Contributions for yourself.

The annual limits on your contributions to a common-law employee's SEP-IRA also apply to contributions you make to your own SEP-IRA. However, special rules apply when figuring your maximum deductible contribution. See Deduction Limit for Self-Employed Individuals, later.

Annual compensation limit.

You can't consider the part of an employee's compensation over $330,000 when figuring your contribution limit for that employee. However, $66,000 is the maximum contribution for an eligible employee. These limits increase to $345,000 and $69,000, respectively, in 2024.

More than one plan.

If you contribute to a defined contribution plan (defined in chapter 4), annual additions to an account are limited to the lesser of $66,000 or 100% of the participant's compensation. When you figure this limit, you must add your contributions to all defined contribution plans maintained by you. Because a SEP is considered a defined contribution plan for this limit, your contributions to a SEP must be added to your contributions to other defined contribution plans you maintain.

Tax treatment of excess contributions.

Excess contributions are your contributions to an employee's SEP-IRA (or to your own SEP-IRA) for 2023 that exceed the lesser of the following amounts.

Reporting on Form W-2.

Don't include SEP contributions on your employee's Form W-2 unless contributions were made under a salary reduction arrangement (discussed later).

Excise tax.

If you made nondeductible (excess) contributions to a SEP, you may be subject to a 10% excise tax. For information about the excise tax, see Excise Tax for Nondeductible (Excess) Contributions under Employer Deduction in chapter 4.

Catch-up contributions.

A SARSEP can permit participants who are age 50 or over at the end of the calendar year to also make catch-up contributions. The catch-up contribution limit is $7,500 for 2023 and 2024. Elective deferrals aren't treated as catch-up contributions for 2023 until they exceed the elective deferral limit (the lesser of 25% of compensation, or $22,500), the SARSEP ADP test limit discussed earlier, or the plan limit (if any). However, the catch-up contribution a participant can make for a year can't exceed the lesser of the following amounts.

Catch-up contributions aren't subject to the elective deferral limit (the lesser of 25% of compensation, or $22,500 in 2023 and $23,000 in 2024).

Overall limit on SEP contributions.

If you also make nonelective contributions to a SEP-IRA, the total of the nonelective and elective contributions to that SEP-IRA can't exceed the lesser of 25% of the employee's compensation, or $66,000 for 2023 ($69,000 for 2024). The same rule applies to contributions you make to your own SEP-IRA. See Contribution Limits, earlier.

Figuring the elective deferral.

For figuring the 25% limit on elective deferrals, compensation doesn't include SEP contributions, including elective deferrals or other amounts deferred in certain employee benefit plans.

Excess deferrals.

For 2023, excess deferrals are the elective deferrals for the year that are more than the $22,500 limit discussed earlier. For a participant who is eligible to make catch-up contributions, excess deferrals are the elective deferrals that are more than $30,000. The treatment of excess deferrals made under a SARSEP is similar to the treatment of excess deferrals made under a qualified plan. See Treatment of Excess Deferrals under Elective Deferrals (401(k) Plans) in chapter 4.

Excess SEP contributions.

Excess SEP contributions are elective deferrals of highly compensated employees that are more than the amount permitted under the SARSEP ADP test. You must notify your highly compensated employees within 2½ months after the end of the plan year of their excess SEP contributions. If you don't notify them within this time period, you must pay a 10% tax on the excess. For an explanation of the notification requirements, see Revenue Procedure 91-44, 1991-2 C.B. 733. If you adopted a SARSEP using Form 5305A-SEP, the notification requirements are explained in the instructions for that form.

Reporting on Form W-2.

Don’t include elective deferrals in the “Wages, tips, other compensation” box of Form W-2. You must, however, include them in the “Social security wages” and “Medicare wages and tips” boxes. You must also include them in box 12. Check the “Retirement plan” checkbox in box 13. For more information, see the Form W-2 instructions.

Employee limit.

You can set up a SIMPLE IRA plan only if you had 100 or fewer employees who received $5,000 or more in compensation from you for the preceding year. Under this rule, you must take into account all employees employed at any time during the calendar year regardless of whether they are eligible to participate. Employees include self-employed individuals who received earned income and leased employees (defined in chapter 1).

Once you set up a SIMPLE IRA plan, you must continue to meet the 100-employee limit each year you maintain the plan.

