Internal Revenue Code · 26 U.S.C.
§ 409. Qualifications for tax credit employee stock ownership plans
Official text, no changes From the Office of the Law Revision Counsel, release point 119-121 (current through Public Law 119-121 (October 9, 2026)). Compare it with the official text at uscode.house.gov (external site).
Cite as 26 U.S.C. § 409
At a glance
Read from the text, the source credit and the official notes. Not part of the law.
- Status
- In force
- Added
- November 6, 1978 by Pub. L. 95–600
- Last amended
- March 23, 2018 by Pub. L. 115–141
- Amendments
- 14 dated changes in the source credit
- Length
- 16 subsections · 5,220 words · about 23 min to read
- Defines
- 13 terms
- Cross-references
- cites 13; cited by 12 Code sections and 24 other regulations
- Regulations
- 3 issued under this section
For purposes of paragraph (1), compensation of any participant in excess of the first $100,000 per year shall be disregarded.
For purposes of this subsection, the amount of compensation paid to a participant for any period is the amount of such participant’s compensation (within the meaning of section 415(c)(3)) for such period.
Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the allocation to the account of any participant which is attributable to the basic employee plan credit or the credit allowed under section 41 1 (relating to the employee stock ownership credit) may be extended over whatever period may be necessary to comply with the requirements of section 415.
A plan meets the requirements of this subsection only if it provides that each participant has a nonforfeitable right to any employer security allocated to his account.
A plan meets the requirements of this subsection if it meets the requirements of paragraph (2) or (3), whichever is applicable.
If the employer has a registration-type class of securities, the plan meets the requirements of this paragraph only if each participant or beneficiary in the plan is entitled to direct the plan as to the manner in which securities of the employer which are entitled to vote and are allocated to the account of such participant or beneficiary are to be voted.
If the employer does not have a registration-type class of securities, the plan meets the requirements of this paragraph only if each participant or beneficiary in the plan is entitled to direct the plan as to the manner in which voting rights under securities of the employer which are allocated to the account of such participant or beneficiary are to be exercised with respect to any corporate matter which involves the voting of such shares with respect to the approval or disapproval of any corporate merger or consolidation, recapitalization, reclassification, liquidation, dissolution, sale of substantially all assets of a trade or business, or such similar transaction as the Secretary may prescribe in regulations.
A plan meets the requirements of this subsection only if it is established on or before the due date (including any extension of such date) for the filing of the employer’s tax return for the first taxable year of the employer for which an employee plan credit is claimed by the employer with respect to the plan.
A plan which otherwise meets the requirements of this section shall not be considered to have failed to meet the requirements of section 401(a) merely because it was not established by the close of the first taxable year of the employer for which an employee plan credit is claimed by the employer with respect to the plan.
A plan meets the requirement of this subsection only if it provides that amounts which are transferred to the plan (because of the requirements of section 48(n)(1) or 41(c)(1)(B)) 1 shall remain in the plan (and, if allocated under the plan, shall remain so allocated) even though part or all of the employee plan credit or the credit allowed under section 41 1 (relating to employee stock ownership credit) is recaptured or redetermined. For purposes of the preceding sentence, the references to section 48(n)(1) 1 and the employee plan credit shall refer to such section and credit as in effect before the enactment of the Tax Reform Act of 1984.
A plan which otherwise meets the requirements of this subsection or of section 4975(e)(7) shall not be considered to have failed to meet the requirements of section 401(a) merely because under the plan the benefits may be distributed in cash or in the form of employer securities.
A plan to which this subparagraph applies shall not be treated as failing to meet the requirements of this subsection or section 401(a) merely because it does not permit a participant to exercise the right described in paragraph (1)(A) if such plan provides that the participant entitled to a distribution has a right to receive the distribution in cash, except that such plan may distribute employer securities subject to a requirement that such securities may be resold to the employer under terms which meet the requirements of paragraph (1)(B).
In the case of a plan established and maintained by a bank (as defined in section 581) which is prohibited by law from redeeming or purchasing its own securities, the requirements of paragraph (1)(B) shall not apply if the plan provides that participants entitled to a distribution from the plan shall have a right to receive a distribution in cash.
An employer shall be deemed to satisfy the requirements of paragraph (1)(B) if it provides a put option for a period of at least 60 days following the date of distribution of stock of the employer and, if the put option is not exercised within such 60-day period, for an additional period of at least 60 days in the following plan year (as provided in regulations promulgated by the Secretary).
If an employer is required to repurchase employer securities as part of an installment distribution, the requirements of paragraph (1)(B) shall be treated as met if the amount to be paid for the employer securities is paid not later than 30 days after the exercise of the put option described in paragraph (4).
