Administrative tasks that are not integral to 
providing medical services)--(1) Facts. Assume the same facts as in 
paragraph (g)(1)(ii)(A)(1) of this section (Example 1), except that 
Employee A also performs additional administrative tasks such as 
analyzing the budget, authorizing capital expenditures, and managing 
human resources for the organization by which Employee A is 
employed.
    (2) Conclusion. Employee A's additional administrative tasks are 
not integral to providing medical services and thus are not medical 
services.
    (C) Example 3 (Teaching duties that are and are not medical 
services)--(1) Facts. Employee B is a medical doctor who is licensed 
to practice medicine in the state in which her place of employment, 
a university hospital, is located. Employee B's duties include 
overseeing and teaching a group of resident physicians who have 
restricted licenses to practice medicine. Those duties include 
supervising and instructing the resident physicians while they treat 
patients and instruction in a classroom setting.
    (2) Conclusion. Employee B's supervision and instruction of 
resident physicians during the course of patient treatment are 
necessary for the treatment, and thus are medical services. Employee 
B's classroom instruction is not necessary for patient treatment, 
and thus is not medical services.
    (D) Example 4 (Research services that are and are not medical 
services)--(1) Facts. Employee C is a licensed medical doctor who is 
employed to work on a research trial. Employee C provides an 
experimental treatment to patients afflicted by a disease and 
performs certain closely-related administrative tasks that 
ordinarily are performed by a medical professional in a course of 
patient treatment. As part of the research trial, Employee C also 
compiles and analyzes patient results and prepares reports and 
articles that would not ordinarily be prepared by a medical 
professional in the course of patient treatment.
    (2) Conclusion. Employee C's services that are ordinarily 
performed by a medical professional in a course of treatment, 
including closely-related administrative tasks, are medical 
services. Because the compilation and analysis of patient results 
and the formulation of reports and articles are neither services 
ordinarily performed by a medical professional in a course of 
treatment nor necessary for such treatment, these services are not 
medical services.

    (2) Definition of licensed medical professional. Licensed medical 
professional means an individual who is licensed under applicable state 
or local law to perform medical services, including as a doctor, nurse, 
nurse practitioner, dentist, veterinarian, or other licensed medical 
professional.

[[Page 35775]]

    (h) Predecessor--(1) Asset acquisitions. If an ATEO (acquiror) 
acquires at least 80 percent of the operating assets or total assets 
(determined by fair market value on the date of acquisition) of another 
ATEO (target), then the target is a predecessor of the acquiror. For an 
acquisition of assets that occurs over time, only assets acquired 
within a 12-month period are taken into account to determine whether at 
least 80 percent of the target's operating assets or total assets were 
acquired. However, this 12-month period is extended to include any 
continuous period that ends or begins on any day during which the 
acquiror has an arrangement to purchase, directly or indirectly, assets 
of the target. Additions to the assets of target made as part of a plan 
or arrangement to avoid the application of this subsection to 
acquiror's purchase of target's assets are disregarded in applying this 
paragraph. This paragraph (h)(1) applies for purposes of determining 
whether an employee is a covered employee under paragraph (d)(1) of 
this section only with respect to a covered employee of the target who 
commences the performance of services for the acquiror (or a related 
organization with respect to the acquiror) within the period beginning 
12 months before and ending 12 months after the date of the transaction 
as defined in paragraph (h)(7) of this section.
    (2) Corporate reorganizations. A predecessor of an ATEO includes 
another separate ATEO the stock or assets of which are acquired in a 
corporate reorganization as defined in section 368(a)(1)(A), (C), (D), 
(E), (F), or (G) (including by reason of section 368(a)(2)).
    (3) Predecessor change of form or of place of organization. An ATEO 
that restructured by changing its organizational form or place of 
organization (or both) is a predecessor of the restructured ATEO.
    (4) ATEO that becomes a non-ATEO--(i) General rule. An organization 
is a predecessor of an ATEO if it ceases to be an ATEO and then again 
becomes an ATEO effective on or before the predecessor end date. The 
predecessor end date is the date that is 36 months following the date 
that the organization's Federal information return under section 6033 
(or, for an ATEO described in paragraph (b)(1)(ii) or (iii) of this 
section, its Federal income tax return under section 6011(a)) is due 
(or would be due if the organization were required to file), excluding 
any extension, for the last taxable year for which the organization 
previously was an ATEO. If the organization becomes an ATEO again 
effective after the predecessor end date, then the former ATEO is 
treated as a separate organization that is not a predecessor of the 
current ATEO.
    (ii) Intervening changes or entities. If an ATEO that ceases to be 
an ATEO (former ATEO) would be treated as a predecessor to an 
organization that becomes an ATEO before the predecessor end date 
(successor ATEO), and if the former ATEO would be treated as a 
predecessor to each intervening entity (if such intervening entities 
had been ATEOs) under the rules of this paragraph (h), then the former 
ATEO is a predecessor of the successor ATEO. For example, if ATEO 1 
loses its tax-exempt status and then merges into Corporation X, 
Corporation X then merges into Corporation Y, and Corporation Y becomes 
an ATEO before the predecessor end date, then ATEO 1 is a predecessor 
of Corporation Y.
    (5) Predecessor of a predecessor. A reference to a predecessor 
includes any predecessor or predecessors of such predecessor, as 
determined under these rules.
    (6) Elections under sections 336(e) and 338. For purposes of this 
paragraph (h), when an ATEO organized as a corporation makes an 
election to treat as an asset purchase either the sale, exchange, or 
distribution of stock pursuant to regulations under section 336(e) or 
the purchase of stock pursuant to regulations under section 338, the 
corporation that issued the stock is treated as the same corporation 
both before and after such transaction.
    (7) Date of transaction. For purposes of this paragraph (h), the 
date that a transaction is treated as having occurred is the date on 
which all events necessary to complete the transaction described in the 
relevant provision have occurred.
    (i) Related organization--(1) In general. Related organization 
means any person or governmental entity, domestic or foreign, that 
meets any of the following tests:
    (i) Controls or controlled by test. The person or governmental 
entity controls, or is controlled by, the ATEO;
    (ii) Controlled by same persons test. The person or governmental 
entity is controlled by one or more persons that control the ATEO;
    (iii) Supported organization test. The person or governmental 
entity is a supported organization (as defined in section 509(f)(3)) 
with respect to the ATEO;
    (iv) Supporting organization test. The person or governmental 
entity is a supporting organization described in section 509(a)(3) with 
respect to the ATEO; or
    (v) VEBA test. With regard to an ATEO that is a voluntary 
employees' beneficiary association described in section 501(c)(9), the 
person or governmental entity establishes, maintains, or makes 
contributions to such voluntary employees' beneficiary association.
    (2) Control--(i) In general. Control may be direct or indirect. For 
rules concerning application of the principles of section 318 in 
applying this paragraph (i)(2), see paragraph (i)(2)(vii) of this 
section.
    (ii) Stock corporation. A person or governmental entity controls a 
stock corporation if it owns (by vote or value) more than 50 percent of 
the stock in the stock corporation.
    (iii) Partnership. A person or governmental entity controls a 
partnership if it owns more than 50 percent of the profits interests or 
capital interests in the partnership.
    (iv) Trust. A person or governmental entity controls a trust if it 
owns more than 50 percent of the beneficial interests in the trust, 
determined by actuarial value.
    (v) Nonstock organization--(A) In general. A person or governmental 
entity controls a nonstock organization if more than 50 percent of the 
trustees or directors of the nonstock organization are either 
representatives of, or directly or indirectly controlled by, the person 
or governmental entity. A nonstock organization is a nonprofit 
organization or other organization without owners and includes a 
governmental entity.
    (B) Control of a trustee or director of a nonstock organization. A 
person or governmental entity controls a trustee or director of the 
nonstock organization if the person or governmental entity has the 
power (either at will or at regular intervals) to remove such trustee 
or director and designate a new one.
    (C) Representatives. Trustees, directors, officers, employees, or 
agents of a person or governmental entity are deemed representatives of 
the person or governmental entity. However, an employee of a person or 
governmental entity (other than a trustee, director, or officer, or an 
employee who possesses at least the authority commonly exercised by an 
officer) who is a director or trustee of a nonstock organization (or 
acting in that capacity) will not be treated as a representative of the 
person or governmental entity if the employee does not act as a 
representative of the person or governmental entity and that fact is 
reported in the form and manner prescribed by the Commissioner in forms 
and instructions.

[[Page 35776]]

    (vi) Brother-sister related organizations. Under paragraph 
(i)(1)(ii) of this section, an organization is a related organization 
with respect to an ATEO if one or more persons control both the ATEO 
and the other organization. In the case of control by multiple persons, 
the control tests described in this paragraph (i)(2) of this section 
apply to the persons as a group. For example, if 1,000 individuals who 
are members of both ATEO 1 and ATEO 2 elect a majority of the board 
members of each organization, then ATEO 1 and ATEO 2 are related to 
each other because the same group of 1,000 persons controls both ATEO 1 
and ATEO 2.
    (vii) Section 318 principles--(A) In general. Section 318 (relating 
to constructive ownership of stock) applies in determining ownership of 
stock in a corporation. The principles of section 318 also apply for 
purposes of determining ownership of interests in a partnership or in a 
trust with beneficial interests. For example, applying the principles 
of section 318(a)(1)(A), an individual is considered to own the 
partnership interest or trust interest owned, directly or indirectly, 
by or for the family members specified in such section.
    (B) Nonstock organizations--(1) Attribution of ownership interest 
from a nonstock organization to a controlling person. If a person or 
governmental entity controls a nonstock organization, the person or 
governmental entity is treated as owning a percentage of the stock (or 
partnership interest or beneficial interest in a trust) owned by the 
nonstock organization in accordance with the percentage of trustees or 
directors of the nonstock organization that are representatives of, or 
directly or indirectly controlled by, the person or governmental 
entity.
    (2) Attribution of ownership interest from a controlling person to 
a nonstock organization. If a person or governmental entity controls a 
nonstock organization, the nonstock organization is treated as owning a 
percentage of the stock (or partnership interest or beneficial interest 
in a trust) owned by the person or governmental entity in accordance 
with the percentage of trustees or directors of the nonstock 
organization that are representatives of, or directly or indirectly 
controlled by, the person or governmental entity.
    (3) Indirect control of a nonstock organization through another 
nonstock organization. If a person or governmental entity controls one 
nonstock organization that controls a second nonstock organization, the 
person or governmental entity is treated as controlling the second 
nonstock organization if the product of the percentage of trustees or 
directors of the first nonstock organization that are representatives 
of, or directly or indirectly controlled by, the person or governmental 
entity, multiplied by the percentage of trustees or directors of the 
second nonstock organization that are representatives of, or directly 
or indirectly controlled by, the person or governmental entity or first 
nonstock organization, exceeds 50 percent. Similar principles apply to 
successive tiers of nonstock organizations.
    (4) Attribution of control of nonstock organization to family 
member. An individual's control of a nonstock organization or of a 
trustee or director of a nonstock organization is attributed to the 
members of the individual's family (as set forth in section 318(a)(1) 
and the regulations thereunder), subject to the limitation of section 
318(a)(5)(B) and the regulations thereunder.
    (3) Examples. The following examples illustrate the principles of 
this paragraph (i). For purposes of these examples, assume any entity 
referred to as ``ATEO'' is an ATEO and any entity referred to as 
``CORP'' is not an ATEO.

    (i) Example 1 (Related through a chain of control)--(A) Facts. 
ATEO 1, ATEO 2, and ATEO 3 are nonstock organizations. ATEO 3 owns 
80 percent of the stock (by value) of corporation CORP 1. Eighty 
percent of ATEO 2's directors are representatives of ATEO 1. In 
addition, 80 percent of ATEO 3's directors are representatives of 
ATEO 1.
    (B) Conclusion. ATEO 1 is a related organization with respect to 
ATEO 2 (and vice versa) because more than 50 percent of ATEO 2's 
directors are representatives of ATEO 1; thus, ATEO 1 controls ATEO 
2. Based on the same analysis, ATEO 1 is also a related organization 
with respect to ATEO 3 (and vice versa). CORP 1 is a related 
organization with respect to ATEO 3 because, as the owner of more 
than 50 percent of CORP 1's stock, ATEO 3 controls CORP 1. Applying 
the principles of section 318, ATEO 1 is deemed to own 64 percent of 
the stock of CORP 1 (80 percent of ATEO 3's stock in CORP 1). Thus, 
CORP 1 is a related organization with respect to ATEO 1 because ATEO 
1 controls CORP 1. ATEO 2 is a related organization with respect to 
ATEO 3, ATEO 3 is a related organization with respect to ATEO 2, and 
CORP 1 is a related organization with respect to ATEO 2 because ATEO 
2, ATEO 3, and CORP 1 are all controlled by the same person (ATEO 
1).
    (ii) Example 2 (Not related through a chain of control)--(A) 
Facts. ATEO 4, ATEO 5, and ATEO 6 are nonstock organizations. Sixty 
percent of ATEO 5's directors are representatives of ATEO 4. In 
addition, 60 percent of ATEO 6's directors are representatives of 
ATEO 5, but none are representatives of ATEO 4.
    (B) Conclusion. ATEO 4 is a related organization with respect to 
ATEO 5 (and vice versa) because more than 50 percent of ATEO 5's 
directors are representatives of ATEO 4; thus, ATEO 4 controls ATEO 
5. Based on the same analysis, ATEO 6 is a related organization with 
respect to ATEO 5 (and vice versa). Applying the principles of 
section 318, ATEO 4 is deemed to control 36 percent of ATEO 6's 
directors (60 percent of ATEO 5's 60 percent control over ATEO 6). 
Because less than 50 percent of ATEO 6's directors are 
representatives of ATEO 4, and absent any facts suggesting that ATEO 
4 directly or indirectly controls ATEO 6, ATEO 4 and ATEO 6 are not 
related organizations with respect to each other.


