[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 26, Volume 5]
[Revised as of April 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 26CFR1.406-1]

[Page 473-476]
 
                       TITLE 26--INTERNAL REVENUE
 
    CHAPTER I--INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 
                               (CONTINUED)
 
PART 1_INCOME TAXES--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 1.406-1  Treatment of certain employees of foreign subsidiaries 
as employees of the domestic corporation.

    (a) Scope--(1) General rule. For purposes of applying the rules in 
part 1 of subchapter D of chapter 1 of subtitle A of the Code and the 
regulations thereunder with respect to a pension, profit-sharing, or 
stock bonus plan described in section 401(a), an annuity plan described 
in section 403(a), or a bond purchase plan described in section 405(a), 
of a domestic corporation, an individual who is a citizen of the United 
States and who is an employee of a foreign subsidiary (as defined in 
section 3121(1)(8) and the regulations thereunder) of such domestic 
corporation shall be treated as an employee of such domestic corporation 
if the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section are satisfied.
    (2) Cross-references. For rules relating to nondiscrimination 
requirements and the determination of compensation, see paragraph (c) of 
this section. For rules under which termination of the status of an 
individual as an employe of the domestic corporation in certain 
instances will not be considered as separation from service for certain 
purposes, see paragraph (d) of this section. For rules regarding 
deductibility of contribution, see paragraph (e) of this section. For 
rules regarding treatment of such individual as an employee of the 
domestic corporation under related provisions, see paragraph (f) of this 
section.
    (b) Application of this section--(1) Requirements. This section 
shall apply and the employee of the foreign subsidiary shall be treated 
as an employee of domestic corporation for the purposes set forth in 
paragraph (a)(1) of this section only if each of the following 
requirements is satisfied:
    (i) The domestic corporation must have entered into an agreement 
under section 3121(l) to provide social security coverage which applies 
to the foreign subsidiary of which such individual is an employee and 
which has not been terminated under section 3121(l)(3) or (4).
    (ii) The plan, referred to in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, must 
expressly provide for contributions or benefits for individuals who are 
citizens of the United States and who are employees of one or more of 
its foreign subsidiaries to which an agreement entered into by such 
domestic corporation under section 3121(l) applies. The plan must apply 
to all of the foreign subsidiaries to which such agreement applies.
    (iii) Contributions under a funded plan of deferred compensation 
(whether or not a plan described in section 401(a), 403(a), or 405(a)) 
must not be provided by any other person with respect to the 
remuneration paid to such individual by the foreign subsidiary.
    (2) Supplementary rules. Subparagraph (l)(ii) of this paragraph does 
not modify the requirements for qualification of a plan described in 
section 401(a), 403(a), or 405(a) and the regulations thereunder. It is 
not necessary that the plan provide benefits or contributions for all 
United States citizens who are employees of such foreign subsidiaries. 
If the plan is amended to cover individuals

[[Page 474]]

who are employees by reason of paragraph (a)(1) of this section, the 
plan will not qualify unless it meets the coverage requirements of 
section 410(b)(1) (section 401(a)(3), as in effect on September 1, 1974, 
for plan years to which section 410 does not apply; see Sec. 1.410(a)-2 
for the effective dates of section 401) and the nondiscrimination 
requirements of section 401(a)(4). In addition, the administrative rules 
contained in Sec. 1.401(a)-3(e) (relating to the determination of the 
contributions or benefits provided by the employer under the Social 
Security Act) will also apply for purposes of determining whether the 
plan meets the requirements of section 401. For purposes of subparagraph 
(1)(iii) of this paragraph, contributions will not be considered as 
provided under a funded plan merely because the foreign subsidiary is 
required under the laws of the foreign jurisdiction to pay social 
insurance taxes or to make similar payments with respect to the wages 
paid to the employee.
    (c) Special rules--(1) Nondiscrimination requirements. For purposes 
of applying sections 401(a)(4) and 410(b)(1)(B) (section 401(a)(3)(B), 
as in effect on September 1, 1974, for plan years to which section 410 
does not apply) and the regulations there under (relating to 
nondiscrimination concerning benefits and contributions and coverage of 
employees) with respect to an employee of the foreign subsidiary who is 
treated as an employee of the domestic corporation under paragraph 
(a)(1) of this section--
    (i) If the employee is an officer, shareholder, or (with respect to 
plan years to which section 410 does not apply) person whose principal 
duties consist in supervising the work of other employees of the foreign 
subsidiary of the domestic corporation, he shall be treated as having 
such capacity with respect to the domestic corporation; and
    (ii) The determination as to whether the employee is a highly 
compensated employee shall be made by comparing his total compensation 
(determined under subparagraph (2) of this paragraph) with the 
compensation of all the employees of the domestic corporation (including 
individuals treated as employees of the domestic corporation pursuant to 
section 406 and this section).
    (2) Determination of compensation. For purposes of applying section 
401(a)(5) and the regulations thereunder, relating to classifications 
that will not be considered discriminatory, with respect to an employee 
of the foreign subsidiary who is treated as an employee of the domestic 
corporation under paragraph (a)(1) of this section--
    (i) The total compensation of the employee shall be the remuneration 
of the employee from the foreign subsidiary (including any allowances 
that are paid to the employee because of his employment in a foreign 
country) which would constitute his total compensation if his services 
had been performed for the domestic corporation;
    (ii) The basic or regular rate of compensation of the employee shall 
be determined for the employee in the same manner as it is determined 
under section 401 for other employees of the domestic corporation; and
    (iii) The amount paid by the domestic corporation which is 
equivalent to the tax imposed with respect to the employee by section 
3101 (relating to the tax on employees under the Federal Insurance 
Contributions Act) shall be treated as having been paid by the employee 
and shall be included in his compensation.
    (d) Termination of status as deemed employee not to be treated as 
separation from service for purposes of capital gain provisions and 
limitation of tax. For purposes of applying the rules, relating to the 
treatment of certain distributions which are made after an employee's 
separation from service, set forth in section 72(n) as in effect on 
September 1, 1974 (with respect to taxable years ending after December 
31, 1969, and to which section 402(e) does not apply), and in sections 
402(a)(2) and (e) and 403(a)(2) with respect to distributions or 
payments made after December 31, 1973, and in taxable years beginning 
after December 31, 1973) with respect to an employee of a foreign 
subsidiary who is treated as an employee of a domestic corporation under 
paragraph (a)(1) of this section, the employee shall not be considered 
as separated

