President Barack Obama signed into law the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (the Budget Act), which raised Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) premium rates beginning in 2017.

Background

Single-employer defined benefit pension plans must pay annual premiums to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), the U.S. government agency that insures these plans. All single-employer defined benefit pension plans pay an annual fixed premium. Those plans with unfunded vested benefits at year-end must pay an additional variable rate premium. The due date for payment of these premiums has generally been the fifteenth day of the tenth full calendar month of the premium payment year.

In 2016, the fixed premium is set at $64 per participant. The variable rate premium is based on the amount of potential liability that the plan creates for the PBGC. Calculated on a per-participant basis, the variable rate premium is a specified dollar amount for each $1000 of unfunded vested benefits under the plan as of the end of the preceding year, subject to a $500 per-participant cap. For 2016, it will equal $30 per $1000 of underfunding, subject to the cap. Both premiums are indexed for inflation.

Changes to PBGC Rates

The Budget Act makes the following changes:

1. Single-employer fixed premiums will be raised to $69 per participant for plan years beginning in 2017, $74 per participant for plan years beginning in 2018 and $80 per participant for plan years beginning in 2019. In 2020, the fixed premium will be re-indexed for inflation.

2. Single-employer variable rate premiums, which will continue to be adjusted for inflation, will increase by an additional $3 for plan years beginning in 2017 (from $30 to $33 per $1000 of underfunding, subject to indexing); by an additional $4 for plan years beginning in 2018 (from $33 to $37 per $1000 of underfunding, subject to indexing); and by an additional $4 for plan years beginning in 2019 (from $37 to $41 per $1000 of underfunding, subject to indexing). There are no scheduled increases (other than indexing) for years after 2019.

3. To include the 2025 premium revenue within the 10-year budget window, the premium due date for plan years beginning in 2025 will be the fifteenth day of the ninth calendar month beginning on or after the first day of the premium payment year.