Grace period for employers who cease to meet the 100-employee limit.

If you maintain the SIMPLE IRA plan for at least 1 year and you cease to meet the 100-employee limit in a later year, you will be treated as meeting it for the 2 calendar years immediately following the calendar year for which you last met it.

A different rule applies if you don't meet the 100-employee limit because of an acquisition, disposition, or similar transaction. Under this rule, the SIMPLE IRA plan will be treated as meeting the 100-employee limit for the year of the transaction and the 2 following years if both the following conditions are satisfied.

.The grace period for acquisitions, dispositions, and similar transactions also applies if, because of these types of transactions, you don't meet the rules explained under Other qualified plan or Who Can Participate in a SIMPLE IRA Plan, later..

Other qualified plan.

The SIMPLE IRA plan must generally be the only retirement plan to which you make contributions, or to which benefits accrue, for service in any year beginning with the year the SIMPLE IRA plan becomes effective.

Exception.

If you maintain a qualified plan for collective bargaining employees, you are permitted to maintain a SIMPLE IRA plan for other employees.

Eligible employee.

Any employee who received at least $5,000 in compensation during any 2 years preceding the current calendar year and is reasonably expected to receive at least $5,000 during the current calendar year is eligible to participate. The term “employee” includes a self-employed individual who received earned income.

You can use less restrictive eligibility requirements (but not more restrictive ones) by eliminating or reducing the prior year compensation requirements, the current year compensation requirements, or both. For example, you can allow participation for employees who received at least $3,000 in compensation during any preceding calendar year. However, you can't impose any other conditions for participating in a SIMPLE IRA plan.

Excludable employees.

The following employees don't need to be covered under a SIMPLE IRA plan.

Compensation.

Compensation for employees is the total wages, tips, and other compensation from the employer subject to federal income tax withholding and the amounts paid for domestic service in a private home, local college club, or local chapter of a college fraternity or sorority. Compensation also includes the employee's salary reduction contributions made under this plan and, if applicable, elective deferrals under a section 401(k) plan, a SARSEP, or a section 403(b) annuity contract and compensation deferred under a section 457 plan required to be reported by the employer on Form W-2. If you are self-employed, compensation is your net earnings from self-employment (line 4 of Schedule SE (Form 1040) before subtracting any contributions made to the SIMPLE IRA plan for yourself.

Other uses of the forms.

If you set up a SIMPLE IRA plan using Form 5304-SIMPLE or Form 5305-SIMPLE, you can use the form to satisfy other requirements, including the following.

Deadline for setting up a SIMPLE IRA plan.

You can set up a SIMPLE IRA plan effective on any date from January 1 through October 1 of a year, provided you didn't previously maintain a SIMPLE IRA plan. This requirement doesn't apply if you are a new employer that comes into existence after October 1 of the year the SIMPLE IRA plan is set up and you set up a SIMPLE IRA plan as soon as administratively feasible after your business comes into existence. If you previously maintained a SIMPLE IRA plan, you can set up a SIMPLE IRA plan effective only on January 1 of a year. A SIMPLE IRA plan can't have an effective date that is before the date you actually adopt the plan.

Setting up a SIMPLE IRA.

SIMPLE IRAs are the individual retirement accounts or annuities into which the contributions are deposited. A SIMPLE IRA must be set up for each eligible employee. Forms 5305-S, SIMPLE Individual Retirement Trust Account, and 5305-SA, SIMPLE Individual Retirement Custodial Account, are model trust and custodial account documents the participant and the trustee (or custodian) can use for this purpose.

Contributions to a SIMPLE IRA won't affect the amount an individual can contribute to a Roth or traditional IRA.

Deadline for setting up a SIMPLE IRA.

A SIMPLE IRA must be set up for an employee before the first date by which a contribution is required to be deposited into the employee's IRA. See Time limits for contributing funds, later, under Contribution Limits.

Election period.

The election period is generally the 60-day period immediately preceding January 1 of a calendar year (November 2 to December 31 of the preceding calendar year). However, the dates of this period are modified if you set up a SIMPLE IRA plan mid-year (for example, on July 1) or if the 60-day period falls before the first day an employee becomes eligible to participate in the SIMPLE IRA plan.