Sec.  53.4960-2   Determination of remuneration paid for a taxable 
year.

    (a) Remuneration--(1) In general. For purposes of section 4960, 
remuneration means any amount that is wages as defined in section 
3401(a), excluding any designated Roth contribution (as defined in 
section 402A(c)) and including any amount required to be included in 
gross income under section 457(f). Remuneration includes amounts 
includible in gross income as compensation for services as an employee 
pursuant to a below-market loan described in section 7872(c)(1)(B)(i) 
(compensation-related loans). For example, see Sec.  1.7872-
15(e)(1)(i). Director's fees paid by a corporation to a director of the 
corporation are not remuneration, provided that if the director is also 
an employee of the corporation, the director's fees are excluded from 
remuneration only to the extent that they do not exceed fees paid to a 
director who is not an employee of the corporation or any related 
organization or, if there is no such director, they do not exceed 
reasonable director's fees.
    (2) Exclusion of remuneration for medical services--(i) In general. 
Remuneration does not include the portion of any remuneration paid to a 
licensed medical professional that is for the performance of medical 
services by such professional.
    (ii) Allocation of remuneration for medical services and non-
medical services. If, during an applicable year, an employer pays a 
covered employee remuneration for providing both medical services and 
non-medical services, the employer must make a reasonable, good faith 
allocation between the remuneration for medical services and the 
remuneration for non-medical services. For example, if a medical doctor 
receives remuneration for providing medical services and administrative 
or management services, the employer must make a reasonable, good faith 
allocation between the remuneration for the medical services and the 
remuneration for the administrative or management services.

[[Page 35777]]

For this purpose, if an employment agreement or similar written 
arrangement sets forth the remuneration to be paid for particular 
services, that allocation of remuneration applies unless the facts and 
circumstances demonstrate that the amount allocated to medical services 
is unreasonable for those services or that the allocation was 
established for purposes of avoiding application of the excise tax 
under section 4960. If some or all of the remuneration is not 
reasonably allocated in an employment agreement or similar arrangement, 
an employer may use any reasonable allocation method. For example, an 
employer may use a representative sample of records, such as patient, 
insurance, and Medicare/Medicaid billing records or internal time 
reporting mechanisms to determine the time spent providing medical 
services, and then allocate remuneration to medical services in the 
proportion such time bears to the total hours the employee worked for 
the employer (and any related employer) for purposes of making a 
reasonable allocation of remuneration. Similarly, if some or all of the 
remuneration is not reasonably allocated in an employment agreement or 
other similar arrangement, an employer may use salaries or other 
remuneration paid by the employer or similarly situated employers for 
duties comparable to those the employee performs (for example, hospital 
administrator and physician) for purposes of making a reasonable 
allocation between remuneration for providing medical services and for 
providing non-medical services.
    (iii) Examples. The following examples illustrate the rules of this 
paragraph (a)(2). For purposes of these examples, assume any entity 
referred to as ``ATEO'' is an ATEO.

    (A) Example 1 (Allocation based on employment agreement)--(1) 
Facts. Employee A is a covered employee of ATEO 1. Employee A is a 
licensed medical professional who provides patient care services for 
ATEO 1 and also provides management and administrative services to 
ATEO 1 as the manager of a medical practice group within ATEO 1. The 
employment agreement between ATEO 1 and Employee A specifies that of 
Employee A's salary, 30 percent is allocable to Employee A's 
services as manager of the medical practice group and 70 percent is 
allocable to Employee A's services as a medical professional 
providing patient care services. The facts regarding Employee A's 
employment indicate the employment agreement provides a reasonable 
allocation and that the allocation was not established for purposes 
of avoiding application of the excise tax.
    (2) Conclusion. Consistent with Employee A's employment 
agreement, ATEO 1 must allocate 30 percent of Employee A's salary to 
the provision of non-medical services and 70 percent of Employee A's 
salary to the provision of medical services. Accordingly, only the 
30 percent portion of Employee A's salary allocated to the other, 
non-medical services is remuneration for purposes of paragraph (a) 
of this section.
    (B) Example 2 (Allocation based on billing records)--(1) Facts. 
Assume the same facts as in paragraph (a)(2)(iii)(A) of this section 
(Example 1), except that the employment agreement does not allocate 
Employee A's salary between medical and non-medical services 
performed by Employee A. Based on a representative sample of 
insurance and Medicare billing records, as well as time reports that 
Employee A submits to ATEO 1, ATEO 1 determines that Employee A 
spends 50 percent of her work hours providing patient care and 50 
percent of her work hours performing administrative and management 
services. ATEO 1 allocates 50 percent of Employee A's remuneration 
to medical services.
    (2) Conclusion. ATEO 1's allocation of Employee A's salary is a 
reasonable, good faith allocation. Accordingly, only the 50 percent 
portion of Employee A's remuneration allocated to the non-medical 
services is remuneration for purposes of paragraph (a) of this 
section.

    (b) Source of payment--(1) Remuneration paid by a third party for 
employment by an employer. Remuneration paid (or a grant of a legally 
binding right to nonvested remuneration) by a third-party payor 
(whether a related organization, payroll agent, or other entity) during 
an applicable year for services performed as an employee of an employer 
is deemed paid (or payable) by the employer, except as otherwise 
provided in Sec.  53.4960-1(d)(2)(ii) and (iii).
    (2) Remuneration paid by a related organization for employment by 
the related organization. Remuneration paid (or a grant of a legally 
binding right to nonvested remuneration) by a related organization to 
an ATEO's employee during an applicable year for services performed as 
an employee of the related organization is treated as paid (or payable) 
by the ATEO, except as otherwise provided in Sec.  53.4960-1(d)(2)(ii) 
and (iii).
    (c) Applicable year in which remuneration is treated as paid--(1) 
In general. Remuneration that is a regular wage within the meaning of 
Sec.  31.3402(g)-1(a)(1)(ii) is treated as paid on the date it is 
actually or constructively paid and all other remuneration is treated 
as paid on the first date on which the remuneration is vested.
    (2) Vested remuneration. Remuneration is vested if it is not 
subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture within the meaning of 
section 457(f)(3)(B) (regardless of whether the arrangement under which 
the remuneration is to be paid is deferred compensation described in 
section 457(f) or 409A). In general, an amount is subject to a 
substantial risk of forfeiture if entitlement to the amount is 
conditioned on the future performance of substantial services or upon 
the occurrence of a condition that is related to a purpose of the 
remuneration if the possibility of forfeiture is substantial. Except as 
provided in paragraph (c)(1) of this section, remuneration that is 
never subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture is considered paid on 
the first date the service provider has a legally binding right to the 
payment. For purposes of this section, a plan means a plan within the 
meaning of Sec.  1.409A-1(c), an account balance plan means an account 
balance plan within the meaning of Sec.  1.409A-1(c)(2)(i)(A), and a 
nonaccount balance plan means a nonaccount balance plan within the 
meaning of Sec.  1.409A-1(c)(2)(i)(C). Net earnings on previously paid 
remuneration (described in paragraph (d)(2) of this section) that are 
not subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture are vested (and, thus, 
treated as paid) at the earlier of the date actually or constructively 
paid to the employee or the close of the applicable year in which they 
accrue. For example, the present value of a principal amount accrued to 
an employee's account under an account balance plan (under which the 
earnings and losses attributed to the account are based solely on a 
predetermined actual investment as determined under Sec.  
31.3121(v)(2)-1(d)(2)(i)(B) or a reasonable market interest rate) is 
treated as paid on the date vested, but the present value of any net 
earnings subsequently accrued on that amount (the increase in value due 
to the predetermined actual investment or a reasonable market interest 
rate) is treated as paid at the close of the applicable year in which 
they accrue. Similarly, while the present value of an amount accrued 
under a nonaccount balance (including earnings that accrued while the 
amount was nonvested) is treated as paid on the date it is first 
vested, the present value of the net earnings on that amount (the 
increase in the present value) is treated as paid at the close of the 
applicable year in which they accrue.
    (3) Change in related status during the year. If a taxpayer becomes 
or ceases to be a related organization with respect to an ATEO during 
an applicable year, then only the remuneration paid by the taxpayer to 
an employee with respect to services performed as an employee of the 
related organization during the

[[Page 35778]]

portion of the applicable year during which the employer is a related 
organization is treated as paid by the ATEO. If an amount is treated as 
paid due to vesting in the year the taxpayer becomes or ceases to be a 
related organization with respect to the ATEO, then the amount is 
treated as paid by the ATEO only if the amount becomes vested during 
the portion of the applicable year that the taxpayer is a related 
organization with respect to the ATEO.
    (d) Amount of remuneration treated as paid--(1) In general. For 
each applicable year, the amount of remuneration treated as paid by the 
employer to a covered employee is the sum of regular wages within the 
meaning of Sec.  31.3402(g)-1(a)(1)(ii) actually or constructively paid 
during the applicable year and the present value (as determined under 
paragraph (e) of this section) of all other remuneration that vested 
during the applicable year. The amount of remuneration that vests 
during an applicable year is determined on an employer-by-employer 
basis with respect to each covered employee.
    (2) Earnings and losses on previously paid remuneration--(i) In 
general. The amount of net earnings or losses on previously paid 
remuneration paid by an employer is determined on an employee-by-
employee basis, such that amounts accrued with regard to one employee 
do not affect amounts accrued with regard to a different employee. 
Similarly, losses accrued on previously paid remuneration from one 
employer do not offset earnings accrued on previously paid remuneration 
from another employer. The amount of net earnings or losses on 
previously paid remuneration paid by the employer is determined on a 
net aggregate basis for all plans maintained by the employer in which 
the employee participates for each applicable year. For example, losses 
under an account balance plan may offset earnings under a nonaccount 
balance plan for the same applicable year maintained by the same 
employer for the same employee.
    (ii) Previously paid remuneration--(A) New covered employee. For an 
individual who was not a covered employee for any prior applicable 
year, previously paid remuneration means, for the applicable year for 
which the individual becomes a covered employee, the present value of 
vested remuneration that was not actually or constructively paid or 
otherwise includible in the employee's gross income before the start of 
the applicable year plus any remuneration that vested during the 
applicable year but that is not actually or constructively paid or 
otherwise includible in the employee's gross income before the close of 
the applicable year.
    (B) Existing covered employee. For an individual who was a covered 
employee for any prior applicable year, previously paid remuneration 
means, for each applicable year, the amount of remuneration that the 
employer treated as paid in the applicable year or for a prior 
applicable year but that is not actually or constructively paid or 
otherwise includible in the employee's gross income before the close of 
the applicable year. Actual or constructive payment or another event 
causing an amount of previously paid remuneration to be includible in 
the employee's gross income thus reduces the amount of previously paid 
remuneration.
    (iii) Earnings. Earnings means any increase in the vested present 
value of previously paid remuneration as of the close of the applicable 
year, regardless of whether the plan denominates the increase as 
earnings. For example, an increase in the vested account balance of a 
nonqualified deferred compensation plan based solely on the investment 
return of a predetermined actual investment (and disregarding any 
additional contributions) constitutes earnings. Similarly, an increase 
in the vested present value of a benefit under a nonqualified 
nonaccount balance plan due solely to the passage of time (and 
disregarding any additional benefit accruals) constitutes earnings. 
However, an increase in an account balance of a nonqualified deferred 
compensation plan due to a salary reduction contribution or an employer 
contribution does not constitute earnings (and therefore may not be 
offset with losses). Likewise, an increase in the benefit under a 
nonaccount balance plan due to an additional year of service or an 
increase in compensation that is reflected in a benefit formula does 
not constitute earnings.
    (iv) Losses. Losses means any decrease in the vested present value 
of previously paid remuneration as of the close of the applicable year, 
regardless of whether the plan denominates that decrease as losses.
    (v) Net earnings. Net earnings means, for each applicable year, the 
amount (if any) by which the earnings accrued for the applicable year 
on previously paid remuneration exceeds the sum of the losses accrued 
on previously paid remuneration for the applicable year and any net 
losses carried forward from a previous taxable year.
    (vi) Net losses. Net losses means, for each applicable year, the 
amount (if any) by which the sum of the losses accrued on previously 
paid remuneration for the applicable year and any net losses carried 
forward from a previous taxable year exceed the earnings accrued for 
the applicable year on previously paid remuneration. Losses may only be 
used to offset earnings and thus do not reduce the remuneration treated 
as paid for an applicable year except to the extent of the earnings 
accrued for that applicable year. However, with regard to a covered 
employee, an employer may carry net losses forward to the next 
applicable year and offset vested earnings for purposes of determining 
net earnings or losses for that subsequent applicable year. For 
example, if a covered employee who participates in a nonaccount balance 
plan and an account balance plan vests in an amount of earnings under 
the nonaccount balance plan and has losses under the account balance 
plan that exceed the vested earnings treated as remuneration under the 
nonaccount balance plan, those excess losses are carried forward to the 
next applicable year and offset vested earnings for purposes of 
determining net earnings or losses for that applicable year. If, for 
the next applicable year, there are not sufficient earnings to offset 
the entire amount of losses carried forward from the previous year (and 
any additional losses), the offset process repeats for each subsequent 
applicable year until there are sufficient earnings for the applicable 
year to offset any remaining losses carried forward.
    (3) Remuneration paid for a taxable year before the employee 
becomes a covered employee--(i) In general. In accordance with the 
payment timing rules of paragraph (c) of this section, any remuneration 
that is vested but is not actually or constructively paid or otherwise 
includible in an employee's gross income as of the close of the 
applicable year for the taxable year immediately preceding the taxable 
year in which the employee first becomes a covered employee of an ATEO 
is treated as previously paid remuneration for the taxable year in 
which the employee first becomes a covered employee. Net losses on this 
previously paid remuneration from any preceding applicable year do not 
carry forward to subsequent applicable years. However, net earnings and 
losses that vest on such previously paid remuneration in subsequent 
applicable years are treated as remuneration paid for a taxable year 
for which the employee is a covered employee.
    (ii) Examples. The following examples illustrate the rules of this

[[Page 35779]]

paragraph (d)(3). For purposes of these examples, assume any 
organization described as ``ATEO'' is an ATEO.

