(a) Application of definitions. The definitions set forth in this section are applicable for purposes of §1.403(b)-1, this section and §§1.403(b)-3 through 1.403(b)-11.

(b) Definitions—(1) Accumulated benefit means the total benefit to which a participant or beneficiary is entitled under a section 403(b) contract, including all contributions made to the contract and all earnings thereon.

(2) Annuity contract means a contract that is issued by an insurance company qualified to issue annuities in a State and that includes payment in the form of an annuity. See §1.401(f)-1(d)(2) and (e) for the definition of an annuity, and see §1.403(b)-8(c)(3) for a special rule for certain State plans. See also §§1.403(b)-8(d) and 1.403(b)-9(a) for additional rules regarding the treatment of custodial accounts and retirement income accounts as annuity contracts.

(3) Beneficiary means a person who is entitled to benefits in respect of a participant following the participant's death or an alternate payee pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, as described in §1.403(b)-10(c).

(4) Catch-up amount or catch-up limitation for a participant for a taxable year means a section 403(b) elective deferral permitted under section 414(v) (as described in §1.403(b)-4(c)(2)) or section 402(g)(7) (as described in §1.403(b)-4(c)(3)).

(5) Church means a church as defined in section 3121(w)(3)(A) and a qualified church-controlled organization as defined in section 3121(w)(3)(B).

(6) Church-related organization means a church or a convention or association of churches, including an organization described in section 414(e)(3)(A).

(7) Elective deferral means an elective deferral under §1.402(g)-1 (with respect to an employer contribution to a section 403(b) contract) and any other amount that constitutes an elective deferral under section 402(g)(3).

(8)

(i) Eligible employer means—

(A) A State, but only with respect to an employee of the State performing services for a public school;

(B) A section 501(c)(3) organization with respect to any employee of the section 501(c)(3) organization;

(C) Any employer of a minister described in section 414(e)(5)(A), but only with respect to the minister; or

(D) A minister described in section 414(e)(5)(A), but only with respect to a retirement income account established for the minister.

(ii) An entity is not an eligible employer under paragraph (a)(8)(i)(A) of this section if it treats itself as not being a State for any other purpose of the Internal Revenue Code, and a subsidiary or other affiliate of an eligible employer is not an eligible employer under paragraph (a)(8)(i) of this section if the subsidiary or other affiliate is not an entity described in paragraph (a)(8)(i) of this section.

(9) Employee means a common-law employee performing services for the employer, and does not include a former employee or an independent contractor. Subject to any rules in §1.403(b)-1, this section, and §§1.403(b)-3 through 1.403(b)-11 that are specifically applicable to ministers, an employee also includes a minister described in section 414(e)(5)(A) when performing services in the exercise of his or her ministry.

(10) Employee performing services for a public school means an employee performing services as an employee for a public school of a State. This definition is not applicable unless the employee's compensation for performing services for a public school is paid by the State. Further, a person occupying an elective or appointive public office is not an employee performing services for a public school unless such office is one to which an individual is elected or appointed only if the individual has received training, or is experienced, in the field of education. The term public office includes any elective or appointive office of a State.

(11) Includible compensation means the employee's compensation received from an eligible employer that is includible in the participant's gross income for Federal income tax purposes (computed without regard to section 911) for the most recent period that is a year of service. Includible compensation for a minister who is self-employed means the minister's earned income as defined in section 401(c)(2) (computed without regard to section 911) for the most recent period that is a year of service. Includible compensation does not include any compensation received during a period when the employer is not an eligible employer. Includible compensation also includes any elective deferral or other amount contributed or deferred by the eligible employer at the election of the employee that would be includible in the gross income of the employee but for the rules of sections 125, 132(f)(4), 402(e)(2), 402(h)(1)(B), 402(k), or 457(b). The amount of includible compensation is determined without regard to any community property laws. See section 415(c)(3)(A) through (D) for additional rules, and see §1.403(b)-4(d) for a special rule regarding former employees.

(12) Participant means an employee for whom a section 403(b) contract is currently being purchased, or an employee or former employee for whom a section 403(b) contract has previously been purchased and who has not received a distribution of his or her entire accumulated benefit under the contract.

(13) Plan means a plan as described in §1.403(b)-3(b)(3).

(14) Public school means a State-sponsored educational organization described in section 170(b)(1)(A)(ii) (relating to educational organizations that normally maintain a regular faculty and curriculum and normally have a regularly enrolled body of pupils or students in attendance at the place where educational activities are regularly carried on).

(15) Retirement income account means a defined contribution program established or maintained by a church-related organization to provide benefits under section 403(b) for its employees or their beneficiaries as described in §1.403(b)-9.

(16) Section 403(b) contract; section 403(b) plan—(i) Section 403(b) contract means a contract that satisfies the requirements of §1.403(b)-3. If for any taxable year an employer contributes to more than one section 403(b) contract for a participant or beneficiary, then, under section 403(b)(5), all such contracts are treated as one contract for purposes of section 403(b) and §1.403(b)-1, this section, and §§1.403(b)-3 through 1.403(b)-11. See also §1.403(b)-3(b)(1).

(ii) Section 403(b) plan means the plan of the employer under which the section 403(b) contracts for its employees are maintained.

(17) Section 403(b) elective deferral; designated Roth contribution—(i) Section 403(b) elective deferral means an elective deferral that is an employer contribution to a section 403(b) plan for an employee. See §1.403(b)-5(b) for additional rules with respect to a section 403(b) elective deferral.

(ii) Designated Roth contribution under a section 403(b) plan means a section 403(b) elective deferral that satisfies §1.403(b)-3(c).

(18) Section 501(c)(3) organization means an organization that is described in section 501(c)(3) (relating to certain religious, charitable, scientific, or other types of organizations) and exempt from tax under section 501(a).

(19) Severance from employment means that the employee ceases to be employed by the employer maintaining the plan. See §1.401(k)-1(d) for additional guidance concerning severance from employment. See also §1.403(b)-6(h) for a special rule under which severance from employment is determined by reference to employment with the eligible employer.

(20) State means a State, a political subdivision of a State, or any agency or instrumentality of a State. For this purpose, the District of Columbia is treated as a State. In addition, for purposes of determining whether an individual is an employee performing services for a public school, an Indian tribal government is treated as a State, as provided under section 7871(a)(6)(B). See also section 1450(b) of the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996 (110 Stat. 1755, 1814) for special rules treating certain contracts purchased in a plan year beginning before January 1, 1995, that include contributions by an Indian tribal government as section 403(b) contracts, whether or not those contributions are for employees performing services for a public school.

(21) Year of service means each full year during which an individual is a full-time employee of an eligible employer, plus fractional credit for each part of a year during which the individual is either a full-time employee of an eligible employer for a part of the year or a part-time employee of an eligible employer. See §1.403(b)-4(e) for rules for determining years of service.

[T.D. 9340, 72 FR 41141, July 26, 2007; 72 FR 54351, Sept. 25, 2007]