A SIMPLE IRA plan can provide longer periods for permitting employees to enter into salary reduction agreements or to modify prior agreements. For example, a SIMPLE IRA plan can provide a 90-day election period instead of the 60-day period. Similarly, in addition to the 60-day period, a SIMPLE IRA plan can provide quarterly election periods during the 30 days before each calendar quarter, other than the first quarter of each year.

Salary reduction contributions.

The amount the employee chooses to have you contribute to a SIMPLE IRA on their behalf can't be more than $15,500 for 2023 and increases to $16,000 for 2024. These contributions must be expressed as a percentage of the employee's compensation unless you permit the employee to express them as a specific dollar amount. You can't place restrictions on the contribution amount (such as limiting the contribution percentage), except to comply with the $15,500 limit for 2023 ($16,000 for 2024).

If you or an employee participates in any other qualified plan during the year and you or your employee has salary reduction contributions (elective deferrals) under those plans, the salary reduction contributions under a SIMPLE IRA plan also count toward the overall annual limit ($22,500 for 2023; $23,000 for 2024) on exclusion of salary reduction contributions and other elective deferrals.

Catch-up contributions.

A SIMPLE IRA plan can permit participants who are age 50 or over at the end of the calendar year to also make catch-up contributions. The catch-up contribution limit for SIMPLE IRA plans is $3,500 for 2023 and 2024. Salary reduction contributions aren't treated as catch-up contributions until they exceed $15,500 for 2023 ($16,000 for 2024). However, the catch-up contribution a participant can make for a year can't exceed the lesser of the following amounts.

Employer matching contributions.

You are generally required to match each employee's salary reduction contribution(s) on a dollar-for-dollar basis up to 3% of the employee's compensation, where only employees who have elected to make contributions will receive an employer matching contribution. This requirement doesn't apply if you make nonelective contributions, as discussed later.

Lower percentage.

If you choose a matching contribution less than 3%, the percentage must be at least 1%. You must notify the employees of the lower match within a reasonable period of time before the 60-day election period (discussed earlier) for the calendar year. You can't choose a percentage less than 3% for more than 2 years during the 5-year period that ends with (and includes) the year for which the choice is effective.

Nonelective contributions.

Instead of matching contributions, you can choose to make nonelective contributions of 2% of compensation on behalf of each eligible employee who has at least $5,000 (or some lower amount you select) of compensation from you for the year. If you make this choice, you must make nonelective contributions whether or not the employee chooses to make salary reduction contributions. Only $330,000 of the employee's compensation can be taken into account to figure the contribution limit in 2023 ($345,000 in 2024).

If you choose this 2% contribution formula, you must notify the employees within a reasonable period of time before the 60-day election period (discussed earlier) for the calendar year.

Time limits for contributing funds.

You must make the salary reduction contributions to the SIMPLE IRA within 30 days after the end of the month in which the amounts would have otherwise have been payable to the employee in cash. You must make matching contributions or nonelective contributions by the due date (including extensions) for filing your federal income tax return for the year. Certain plans subject to Department of Labor rules may have an earlier due date for salary reduction contributions.

Reporting on Form W-2.

Don’t include SIMPLE IRA plan contributions in the “Wages, tips, other compensation” box of Form W-2. You must, however, include them in the “Social security wages” and “Medicare wages and tips” boxes. You must also include them in box 12. Check the “Retirement plan” checkbox in box 13. For more information, see the Form W-2 instructions.

More information.

See Pubs. 590-A and 590-B for information about IRA rules, including those on the tax treatment of distributions, rollovers, required distributions, and income tax withholding.

Profit-sharing plan.

Although it is called a profit-sharing plan, you don’t actually have to make a business profit for the year in order to make a contribution (except for yourself if you are self-employed, as discussed under Self-employed individual, later). A profit-sharing plan can be set up to allow for discretionary employer contributions, meaning the amount contributed each year to the plan isn't fixed. An employer may even make no contribution to the plan for a given year.

The plan must provide a definite formula for allocating the contribution among the participants and for distributing the accumulated funds to the employees after they reach a certain age, after a fixed number of years, or upon certain other occurrences.

In general, you can be more flexible in making contributions to a profit-sharing plan than to a money purchase pension plan (discussed next) or a defined benefit plan (discussed later).

Money purchase pension plan.

Contributions to a money purchase pension plan are fixed and aren't based on your business profits. For example, a money purchase pension plan may require that contributions be 10% of the participants' compensation without regard to whether you have profits (or the self-employed person has earned income).