    (A) Example 1 (Earnings on pre-covered employee remuneration)--
(1) Facts. ATEO 1 uses a taxable year beginning July 1 and ending 
June 30. Employee A becomes a covered employee of ATEO 1 for the 
taxable year beginning July 1, 2021, and ending June 30, 2022. 
During the 2020 applicable year, Employee A vests in $1 million of 
nonqualified deferred compensation. As of December 31, 2020, the 
present value of the amount deferred under the plan is $1.1 million. 
During the 2021 applicable year, ATEO 1 pays Employee A $1 million 
in regular wages. The present value as of December 31, 2021, of 
Employee A's nonqualified deferred compensation is $1.3 million.
    (2) Conclusion (Taxable year beginning July 1, 2020, and ending 
June 30, 2021). ATEO 1 pays Employee A $1.1 million of remuneration 
in the 2020 applicable year. This is comprised of $1 million of 
vested nonqualified deferred compensation, and $100,000 of earnings, 
all of which is treated as paid for the taxable year beginning July 
1, 2020, and ending June 30, 2021.
    (3) Conclusion (Taxable year beginning July 1, 2021, and ending 
June 30, 2022). ATEO 1 pays Employee A $1.2 million of remuneration 
in the 2021 applicable year. This is comprised of $1 million regular 
wages and $200,000 of earnings ($1.3 million present value as of 
December 31, 2021, minus $1.1 million previously paid remuneration 
as of December 31, 2020).
    (B) Example 2 (Losses on pre-covered employee remuneration)--(1) 
Facts. Assume the same facts as in paragraph (d)(3)(ii)(A) of this 
section (Example 1), except that the present value of the 
nonqualified deferred compensation as of December 31, 2020, is 
$900,000.
    (2) Conclusion (Taxable year beginning July 1, 2020, and ending 
June 30, 2021). ATEO 1 pays Employee A $1 million of remuneration in 
the 2020 applicable year. This is comprised of $1 million of vested 
nonqualified deferred compensation. The present value of all vested 
deferred compensation as of December 31 of the 2020 applicable year 
($900,000) is treated as previously paid remuneration for the next 
applicable year (as Employee A is a covered employee for the next 
taxable year). The $100,000 of losses accrued while Employee A was 
not a covered employee do not carry forward to the next applicable 
year.
    (3) Conclusion (Taxable year beginning July 1, 2021, and ending 
June 30, 2022). ATEO 1 pays Employee A $1.4 million of remuneration 
in the 2021 applicable year. This is comprised of $1 million cash 
and $400,000 of earnings ($1.3 million present value as of December 
31, 2021, minus $900,000 previously paid remuneration).

    (e) Calculation of present value--(1) In general. The employer must 
determine present value using reasonable actuarial assumptions 
regarding the amount, time, and probability that a payment will be 
made. For this purpose, a discount for the probability that an employee 
will die before commencement of benefit payments is permitted, but only 
to the extent that benefits will be forfeited upon death. The present 
value may not be discounted for the probability that payments will not 
be made (or will be reduced) because of the unfunded status of the 
plan; the risk associated with any deemed or actual investment of 
amounts deferred under the plan; the risk that the employer, the 
trustee, or another party will be unwilling or unable to pay; the 
possibility of future plan amendments; the possibility of a future 
change in the law; or similar risks or contingencies. The present value 
of the right to future payments as of the vesting date includes any 
earnings that have accrued as of the vesting date that are not 
previously paid remuneration.
    (2) Treatment of future payment amount as present value for certain 
amounts. For purposes of determining the present value of remuneration 
under a nonaccount balance that is scheduled to be actually or 
constructively paid within 90 days of vesting, the employer may treat 
the future amount that is to be paid as the present value at vesting.
    (f) Coordination with section 162(m)--(1) In general. Remuneration 
paid by a publicly held corporation within the meaning of section 
162(m)(2) to a covered employee within the meaning of section 162(m)(3) 
generally is taken into account for purposes of this section. 
Similarly, remuneration paid by a covered health insurance provider 
within the meaning of section 162(m)(6)(C) to an applicable individual 
within the meaning of section 162(m)(6)(F) generally is taken into 
account for purposes of this section. However, any amount of 
remuneration for which a deduction is disallowed by reason of section 
162(m) is not taken into account for purposes of determining the amount 
of remuneration paid for a taxable year. Thus, if an amount of 
remuneration would be treated as paid under this section and a 
deduction for that amount is otherwise available but disallowed under 
section 162(m), that remuneration is not taken into account for 
purposes of determining the amount of remuneration paid for the taxable 
year under this section.
    (2) Five highest-compensated employees. Solely for purposes of 
determining an ATEO's five highest-compensated employees under Sec.  
53.4960-1(d)(2), remuneration for which a deduction is disallowed by 
reason of section 162(m) is treated as paid by the ATEO in the 
applicable year in which the remuneration would otherwise be treated as 
paid under paragraph (c)(1) of this section.
    (3) Example. The following example illustrates the rules of this 
paragraph (f). For purposes of this example, assume any entity referred 
to as ``ATEO'' is an ATEO, any entity referred to as ``CORP'' is not an 
ATEO, and that all entities use a calendar year taxable year.

    (i) Example (Remuneration disregarded because a deduction is 
disallowed under section 162(m) in the year of vesting)--(A) Facts. 
CORP 1 is a publicly held corporation described in section 162(m)(2) 
that is not a health insurance issuer described in section 
162(m)(6)(C). CORP 1 and ATEO 1 are related organizations and ATEO 1 
is not a member of CORP 1's affiliated group (as defined in section 
1504 (determined without regard to section 1504(b)). Employee A is a 
covered employee described in section 162(m)(3) of CORP 1 and a 
covered employee of ATEO 1. In 2021, CORP 1 pays Employee A $1.5 
million as salary and ATEO 1 pays Employee A $500,000 as salary. But 
for application of section 162(m), the amount paid is otherwise 
deductible by CORP 1. The amount of remuneration subject to the 
deduction limitation under section 162(m)(1) is $500,000, the amount 
by which the compensation paid by CORP 1 exceeds the $1 million 
deduction limitation described in section 162(m)(1).
    (B) Conclusion. The $500,000 not deductible under section 162(m) 
is not taken into account for purposes of determining the amount of 
remuneration paid by ATEO 1. Thus, ATEO 1 is generally treated as 
paying $1.5 million of remuneration to Employee A for the 2021 
taxable year ($1 million salary from CORP 1 + $500,000 salary from 
ATEO 1). However, for purposes of determining ATEO 1's five highest-
compensated employees for the 2021 applicable year, ATEO 1 is 
treated as paying $2 million of remuneration to Employee A ($1 
million salary from CORP 1 that is deductible under section 162(m) + 
$500,000 salary from CORP 1 that is not deductible under section 
162(m) + $500,000 salary from ATEO 1).

    (g) Examples. The following examples illustrate the rules of this 
section. For purposes of these examples, assume any entity referred to 
as ``ATEO'' is an ATEO, any entity referred to as ``CORP'' is not an 
ATEO, and all entities use a calendar year taxable year.

    (1) Example 1 (Account balance plan)--(i) Facts. Employee A is a 
covered employee of ATEO 1. Employee A participates in a 
nonqualified deferred compensation plan (the NQDC plan) in which the 
account balance is adjusted based on the investment returns on 
predetermined actual investments. On January 1, 2021, ATEO 1 credits 
$100,000 to Employee A's account under the plan, subject to the 
requirement that Employee A remain employed through June 30, 2023. 
On June 30, 2023, the vested account balance is $110,000. Due to 
earnings or losses on the account balance, the closing account 
balance on each of the following dates is: $115,000 on December 31, 
2023, $120,000 on

[[Page 35780]]

