SECTION 4. DEFINED BENEFIT RETIREMENT SYSTEMS WITH BENEFIT FORMULAS

NOT DESCRIBED IN THE SAFE HARBORS OF SECTION 3

.01 In general.

A defined benefit retirement system that calculates benefits under a formula that does not meet one of the safe harbor formulas described in section 3 of this revenue procedure meets the minimum retirement benefit requirement with respect to an employee if the employee’s accrued benefit as of the date of the determination is at least as great as the accrued benefit the employee would have if his or her accrued benefit had been calculated under the safe harbor formula in section 3.01(l). In determining whether this requirement is satisfied, the additional requirements set forth in section 3.03 must be taken into account. The rules in this paragraph are illustrated by the following example:

Example. A defined benefit plan maintained by a political subdivision and described in section 457(b) of the Code provides only for single sum distributions and thus does not meet the requirements of any of the defined benefit safe harbor formulas. The plan may still meet the minimum retirement benefit requirement with respect to an employee if it provides a single sum with respect to such employee that is the actuarial equivalent (using reasonable actuarial assumptions) of a single life annuity meeting the requirements of section 3.01(1).

.02 Treatment of past service credit.

In determining whether an employee’s accrued benefit under a defined benefit retirement system that calculates benefits under a formula that does not meet one of the defined benefit safe harbor formulas is at least as great as the accrued benefit the employee would have if his or her accrued benefit had been calculated under the safe harbor formula in section 3.01(1), a retirement system may ignore periods of service by an employee with the employer prior to his or her commencement of participation in the retirement system, notwithstanding the additional rules relating to credited service in section 3.03(2). If such periods of service are ignored, however, any accrued benefits attributable to such period of service must also be ignored. The rule in this paragraph is illustrated by the following example:

Example: An employee begins to participate in a retirement system in the employee’s fifth year of service. The

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retirement system provides credit for all past service with the employer. Assume the retirement system does not provide benefits under a formula that meets the requirements of any of the safe harbors. The employee must be treated as being in the employee’s fifth year of credited service if benefits attributable to the past service are to be taken into account in comparing the benefit under the retirement system to the benefit the employee would have under the safe harbor formula of section 3.01(1) to determine whether the minimum retirement benefit requirement is met.