§20.2039-2. Annuities under “qualified plans” and section 403(b) annuity contracts.
26 C.F.R. § 20.2039-2
Section 2039(c) exclusion. In general, in the case of a decedent dying after December 31, 1953, the value of an annuity or other payment receivable under a plan or annuity contract described in paragraph (b) of this section is excluded from the decedent's gross estate to the extent provided in paragraph (c) of this section. In the case of a plan described in paragraph (b) (1) or (2) of this section (a “qualified plan”), the exclusion is subject to the limitation described in § 20.2039-3 (relating to lump sum distributions paid with respect to a decedent dying after December 31, 1976, and before January 1, 1979) or § 20.2039-4 (relating to lump sum distributions paid with respect to a decedent dying after December 31, 1978).
Plans and annuity contracts to which section 2039(c) applies. Section 2039(c) excludes from a decedent's gross estate, to the extent provided in paragraph (c) of this section, the value of an annuity or other payment receivable by any beneficiary (except the value of an annuity or other payment receivable by or for the benefit of the decedent's estate) under—
An employees' trust (or under a contract purchased by an employees' trust) forming part of a pension, stock bonus, or profit-sharing plan which, at the time of the decedent's separation from employment (whether by death or otherwise), or at the time of the earlier termination of the plan, met the requirements of section 401(a);
A retirement annuity contract purchased by an employer (and not by an employees' trust) pursuant to a plan which, at the time of decedent's separation from employment (by death or otherwise), or at the time of the earlier termination of the plan, was a plan described in section 403(a);
In the case of a decedent dying after December 31, 1957, a retirement annuity contract purchased for an employee by an employer which, for its taxable year in which the purchase occurred, is an organization referred to in section 170(b)(1)(A) (ii) or (iv) or which is a religious organization (other than a trust) and is exempt from tax under section 501(a);
In the case of a decedent dying after December 31, 1965, an annuity under Chapter 73 of title 10 of the United States Code (10 U.S.C. 1431, et seq.); or
In the case of a decedent dying after December 31, 1962, a bond purchase plan described in section 405.
Amounts excludable from the gross estate.
The amount to be excluded from a decedent's gross estate under section 2039(c) is an amount which bears the same ratio to the value at the decedent's death of an annuity or other payment receivable by the beneficiary as the employer's contribution (or a contribution made on the employer's behalf) on the employee's account to the plan or towards the purchase of the annuity contract bears to the total contributions on the employee's account to the plan or towards the purchase of the annuity contract. In applying this ratio—
Payments or contributions made by or on behalf of the employer towards the purchase of an annuity contract described in paragraph (b)(3) of this section are considered to include only such payments or contributions as are, or were, excludable from the employee's gross income under section 403(b).
In the case of a decedent dying before January 1, 1977, payments or contributions made under a plan described in paragraph (b) (1), (2) or (5) of this section on behalf of the decedent for a period for which the decedent was self-employed, within the meaning of section 401(c)(1), with respect to the plan are considered payments or contributions made by the decedent and not by the employer.
In the case of a decedent dying after December 31, 1976, however, payments or contributions made under a plan described in paragraph (b) (1), (2) or (5) of this section on behalf of the decedent for a period for which the decedent was self-employed, within the meaning of section 401(c)(1), with respect to the plan are considered payments or contributions made by the employer to the extent the payments or contributions are, or were, deductible under section 404 or 405(c). Contributions or payments attributable to that period which are not, or were not, so deductible are considered made by the decedent.
In the case of a plan described in paragraph (b) (1) or (2) of this section, a rollover contribution described in section 402(a)(5), 403(a)(4), 409(d)(3)(A)(ii) or 409(b)(3)(C) is considered an amount contributed by the employer.
In the case of an annuity contract described in paragraph (b)(3) of this section, a rollover contribution described in section 403(b)(8) is considered an amount contributed by the employer.
In the case of a plan described in paragraph (b) (1), (2) or (5) of this section, an amount includable in the gross income of an employee under section 1379(b) (relating to shareholder-employee beneficiaries under certain qualified plans) is considered an amount paid or contributed by the decedent.
Amounts payable under paragraph (b)(4) of this section are attributable to payments or contributions made by the decedent only to the extent of amounts deposited by the decedent pursuant to section 1438 or 1452(d) of title 10 of the United States Code.
The value at the decedent's death of the annuity or other payment is determined under the rules of §§ 20.2031-1 and 20.2031-7 or, for certain prior periods, § 20.2031-7A.