December 31, 2024, $100,000 on December 31, 2025, and $110,000 on 
December 31, 2026. During 2027, Employee A defers an additional 
$10,000 under the plan, all of which is vested at the time of 
deferral. On December 31, 2027, the closing account balance is 
$125,000. In 2028, ATEO 1 distributes $10,000 to Employee A under 
the plan. On December 31, 2028, the closing account balance is 
$135,000 due to earnings on the account balance.
    (ii) Conclusion (2021 and 2022 applicable years--nonvested 
amounts). For 2021 and 2022, ATEO 1 pays Employee A no remuneration 
attributable to Employee A's participation in the NQDC plan because 
the amount deferred under the plan remains subject to a substantial 
risk of forfeiture within the meaning of section 457(f)(3)(B).
    (iii) Conclusion (2023 applicable year--amounts in year of 
vesting). For 2023, ATEO 1 pays Employee A $115,000 of remuneration 
attributable to Employee A's participation in the NQDC plan, 
including $110,000 of remuneration on June 30, 2023, when the 
vesting condition is met and the amount is no longer subject to a 
substantial risk of forfeiture within the meaning of section 
457(f)(3)(B), and an additional $5,000 of earnings on the previously 
paid remuneration ($110,000) on December 31, 2023.
    (iv) Conclusion (2024 applicable year--earnings). For 2024, ATEO 
1 pays Employee A $5,000 of remuneration, the additional earnings on 
the previously paid remuneration ($115,000) as of December 31, 2024.
    (v) Conclusion (2025 applicable year--losses). For 2025, ATEO 1 
pays Employee A no remuneration attributable to Employee A's 
participation in the NQDC plan since the vested present value of the 
previously paid remuneration ($120,000) decreased to $100,000 as of 
December 31, 2025. The $20,000 loss for 2025 does not reduce any 
amount previously treated as remuneration but is available for 
carryover to subsequent taxable years to offset earnings.
    (vi) Conclusion (2026 applicable year--recovery of losses). For 
2026, ATEO 1 pays Employee A no remuneration attributable to 
Employee A's participation in the NQDC plan because the vested 
present value of the previously paid remuneration ($120,000) was 
$110,000 as of December 31, 2026. Due to increases on the account 
balance, ATEO 1 recovers $10,000 of the $20,000 of losses carried 
over from 2025. The net losses as of December 31, 2026, are $10,000, 
and none of the $10,000 in earnings during 2026 is remuneration paid 
in 2026.
    (vii) Conclusion (2027 applicable year--no recovery of losses 
against additional deferrals of compensation). For 2027, ATEO 1 pays 
Employee A $10,000 of remuneration attributable to Employee A's 
participation in the NQDC plan. The additional $10,000 deferral is 
not subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture within the meaning 
of section 457(f)(3)(B) and thus is remuneration paid on the date 
credited to Employee A's account. This credit increases the amount 
of previously paid remuneration from $120,000 to $130,000. 
Additionally, due to earnings, ATEO 1 recovers $5,000 of the $10,000 
loss carried over from 2026, none of which was remuneration for 
2025, so that, as of December 31, 2027, the net loss available for 
carryover to 2028, is $5,000.
    (viii) Conclusion (2028 applicable year--distributions, recovery 
of remainder of losses through earnings and additional earnings). 
For 2028, ATEO 1 pays Employee A $15,000 in remuneration 
attributable to Employee A's participation in the NQDC plan. The 
$10,000 distribution reduces the amount of previously paid 
remuneration (from $130,000 to $120,000) and the account balance 
(from $125,000 to $115,000). The vested present value of the account 
balance increases by $20,000 (from $115,000 to $135,000) as of 
December 31, 2028. Therefore, due to earnings, ATEO 1 recovers the 
remaining $5,000 loss carried over from 2027 (the difference between 
the $120,000 previously paid remuneration before earnings and the 
$115,000 account balance before earnings) and pays Employee A an 
additional $15,000 of remuneration as earnings (the difference 
between the $135,000 account balance after earnings and the $120,000 
previously paid remuneration after loss recovery).
    (2) Example 2 (Nonaccount balance plan with earnings)--(i) 
Facts. ATEO 2 and CORP 2 are related organizations. Employee B is a 
covered employee of ATEO 2 and is also employed by CORP 2. On 
January 1, 2021, CORP 2 and Employee B enter into an agreement (the 
agreement) under which CORP 2 will pay Employee B $100,000 on 
December 31, 2024, if B remains employed by CORP 2 through January 
1, 2023. Employee B remains employed by CORP 2 through January 1, 
2023. On January 1, 2023, the present value based on reasonable 
actuarial assumptions of the $100,000 to be paid on December 31, 
2024, is $75,000. On December 31, 2023, the vested present value 
increases to $85,000 due solely to the passage of time. On December 
31, 2024, CORP 2 pays Employee B $100,000.
    (ii) Conclusion (2021 and 2022 applicable years--nonvested 
amounts). For 2021 and 2022, CORP 2 pays Employee B no remuneration 
under the agreement because the amount deferred under the agreement 
remains subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture within the 
meaning of section 457(f)(3)(B).
    (iii) Conclusion (2023 applicable year--amounts in year of 
vesting). For 2023, CORP 2 pays Employee B $75,000 in remuneration 
under the agreement on January 1, 2023, which is the vested present 
value on that date of $100,000 payable on December 31, 2024. In 
addition, CORP 2 pays Employee B $10,000 in remuneration under the 
agreement on December 31, 2023, as earnings based on the increase in 
the vested present value of the previously paid remuneration (from 
$75,000 to $85,000) as of December 31, 2023.
    (iv) Conclusion (2024 applicable year--earnings and distribution 
of previously paid remuneration). For 2024, CORP 2 pays Employee B 
$15,000 in remuneration under the agreement on December 31, 2024, as 
earnings based on the increase in the vested present value of the 
previously paid remuneration (from $85,000 to $100,000) as of 
December 31, 2024. In addition, the $100,000 distribution is treated 
as reducing the amount of previously paid remuneration ($100,000) to 
zero.
    (3) Example 3 (Treatment of amount payable as present value at 
vesting)--(i) Facts. Employee C is a covered employee of ATEO 3. 
ATEO 3 uses a calendar year taxable year. Employee C participates in 
a nonqualified deferred compensation plan (the NQDC plan) under 
which ATEO 3 agrees to pay Employee C $100,000 two months after the 
date a specified performance goal that is a substantial risk of 
forfeiture within the meaning of section 457(f)(3)(B) is met. 
Employee C meets the performance goal on November 30, 2022. In 
accordance with Sec.  53.4960-2(d)(2), because the payment is to be 
made within 90 days of vesting, ATEO 3 elects to treat the payment 
amount as the amount paid at vesting.
    (ii) Conclusion (2022 applicable year--election to treat amount 
payable within 90 days as paid at vesting). For taxable year 2022, 
ATEO 3 pays Employee C $100,000 of remuneration attributable to 
Employee C's participation in the NQDC plan. Employee C vests in the 
$100,000 payment in 2022 upon meeting the performance goal. Under 
the general rule, ATEO 3 would be required to treat the present 
value as of November 30, 2022, of $100,000 payable in 2023 (two 
months after the date of vesting) as paid in 2022, the difference 
between that amount and the present value as of December 31, 2022, 
as earnings for 2022, and the difference between $100,000 and the 
present value as of December 31, 2022, as earnings for 2023. 
However, because ATEO 3 treated the amount of remuneration payable 
within 90 days of vesting as the amount paid at vesting in 2022, the 
entire $100,000 payable to Employee C in 2023 is treated as 
remuneration paid in 2022.
    (4) Example 4 (Aggregation of pay from related organizations)--
(i) Facts. Employee D is a covered employee of ATEO 4 and also an 
employee of CORP 4 and CORP 5. ATEO 4, CORP 4, and CORP 5 are 
related organizations. ATEO 4, CORP 4, and CORP 5 each pay Employee 
D $200,000 of salary during 2022 and 2023. On January 1, 2022, ATEO 
4 promises to pay Employee D $120,000 on December 31, 2023, under a 
nonaccount balance plan, the present value of which is $100,000 on 
January 1, 2022, and both CORP 4 and CORP 5 contribute $100,000 on 
Employee D's behalf to an account balance plan. On December 31, 
2022, the present value of the plan maintained by ATEO 4 is 
$110,000, the present value of the plan maintained by CORP 4 is 
$120,000, and the present value of the plan maintained by CORP 5 is 
$90,000. On December 31, 2023, the present value of the plan 
maintained by ATEO 4 is $120,000, the present value of the plan 
maintained by CORP 4 is $130,000, and the present value of the plan 
maintained by CORP 5 is $110,000.
    (ii) Conclusion (2022 applicable year). For 2022, before 
aggregation of remuneration paid by related organizations, ATEO 4 
paid Employee D $310,000 of remuneration ($200,000 salary + $100,000 
upon vesting + $10,000 net earnings). CORP 4 paid Employee D 
$320,000 of remuneration ($200,000 salary + $100,000 upon vesting +

[[Page 35781]]

$20,000 net earnings). CORP 5 paid Employee D $300,000 of 
remuneration ($200,000 salary + $100,000 upon vesting) and has 
$10,000 of net losses, which are carried forward to 2023. Thus, ATEO 
4 is treated as paying $930,000 of remuneration to Employee D for 
the applicable year.
    (iii) Conclusion (2023 applicable year). For 2023, before 
aggregation of remuneration paid by related organizations, ATEO 4 
paid Employee D $210,000 of remuneration ($200,000 salary + $10,000 
earnings). CORP 4 paid Employee D $210,000 of remuneration ($200,000 
salary + $10,000 net earnings). CORP 5 paid Employee D $300,000 of 
remuneration ($200,000 salary + $10,000 net earnings after taking 
into account the loss carryforward). Thus, ATEO 4 is treated as 
paying $630,000 of remuneration to Employee D for the applicable 
year.


Sec.  53.4960-3  Determination of whether there is a parachute payment.

    (a) Parachute payment--(1) In general. Except as otherwise provided 
in paragraph (a)(2) of this section (relating to payments excluded from 
the definition of a parachute payment), parachute payment means any 
payment in the nature of compensation made by an ATEO (or a predecessor 
of the ATEO) or a related organization to (or for the benefit of) a 
covered employee if the payment is contingent on the employee's 
separation from employment with the employer, and the aggregate present 
value of the payments in the nature of compensation to (or for the 
benefit of) the individual that are contingent on the separation equals 
or exceeds an amount equal to 3-times the base amount.
    (2) Exclusions. The following payments are not parachute payments:
    (i) Certain qualified plans. A payment that is a contribution to or 
a distribution from a plan described in section 401(a) that includes a 
trust exempt from tax under section 501(a), an annuity plan described 
in section 403(a), a simplified employee pension (as defined in section 
408(k)), or a simple retirement account described in section 408(p);
    (ii) Certain annuity contracts. A payment made under or to an 
annuity contract described in section 403(b) or a plan described in 
section 457(b);
    (iii) Compensation for medical services. A payment made to a 
licensed medical professional for the performance of medical services 
performed by such professional; and
    (iv) Payments to non-HCEs. A payment made to an individual who is 
not a highly compensated employee (HCE) as defined in paragraph (a)(3) 
of this section.
    (3) Determination of HCEs for purposes of the exclusion from 
parachute payments. For purposes of this section, highly compensated 
employee or HCE means, with regard to an ATEO that maintains a 
qualified retirement plan or other employee benefit plan described in 
Sec.  1.414(q)-1T, Q/A-1, any person who is a highly compensated 
employee within the meaning of section 414(q) and, with regard to an 
ATEO that does not maintain such a plan, any person who would be a 
highly compensated employee within the meaning of section 414(q) if the 
ATEO did maintain such a plan. For purposes of determining the group of 
highly compensated employees for a determination year, consistent with 
Sec.  1.414(q)-1T, Q/A-14(a)(1), the determination year calculation is 
made on the basis of the applicable plan year under Sec.  1.414(q)-1T, 
Q/A-14(a)(2) of the plan or other entity for which a determination is 
made, and the look-back year calculation is made on the basis of the 
twelve-month period immediately preceding that year. For an ATEO that 
does not maintain a plan described in Sec.  1.414(q)-1T, Q/A-1, the 
rules are applied by analogy, substituting the calendar year for the 
plan year. Thus, for example, in 2021, an ATEO that does not maintain 
such a plan must use its employees' 2020 annual compensation (as 
defined in Sec.  1.414(q)-1T, Q/A-1, including any of the safe harbor 
definitions if applied consistently to all employees) to determine 
which employees are HCEs for 2021, if any, for purposes of section 
4960. If an employee is an HCE at the time of separation from 
employment, then for purposes of section 4960 any parachute payment 
that is contingent on the separation from employment (as defined in 
paragraph (d) of this section) is treated as paid to an HCE so that the 
exception from the term parachute payment under paragraph (a)(2)(iv) of 
this section does not apply, even if the payment occurs during one or 
more later taxable years (that is, taxable years after the taxable year 
during which the employee separated from employment).
    (b) Payment in the nature of compensation--(1) In general. Any 
payment--in whatever form--is a payment in the nature of compensation 
if the payment arises out of an employment relationship, including 
holding oneself out as available to perform services and refraining 
from performing services. Thus, for example, a payment made under a 
covenant not to compete or a similar arrangement is a payment in the 
nature of compensation. A payment in the nature of compensation 
includes (but is not limited to) wages and salary, bonuses, severance 
pay, fringe benefits, life insurance, pension benefits, and other 
deferred compensation (including any amount characterized by the 
parties as interest or earnings thereon). A payment in the nature of 
compensation also includes cash when paid, the value of the right to 
receive cash, the value of accelerated vesting, or a transfer of 
property. The vesting of an option, stock appreciation right, or 
similar form of compensation as a result of a covered employee's 
separation from employment is a payment in the nature of compensation. 
However, a payment in the nature of compensation does not include 
attorney's fees or court costs paid or incurred in connection with the 
payment of any parachute payment or a reasonable rate of interest 
accrued on any amount during the period the parties contest whether a 
parachute payment will be made.
    (2) Consideration paid by covered employee. Any payment in the 
nature of compensation is reduced by the amount of any money or the 
fair market value of any property (owned by the covered employee 
without restriction) that is (or will be) transferred by the covered 
employee in exchange for the payment.
    (c) When payment is considered to be made--(1) In general. A 
payment in the nature of compensation is considered made in the taxable 
year in which it is includible in the covered employee's gross income 
or, in the case of fringe benefits and other benefits that are 
excludible from income, in the taxable year the benefits are received. 
In the case of taxable non-cash fringe benefits provided in a calendar 
year, payment is considered made on the date or dates the employer 
chooses, but no later than December 31 of the calendar year in which 
the benefits are provided, except that when the fringe benefit is the 
transfer of personal property (either tangible or intangible) of a kind 
normally held for investment or the transfer of real property, payment 
is considered made on the actual date of transfer. If the fringe 
benefit is neither a transfer of personal property nor a transfer of 
real property, the employer may, in its discretion, treat the value of 
the benefit actually provided during the last two months of the 
calendar year as paid during the subsequent calendar year. However, an 
employer that treats the value of a benefit paid during the last two 
months of a calendar year as paid during the subsequent calendar year 
under this rule must treat the value of that fringe benefit as paid 
during the subsequent calendar year with respect to all employees who 
receive it.
    (2) Transfers of section 83 property. A transfer of property in 
connection with the performance of services that is subject to section 
83 is considered a

[[Page 35782]]

payment made in the taxable year in which the property is transferred 
or would be includible in the gross income of the covered employee 
under section 83, disregarding any election made by the employee under 
section 83(b) or (i). Thus, in general, such a payment is considered 
made at the later of the date the property is transferred (as defined 
in Sec.  1.83-3(a)) to the covered employee or the date the property 
becomes substantially vested (as defined in Sec. Sec.  1.83-3(b) and 
(j)). The amount of the payment is the compensation as determined under 
section 83, disregarding any amount includible in income pursuant to an 
election made by an employee under section 83(b).
    (3) Stock options and stock appreciation rights. An option 
(including an option to which section 421 applies) is treated as 
property that is transferred when the option becomes vested (regardless 
of whether the option has a readily ascertainable fair market value as 
defined in Sec.  1.83-7(b)). For purposes of determining the timing and 
amount of any payment related to the option, the principles of Sec.  
1.280G-1, Q/A-13 and any method prescribed by the Commissioner in 
published guidance of general applicability under Sec.  601.601(d)(2) 
apply.
    (d) Payment contingent on an employee's separation from 
employment--(1) In general. A payment is contingent on an employee's 
separation from employment if the facts and circumstances indicate that 
the employer would not make the payment in the absence of the 
employee's involuntary separation from employment. A payment generally 
would be made in the absence of the employee's involuntary separation 
from employment if it is substantially certain at the time of the 
involuntary separation from employment that the payment would be made 
whether or not the involuntary separation occurred. A payment the right 
to which is not subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture within the 
meaning of section 457(f)(3)(B) at the time of an involuntary 
separation from employment generally is a payment that would have been 
made in the absence of an involuntary separation from employment (and 
is therefore not contingent on a separation from employment), except 
that the increased value of an accelerated payment of a vested amount 
described in paragraph (f)(3) of this section resulting from an 
involuntary separation from employment is not treated as a payment that 
would have been made in the absence of an involuntary separation from 
employment. A payment the right to which is no longer subject to a 
substantial risk of forfeiture within the meaning of section 
457(f)(3)(B) as a result of an involuntary separation from employment, 
including a payment the vesting of which is accelerated due to the 
separation from employment as described in paragraph (f)(3) of this 
section, is not treated as a payment that would have been made in the 
absence of an involuntary separation from employment (and thus is 
contingent on a separation from employment). A payment does not fail to 
be contingent on a separation from employment merely because the 
payment is conditioned upon the execution of a release of claims, 
noncompetition or nondisclosure provisions, or other similar 
requirements. See paragraph (d)(3) of this section for the treatment of 
a payment made pursuant to a covenant not to compete. If, after an 
involuntary separation from employment, the former employee continues 
to provide certain services as a nonemployee, payments for services 
rendered as a nonemployee are not payments that are contingent on a 
separation from employment to the extent those payments are reasonable 
and are not made on account of the involuntary separation from 
employment. Whether services are performed as an employee or 
nonemployee depends upon all the facts and circumstances. See Sec.  
53.4960-1(e). For rules on determining whether payments are reasonable 
compensation for services, the rules of Sec.  1.280G-1, Q/A-40 through 
Q/A-42 (excluding Q/A-40(b) and Q/A-42(b)), and Q/A-44 are applied by 
analogy (substituting involuntary separation from employment for change 
in ownership or control).
    (2) Employment agreements--(i) In general. If a covered employee 
involuntarily separates from employment before the end of a contract 
term and is paid damages for breach of contract pursuant to an 
employment agreement, the payment of damages is treated as a payment 
that is contingent on a separation from employment. An employment 
agreement is an agreement between an employee and employer that 
describes, among other things, the amount of compensation or 
remuneration payable to the employee for services performed during the 
term of the agreement.
    (ii) Example. The following example illustrates the rules of this 
paragraph (d)(2). For purposes of this example, assume any entity 
referred to as ``ATEO'' is an ATEO.

