A. Deferred Amounts.
1. Salary Reduction. Each participation agreement shall specify the percentage of the participant's gross compensation that is to be deferred and withheld from the compensation otherwise payable to the participant for each payroll period while the participation agreement is in effect.
2. Deferral Procedure. Pursuant to a participation agreement, each participant's annual deferral amount shall be deducted from his or her paychecks at approximately equal increments throughout the year, or according to any other method approved of by the administrator.
B. Deferral of Accrued Sick, Vacation and Back Pay. A participant may elect to defer compensation attributable to unpaid and accumulated sick pay, accumulated vacation pay, and back pay, provided all of the following requirements are met:
1. The election to defer said amounts is completed and filed with the administrator prior to the beginning of the month in which the benefits would be otherwise paid or made available to the participant;
2. Compensation is bona fide accumulated sick, vacation or back pay, or any combination thereof, and, if applicable, would otherwise be payable within two and one-half months following the employee's severance from employment with the employer; and
3. The deferral amount shall not cause the participant to exceed the maximum deferral amount under subsection
C of this section.
C. Maximum Deferral.
1. Primary Limitation. Except to the extent permitted under subsections (C)(2) and (3) of this section, the total deferral amount that may be contributed to a participant's account for any taxable year shall not exceed the lesser of:
a. The "applicable dollar amount" determined for the plan year pursuant to Section 457(e)(15) of the Code, as follows:
2002 | $11,000 |
2003 | $12,000 |
2004 | $13,000 |
2005 | $14,000 |
2006 or thereafter | $15,000 |
For plan years beginning after December 31, 2006, the "applicable dollar amount" shall be adjusted in accordance with Section 457(d)(15) of the Code; or
b. One hundred percent of the participant's includable compensation.
For plan years beginning after December 31, 2006, the amount specified in subsection (C)(1)(a) of this section shall be adjusted in accordance with Section 457(d)(15) of the Code.
2. Catch-Up Limitation.
a. The maximum total deferral amount for each of a participant's last three taxable years ending before he or she attains normal retirement age is the lesser of:
i. An amount equal to twice the amount of the "applicable dollar amount" specified in subsection (C)(1)(a) of this section; or
ii. The primary limitation amount determined under subsection (C)(1) of this section for the current year, plus so much of the primary limitation amount that was not utilized in prior taxable years in which the employee was eligible to participate in the plan or another eligible deferred compensation plan sponsored by the employer, beginning after December 31, 1977. A participant may use a prior year only if the total deferral amounts under the plan in existence during that year were subject to the maximum deferral amount described in Code Section 457(b)(3) as in effect prior to and after January 1, 2002.
b. The catch-up limitation is available to a participant only during one three-year period. If a participant uses the catch-up limitation and then postpones normal retirement age or returns to work after retiring, the limitation shall not be available again before a subsequent retirement.
3. Additional Elective Deferral. All participants who have attained the age of 50 years before the close of the plan year shall be eligible to defer additional amounts of compensation in accordance with, and subject to the limitations of, Section 414(v) of the Code. In the case of participants who have attained the age of 50 years and are eligible to use the catch-up limitation provided under subsection (C)(2) of this section, such participants shall be eligible to defer an amount equal to the greater of (a) the amount permitted under this subsection (C)(3); or (b) the amount permitted under subsection (C)(2) of this section. Such additional elective deferrals shall not be taken into account for purposes of the "applicable dollar amount" specified in subsection (C)(1)(a) of this section in effect for the plan year.
4. Coordination with Other Plans. If a participant participates in more than one eligible deferred compensation plan, the aggregate total deferral amounts under all plans shall be subject to the maximum limitations specified in this subsection
C. If a participant is eligible to defer additional amounts under the "special Section 457 catch-up option" prescribed in subsection (C)(2) of this section, under more than one eligible deferred compensation plan, and the applicable catch-up amount is not the same for each plan for a plan year, said participant shall be permitted to defer the catch-up amount under the plan which permits the largest catch-up amount for the participant.
D. Minimum Deferral. The minimum dollar amount deferred shall not be less than $10.00 per payroll period.
E. Changing Deferrals. A participant may change deferral amounts with respect to compensation not yet earned by executing a new participation agreement at least 30 days prior to the beginning of the month in which such change is effective.
F. Revocation or Suspension of Deferrals.
1. Revocation. A participant may revoke the deferral of compensation by giving the administrator written notice of such revocation at least 10 days prior to the effective date of such revocation. Such revocation may not occur except at quarterly intervals selected by the administrator. Following revocation, a participant may reinstate deferral amounts by executing a new participation agreement and delivering it to the administrator. Reinstatement shall be effective on the first day of the month following completion of the new agreement and acceptance by the administrator but in no event sooner than 30 days following the effective date at the prior revocation.
2. Suspension. Deferrals of compensation pursuant to the participation agreement shall automatically be suspended for any month in which there is insufficient compensation available to make the entire deduction agreed upon, and automatically reinstated in the month that compensation is sufficient to make up the agreed upon deferral of compensation.
G. Rollovers Disregarded in Determining Maximum Deferral Amount. Any rollover contribution (and any earnings allocable thereto) received from an eligible plan on behalf of a participant during a plan year shall not be included for purposes of determining the participant's maximum deferral amount under subsection
C of this section for the plan year.
H. Excess Deferrals. If a participant's deferrals for a calendar year would be more than permitted under this section, including additional deferrals pursuant to subsection (C)(2) or (3) of this section, such amounts shall be considered excess deferrals and the employer shall not withhold any additional compensation on behalf of such participant. In the event the plan administrator determines that a participant's deferrals contributed to the plan for a calendar year exceed the annual deferral limitation under Section 457(e), the plan administrator shall distribute to the participant such excess deferrals, as adjusted for allocable income, as soon as administratively practicable. Distributions shall be made without regard to any requirements which might otherwise preclude distribution only to the extent allowed under the Code, Treasury Regulations, and other interpretative pronouncements.
I. Leave of Absence – Disability. Unless an election is otherwise revised or revoked, if a participant is absent from work by leave of absence, his or her deferral amounts under the plan shall continue to the extent that compensation continues to be paid to the participant. A disabled participant may elect to contribute deferral amounts during any portion of the period of his or her disability to the extent that he or she has actual compensation (other than disability benefits) from which to make contributions to the plan, provided he or she has not experienced a severance from employment.
J. Military Leave. An employee whose employment is interrupted by or who is on a leave of absence for qualified military service under Code Section 414(u) may elect to make additional deferral amounts upon resumption of employment with the employer equal to the maximum annual deferral amounts that the employee could have elected during that period if the employee's employment with the employer had continued (at the same level of compensation) without the interruption or leave, reduced by the deferral amounts, if any, actually made for the employee during the period of military leave. This right applies for five years following the resumption of employment (or, if sooner, for a period equal to three times the period of the interruption or leave).
Effective for years beginning after December 31, 2008, an individual receiving from the employer a differential wage payment, as defined in Code Section 3401(h)(2), shall be treated as an employee of the employer and the differential wage payments shall be treated as compensation for purposes of determining vesting and benefit accrual. The plan shall not be treated as failing to meet the requirements of any provision described in Code Section 414(u)(1)(C) by reason of any contribution or benefit which is based on the differential wage payment.
(Res. 2507, 2007; Res. 2668 § 1 (Exh. A § 3), 2010)