[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 26, Volume 5]
[Revised as of April 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 26CFR1.410(a)-9]

[Page 487-488]
 
                       TITLE 26--INTERNAL REVENUE
 
    CHAPTER I--INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 
                               (CONTINUED)
 
DEFERRED COMPENSATION, ETC.--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 1.410(a)-9  Maternity and paternity absence.

    (a) Elapsed time--(1) Rule. For purposes of applying the rules of 
Sec. 1.410(a)-7 (relating to the elapsed time method of crediting 
service) to absences described in sections 410(a)(5)(E) and 411(a)(6)(E) 
(relating to maternity or paternity absence), the severance from service 
date of an employee who is absent from service beyond the first 
anniversary of the first day of absence by reason of a maternity or 
paternity absence described in section 410(a)(5)(E)(i) or 
411(a)(6)(E)(i) is the second anniversary of the first day of such 
absence. The period between the first and second anniversaries of the 
first day of absence from work is neither a period of service nor a 
period of severance. This rule applies to maternity and paternity 
absences beginning on or after the first day of the first plan year in 
which the plan is required to credit service under sections 410(a)(5)(E) 
and 411(a)(6)(E).

    (2) Example. The rules of this section are illustrated by the 
following example:

    Assume an individual works until June 30, 1986; is first absent from 
employment on July 1, 1986, on account of maternity or paternity 
absence; and on July 1, 1989, performs an hour of service. The period of 
service must include the period from employment commencement date until 
June 30, 1987 (one year after the date of separation for any reason 
other than a quit, discharge, retirement, or death). The period from 
July 1, 1987, to June 30, 1988, is neither a period of service nor a 
period of severance. The period of severance would be from July 1, 1988, 
to June 30, 1989.

    (b) Other methods. This paragraph provides a safe harbor for plans 
that compute years of service under the

[[Page 488]]

hours of service methods or permitted equivalencies. Such a plan will be 
treated as satisfying the requirements of sections 410(a)(5)(E) and 
411(a)(6)(E) if the plan increases the minimum period of consecutive 1-
year breaks required to disregard any service (or deprive any employee 
of any right) by one. Thus, a plan will satisfy sections 410(a)(5)(E) 
and 411(a)(6)(E) without having to compute service for maternity or 
paternity and sections 410(a)(5)(D) and 411 (a)(4)(D) and (a)(6)(C), by 
increasing the period of consecutive breaks-in-service from 5 to 6.

[T.D. 8219, 53 FR 31852, Aug. 22, 1988; 53 FR 48534, Dec. 1, 1988]