    (A) Example--(1) Facts. Employee A, a covered employee, has a 
three-year employment agreement with ATEO 1. Under the agreement, 
Employee A will receive a salary of $200,000 for the first year and, 
for each succeeding year, an annual salary that is $100,000 more 
than the previous year. The agreement provides that, in the event of 
A's involuntary separation from employment without cause, Employee A 
will receive the remaining salary due under the agreement. At the 
beginning of the second year of the agreement, ATEO 1 involuntarily 
terminates Employee A's employment without cause and pays Employee A 
$700,000 representing the remaining salary due under the employment 
agreement ($300,000 for the second year of the agreement plus 
$400,000 for the third year of the agreement).
    (2) Conclusion. The $700,000 payment is treated as a payment 
that is contingent on a separation from employment.

    (3) Noncompetition agreements. A payment under an agreement 
requiring a covered employee to refrain from performing services (for 
example, a covenant not to compete) is a payment that is contingent on 
a separation from employment if the payment would not have been made in 
the absence of an involuntary separation from employment. For example, 
a payment contingent on compliance in whole or in part with a covenant 
not to compete negotiated as part of a severance arrangement arising 
from an involuntary separation from employment is contingent on a 
separation from employment. Similarly, one or more payments contingent 
on compliance in whole or in part with a covenant not to compete not 
negotiated as part of a severance arrangement arising from an 
involuntary separation from employment but that provides for a payment 
specific to an involuntary separation from employment (and not 
voluntary separation from employment) is contingent on a separation 
from employment. Payments made under an agreement requiring a covered 
employee to refrain from performing services that are contingent on 
separation from employment are not treated as paid in exchange for the 
performance of services and are not excluded from parachute payments.
    (4) Payment of amounts previously included in income or excess 
remuneration. Actual or constructive payment of an amount that was 
previously included in gross income of the employee is not a payment 
contingent on a separation from employment. For example, payment of an 
amount included in income under section 457(f)(1)(A) due to the lapsing 
of a substantial risk of forfeiture on a date before the separation 
from employment generally is not a payment that is contingent on a 
separation from employment, even if the amount is paid in cash or 
otherwise to the employee because of the separation from

[[Page 35783]]

employment. In addition, actual or constructive receipt of an amount 
treated as excess remuneration under Sec.  53.4960-4(a)(1) is not a 
payment that is contingent on a separation from employment (and thus is 
not a parachute payment), even if the amount is paid to the employee 
because of the separation from employment.
    (5) Window programs. A payment under a window program is contingent 
on a separation from employment. A window program is a program 
established by an employer in connection with an impending separation 
from employment to provide separation pay if the program is made 
available by the employer for a limited period of time (no longer than 
12 months) to employees who separate from employment during that period 
or to employees who separate from service during that period under 
specified circumstances. A payment made under a window program is 
treated as a payment that is contingent on an employee's separation 
from employment notwithstanding that the employee may not have had an 
involuntary separation from employment.
    (6) Anti-abuse provision. Notwithstanding paragraphs (d)(1) through 
(5) of this section, if the facts and circumstances demonstrate that 
either the vesting or the payment of an amount (whether before or after 
an employee's involuntary separation from employment) would not have 
occurred but for the involuntary nature of the separation from 
employment, the payment of the amount is contingent on a separation 
from employment. For example, an employer's exercise of discretion to 
accelerate vesting of an amount shortly before an involuntary 
separation from employment may indicate that the acceleration of 
vesting was due to the involuntary nature of the separation from 
employment and was therefore contingent on the employee's separation 
from employment. Similarly, payment of an amount in excess of an amount 
otherwise payable (for example, increased salary), shortly before or 
after an involuntary separation from employment, may indicate that the 
amount was paid because the separation was involuntary and was 
therefore contingent on the employee's separation from employment. If 
an ATEO becomes a predecessor as a result of a reorganization or other 
transaction described in Sec.  53.4960-1(h), any payment to an employee 
by a successor organization that is contingent on the employee's 
separation from employment with the predecessor ATEO is treated as paid 
by the predecessor ATEO.
    (e) Involuntary separation from employment--(1) In general. 
Involuntary separation from employment means a separation from 
employment due to the independent exercise of the employer's unilateral 
authority to terminate the employee's services, other than due to the 
employee's implicit or explicit request, if the employee was willing 
and able to continue performing services as an employee. An involuntary 
separation from employment may include an employer's failure to renew a 
contract at the time the contract expires, provided that the employee 
was willing and able to execute a new contract providing terms and 
conditions substantially similar to those in the expiring contract and 
to continue providing services. The determination of whether a 
separation from employment is involuntary is based on all the facts and 
circumstances.
    (2) Separation from employment for good reason--(i) In general. 
Notwithstanding paragraph (e)(1) of this section, an employee's 
voluntary separation from employment is treated as an involuntary 
separation from employment if the separation occurs under certain bona 
fide conditions (referred to herein as a separation from employment for 
good reason).
    (ii) Material negative change required. A separation from 
employment for good reason is treated as an involuntary separation from 
employment if the relevant facts and circumstances demonstrate that it 
was the result of unilateral employer action that caused a material 
negative change to the employee's relationship with the employer. 
Factors that may provide evidence of such a material negative change 
include a material reduction in the duties to be performed, a material 
negative change in the conditions under which the duties are to be 
performed, or a material reduction in the compensation to be received 
for performing such services.
    (iii) Deemed material negative change. An involuntary separation 
from employment due to a material negative change is deemed to occur if 
the separation from employment occurs within two years following the 
initial existence of one or more of the following conditions arising 
without the consent of the employee:
    (A) Material diminution of compensation. A material diminution in 
the employee's base compensation;
    (B) Material diminution of responsibility. A material diminution in 
the employee's authority, duties, or responsibilities;
    (C) Material diminution of authority of supervisor. A material 
diminution in the authority, duties, or responsibilities of the 
supervisor to whom the employee is required to report, including a 
requirement that an employee report to a corporate officer or employee 
instead of reporting directly to the board of directors (or similar 
governing body) of an organization;
    (D) Material diminution of budget. A material diminution in the 
budget over which the employee retains authority;
    (E) Material change of location. A material change in the 
geographic location at which the employee must perform services; or
    (F) Other material breach. Any other action or inaction that 
constitutes a material breach by the employer of the agreement under 
which the employee provides services.
    (3) Separation from employment. Except as otherwise provided in 
this paragraph, separation from employment has the same meaning as 
separation from service as defined in Sec.  1.409A-1(h). Pursuant to 
Sec.  1.409A-1(h), an employee generally separates from employment with 
the employer if the employee dies, retires, or otherwise has a 
termination of employment with the employer or experiences a sufficient 
reduction in the level of services provided to the employer. For 
purposes of applying the rules regarding reductions in the level of 
services set forth in the definition of termination of employment in 
Sec.  1.409A-1(h)(1)(ii), the rules are modified for purposes of this 
paragraph such that an employer may not set the level of the 
anticipated reduction in future services that will give rise to a 
separation from employment, meaning that the default percentages set 
forth in Sec.  1.409A-1(h)(1)(ii) apply in all circumstances. Thus, an 
anticipated reduction of the level of service of less than 50 percent 
is not treated as a separation from employment, an anticipated 
reduction of more than 80 percent is treated as a separation from 
employment, and the treatment of an anticipated reduction between those 
two levels is determined based on the facts and circumstances. The 
measurement of the anticipated reduction of the level of service is 
based on the average level of service for the prior 36 months (or 
shorter period for an employee employed for less than 36 months). In 
addition, an employee's separation from employment is determined 
without regard to Sec.  1.409A-1(h)(2) and (5) (application to 
independent contractors), since, for purposes of this section, only an

[[Page 35784]]

employee may have a separation from employment, and a change from bona 
fide employee status to bona fide independent contractor status is also 
a separation from employment. See Sec.  53.4960-2(a)(1) regarding the 
treatment of an employee who also serves as a director of a corporation 
(or in a substantially similar position). The definition of separation 
from employment also incorporates the rules under Sec.  1.409A-
1(h)(1)(i) (addressing leaves of absence, including military leaves of 
absence), Sec.  1.409A-1(h)(4) (addressing asset purchase 
transactions), and Sec.  1.409A-1(h)(6) (addressing employees 
participating in collectively bargained plans covering multiple 
employers). The definition further incorporates the rules of Sec.  
1.409A-1(h)(3), under which an employee separates from employment only 
if the employee has a separation from employment with the employer and 
all employers that would be considered a single employer under sections 
414(b) and (c), except that the ``at least 80 percent'' rule under 
sections 414(b) and (c) is used, rather than replacing it with ``at 
least 50 percent.'' However, for purposes of determining whether there 
has been a separation from employment, a purported ongoing employment 
relationship between a covered employee and an ATEO or a related 
organization is disregarded if the facts and circumstances demonstrate 
that the purported employment relationship is not bona fide, or the 
primary purpose of the establishment or continuation of the 
relationship is avoidance of the application of section 4960.
    (f) Accelerated payment or accelerated vesting resulting from an 
involuntary separation from employment--(1) In general. If a payment or 
the lapse of a substantial risk of forfeiture is accelerated as a 
result of an involuntary separation from employment, generally only the 
value due to the acceleration of payment or vesting is treated as 
contingent on a separation from employment, as described in paragraphs 
(f)(3) and (4) of this section, except as otherwise provided in this 
paragraph (f). For purposes of this paragraph (f), the terms vested and 
substantial risk of forfeiture have the same meaning as provided in 
Sec.  53.4960-2(c)(2).
    (2) Nonvested payments subject to a non-service vesting condition. 
If (without regard to a separation from employment) vesting of a 
payment would depend on an event other than the performance of 
services, such as the attainment of a performance goal, and that 
vesting event does not occur prior to the employee's separation from 
employment and the payment vests due to the employee's involuntary 
separation from employment, the full amount of the payment is treated 
as contingent on the separation from employment.
    (3) Vested payments. If an involuntary separation from employment 
accelerates actual or constructive payment of an amount that previously 
vested without regard to the separation, the portion of the payment, if 
any, that is contingent on the separation from employment is the amount 
by which the present value of the accelerated payment exceeds the 
present value of the payment absent the acceleration. The payment of an 
amount otherwise due upon a separation from employment (whether 
voluntary or involuntary) is not treated as an acceleration of the 
payment unless the payment timing was accelerated due to the 
involuntary nature of the separation from employment. If the value of 
the payment absent the acceleration is not reasonably ascertainable, 
and the acceleration of the payment does not significantly increase the 
present value of the payment absent the acceleration, the present value 
of the payment absent the acceleration is the amount of the accelerated 
payment (so the amount contingent on the separation from employment is 
zero). If the present value of the payment absent the acceleration is 
not reasonably ascertainable but the acceleration significantly 
increases the present value of the payment, the future value of the 
payment contingent on the separation from employment is treated as 
equal to the amount of the accelerated payment. For purposes of this 
paragraph (f)(3), the acceleration of a payment by 90 days or less is 
not treated as significantly increasing the present value of the 
payment. For rules on determining present value, see paragraph (f)(6) 
and paragraphs (h), (i) and (j) of this section.
    (4) Nonvested payments subject to a service vesting condition--(i) 
In general. If an involuntary separation from employment accelerates 
vesting of a payment, the portion of the payment that is contingent on 
separation from employment is the amount described in paragraph (f)(3) 
of this section (if any) plus the value of the lapse of the obligation 
to continue to perform services described in paragraph (f)(4)(ii) of 
this section (but the amount cannot exceed the amount of the 
accelerated payment, or, if the payment is not accelerated, the present 
value of the payment), to the extent that all of the following 
conditions are satisfied with respect to the payment:
    (A) Vesting trigger. The payment vests as a result of an 
involuntary separation from employment;
    (B) Vesting condition. Disregarding the involuntary separation from 
employment, the vesting of the payment was contingent only on the 
continued performance of services for the employer for a specified 
period of time; and
    (C) Services condition. The payment is attributable, at least in 
part, to the performance of services before the date the payment is 
made or becomes certain to be made.
    (ii) Value of the lapse of the obligation to continue to perform 
services. The value of the lapse of the obligation to continue to 
perform services is one percent of the amount of the accelerated 
payment multiplied by the number of full months between the date that 
the employee's right to receive the payment is vested and the date 
that, absent the acceleration, the payment would have been vested. This 
paragraph (f)(4)(ii) applies to the accelerated vesting of a payment in 
the nature of compensation even if the time when the payment is made is 
not accelerated. In that case, the value of the lapse of the obligation 
to continue to perform services is one percent of the present value of 
the future payment multiplied by the number of full months between the 
date that the individual's right to receive the payment is vested and 
the date that, absent the acceleration, the payment would have been 
vested.
    (iii) Accelerated vesting of equity compensation. For purposes of 
this paragraph (f)(4), the acceleration of the vesting of a stock 
option or stock appreciation right (or similar arrangement) or the 
lapse of a restriction on restricted stock or a restricted stock unit 
(or a similar arrangement) is considered to significantly increase the 
value of the payment.
    (5) Application to benefits under a nonqualified deferred 
compensation plan. In the case of a payment of benefits under a 
nonqualified deferred compensation plan, paragraph (f)(3) of this 
section applies to the extent benefits under the plan are vested 
without regard to the involuntary separation from employment, but the 
payment of benefits is accelerated due to the involuntary separation 
from employment. Paragraph (f)(4) of this section applies to the extent 
benefits under the plan are subject to the conditions described in 
paragraph (f)(4)(i) of this section. For any other payment of benefits 
under a nonqualified deferred compensation plan (such as a contribution 
made due to the employee's involuntary