Written plan requirement.

To qualify, the plan you set up must be in writing and must be communicated to your employees. The plan's provisions must be stated in the plan. It isn't sufficient for the plan to merely refer to a requirement of the Internal Revenue Code.

IRS pre-approved plans.

Most qualified plans follow a standard form of plan approved by the IRS. An IRS pre-approved plan is a plan, including a plan covering self-employed individuals, that is made available by a provider for adoption by employers. Under the prior IRS pre-approved plan program, a plan could be a master plan, a prototype plan, or a volume submitter plan. Under the restructured program, the three plan types were combined into one type called a pre-approved plan. IRS pre-approved plans include both standardized plans and nonstandardized plans. An IRS pre-approved plan may use a single funding medium, for example, a trust or custodial account document, for the joint use of all adopting employers or separate funding mediums established for each adopting employer. An IRS pre-approved plan may consist of an adoption agreement plan or a single document plan. For more information about IRS pre-approved plans, see Revenue Procedure 2017-41, 2017-29 I.R.B. 92, available at IRS.gov/irb/2017-29_IRB#RP-2017-41.

Plan providers.

The following organizations can generally provide IRS pre-approved plans.

Individually designed plan.

If you prefer, you can set up an individually designed plan to meet specific needs. Although advance IRS approval is not required, you can apply for approval by paying a fee and requesting a determination letter. You may need professional help for this. See Revenue Procedure 2024-4, 2024-1 I.R.B. 160, available at IRS.gov/irb/2024-4_IRB, as annually updated, that may help you decide whether to apply for approval.

User fee.

The fee mentioned earlier for requesting a determination letter doesn't apply to employers who have 100 or fewer employees who received at least $5,000 of compensation from the employer for the preceding year. At least one of them must be a non-highly compensated employee participating in the plan. The fee doesn't apply to requests made by the later of the following dates.

For more information about whether the user fee applies, see Revenue Procedure 2020-4, 2020-1 I.R.B. 148, available at IRS.gov/irb/2020-01_IRB, as may be annually updated; Notice 2017-1, 2017-2 I.R.B. 367, available at IRS.gov/irb/2017-02_IRB; and Form 8717.

Other plan requirements.

For information on other important plan requirements, see Qualification Rules, earlier in this chapter.

Employer's promissory note.

Your promissory note made out to the plan isn't a payment that qualifies for the deduction. Also, issuing this note is a prohibited transaction subject to tax. See Prohibited Transactions, later.

Defined contribution plans.

The deduction for contributions to a defined contribution plan (profit-sharing plan or money purchase pension plan) can't be more than 25% of the compensation paid (or accrued) during the year to your eligible employees participating in the plan. If you are self-employed, you must reduce this limit in figuring the deduction for contributions you make for your own account. See Deduction Limit for Self-Employed Individuals, later.

When figuring the deduction limit, the following rules apply.

Defined benefit plans.

The deduction for contributions to a defined benefit plan is based on actuarial assumptions and computations. Consequently, an actuary must figure your deduction limit.

.In figuring the deduction for contributions, you can't take into account any contributions or benefits that are more than the limits discussed earlier under Limits on Contributions and Benefits. .

Special rule for self-employed individuals.

The 10% excise tax doesn't apply to any contribution made to meet the minimum funding requirements in a money purchase pension plan or a defined benefit plan. Even if that contribution is more than your earned income from the trade or business for which the plan is set up, the difference isn't subject to this excise tax. See Minimum Funding Requirement, earlier.

Reporting the tax.

You must report the tax on your nondeductible contributions on Form 5330. Form 5330 includes a computation of the tax. See the separate instructions for completing the form.

Catch-up contributions.

A 401(k) plan can permit participants who are age 50 or over at the end of the calendar year to also make catch-up contributions. The catch-up contribution limit is $7,500 for 2023 and 2024. Elective deferrals aren't treated as catch-up contributions for 2023 until they exceed the $22,500 limit ($23,000 limit for 2024), the ADP test limit of section 401(k)(3), or the plan limit (if any). However, the catch-up contributions a participant can make for a year can't exceed the lesser of the following amounts.

Treatment of contributions.