[[Page 475]]

from the service of the domestic corporation solely by reason of the 
occurrence of any one or more of the following events:
    (1) The termination, under the provisions of section 3121(l), of the 
agreement entered into by the domestic corporation under that section 
which covers the employment of the employee;
    (2) The employee's becoming an employee of another foreign 
subsidiary of the domestic corporation with respect to which such 
agreement does not apply,
    (3) The employee's ceasing to be an employee of the foreign 
subsidiary by reason of which employment he was treated as an employee 
of such domestic corporation, if he becomes an employee of another 
corporation controlled by such domestic corporation; or
    (4) The termination of the provision of the plan described in 
paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section, for coverage of United States 
citizens who are employees of foreign subsidiaries covered by an 
agreement under section 3121(l).

For purposes of subparagraph (3) of this paragraph, a corporation is 
considered to be controlled by a domestic corporation if such domestic 
corporation owns directly or indirectly more than 50 percent of the 
voting stock of the corporation.
    (e) Deductibility of contributions--(1) In general. For purposes of 
applying sections 404 and 405(c) with respect to the deduction for 
contributions made to or under a pension, profit-sharing, or stock bonus 
plan described in section 401(a), an annuity plan described in section 
403(a), or a bond purchase plan described in section 405(a), by a 
domestic corporation, or by another corporation which is entitled to 
deduct its contributions under section 404(a)(3)(B), on behalf of an 
employee of a foreign subsidiary treated as an employee of the domestic 
corporation under paragraph (a)(1) of this section--
    (i) Except as provided in subdivision (ii) of this subparagraph, no 
deduction shall be allowed to such domestic corporation or to any other 
corporation which would otherwise be entitled to deduct its 
contributions on behalf of such employee under one of such sections;
    (ii) There shall be allowed as a deduction from the gross income of 
the foreign subsidiary which is effectively connected with the conduct 
of a trade or business within the United States (within the meaning of 
section 882 and the regulations thereunder) an amount which is allocable 
and apportionable to such gross income under the rules of Sec. 1.861-8 
and which in no event may exceed the amount which (but for subdivision 
(i) of this subparagraph) would be deductible under section 404 or 
section 405(c) by the domestic corporation if the individual were an 
employee of the domestic corporation and if his compensation were paid 
by the domestic corporation; and
    (iii) Any reference to compensation shall be considered to be a 
reference to the total compensation of such individual (determined by 
applying paragraph (c)(2) of this section).
    (2) Year of deduction. Any amount deductible by the foreign 
subsidiary under section 406(d) and this paragraph shall be deductible 
for its taxable year with or within which ends the taxable year of the 
domestic corporation for which the contribution was made.
    (3) Special rules. Whether contributions to a plan on behalf of an 
employee of the foreign subsidiary who is treated as an employee of the 
domestic corporation under paragraph (a)(1) of this section, or whether 
forfeitures with regard to such employee, will require an inclusion in 
the income of the domestic corporation or an adjustment in the basis of 
its stock in the foreign subsidiary, shall be determined in accordance 
with the rules of general application of subtitle A of chapter 1 of the 
Code (relating to income taxes). For example, an unreimbursed 
contribution by the domestic corporation to a plan which meets the 
requirements of section 401(a) will be treated, to the extent each 
employee's rights to the contribution are nonforfeitable, as a 
contribution of capital to the foreign subsidiary to the extent that 
such contributions are made on behalf of the employees of such 
subsidiary.
    (f) Treatment as an employee of the domestic corporation under 
related provisions. An individual who is treated as an employee of a 
domestic corporation under paragraph (a)(1) of this section

[[Page 476]]

shall also be treated as an employee of such domestic corporation, with 
respect to the plan having the provision described in paragraph 
(b)(1)(ii) of this section, for purposes of applying section 72(d) 
(relating to employees' annuities), section 72(f) (relating to special 
rules for computing employees' contributions), section 101(b) (relating 
to employees' death benefits), section 2039 (relating to annuities), and 
section 2517 (relating to certain annuities under qualified plans) and 
the regulations thereunder.
    (g) Nonexempt trust. If the plan of the domestic corporation is a 
qualified plan described under section 401(a), the fact that a trust 
which forms a part of such plan is not exempt from tax under section 
501(a) shall not affect the treatment of an employee of a foreign 
subsidiary as an employee of a domestic corporation under section 406(a) 
and paragraph (a)(1) of this section.

(Sec. 411 Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (88 Stat. 901; 26 U.S.C. 411))

[T.D. 7501, 42 FR 42321, Aug. 23, 1978]