[[Page 35785]]

separation from employment), the full amount of the payment is 
contingent on the employee's separation from employment.
    (6) Present value. For purposes of this paragraph (f), the present 
value of a payment is determined based on the payment date absent the 
acceleration and the date on which the accelerated payment is scheduled 
to be made. The amount that is treated as contingent on the separation 
from employment is the amount by which the present value of the 
accelerated payment exceeds the present value of the payment absent the 
acceleration.
    (7) Examples. See Sec.  1.280G Q/A-24(f) for examples that may be 
applied by analogy to illustrate the rules of this paragraph (f).
    (g) Three-times-base-amount test for parachute payments--(1) In 
general. To determine whether payments in the nature of compensation 
made to a covered employee that are contingent on the covered employee 
separating from employment with the ATEO are parachute payments, the 
aggregate present value of the payments must be compared to the 
individual's base amount. To do this, the aggregate present value of 
all payments in the nature of compensation that are made or to be made 
to (or for the benefit of) the same covered employee by an ATEO (or any 
predecessor of the ATEO) or related organization and that are 
contingent on the separation from employment must be determined. If 
this aggregate present value equals or exceeds the amount equal to 3-
times the individual's base amount, the payments are parachute 
payments. If this aggregate present value is less than the amount equal 
to 3-times the individual's base amount, the payments are not parachute 
payments. See paragraphs (f)(6), (h), (i), and (j) of this section for 
rules on determining present value.
    (2) Examples. The following examples illustrate the rules of this 
paragraph (g). For purposes of these examples, assume any entity 
referred to as ``ATEO'' is an ATEO.

    (i) Example 1 (Parachute payment)--(A) Facts. Employee A is a 
covered employee and an HCE of ATEO 1. Employee A's base amount is 
$200,000. Payments in the nature of compensation that are contingent 
on a separation from employment with ATEO 1 totaling $800,000 are 
made to Employee A on the date of Employee A's separation from 
employment.
    (B) Conclusion. The payments are parachute payments because they 
have an aggregate present value at the time of the separation from 
employment of $800,000, which is at least equal to 3-times Employee 
A's base amount of $200,000 (3 x $200,000 = $600,000).
    (ii) Example 2 (No parachute payment)--(A) Facts. Assume the 
same facts as in paragraph (g)(2)(i) of this section (Example 1), 
except that the payments contingent on Employee A's separation from 
employment total $580,000.
    (B) Conclusion. Because the aggregate present value of the 
payments ($580,000) is not at least equal to 3-times Employee A's 
base amount ($600,000), the payments are not parachute payments.

    (h) Calculating present value--(1) In general. Except as otherwise 
provided in this paragraph (h), for purposes of determining if a 
payment contingent on a separation from employment exceeds 3-times the 
base amount, the present value of a payment is determined as of the 
date of the separation from employment or, if the payment is made prior 
to that date, the date on which the payment is made.
    (2) Deferred payments. For purposes of determining whether a 
payment is a parachute payment, if a payment in the nature of 
compensation is the right to receive payments in a year (or years) 
subsequent to the year of the separation from employment, the value of 
the payment is the present value of the payment (or payments) 
calculated on the basis of reasonable actuarial assumptions and using 
the applicable discount rate for the present value calculation that is 
determined in accordance with paragraph (i) of this section.
    (3) Health care. If the payment in the nature of compensation is an 
obligation to provide health care (including an obligation to purchase 
or provide health insurance), then, for purposes of this paragraph (h) 
and for applying the 3-times-base-amount test under paragraph (g) of 
this section, the present value of the obligation is calculated in 
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. For purposes 
of paragraph (g) of this section and this paragraph (h), the obligation 
to provide health care is permitted to be measured by projecting the 
cost of premiums for health care insurance, even if no health care 
insurance is actually purchased. If the obligation to provide health 
care is made in coordination with a health care plan that the employer 
makes available to a group, then the premiums used for purposes of this 
paragraph (h)(3) may be the allocable portion of group premiums.
    (i) Discount rate. Present value generally is determined by using a 
discount rate equal to 120 percent of the applicable Federal rate 
(determined under section 1274(d) and the regulations in part 1 under 
section 1274(d)), compounded semiannually. The applicable Federal rate 
to be used is the Federal rate that is in effect on the date as of 
which the present value is determined, using the period until the 
payment is expected to be made as the term of the debt instrument under 
section 1274(d). See paragraph (h) of this section for rules with 
respect to the date as of which the present value is determined. 
However, for any payment, the employer and the covered employee may 
elect to use the applicable Federal rate that is in effect on the date 
on which the parties entered into the contract that provides for the 
payment if that election is set forth in writing in the contract.
    (j) Present value of a payment to be made in the future that is 
contingent on an uncertain future event or condition--(1) Treatment 
based on the estimated probability of payment. In certain cases, it may 
be necessary to apply the 3-times-base-amount test to a payment that is 
contingent on separation from employment at a time when the aggregate 
present value of all the payments is uncertain because the time, 
amount, or right to receive one or more of the payments is also 
contingent on the occurrence of an uncertain future event or condition. 
In that case, the employer must reasonably estimate whether it will 
make the payment. If the employer reasonably estimates there is a 50-
percent or greater probability that it will make the payment, the full 
amount of the payment is considered for purposes of the 3-times-base-
amount test and the allocation of the base amount. If the employer 
reasonably estimates there is a less than 50-percent probability that 
the payment will be made, the payment is not considered for either 
purpose.
    (2) Correction of incorrect estimates. If an ATEO later determines 
that an estimate it made under paragraph (j)(1) of this section was 
incorrect, it must reapply the 3-times-base-amount test to reflect the 
actual time and amount of the payment. In reapplying the 3-times-base-
amount test (and, if necessary, reallocating the base amount), the ATEO 
must determine the aggregate present value of payments paid or to be 
paid as of the date described in paragraph (h) of this section using 
the discount rate described in paragraph (i) of this section. This 
redetermination may affect the amount of any excess parachute payment 
for a prior taxable year. However, if, based on the application of the 
3-times-base-amount test without regard to the payment described in 
this paragraph (j), an ATEO has determined it will pay an employee an 
excess parachute payment or payments, then the 3-times-base-amount test 
does not have to be reapplied when a payment

[[Page 35786]]

described in this paragraph (j) is made (or becomes certain to be made) 
if no base amount is allocated to that payment under Sec.  53.4960-
4(d)(6).
    (3) Initial option value estimate. To the extent provided in 
published guidance of general applicability under Sec.  601.601(d)(2), 
an initial estimate of the value of an option subject to paragraph (c) 
of this section is permitted to be made, with the valuation 
subsequently redetermined and the 3-times-base-amount test reapplied. 
Until guidance is published under section 4960, published guidance of 
general applicability described in Sec.  601.601(d)(2) that is issued 
under section 280G applies by analogy.
    (4) Examples. See Sec.  1.280G-1, Q/A-33(d) for examples that may 
be applied by analogy to illustrate the rules of this paragraph (j).
    (k) Base amount--(1) In general. A covered employee's base amount 
is the average annual compensation for services performed as an 
employee of the ATEO (including compensation for services performed for 
a predecessor of the ATEO), and/or, if applicable, a related 
organization, with respect to which there has been a separation from 
employment, if the compensation was includible in the gross income of 
the individual for taxable years in the base period (including amounts 
that were excluded under section 911) or that would have been 
includible in the individual's gross income if the individual had been 
a United States citizen or resident. See paragraph (l) of this section 
for the definition of base period and for examples of base amount 
computations.
    (2) Short or incomplete taxable years. If the base period of a 
covered employee includes a short taxable year or less than all of a 
taxable year of the employee, compensation for the short or incomplete 
taxable year must be annualized before determining the average annual 
compensation for the base period. In annualizing compensation, the 
frequency with which payments are expected to be made over an annual 
period must be taken into account. Thus, any amount of compensation for 
a short or incomplete taxable year that represents a payment that will 
not be made more often than once per year is not annualized.
    (3) Excludable fringe benefits. Because the base amount includes 
only compensation that is includible in gross income, the base amount 
does not include certain items that may constitute parachute payments. 
For example, payments in the form of excludible fringe benefits or 
excludible health care benefits are not included in the base amount but 
may be treated as parachute payments.
    (4) Section 83(b) income. The base amount includes the amount of 
compensation included in income under section 83(b) during the base 
period.
    (l) Base period--(1) In general. The base period of a covered 
employee is the covered employee's five most recent taxable years 
ending before the date on which the separation from employment occurs. 
However, if the covered employee was not an employee of the ATEO for 
this entire five-year period, the individual's base period is the 
portion of the five-year period during which the covered employee 
performed services for the ATEO, a predecessor, or a related 
organization.
    (2) Determination of base amount if employee separates from 
employment in the year hired. If a covered employee commences services 
as an employee and experiences a separation from employment in the same 
taxable year, the covered employee's base amount is the annualized 
compensation for services performed for the ATEO (or a predecessor or 
related organization) that was not contingent on the separation from 
employment and either was includible in the employee's gross income for 
that portion of the employee's taxable year prior to the employee's 
separation from employment (including amounts that were excluded under 
section 911) or would have been includible in the employee's gross 
income if the employee had been a United States citizen or resident.
    (3) Examples. The following examples illustrate the rules of 
paragraph (k) of this section and this paragraph (l). For purposes of 
these examples, assume any entity referred to as ``ATEO'' is an ATEO, 
any entity referred to as ``CORP'' is not an ATEO, and all employees 
are HCEs of their respective employers.

    (i) Example 1 (Calculation with salary deferrals)--(A) Facts. 
Employee A, a covered employee of ATEO 1, receives an annual salary 
of $500,000 per year during the five-year base period. Employee A 
defers $100,000 of salary each year under a nonqualified deferred 
compensation plan (none of which is includible in Employee A's 
income until paid in cash to Employee A).
    (B) Conclusion. Employee A's base amount is $400,000 (($400,000 
x 5) / 5).
    (ii) Example 2 (Calculation for less-than-five-year base 
period)--(A) Facts. Employee B, a covered employee of ATEO 1, was 
employed by ATEO 1 for two years and four months preceding the year 
in which Employee B separates from employment. Employee B's 
compensation includible in gross income was $100,000 for the four-
month period, $420,000 for the first full year, and $450,000 for the 
second full year.
    (B) Conclusion. Employee B's base amount is $390,000 (((3 x 
$100,000) + $420,000 + $450,000) / 3). Any compensation Employee B 
receives in the year of separation from employment is not included 
in the base amount calculation.
    (iii) Example 3 (Calculation for less-than-five-year base period 
with signing bonus)--(A) Facts. Assume the same facts as in 
paragraph (l)(3)(ii)(A) of this section (Example 2), except that 
Employee B also received a $60,000 signing bonus when Employee B's 
employment with ATEO 1 commenced at the beginning of the four-month 
period.
    (B) Conclusion. Employee B's base amount is $410,000 ((($60,000 
+ (3 x $100,000)) + $420,000 + $450,000) / 3). Pursuant to paragraph 
(k)(2) of this section, because the bonus is a payment that will not 
be paid more often than once per year, the bonus is not taken into 
account in annualizing Employee B's compensation for the four-month 
period.
    (iv) Example 4 (Effect of non-employee compensation)--(A) Facts. 
Employee C, a covered employee of ATEO 1, was not an employee of 
ATEO 1 for the full five-year base period. In 2024 and 2025, 
Employee C is only a director of ATEO 1 and receives $30,000 per 
year for services as a director. On January 1, 2026, Employee C 
becomes an officer and covered employee of ATEO 1. Employee C's 
includible compensation for services as an officer of ATEO 1 is 
$250,000 for each of 2026 and 2027, and $300,000 for 2028. In 2028, 
Employee C separates from employment with ATEO 1.
    (B) Conclusion. Employee C's base amount is $250,000 ((2 x 
$250,000) / 2). The $30,000 received in each of 2024 and 2025 is not 
included in Employee C's base amount calculation because it was not 
for services performed as an employee of ATEO 1.