Paragraph (1)(A) shall not apply with respect to the portion of the participant’s account which the employee elected to have reinvested under section 401(a)(28)(B) or subparagraph (B) or (C) of section 401(a)(35).
The term “employer securities” means common stock issued by the employer (or by a corporation which is a member of the same controlled group) which is readily tradable on an established securities market.
Noncallable preferred stock shall be treated as employer securities if such stock is convertible at any time into stock which meets the requirements of paragraph (1) or (2) (whichever is applicable) and if such conversion is at a conversion price which (as of the date of the acquisition by the tax credit employee stock ownership plan) is reasonable. For purposes of the preceding sentence, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary, preferred stock shall be treated as noncallable if after the call there will be a reasonable opportunity for a conversion which meets the requirements of the preceding sentence.
For purposes of this subsection, the term “controlled group of corporations” has the meaning given to such term by section 1563(a) (determined without regard to subsections (a)(4) and (e)(3)(C) of section 1563).
For purposes of subparagraph (A), if the common parent owns directly stock possessing at least 50 percent of the voting power of all classes of stock and at least 50 percent of each class of nonvoting stock in a first tier subsidiary, such subsidiary (and all other corporations below it in the chain which would meet the 80 percent test of section 1563(a) if the first tier subsidiary were the common parent) shall be treated as includible corporations.
For purposes of subparagraph (A), if the common parent owns directly stock possessing all of the voting power of all classes of stock and all of the nonvoting stock, in a first tier subsidiary, and if the first tier subsidiary owns directly stock possessing at least 50 percent of the voting power of all classes of stock, and at least 50 percent of each class of nonvoting stock, in a second tier subsidiary of the common parent, such second tier subsidiary (and all other corporations below it in the chain which would meet the 80 percent test of section 1563(a) if the second tier subsidiary were the common parent) shall be treated as includible corporations.
Nonvoting common stock of an employer described in the second sentence of section 401(a)(22) shall be treated as employer securities if an employer has a class of nonvoting common stock outstanding and the specific shares that the plan acquires have been issued and outstanding for at least 24 months.
No gain or loss shall be recognized to the taxpayer with respect to the transfer of employer securities to a tax credit employee stock ownership plan maintained by the taxpayer to the extent that such transfer is required under section 41(c)(1)(B),1 or subparagraph (A) or (B) of section 48(n)(1).1
For purposes of this subsection, the account balance of a participant shall not include any employer securities acquired with the proceeds of the loan described in section 404(a)(9) until the close of the plan year in which such loan is repaid in full.
The Secretary shall adjust the dollar amounts under paragraph (1)(C) at the same time and in the same manner as under section 415(d).
An employee stock ownership plan holding employer securities consisting of stock in an S corporation shall provide that no portion of the assets of the plan attributable to (or allocable in lieu of) such employer securities may, during a nonallocation year, accrue (or be allocated directly or indirectly under any plan of the employer meeting the requirements of section 401(a)) for the benefit of any disqualified person.
If a plan fails to meet the requirements of paragraph (1), the plan shall be treated as having distributed to any disqualified person the amount allocated to the account of such person in violation of paragraph (1) at the time of such allocation.
For excise tax relating to violations of paragraph (1) and ownership of synthetic equity, see section 4979A.
Notwithstanding the employee trust exception in section 318(a)(2)(B)(i), an individual shall be treated as owning deemed-owned shares of the individual.
In the case of a disqualified person described in subparagraph (A)(i), any member of such person’s family with deemed-owned shares shall be treated as a disqualified person if not otherwise treated as a disqualified person under subparagraph (A).
For purposes of clause (i)(II), a person’s share of unallocated S corporation stock held by such plan is the amount of the unallocated stock which would be allocated to such person if the unallocated stock were allocated to all participants in the same proportions as the most recent stock allocation under the plan.
The term “employee stock ownership plan” has the meaning given such term by section 4975(e)(7).
The term “employer security” has the meaning given such term by section 409(l).
The term “synthetic equity” means any stock option, warrant, restricted stock, deferred issuance stock right, or similar interest or right that gives the holder the right to acquire or receive stock of the S corporation in the future. Except to the extent provided in regulations, synthetic equity also includes a stock appreciation right, phantom stock unit, or similar right to a future cash payment based on the value of such stock or appreciation in such value.
The Secretary shall prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this subsection.
The Secretary may, by regulation or other guidance of general applicability, provide that a nonallocation year occurs in any case in which the principal purpose of the ownership structure of an S corporation constitutes an avoidance or evasion of this subsection.
