(d) Assignment or alienation of plan benefits(1) Each pension plan shall provide that benefits provided under the plan may not be assigned or alienated.
(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1) of this subsection, there shall not be taken into account any voluntary and revocable assignment of not to exceed 10 percent of any benefit payment, or of any irrevocable assignment or alienation of benefits executed before September 2, 1974. The preceding sentence shall not apply to any assignment or alienation made for the purposes of defraying plan administration costs. For purposes of this paragraph a loan made to a participant or beneficiary shall not be treated as an assignment or alienation if such loan is secured by the participant’s accrued non-forfeitable benefit and is exempt from the tax imposed by section 4975 of title 26 (relating to tax on prohibited transactions) by reason of section 4975(d)(1) of title 26.
(3)(A) Paragraph (1) shall apply to the creation, assignment, or recognition of a right to any benefit payable with respect to a participant pursuant to a domestic relations order, except that paragraph (1) shall not apply if the order is determined to be a qualified domestic relations order. Each pension plan shall provide for the payment of benefits in accordance with the applicable requirements of any qualified domestic relations order.
(B) For purposes of this paragraph—(i) the term “qualified domestic relations order” means a domestic relations order—(I) which creates or recognizes the existence of an alternate payee’s right to, or assigns to an alternate payee the right to, receive all or a portion of the benefits payable with respect to a participant under a plan, and(II) with respect to which the requirements of subparagraphs (C) and (D) are met, and
(ii) the term “domestic relations order” means any judgment, decree, or order (including approval of a property settlement agreement) which—(I) relates to the provision of child support, alimony payments, or marital property rights to a spouse, former spouse, child, or other dependent of a participant, and(II) is made pursuant to a State or Tribal domestic relations law (including a community property law).For purposes of clause (ii)(II), the term “Tribal” with respect to a domestic relations law means such a law which is issued by or under the laws of an Indian tribal government (as defined in section 7701(a)(40) of title 26), a subdivision of such an Indian tribal government, or an agency or instrumentality of either.
(C) A domestic relations order meets the requirements of this subparagraph only if such order clearly specifies—(i) the name and the last known mailing address (if any) of the participant and the name and mailing address of each alternate payee covered by the order,
(ii) the amount or percentage of the participant’s benefits to be paid by the plan to each such alternate payee, or the manner in which such amount or percentage is to be determined,
(iii) the number of payments or period to which such order applies, and
(iv) each plan to which such order applies.
(D) A domestic relations order meets the requirements of this subparagraph only if such order—(i) does not require a plan to provide any type or form of benefit, or any option, not otherwise provided under the plan,
(ii) does not require the plan to provide increased benefits (determined on the basis of actuarial value), and
(iii) does not require the payment of benefits to an alternate payee which are required to be paid to another alternate payee under another order previously determined to be a qualified domestic relations order.
(E)(i) A domestic relations order shall not be treated as failing to meet the requirements of clause (i) of subparagraph (D) solely because such order requires that payment of benefits be made to an alternate payee—(I) in the case of any payment before a participant has separated from service, on or after the date on which the participant attains (or would have attained) the earliest retirement age,(II) as if the participant had retired on the date on which such payment is to begin under such order (but taking into account only the present value of benefits actually accrued and not taking into account the present value of any employer subsidy for early retirement), and(III) in any form in which such benefits may be paid under the plan to the participant (other than in the form of a joint and survivor annuity with respect to the alternate payee and his or her subsequent spouse).For purposes of subclause (II), the interest rate assumption used in determining the present value shall be the interest rate specified in the plan or, if no rate is specified, 5 percent.
(ii) For purposes of this subparagraph, the term “earliest retirement age” means the earlier of—(I) the date on which the participant is entitled to a distribution under the plan, or(II) the later of the date of 11 So in original. The word “of” probably should not appear.
the participant attains age 50 or the earliest date on which the participant could begin receiving benefits under the plan if the participant separated from service. (F) To the extent provided in any qualified domestic relations order—(i) the former spouse of a participant shall be treated as a surviving spouse of such participant for purposes of section 1055 of this title (and any spouse of the participant shall not be treated as a spouse of the participant for such purposes), and
(ii) if married for at least 1 year, the surviving former spouse shall be treated as meeting the requirements of section 1055(f) of this title.