Your contributions to your own 401(k) plan are generally deductible by you for the year they are contributed to the plan. Matching or nonelective contributions made to the plan are also deductible by you in the year of contribution.

Your employees' elective deferrals other than designated Roth contributions are tax free until distributed from the plan. Elective deferrals are included in wages for social security, Medicare, and FUTA taxes.

Forfeiture.

Employees have a nonforfeitable right at all times to their accrued benefit attributable to elective deferrals.

Reporting on Form W-2.

Don't include elective deferrals in the “Wages, tips, other compensation” box of Form W-2. You must, however, include them in the “Social security wages” and “Medicare wages and tips” boxes. You must also include them in box 12. Check the “Retirement plan” checkbox in box 13. For more information, see the Form W-2 instructions.

Eligible automatic contribution arrangement (EACA).

Under an EACA, a participant is treated as having elected to have the employer make contributions in an amount equal to a uniform percentage of compensation. This automatic election will remain in place until the participant specifically elects not to have such deferral percentage made (or elects a different percentage). There is no required deferral percentage.

Withdrawals.

Under an EACA, you may allow participants to withdraw their automatic contributions to the plan if certain conditions are met.

If the plan allows withdrawals under the EACA, the amount of the withdrawal other than the amount of any designated Roth contributions must be included in the employee's gross income for the tax year in which the distribution is made. The additional 10% tax on early distributions won't apply to the distribution.

Notice requirement.

Under an EACA, employees must be given written notice of the terms of the EACA within a reasonable period of time before each plan year. The notice must be written in a manner calculated to be understood by the average employee and be sufficiently accurate and comprehensive in order to apprise the employee of their rights and obligations under the EACA. The notice must include an explanation of the employee's right to elect not to have elective contributions made on their behalf, or to elect a different percentage, and the employee must be given a reasonable period of time after receipt of the notice before the first elective contribution is made. The notice must also explain how contributions will be invested in the absence of an investment election by the employee.

Qualified automatic contribution arrangement (QACA).

A QACA is a type of safe harbor plan. It contains an automatic enrollment feature, and mandatory employer contributions are required. If your plan includes a QACA, it won't be subject to the ADP test (discussed later) or the top-heavy requirements (discussed earlier). Additionally, your plan won't be subject to the ACP test if certain additional requirements are met. Under a QACA, each employee who is eligible to participate in the plan will be treated as having elected to make elective deferral contributions equal to a certain default percentage of compensation. In order to not have default elective deferrals made, an employee must make an affirmative election specifying a deferral percentage (including zero, if desired). If an employee doesn't make an affirmative election, the default deferral percentage must meet the following conditions.

Matching or nonelective contributions.

Under the terms of the QACA, you must make either matching or nonelective contributions according to the following terms.

Vesting requirements.

All accrued benefits attributed to matching or nonelective contributions under the QACA must be 100% vested for all employees who complete 2 years of service. These contributions are subject to special withdrawal restrictions, discussed later.

Notice requirements.

Each employee eligible to participate in the QACA must receive written notice of their rights and obligations under the QACA within a reasonable period before each plan year. The notice must be written in a manner calculated to be understood by the average employee, and it must be accurate and comprehensive. The notice must explain their right to elect not to have elective contributions made on their behalf, or to have contributions made at a different percentage than the default percentage. Additionally, the notice must explain how contributions will be invested in the absence of any investment election by the employee. The employee must have a reasonable period of time after receiving the notice to make such contribution and investment elections prior to the first contributions under the QACA.

If you make nonelective contributions under the QACA and you either don't make any matching contributions or you make matching contributions that are intended to satisfy the ACP test, then this QACA notice requirement doesn’t apply. However, this exception doesn’t apply to the EACA notice requirement, earlier.

Excess withdrawn by April 15.

If the employee takes out the excess deferral by April 15, 2024, it isn't reported again by including it in the employee's gross income for 2024. However, any income earned in 2023 on the excess deferral taken out is taxable in the tax year in which it is taken out. The distribution isn't subject to the additional 10% tax on early distributions.

If the employee takes out part of the excess deferral and the income on it, the distribution is treated as made proportionately from the excess deferral and the income.

Even if the employee takes out the excess deferral by April 15, the amount will be considered for purposes of nondiscrimination testing requirements of the plan, unless the distributed amount is for a non-highly compensated employee who participates in only one employer's 401(k) plan or plans.