(Added Pub. L. 95–600, title I, § 141(a), Nov. 6, 1978, 92 Stat. 2787, § 409A; amended Pub. L. 96–222, title I, § 101(a)(7)(D)–(F), (I), (J), (L)(i)(VI), (ii)(I), (II), (iii)(V), (v)(VI), (VII), Apr. 1, 1980, 94 Stat. 198–200; Pub. L. 96–605, title II, § 224(a), Dec. 28, 1980, 94 Stat. 3528; Pub. L. 97–34, title III, §§ 331(c)(1), 334, 336, 337(a), Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 293, 297, 298; Pub. L. 97–448, title I, § 103(h), (i), Jan. 12, 1983, 96 Stat. 2379; renumbered § 409 and amended Pub. L. 98–369, div. A, title IV, §§ 474(r)(15), 491(e)(1), July 18, 1984, 98 Stat. 843, 852; Pub. L. 99–514, title XI, §§ 1172(b)(1), 1174(a)(1), (b)(1), (2), (c)(1)(A), 1176(b), title XVIII, §§ 1852(a)(4)(B), 1854(a)(3)(A), (f)(1), (3)(C), 1899A(11), Oct. 22, 1986, 100 Stat. 2514, 2516, 2517, 2520, 2865, 2873, 2881, 2882, 2958; Pub. L. 100–647, title I, §§ 1011B(g)(1), (2), (i)(1), (3), (j)(3), (5), (k)(3), 1018(t)(4)(B), (C), (H), Nov. 10, 1988, 102 Stat. 3490, 3492, 3493, 3588, 3589; Pub. L. 101–239, title VII, §§ 7304(a)(2)(A), (B), 7811(h)(1), Dec. 19, 1989, 103 Stat. 2352, 2353, 2409; Pub. L. 105–34, title XV, § 1506(a), Aug. 5, 1997, 111 Stat. 1064; Pub. L. 107–16, title VI, § 656(a), June 7, 2001, 115 Stat. 131; Pub. L. 107–147, title IV, § 411(j)(2), Mar. 9, 2002, 116 Stat. 47; Pub. L. 109–280, title IX, § 901(a)(2)(B), Aug. 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 1029; Pub. L. 113–295, div. A, title II, § 221(a)(54), Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 4045; Pub. L. 115–141, div. U, title IV, § 401(a)(79), Mar. 23, 2018, 132 Stat. 1187.)
Terms defined here
Where the text says “the term … means”. Select a term to jump to its definition.
- controlled group of corporations § 409(l)(4)(A)
- deemed-owned shares § 409(p)(4)(C)(i)
- disqualified person § 409(p)(4)(A)
- employee stock ownership plan § 409(p)(6)(A)
- employer securities § 409(l)(1)
- employer securities § 409(l)(2)
- employer security § 409(p)(6)(B)
- member of the family § 409(p)(4)(D)
- nonallocation period § 409(n)(3)(C)
- nonallocation year § 409(p)(3)(A)
- synthetic equity § 409(p)(6)(C)
- tax credit employee stock ownership plan § 409(a)
- total distribution § 409(h)(5)(B)
Regulations under this section
Treasury regulations (26 CFR) issued under § 409
Cross-references
Computed from the citations in the text of Title 26 and 26 CFR.
This section cites 13 other sections
- § 401(a) Qualified pension, profit-sharing, and stock bonus plans
- § 41(c)(1)(B) Credit for increasing research activities
- § 415(c)(3) Limitations on benefits and contribution under qualified plans
- § 48 Energy credit
- § 4975(e)(7) Tax on prohibited transactions
- § 581 Definition of bank
- § 1563(a) Definitions and special rules
- § 1042 Sales of stock to employee stock ownership plans or certain cooperatives
- § 267(b) Losses, expenses, and interest with respect to transactions between related taxpayers
- § 318(a) Constructive ownership of stock
- § 4979A Tax on certain prohibited allocations of qualified securities
- § 417 Definitions and special rules for purposes of minimum survivor annuity requirements
- § 404(a)(9) Deduction for contributions of an employer to an employees’ trust or annuity plan and compensation under a deferred-payment plan
Cited by 12 Code sections
- § 401(a)(9)(C)(ii)(I) Qualified pension, profit-sharing, and stock bonus plans
- § 404(k)(3)(B) Deduction for contributions of an employer to an employees’ trust or annuity plan and compensation under a deferred-payment plan
- § 411(d)(6)(C)(i) Minimum vesting standards
- § 414(p)(10) Definitions and special rules
- § 415(c)(6)(A) Limitations on benefits and contribution under qualified plans
- § 512(e)(3) Unrelated business taxable income
- § 664(g)(3)(D) Charitable remainder trusts
- § 1042(c)(1) Sales of stock to employee stock ownership plans or certain cooperatives
- § 4975(e)(7)(B) Tax on prohibited transactions
- § 4978(e)(5) Tax on certain dispositions by employee stock ownership plans and certain cooperatives
- § 4979A(a)(3) Tax on certain prohibited allocations of qualified securities
- § 4980(c)(3)(A) Tax on reversion of qualified plan assets to employer
Cited in 24 regulations not issued under it
- § 1.62-1T Adjusted gross income (temporary).