In certain cases, the employer's contribution (or a contribution made on his behalf) to a plan on the employee's account and thus the total contributions to the plan on the employee's account cannot be readily ascertained. In order to apply the ratio stated in subparagraph (1) of this paragraph in such a case, the method outlined in the following two sentences must be used unless a more precise method is presented. In such a case, the total contributions to the plan on the employee's account is the value of any annuity or other payment payable to the decedent and his survivor computed as of the time the decedent's rights first mature (or as of the time the survivor's rights first mature if the decedent's rights never mature) and computed in accordance with the rules set forth in §§ 20.2031-1, 20.2031-7, 20.2031-8, and 20.2031-9. By subtracting from such value the amount of the employee's contribution to the plan, the amount of the employer's contribution to the plan on the employee's account may be obtained. The application of this paragraph may be illustrated by the following example.
Exclusion of certain annuity interests created by community property laws.
In the case of an employee on whose behalf contributions or payments were made by his employer or former employer under an employees' trust forming part of a pension, stock bonus, or profit-sharing plan described in section 2039(c)(1), under an employee's retirement annuity contract described in section 2039(c)(2), or toward the purchase of an employee's retirement annuity contract described in section 2039(c)(3), which under section 2039(c) are not considered as contributed by the employee, if the spouse of such employee predeceases him, then, notwithstanding the provisions of section 2039 or of any other provision of law, there shall be excluded from the gross estate of such spouse the value of any interest of such spouse in such plan or trust or such contract, to the extent such interest—
Is attributable to such contributions or payments, and
Arises solely by reason of such spouse's interest in community income under the community property laws of a State.
Section 2039(d) and this paragraph do not provide any exclusion for such spouse's property interest in the plan, trust or contract to the extent it is attributable to the contributions of the employee spouse. Thus, the decedent's community property interest in the plan, trust, or contract which is attributable to contributions made by the employee spouse are includible in the decendent's gross estate. See paragraph (c) of this section.
Section 2039(d) and this paragraph apply to the estate of a decedent who dies on or after October 27, 1972, and to the estate of a decedent who died before October 27, 1972, if the period for filing a claim for credit or refund of an overpayment of the estate tax ends on or after October 27, 1972. Interest will not be allowed or paid on any overpayment of tax resulting from the application of section 2039(d) and this paragraph for any period prior to April 26, 1973.
Notes, amendments, and revision history
Amendments
[T.D. 6296, 23 FR 4529, June 24, 1958, as amended by T.D. 6526, 26 FR 416, Jan. 19, 1961; T.D. 7043, 35 FR 8480, June 2, 1970; T.D. 7416, 41 FR 14514, Apr. 6, 1976; T.D. 7428, 41 FR 34628, Aug. 16, 1976; T.D. 7562, 43 FR 38820, Aug. 31, 1978; T.D. 7761, 46 FR 7303, Jan. 23, 1981; T.D. 8540, 59 FR 30103, June 10, 1994]
Authority
Authority: 26 U.S.C. 7805. Section 20.2010-0 also issued under 26 U.S.C. 2010(c)(6). Section 20.2010-1 also issued under 26 U.S.C. 2001(g)(2) and 26 U.S.C. 2010(c)(6). Section 20.2010-2 also issued under 26 U.S.C. 2010(c)(6). Section 20.2010-3 also issued under 26 U.S.C. 2010(c)(6). Section 20.2031-7 also issued under 26 U.S.C. 7520(c)(2). Section 20.2031-7A also issued under 26 U.S.C. 7520(c)(2). Section 20.6060-1 also issued under 26 U.S.C. 6060(a). Section 20.6081-1 also issued under 26 U.S.C. 6081(a). Section 20.6109-1 also issued under 26 U.S.C. 6109(a). Section 20.6109-2 also issued under 26 U.S.C. 6109(a). Section 20.6302-1 also issued under 26 U.S.C. 6302(a) and (h). Section 20.6695-1 also issued under 26 U.S.C. 6695(b). Section 20.7520-1 also issued under 26 U.S.C. 7520(c)(2). Section 20.7520-2 also issued under 26 U.S.C. 7520(c)(2). Section 20.7520-3 also issued under 26 U.S.C. 7520(c)(2). Section 20.7520-4 also issued under 26 U.S.C. 7520(c)(2).
Source
Source: T.D. 6296, 23 FR 4529, June 24, 1958; 25 FR 14021, Dec. 31, 1960, unless otherwise noted.
Amendments
[T.D. 6296, 23 FR 4529, June 24, 1958, as amended by T.D. 6526, 26 FR 416, Jan. 19, 1961; T.D. 7043, 35 FR 8480, June 2, 1970; T.D. 7416, 41 FR 14514, Apr. 6, 1976; T.D. 7428, 41 FR 34628, Aug. 16, 1976; T.D. 7562, 43 FR 38820, Aug. 31, 1978; T.D. 7761, 46 FR 7303, Jan. 23, 1981; T.D. 8540, 59 FR 30103, June 10, 1994]