Sec.  53.4960-4   Liability for tax on excess remuneration and excess 
parachute payments.

    (a) Liability, reporting, and payment of excise taxes--(1) 
Liability. For each taxable year, with respect to each covered 
employee, the taxpayer is liable for tax at the rate imposed under 
section 11 on the sum of the excess remuneration allocated to the 
taxpayer under paragraph (c) of this section with respect to any 
applicable year ending with or within the taxable year and, if the 
taxpayer is an ATEO, any excess parachute payment paid by the taxpayer 
or a predecessor during the taxable year.
    (2) Reporting and payment. Taxes imposed under paragraph (a)(1) of 
this section are reported and paid in the form and manner prescribed by 
the Commissioner.
    (3) Arrangements between an ATEO and a related organization. 
Calculation of, and liability for, the excise tax based on excess 
remuneration or an excess parachute payment in accordance with 
paragraph (a) of this section is separate from, and unaffected by, any

[[Page 35787]]

arrangement that an ATEO and any related organization may have for 
bearing the cost of any excise tax liability under section 4960.
    (b) Amounts subject to tax--(1) Excess remuneration--(i) In 
general. Excess remuneration means the amount of remuneration paid by 
an ATEO to any covered employee during an applicable year in excess of 
$1 million, as determined under Sec.  53.4960-2.
    (ii) Exclusion for excess parachute payments. Excess remuneration 
does not include any amount that is an excess parachute payment as 
defined in paragraph (b)(2) of this section.
    (2) Excess parachute payment. Excess parachute payment means an 
amount equal to the excess (if any) of the amount of any parachute 
payment paid by an ATEO, a predecessor of the ATEO, or a related 
organization, or on behalf of an any such person, during the taxable 
year over the portion of the base amount allocated to such payment.
    (c) Calculation of liability for tax on excess remuneration--(1) In 
general. If, for the taxable year, remuneration paid during an 
applicable year by more than one employer to a covered employee is 
taken into account in determining the tax imposed on excess 
remuneration for such taxable year, then the taxpayer is liable for the 
tax in an amount which bears the same ratio to the total tax determined 
under section 4960(a) as the amount of remuneration paid by the 
taxpayer (as an employer) to the covered employee (including 
remuneration deemed paid by the employer under Sec.  53.4960-2(b)(1), 
but disregarding remuneration treated as paid by the employer under 
Sec.  53.4960-2(b)(2)), bears to the total amount of remuneration paid 
by the ATEO under Sec.  53.4960-2 (including remuneration treated as 
paid by the ATEO under Sec.  53.4960-2(b)(2)). This process is repeated 
for each ATEO of which the employee is a covered employee, 
notwithstanding paragraph (c)(2) of this section.
    (2) Calculation of the tax for overlapping groups of related 
organizations--(i) In general. If, with respect to a covered employee, 
a taxpayer is liable for the excise tax on excess remuneration in its 
capacity both as an ATEO and as a related organization, or as an 
organization that is related to more than one ATEO, then, with respect 
to the covered employee, the taxpayer is liable for the excise tax only 
in the capacity in which it is liable for the greatest amount of excise 
tax for the taxable year, whether as an ATEO or as a related 
organization. For example, assume ATEO 1 is a related organization to 
both ATEO 2 and ATEO 3 and pays excess remuneration to Employee D, and 
Employee D is a covered employee of ATEO 1, ATEO 2, and ATEO 3. In this 
case, ATEO 1's liability for excise tax on excess remuneration to 
Employee D is the highest of its liability as an ATEO, as a related 
organization to ATEO 2, or as a related organization to ATEO 3.
    (ii) Calculation when an ATEO has a short applicable year. If an 
ATEO has a short applicable year under Sec.  53.4960-1(c)(3), then a 
related organization must determine the capacity in which it is liable 
for the greatest amount of excise tax for the taxable year under 
paragraph (c)(2)(i) of this section by comparing its liability for the 
short applicable year with its liability for any other related ATEO's 
applicable year (and, if the related organization is also an ATEO, its 
own applicable year) beginning or ending on the same date as the short 
applicable year, as appropriate.
    (3) Examples. The following examples illustrate the rules of this 
paragraph (c). For purposes of these examples, assume that the rate of 
excise tax under section 4960 is 21 percent, that any entity that is 
referred to as ``ATEO'' is an ATEO, that any entity referred to as 
``CORP'' is not an ATEO and is not a publicly held corporation or a 
covered health insurance provider within the meaning of section 
162(m)(2) or (m)(6)(C) respectively, and that no parachute payments are 
made in any of the years at issue.

    (i) Example 1 (Remuneration from multiple employers)--(A) Facts. 
ATEO 1 and CORP 1 are related organizations. Employee A is a covered 
employee of ATEO 1 and an employee of CORP 1. In the 2021 applicable 
year, ATEO 1 pays Employee A $1.2 million of remuneration, and CORP 
1 pays A $800,000 of remuneration.
    (B) Conclusion. For the 2021 applicable year, ATEO 1 is treated 
as paying Employee A $2 million of remuneration, $1 million of which 
is excess remuneration. The total excise tax is $210,000 (21 percent 
x $1 million). ATEO 1 paid \3/5\ of Employee A's total remuneration 
($1.2 million / $2 million); thus, ATEO 1 is liable for \3/5\ of the 
excise tax, which is $126,000. CORP 1 paid \2/5\ of Employee A's 
total remuneration ($800,000 / $2 million); thus, CORP 1 is liable 
for \2/5\ of the excise tax, which is $84,000.
    (ii) Example 2 (Multiple liabilities for same applicable year 
due to overlapping related organization groups)--(A) Facts. The 
following facts are all with respect to the 2021 applicable year: 
ATEO 5 owns 60 percent of the stock of CORP 2. Sixty percent of ATEO 
4's directors are representatives of ATEO 3. In addition, 60 percent 
of ATEO 5's directors are representatives of ATEO 4, but none are 
representatives of ATEO 3. Employee B is a covered employee of ATEO 
3, ATEO 4, and ATEO 5 and is an employee of CORP 2. ATEO 3, ATEO 4, 
ATEO 5, and CORP 2 each pay Employee B $1.2 million of remuneration 
in the applicable year. ATEO 4's related organizations are ATEO 3 
and ATEO 5. ATEO 3's only related organization is ATEO 4. ATEO 5's 
related organizations are ATEO 4 and CORP 2.
    (B) Calculation (ATEO 3). Under ATEO 3's calculation as an ATEO, 
ATEO 3 is treated as paying Employee B a total of $2.4 million in 
remuneration ($1.2 million from ATEO 3 + $1.2 million from ATEO 4). 
The total excise tax is $294,000 (21 percent x $1.4 million). ATEO 3 
and ATEO 4 each paid \1/2\ of Employee B's total remuneration ($1.2 
million / $2.4 million); thus, under ATEO 3's calculation, ATEO 3 
and ATEO 4 each would be liable for \1/2\ of the excise tax, which 
is $147,000.
    (C) Calculation (ATEO 4). Under ATEO 4's calculation as an ATEO, 
ATEO 4 is treated as paying Employee B a total of $3.6 million in 
remuneration for the 2021 applicable year ($1.2 million from ATEO 3 
+ $1.2 million from ATEO 4 + $1.2 million from ATEO 5). The total 
excise tax is $546,000 (21 percent x $2.6 million). ATEO 3, ATEO 4, 
and ATEO 5 each paid \1/3\ of the total remuneration to Employee B 
($1.2 million / $3.6 million); thus, under ATEO 4's calculation, 
ATEO 3, ATEO 4, and ATEO 5 each would be liable for \1/3\ of the 
excise tax, which is $182,000.
    (D) Calculation (ATEO 5). Under ATEO 5's calculation as an ATEO, 
ATEO 5 is treated as paying Employee B a total of $3.6 million in 
remuneration ($1.2 million from ATEO 4 + $1.2 million from ATEO 5 + 
$1.2 million from CORP 2). The total excise tax is $546,000 (21 
percent x $2.6 million). ATEO 4, ATEO 5, and CORP 2 each paid \1/3\ 
of the total remuneration to Employee B ($1.2 million / $3.6 
million); thus, under ATEO 5's calculation, ATEO 4, ATEO 5, and CORP 
2 each would be liable for \1/3\ of the excise tax, which is 
$182,000.
    (E) Conclusion (Liability of ATEO 3). ATEO 3 is liable for 
$182,000 of excise tax as a related organization under ATEO 4's 
calculation, which is greater than the $147,000 of excise tax ATEO 3 
calculated under ATEO 3's own calculation. Thus, ATEO 3's excise tax 
liability is $182,000.
    (F) Conclusion (Liability of ATEO 4). ATEO 4 is liable as a 
related organization for $147,000 of excise tax according to ATEO 
3's calculation, for $182,000 according to ATEO 4's own calculation, 
and for $182,000 according to ATEO 5's calculation. Thus, ATEO 4's 
excise tax liability is $182,000.
    (G) Conclusion (Liability of ATEO 5). ATEO 5 is liable as a 
related organization for $182,000 of excise tax under ATEO 4's 
calculation and is liable for $182,000 of excise tax under ATEO 5's 
own calculation. Thus, ATEO 5's excise tax liability is $182,000.
    (H) Conclusion (Liability of CORP 2). CORP 2 is liable as a 
related organization for $182,000 of excise tax according to ATEO 
5's calculation. Thus, CORP 2's excise tax liability is $182,000.
    (iii) Example 3 (Liabilities for a short applicable year 
resulting from a termination of ATEO status)--(A) Facts. ATEO 6 and 
CORP 3 are related organizations that use a calendar year taxable 
year. Employee C is a covered employee of ATEO 6 and an

[[Page 35788]]