Excess not withdrawn by April 15.

If the employee doesn't take out the excess deferral by April 15, 2024, the excess, though taxable in 2023, isn't included in the employee's cost basis in figuring the taxable amount of any eventual distributions under the plan. In effect, an excess deferral left in the plan is taxed twice, once when contributed and again when distributed. Also, if the employee's excess deferral is allowed to stay in the plan and the employee participates in no other employer's plan, the plan can be disqualified.

Reporting corrective distributions on Form 1099-R.

Report corrective distributions of excess deferrals (including any earnings) on Form 1099-R. For specific information about reporting corrective distributions, see the Instructions for Forms 1099-R and 5498.

Tax on excess contributions of highly compensated employees.

The law provides tests to detect discrimination in a plan. If tests, such as the ADP test (see section 401(k)(3)) and the ACP test (see section 401(m)(2)), show that contributions for highly compensated employees are more than the test limits for these contributions, the employer may have to pay a 10% excise tax. Report the tax on Form 5330. The ADP test doesn't apply to a safe harbor 401(k) plan (discussed next) or to a QACA. Also, the ACP test doesn't apply to these plans if certain additional requirements are met.

The tax for the year is 10% of the excess contributions for the plan year ending in your tax year. Excess contributions are elective deferrals, employee contributions, or employer matching or nonelective contributions that are more than the amount permitted under the ADP test or the ACP test.

See Regulations sections 1.401(k)-2 and 1.401(m)-2 for further guidance relating to the nondiscrimination rules under sections 401(k) and 401(m).

.If the plan fails the ADP or ACP testing, and the failure isn't corrected by the end of the next plan year, the plan can be disqualified..

Rollover.

A rollover from another account can be made to a designated Roth account in the same plan. For additional information on these in-plan Roth rollovers, see Notice 2010-84, 2010-51 I.R.B. 872, available at IRS.gov/irb/2010-51_IRB/ar11.html; and Notice 2013-74, 2013-52 I.R.B. 819, available at IRS.gov/pub/irs-irbs/irb13-52_IRB. A distribution from a designated Roth account can only be rolled over to another designated Roth account or a Roth IRA. Rollover amounts don't apply toward the annual deferral limit.

Minimum distribution.

If the account balance of a qualified plan participant is to be distributed (other than as an annuity), the plan administrator must figure the minimum amount required to be distributed each distribution calendar year. This minimum is figured by dividing the account balance by the applicable life expectancy. The plan administrator can use the life expectancy tables in Pub. 590-B for this purpose. For more information on figuring the minimum distribution, see Tax on Excess Accumulation in Pub. 575.

Required beginning date.

Generally, each participant must receive their entire benefits in the plan or begin to receive periodic distributions of benefits from the plan by the required beginning date.

A participant must begin to receive distributions from their qualified retirement plan by April 1 of the first year after the later of the following years.

If the participant is a 5% owner of the employer maintaining the plan, the participant must begin receiving distributions by April 1 of the first year after the calendar year in which the participant reached age 72 (if age 70½ was reached after December 31, 2019). For more information, see Tax on Excess Accumulation in Pub. 575 about distributions prior to 2020.

Distributions after the starting year.

The distribution required to be made by April 1 is treated as a distribution for the starting year. (The starting year is the year in which the participant meets (1) or (2) above, whichever applies.) After the starting year, the participant must receive the required distribution for each year by December 31 of that year. If no distribution is made in the starting year, required distributions for 2 years must be made in the next year (one by April 1 and one by December 31).

Distributions after participant's death.

See Pub. 575 for the special rules covering distributions made after the death of a participant.

Qualified reservist distributions.

A qualified reservist distribution is a distribution from an IRA or an elective deferral account made after September 11, 2001, to a military reservist or a member of the National Guard who has been called to active duty for at least 180 days or for an indefinite period. All or part of a qualified reservist distribution can be repaid to an IRA. The additional 10% tax on early distributions doesn't apply to a qualified reservist distribution.

Rollover.

The recipient of an eligible rollover distribution from a qualified plan can defer the tax on it by rolling it over into a traditional IRA or another eligible retirement plan. However, it may be subject to withholding, as discussed under Withholding requirement, later. A rollover can also be made to a Roth IRA, in which case any previously untaxed amounts are includible in gross income unless the rollover is from a designated Roth account.