- § 1.133-1T Questions and answers relating to interest on certain loans used to acquire employer securities (temporary).
- § 1.162-33 Certain employee remuneration in excess of $1,000,000 not deductible for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017.
- § 1.401(a)-20 Requirements of qualified joint and survivor annuity and qualified preretirement survivor annuity.
- § 1.401(a)(4)-2 Nondiscrimination in amount of employer contributions under a defined contribution plan.
- § 1.401(a)(4)-4 Nondiscriminatory availability of benefits, rights, and features.
- § 1.401(a)(26)-8 Definitions.
- § 1.401(l)-1 Permitted disparity in employer-provided contributions or benefits.
- § 1.402(c)-2 Eligible rollover distributions.
- § 1.404(k)-1T Questions and answers relating to the deductibility of certain dividend distributions. (Temporary)
- § 1.409A-0 Table of contents.
- § 1.409A-1 Definitions and covered plans.
- § 1.409A-3 Permissible payments.
- § 1.409A-6 Application of section 409A and effective dates.
- § 1.410(b)-2 Minimum coverage requirements (after 1993).
- § 1.410(b)-9 Definitions.
- § 1.411(d)-4 Section 411(d)(6) protected benefits.
- § 1.415(c)-1 Limitations for defined contribution plans.
- § 1.415(d)-1 Cost-of-living adjustments.
- § 1.1042-1T Questions and answers relating to the sales of stock to employee stock ownership plans or certain cooperatives (temporary).
- § 20.2039-5 Annuities under individual retirement plans.
- § 35.3405-1T Questions and answers relating to withholding on pensions, annuities, and certain other deferred income (temporary regulations).
- § 54.4978-1T Questions and answers relating to the tax on certain dispositions by employee stock ownership plans and certain cooperatives (temporary).
- § 301.6058-1 Information required in connection with certain plans of deferred compensation.
Amendment history
From the source credit and the official notes, newest first.
- Amended by Pub. L. 115–141Parts changed in 2018: (n)(1)(A)(i)
- Amended by Pub. L. 113–295Parts changed in 2014: (q)
- Amended by Pub. L. 109–280Parts changed in 2006: (h)(7)
- Amended by Pub. L. 107–147Parts changed in 2002: (o)(1)(C)(ii)
- Amended by Pub. L. 107–16Parts changed in 2001: (p)
- Amended by Pub. L. 105–34Parts changed in 1997: (h)(2)
- Amended by Pub. L. 101–239Parts changed in 1989: (l)(5) (n)(1) (n)(1)(A)(i) (n)(1)(A)(ii) (n)(2)(C)(i)
- Amended by Pub. L. 100–647Parts changed in 1988: (d) (e)(5) (h)(2) (h)(7) (l)(4) (n)(1) (n)(2)(C)(i) (n)(3)(C) (o)(1)(A) (o)(1)(A)(ii)
- Amended by Pub. L. 99–514Parts changed in 1986: (a)(3) (d) (d)(1) (e)(2) (e)(3) (e)(5) (h)(2) (h)(5) (l)(4) (n) (n)(1) (o) (p)
- Amended by Pub. L. 98–369Parts changed in 1984: (b)(1)(A) (b)(4) (g) (i)(1)(A) (k) (m) (n)(3)
- Amended by Pub. L. 97–448Parts changed in 1983: (d)(2) (h)(2)
- Amended by Pub. L. 97–34Parts changed in 1981: (b) (d) (g) (h)(2) (h)(3) (i)(1)(A) (m) (n)(2)
- Amended by Pub. L. 96–605Parts changed in 1980: (a) (b)(4) (d) (f)(1) (f)(2) (g) (h)(2) (j)(2) (l)(2)(B) (l)(3) (l)(4) (m) (n)
- Amended by Pub. L. 96–222
- Added by Pub. L. 95–600
Where it sits in the Code
- Subtitle A Income Taxes
- Chapter 1 NORMAL TAXES AND SURTAXES
- Subchapter D Deferred Compensation, Etc.
- Part I PENSION, PROFIT-SHARING, STOCK BONUS PLANS, ETC.
- Subpart A General Rule
Nearby sections
- § 406 Employees of foreign affiliates covered by section 3121(l) agreements
- § 407 Certain employees of domestic subsidiaries engaged in business outside the United States
- § 408 Individual retirement accounts
- § 408A Roth IRAs
- § 409 Qualifications for tax credit employee stock ownership plans
- § 409A Inclusion in gross income of deferred compensation under nonqualified deferred compensation plans
Official notes
The Law Revision Counsel's notes for this section (amendments, effective dates and related laws) are long, so they have their own page.