employee of CORP 3. ATEO 6 has a termination of ATEO status on June 
30, 2022. From January 1 through June 30, 2022, ATEO 6 paid Employee 
C $1 million of remuneration and CORP 3 paid Employee C $1 million 
of remuneration. From July 1 through December 31, 2022, ATEO 6 paid 
Employee C no remuneration and CORP 3 paid Employee C $1 million of 
remuneration.
    (B) Conclusion (ATEO 6). For ATEO 6's taxable year starting 
January 1, 2022, and ending June 30, 2022, ATEO 6 is treated as 
paying $2 million of remuneration to Employee C ($1 million from 
ATEO 6 + $1 million from CORP 3), $1 million of which is excess 
remuneration. ATEO 6 is thus liable for \1/2\ of the excise tax, 
which is $105,000 ($500,000 x 21 percent).
    (C) Conclusion (CORP 3). For CORP 3's taxable year starting 
January 1, 2022, and ending December 31, 2022, only ATEO 6's 
applicable year ending June 30 ends with or within the taxable year. 
CORP 3 is allocated liability for the tax with respect to 
remuneration treated as paid by ATEO 6 during its applicable year 
starting January 1, 2022 and ending June 30, 2022. CORP 3 is thus 
liable for \1/2\ of the excise tax, which is $105,000 ($500,000 x 21 
percent).
    (iv) Example 4 (Multiple liabilities where there is a short 
applicable year resulting from a termination of ATEO status)--(A) 
Facts. Assume the same facts as in paragraph (c)(3)(iii) of this 
section (Example 3), except that ATEO 7 is also a related 
organization of ATEO 6 and CORP 3 and paid Employee C $1 million of 
remuneration between January 1, 2022, and June 30, 2022. ATEO 7 also 
paid Employee C $1 million of remuneration between July 1 and 
December 31, 2022.
    (B) Calculation (ATEO 6). Under ATEO 6's calculation as an ATEO, 
ATEO 6 is treated as paying Employee C a total of $3 million in 
remuneration for the applicable year starting January 1, 2022, and 
ending June 30, 2022 ($1 million from ATEO 6 + $1 million from ATEO 
7 + $1 million from CORP 3), $2 million of which is excess 
remuneration. The total excise tax is $420,000 (21 percent x $2 
million). ATEO 6, ATEO 7, and CORP 3 each paid \1/3\ of the total 
remuneration to Employee C ($1 million / $3 million); thus, under 
ATEO 6's calculation, ATEO 6, ATEO 7, and CORP 3 each would be 
liable for \1/3\ of the excise tax, which is $140,000.
    (C) Calculation (ATEO 7). Under ATEO 7's calculation as an ATEO, 
ATEO 7 is treated as paying Employee C a total of $5 million in 
remuneration for the applicable year starting January 1, 2022, and 
ending December 31, 2022 ($1 million from ATEO 6 + $2 million from 
ATEO 7 + $2 million from CORP 3), $4 million of which is excess 
remuneration. The total excise tax is $840,000 (21 percent x $4 
million). ATEO 6 paid \1/5\ of the total remuneration to Employee C 
($1 million / $5 million), and ATEO 7 and CORP 3 each paid \2/5\ of 
the total remuneration ($2 million / $5 million; thus, under ATEO 
7's calculation, ATEO 6 would be liable for \1/5\ of the excise tax, 
which is $168,000, and ATEO 7 and CORP 3 each would be liable for 
\2/5\ of the excise tax, which is $336,000.
    (D) Conclusion (Liability of ATEO 6, ATEO 7, and CORP 3). Only 
ATEO 6's applicable year starting January 1, 2022 and ending June 
30, 2022, ended with or within ATEO 6's taxable year starting 
January 1, 2022, and ending June 30, 2022; thus, ATEO 6 is liable 
for $140,000 of excise tax under ATEO 6's own calculation.
    (E) Conclusion (Liability of ATEO 7). ATEO 7 is liable as a 
related organization for $140,000 of excise tax according to ATEO 
6's calculation for the applicable year ending June 30, 2022, but is 
liable for $336,000 according to ATEO 7's own calculation for the 
applicable year ending December 31, 2022. Thus, ATEO 7's excise tax 
liability is $336,000.
    (F) Conclusion (Liability of CORP 3). CORP 3 is liable as a 
related organization for $140,000 of excise tax according to ATEO 
6's calculation for the applicable year ending June 30, 2022, but is 
liable for $336,000 according to ATEO 7's calculation for the 
applicable year ending December 31, 2022. Thus, CORP 3's excise tax 
liability is $336,000.
    (v) Example 5 (Liability when there are multiple applicable 
years for a taxable year)--(A) Facts. Assume the same facts as in 
paragraph (c)(3)(iii) of this section (Example 3), except that ATEO 
6, and CORP 3 each use a taxable year that starts on October 1 and 
ends on September 30. In 2021, ATEO 6 paid C $2 million and CORP 3 
paid Employee C $2 million.
    (B) Conclusion (ATEO 6). For ATEO 6's taxable year starting 
October 1, 2021, and ending June 30, 2022 (the date of termination 
of ATEO status), two applicable years end with or within the taxable 
year. Thus, ATEO 6 must determine the amount of remuneration that it 
is treated as paying for each separate applicable year. For the 2021 
applicable year (full year), ATEO 6 is treated as paying $4 million 
of remuneration to Employee C ($2 million from ATEO 6 + $2 million 
from CORP 3), $3 million of which is excess remuneration. ATEO 6 is 
thus liable for $315,000, which is \1/2\ of the overall excise tax 
($3 million excess remuneration x 21 percent = $630,000 x \1/2\). 
For the 2022 applicable year (January 1 through June 30), ATEO 6 is 
treated as paying $2 million of remuneration to Employee C ($1 
million from ATEO 6 + $1 million from CORP 3), $1 million of which 
is excess remuneration. ATEO 6 is thus liable for $105,000, which is 
\1/2\ of the overall excise tax ($1 million excess remuneration x 21 
percent = $210,000 x \1/2\). Accordingly, ATEO 6 is liable for 
$420,000 total excise tax for the taxable year starting October 1, 
2021, and ending June 30, 2022
    (C) Conclusion (CORP 3). For CORP 3's taxable year starting 
October 1, 2021, and ending September 30, 2022, both of ATEO 6's 
most recent applicable years end with or within its taxable year. 
CORP 3 is allocated liability for the tax with regard to 
remuneration treated as paid by ATEO 6 during both applicable years. 
CORP 3 is thus liable for \1/2\ of the excise tax for the 2021 
applicable year, which is $315,000 ($3 million x 21 percent = 
$630,000 x \1/2\), and \1/2\ of the excise tax for the 2022 
applicable year, which is $105,000 ($1 million x 21 percent = 
$210,000 x \1/2\).

    (d) Calculation of liability for excess parachute payments--(1) In 
general. Except as provided in paragraph (d)(4) of this section, only 
excess parachute payments made by or on behalf of an ATEO are subject 
to tax under this section. However, parachute payments made by related 
organizations that are not made by or on behalf of an ATEO are taken 
into account for purposes of determining the total amount of excess 
parachute payments.
    (2) Computation of excess parachute payments--(i) Calculation. The 
amount of an excess parachute payment is the excess of the amount of 
any parachute payment made by an ATEO, a predecessor of the ATEO, or a 
related organization, or on behalf of any such person, over the portion 
of the covered employee's base amount that is allocated to the payment. 
The portion of the base amount allocated to any parachute payment is 
the amount that bears the same ratio to the base amount as the present 
value of the parachute payment bears to the aggregate present value of 
all parachute payments made or to be made to (or for the benefit of) 
the same covered employee. Thus, the portion of the base amount 
allocated to any parachute payment is determined by multiplying the 
base amount by a fraction, the numerator of which is the present value 
of the parachute payment and the denominator of which is the aggregate 
present value of all parachute payments.
    (3) Examples. The following examples illustrate the rules of this 
paragraph (d)(2). For purposes of these examples, assume any entity 
referred to as ``ATEO'' is an ATEO and all employees are HCEs of their 
respective employers.

    (i) Example 1 (Compensation from related organizations)--(A) 
Facts. ATEO 1 and ATEO 2 are related organizations. Employee A is a 
covered employee of ATEO 1 and an employee of ATEO 2 who has an 
involuntary separation from employment with ATEO 1 and ATEO 2. 
Employee A's base amount is $200,000 with respect to ATEO 1 and 
$400,000 with respect to ATEO 2. A receives $1 million from ATEO 1 
contingent upon Employee A's involuntary separation from employment 
from ATEO 1 and $1 million contingent upon Employee A's involuntary 
separation from employment from ATEO 2.
    (B) Conclusion. Employee A has a base amount of $600,000 
($200,000 + $400,000). The two $1 million payments are parachute 
payments because their aggregate present value is at least 3-times 
Employee A's base amount (3 x $600,000 = $1.8 million). The portion 
of the base amount allocated to each parachute payment is $300,000 
(($1 million / $2 million) x $600,000). Thus, the amount of each 
excess parachute payment is $700,000 ($1 million-$300,000).
    (ii) Example 2 (Multiple parachute payments)--(A) Facts. 
Employee B is a covered employee of ATEO 3 with a base amount of 
$200,000 who is entitled to receive

[[Page 35789]]

two parachute payments: One of $200,000 and the other of $900,000. 
The $200,000 payment is made upon separation from employment, and 
the $900,000 payment is to be made on a date in a future taxable 
year. The present value of the $900,000 payment is $800,000 as of 
the date of the separation from employment.
    (B) Conclusion. The portion of the base amount allocated to the 
first payment is $40,000 (($200,000 present value of the parachute 
payment / $1 million present value of all parachute payments) x 
$200,000 total base amount) and the portion of the base amount 
allocated to the second payment is $160,000 (($800,000 present value 
of the parachute payment / $1 million present value of all parachute 
payments) x $200,000 total base amount), respectively. Thus, the 
amount of the first excess parachute payment is $160,000 ($200,000-
$40,000) and that the amount of the second excess parachute payment 
is $740,000 ($900,000-$160,000).

    (4) Reallocation when the payment is disproportionate to base 
amount. In accordance with section 4960(d), the Commissioner may treat 
a parachute payment as paid by an ATEO if the facts and circumstances 
indicate that the ATEO and other payors of parachute payments 
structured the payments in a manner primarily to avoid liability under 
section 4960. For example, if an ATEO would otherwise be treated as 
paying a portion of an excess parachute payment in an amount that is 
materially lower in proportion to the total excess parachute payment 
than the proportion that the amount of average annual compensation paid 
by the ATEO (or any predecessor) during the base period bears to the 
total average annual compensation paid by the ATEO (or any predecessor) 
and any related organization (or organizations), and the lower amount 
is offset by payments from a non-ATEO or an unrelated ATEO, this may 
indicate that that the parachute payments were structured in a manner 
primarily to avoid liability under section 4960.
    (5) Election to prepay tax. An ATEO may prepay the excise tax under 
paragraph (a)(1) of this section on any excess parachute payment for 
the taxable year of the separation from employment or any later taxable 
year before the taxable year in which the parachute payment is actually 
or constructively paid. However, an employer may not prepay the excise 
tax on a payment to be made in cash if the present value of the payment 
is not reasonably ascertainable under Sec.  31.3121(v)(2)-1(e)(4) or on 
a payment related to health coverage. Any prepayment must be based on 
the present value of the excise tax that would be due for the taxable 
year in which the employer will pay the excess parachute payment, and 
be calculated using the discount rate equal to 120 percent of the 
applicable Federal rate (determined under section 1274(d) and the 
regulations in part 1 under section 1274) and the tax rate in effect 
under section 11 for the year in which the excise tax is paid. For 
purposes of projecting the future value of a payment that provides for 
interest to be credited at a variable interest rate, the employer may 
make a reasonable assumption regarding the variable rate. An employer 
is not required to adjust the excise tax paid merely because the actual 
future interest rates are not the same as the rate used for purposes of 
projecting the future value of the payment.
    (6) Liability after a redetermination of total parachute payments. 
If an ATEO determines that an estimate made under Sec.  53.4960-3(j)(1) 
was incorrect, it must reapply the 3-times-base-amount test to reflect 
the actual time and amount of the payment. In reapplying the 3-times-
base-amount test (and, if necessary, reallocating the base amount), the 
ATEO must determine the correct base amount allocable to any parachute 
payment paid in the taxable year. See Sec.  1.280G-1, Q/A-33(d) for 
examples that may be applied by analogy to illustrate the rules of this 
paragraph (d)(6).
    (7) Examples. The following examples illustrate the rules of this 
paragraph (d). For purposes of these examples, assume any entity 
referred to as ``ATEO'' is an ATEO, any entity referred to as ``CORP'' 
is not an ATEO, and all employees are HCEs of their respective 
employers.

    (i) Example 1 (Excess parachute payment paid by a non-ATEO)--(A) 
Facts. ATEO 1 and CORP 1 are related organizations that are treated 
as the same employer for purposes of Sec.  53.4960-3(e)(3) (defining 
separation from employment) and are both calendar year taxpayers. 
For 2021 through 2025, ATEO 1 and CORP 1 each pay Employee A 
$250,000 of compensation per year for services performed as an 
employee of each organization ($500,000 total per year). In 2026, 
ATEO 1 and CORP 1 each pay Employee A a $1 million payment ($2 
million total) that is contingent on Employee A's separation from 
employment with both ATEO 1 and CORP 1, all of which is 
remuneration, and no other compensation. Employee A is a covered 
employee of ATEO 1 in 2026.
    (B) Conclusion. Employee A's base amount in 2026 is $500,000 
(Employee A's average annual compensation from both ATEO 1 and CORP 
1 for the previous five years). ATEO 1 makes a parachute payment of 
$2 million in 2026, the amount paid by both ATEO 1 and CORP 1 that 
is contingent on Employee A's separation from employment with ATEO 1 
and all organizations that are treated as the same employer under 
Sec.  53.4960-3(e)(3). Employee A's $2 million payment exceeds 3-
times the base amount ($1.5 million). ATEO 1 makes a $1.5 million 
excess parachute payment (the amount by which $2 million exceeds the 
$500,000 base amount). However, ATEO 1 is liable for tax only on the 
excess parachute payment paid by ATEO 1 ($1 million parachute 
payment-$250,000 base amount = $750,000) that is subject to tax 
under Sec.  53.4960-4(a). CORP 1 is not liable for tax under Sec.  
53.4960-4(a) in 2026.
    (ii) Example 2 (Election to prepay tax on excess parachute 
payments and effect on excess remuneration)--(A) Facts. Employee B 
is a covered employee of ATEO 2 with a base amount of $200,000 who 
is entitled to receive two parachute payments from ATEO 2, one of 
$200,000 and the other of $900,000. The $200,000 payment is made 
upon separation from employment, and the $900,000 payment is to be 
made on a date in a future taxable year. The present value of the 
$900,000 payment is $800,000 as of the date of the separation from 
employment. ATEO 2 elects to prepay the excise tax on the $900,000 
future parachute payment (of which $740,000 is an excess parachute 
payment). The tax rate under section 11 is 21 percent for the 
taxable year the excise tax is paid and, using a discount rate 
determined under Sec.  53.4960-3(i), the present value of the 
$155,400 ($740,000 x 21 percent) excise tax on the $740,000 future 
excess parachute payment is $140,000.
    (B) Conclusion. The excess parachute payment is thus $800,000 
($200,000 plus $800,000 present value of the $900,000 future 
payment, less $200,000 base amount), with $40,000 of the base amount 
allocable to the $200,000 payment and $160,000 of the base amount 
allocable to the $900,000 payment. To prepay the excise tax on the 
$740,000 future excess parachute payment, the employer must satisfy 
its $140,000 obligation under section 4960 with respect to the 
future payment, in addition to the $33,600 excise tax ($160,000 x 21 
percent) on the $160,000 excess parachute payment made upon 
separation from employment. For purposes of determining the amount 
of excess remuneration (if any) under section 4960(a)(1), the amount 
of remuneration paid by the employer to the covered employee for the 
taxable year of the separation from employment is reduced by the 
$900,000 of total excess parachute payments ($160,000 + $740,000).


Sec.  53.4960-5   Applicability date.

    (a) General applicability date. Sections 53.4960-0 through 53.4950-
4 apply to taxable years beginning after December 31 of the [calendar 
year in which the Treasury decision adopting these rules as final 
regulations is published in the Federal Register].

Sunita Lough,
Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement.
[FR Doc. 2020-11859 Filed 6-5-20; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 4830-01-P