Guidance Document Database
The documents listed below are PBGCโs guidance documents. The contents of these documents do not have the force and effect of law, unless expressly authorized by statute or incorporated into a contract, and are not meant to bind the public in any way. These documents are intended only to provide clarity to the public regarding existing requirements under the law or agency policies.
If you would like to comment on an existing guidance document, please submit your comment, including your contact information, to the General Counsel at GuidanceComments@pbgc.gov or at Regulatory Affairs Division, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, Office of the General Counsel, 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024-2101.
Title | Issuance Date | Agency Identifier (indexed field) | Topics | Summary | Posted Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Opinion Letter 82-08 | 3-25-1982 | PBGC Op Let 82-08 | Unrelated buyer, Multiemployer, Withdrawal Liability | Addresses the meaning of the term "the unfunded vested benefits attributable to employees of the employer" for purposes of the cap on the unfunded vested benefits attributable to employees of an employer that sold substantially all of its assets to an unrelated buyer. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 80-01 | 1-10-1980 | PBGC Op Let 80-1 | Employer liability, Governmental plan | State liability with respect to private-sector plans to which employees contribute. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 75-11 | 1-14-1975 | PBGC Op Let 75-11 | Interest, Penalties | PBGC is not authorized to waive interest charges on late premium payments. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 84-07 | 12-20-1984 | PBGC Op Let 84-07 | Corporate transactions, Multiemployer, Withdrawal Liability | Addresses whether a withdrawal would take place if a corporation transfers all of its assets to one of its divisions and whether a withdrawal occurs in the event of a stock sale if contributions to the plan continue. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 81-26 | 8-24-1981 | PBGC Op Let 81-26 | Residual assets | Addresses the distribution of residual assets to an employer. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 94-03 | 8-2-1994 | PBGC Op Let 94-03 | Multiemployer, Withdrawal Liability | Addresses mass withdrawal generally, the effect of a "substantially all" mass withdrawal on the de minimis reduction and 20-year cap, and the meanings of "substantially all" and "agreement or arrangement". |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 86-27 | 12-17-1986 | PBGC Op Let 86-27 | Termination | PBGC disapproves proposed plans that an employer wishes to adopt because they would effect an impermissible continuation of terminated plans for which guaranteed benefits are being paid. |
3-5-2020 |
Opinion Letter 89-03 | 4-18-1989 | PBGC Op Let 89-03 | Mass Withdrawal, Reallocation liability, Multiemployer | Addresses whether, based on an employer's date of withdrawal, that employer is subject to reallocation liability in the event of a mass withdrawal termination. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 76-28 | 2-24-1976 | PBGC Op Let 76-28 | Coverage | Advises that defined contribution plans which defined benefit features may be subject to coverage. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 76-114 | 10-1-1976 | PBGC Op Let 76-114 | Reportable events | Elimination of a death benefit is a reportable event. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 86-02 | 1-31-1986 | PBGC Op Let 86-02 | Pre-MPPAA withdrawals, Multiemployer, Withdrawal Liability | Addresses a question as to what constitutes a facility for purposes of determining what CBUs get excluded due to a pre-1980 closure of a facility. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 98-02 | 5-20-1998 | PBGC Op Let 98-2 | Governmental plan, Coverage | Plan does not meet the Governmental plan exemption from coverage. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 76-121 | 12-22-1976 | PBGC Op Let 76-121 | Reportable events | The reduction in the number of plan participants is a reportable event. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 84-01 | 1-4-1984 | PBGC Op Let 84-1 | Premiums | For a plan that is being divided into 18 plans, participants should not be double counted for the purpose of premiums. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 77-129 | 2-9-1977 | PBGC Op Let 77-129 | Residual assets | Each participant is entitled to a share of the excess plan assets where the plan does not provide for return of excess assets to employer upon plan termination. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 85-06 | 2-1-1985 | PBGC Op Let 85-6 | Premiums | Each plan of an employer is obligated to pay premiums to PBGC when an individual participant actively earns service credit in multiple plans of the employer. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 76-74 | 6-3-1976 | PBGC Op Let 76-74 | Coverage | Plan is not an individual account plan. Plan is not be exempt from Title IV coverage. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 83-17 | 8-1-1983 | PBGC Op Let 83-17 | Multiemployer, Withdrawal Liability | Pending regulations, plans have the ability to adopt reasonable rules to abate an employerโs withdrawal liability. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 87-04 | 2-26-1987 | PBGC Op Let 87-4 | Suspension, Termination | For PBGC to suspend a plan termination, PBGC must be advised timely and in writing that a formal challenge has been initiated asserting that the termination violates an existing collective bargaining agreement. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 90-04 | 8-3-1990 | PBGC Op Let 90-04 | Multiemployer, Benefit guarantee, Withdrawal Liability | Addresses whether interest rate changes subsequent to the mass withdrawal valuation date may be considered in determining the reallocation liability upon a mass withdrawal. It also addresses the burden of proof a multiemployer plan must satisfy to show an amendment increasing benefits was adopted earlier than the formal date of adoption which would make payment of the benefit increase covered by the PBGC guarantee. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 77-152 | 7-13-1977 | PBGC Op Let 77-152 | Governmental plan, Coverage | Plan of municipal corporation designated by constitution as political subdivision of state and having taxing power is a Governmental plan exempt under ERISA 4021(b)(2). |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 85-29 | 12-5-1985 | PBGC Op Let 85-29 | Avoidance transactions, Controlled groups, Multiemployer, Withdrawal Liability | Addresses whether certain corporate transactions would trigger withdrawals and discusses whether these corporate transactions may be disregarded under the evade or avoid provision of the law. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 82-33 | 10-28-1982 | PBGC Op Let 82-33 | Definition of, Multiemployer | For a chain of food stores, a single store is ordinarily a โfacilityโ for purposes of section 4217 of ERISA. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 82-19 | 7-21-1982 | PBGC Op Let 82-19 | Termination, Multiemployer | When a defined benefit multiemployer plan merges into a defined contribution annuity plan, the multiemployer plan terminates; addresses the rules and procedures governing distribution of the assets of a terminated multiemployer plan. |
2-28-2020 |
Opinion Letter 86-06 | 3-11-1986 | PBGC Op Let 86-06 | sale of assets, Multiemployer | Considers the timing of the bond/escrow requirement in a sale of assets and requests that PBGC grant a waiver of the bond/escrow and contract language requirements. |
2-28-2020 |