Eligible rollover distribution.

This is a distribution of all or any part of an employee's balance in a qualified retirement plan that isn't any of the following.

Rollover of nontaxable amounts.

You may be able to roll over the nontaxable part of a distribution to another qualified retirement plan or a section 403(b) plan, or to an IRA. If the rollover is to a qualified retirement plan or a section 403(b) plan that separately accounts for the taxable and nontaxable parts of the rollover, the transfer must be made through a direct (trustee-to-trustee) rollover. If the rollover is to an IRA, the transfer can be made by any rollover method.

More information.

For more information about rollovers, see Rollovers in Pubs. 575 and 590-A. For rules on rolling over distributions that contain nontaxable amounts, see Notice 2014-54, 2014-41 I.R.B. 670, available at IRS.gov/irb/2014-41_IRB/ar11.html. For guidance on rolling money into a qualified plan, see Revenue Ruling 2014-9, 2014-17 I.R.B. 975, available at IRS.gov/irb/2014-17_IRB/ar05.html.

Withholding requirement.

If, during a year, a qualified plan pays to a participant one or more eligible rollover distributions (defined earlier) that are reasonably expected to total $200 or more, the payor must withhold 20% of the taxable portion of each distribution for federal income tax.

Exceptions.

If, instead of having the distribution paid to them, the participant chooses to have the plan pay it directly to an IRA or another eligible retirement plan (a direct rollover), no withholding is required.

If the distribution isn't an eligible rollover distribution, defined earlier, the 20% withholding requirement doesn't apply. Other withholding rules apply to distributions that aren't eligible rollover distributions, such as long-term periodic distributions and required distributions (periodic or nonperiodic). However, the participant can choose not to have tax withheld from these distributions. If the participant doesn't make this choice, the following withholding rules apply.

Estimated tax payments.

If no income tax is withheld or not enough tax is withheld, the recipient of a distribution may have to make estimated tax payments. For more information, see Withholding Tax and Estimated Tax in Pub. 575.

Section 402(f) notice.

If a distribution is an eligible rollover distribution, as defined earlier, you must provide a written notice to the recipient that explains the following rules regarding such distributions.

Notice 2020-62, 2020-35 I.R.B. 476, available at, IRS.gov/irb/2023–15_IRB, contains two updated safe harbor section 402(f) notices that plan administrators may provide recipients of eligible rollover distributions.

Timing of notice.

The notice must generally be provided no less than 30 days and no more than 180 days before the date of a distribution.

Method of notice.

The written notice must be provided individually to each distributee of an eligible rollover distribution. Posting of the notice isn't sufficient. However, the written requirement may be satisfied through the use of electronic media if certain additional conditions are met. See Regulations section 1.401(a)-21.

Tax on failure to give notice.

Failure to give a 402(f) notice will result in a tax of $100 for each failure, with a total not exceeding $50,000 per calendar year. The tax won't be imposed if it is shown that such failure is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect.

Exceptions.

The 10% tax won't apply if distributions before age 59½ are made in any of the following circumstances.

Reporting the tax.

To report the tax on early distributions, file Form 5329. See the form instructions for additional information about this tax.

Reporting the tax.

Include on Schedule 2 (Form 1040), Part II, line 17j, any tax you owe for an excess benefit.

Lump-sum distribution.

The amount subject to the additional tax isn't eligible for the optional methods of figuring income tax on a lump-sum distribution. The optional methods are discussed under Lump-Sum Distributions in Pub. 575.

Amount involved.

The amount involved in a prohibited transaction is the greater of the following amounts.

If services are performed, the amount involved is any excess compensation given or received.

Tax period.

The tax period starts on the transaction date and ends on the earliest of the following days.

Payment of the 15% tax.

Pay the 15% tax with Form 5330.

Correcting a prohibited transaction.

If you are a disqualified person who participated in a prohibited transaction, you can avoid the 100% tax by correcting the transaction as soon as possible. Correcting the transaction means undoing it as much as you can without putting the plan in a worse financial position than if you had acted under the highest fiduciary standards.

Correction period.

If the prohibited transaction isn't corrected during the tax period, you usually have an additional 90 days after the day the IRS mails a notice of deficiency for the 100% tax to correct the transaction. This correction period (the tax period plus the 90 days) can be extended if either of the following occurs.