(G)(i) In the case of any domestic relations order received by a plan—(I) the plan administrator shall promptly notify the participant and each alternate payee of the receipt of such order and the plan’s procedures for determining the qualified status of domestic relations orders, and(II) within a reasonable period after receipt of such order, the plan administrator shall determine whether such order is a qualified domestic relations order and notify the participant and each alternate payee of such determination.
(ii) Each plan shall establish reasonable procedures to determine the qualified status of domestic relations orders and to administer distributions under such qualified orders. Such procedures—(I) shall be in writing,(II) shall provide for the notification of each person specified in a domestic relations order as entitled to payment of benefits under the plan (at the address included in the domestic relations order) of such procedures promptly upon receipt by the plan of the domestic relations order, and(III) shall permit an alternate payee to designate a representative for receipt of copies of notices that are sent to the alternate payee with respect to a domestic relations order.
(H)(i) During any period in which the issue of whether a domestic relations order is a qualified domestic relations order is being determined (by the plan administrator, by a court of competent jurisdiction, or otherwise), the plan administrator shall separately account for the amounts (hereinafter in this subparagraph referred to as the “segregated amounts”) which would have been payable to the alternate payee during such period if the order had been determined to be a qualified domestic relations order.
(ii) If within the 18-month period described in clause (v) the order (or modification thereof) is determined to be a qualified domestic relations order, the plan administrator shall pay the segregated amounts (including any interest thereon) to the person or persons entitled thereto.
(iii) If within the 18-month period described in clause (v)—(I) it is determined that the order is not a qualified domestic relations order, or(II) the issue as to whether such order is a qualified domestic relations order is not resolved,then the plan administrator shall pay the segregated amounts (including any interest thereon) to the person or persons who would have been entitled to such amounts if there had been no order.
(iv) Any determination that an order is a qualified domestic relations order which is made after the close of the 18-month period described in clause (v) shall be applied prospectively only.
(v) For purposes of this subparagraph, the 18-month period described in this clause is the 18-month period beginning with the date on which the first payment would be required to be made under the domestic relations order.
(I) If a plan fiduciary acts in accordance with part 4 of this subtitle in—(i) treating a domestic relations order as being (or not being) a qualified domestic relations order, or
(ii) taking action under subparagraph (H),
then the plan’s obligation to the participant and each alternate payee shall be discharged to the extent of any payment made pursuant to such Act.
(J) A person who is an alternate payee under a qualified domestic relations order shall be considered for purposes of any provision of this chapter a beneficiary under the plan. Nothing in the preceding sentence shall permit a requirement under section 1301 of this title of the payment of more than 1 premium with respect to a participant for any period.
(K) The term “alternate payee” means any spouse, former spouse, child, or other dependent of a participant who is recognized by a domestic relations order as having a right to receive all, or a portion of, the benefits payable under a plan with respect to such participant.
(L) This paragraph shall not apply to any plan to which paragraph (1) does not apply.
(M) Payment of benefits by a pension plan in accordance with the applicable requirements of a qualified domestic relations order shall not be treated as garnishment for purposes of section 1673(a) of title 15.
(N) In prescribing regulations under this paragraph, the Secretary shall consult with the Secretary of the Treasury.
(4) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to any offset of a participant’s benefits provided under an employee pension benefit plan against an amount that the participant is ordered or required to pay to the plan if—(A) the order or requirement to pay arises—(i) under a judgment of conviction for a crime involving such plan,
(ii) under a civil judgment (including a consent order or decree) entered by a court in an action brought in connection with a violation (or alleged violation) of part 4 of this subtitle, or
(iii) pursuant to a settlement agreement between the Secretary and the participant, or a settlement agreement between the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and the participant, in connection with a violation (or alleged violation) of part 4 of this subtitle by a fiduciary or any other person,
(B) the judgment, order, decree, or settlement agreement expressly provides for the offset of all or part of the amount ordered or required to be paid to the plan against the participant’s benefits provided under the plan, and
(C) in a case in which the survivor annuity requirements of section 1055 of this title apply with respect to distributions from the plan to the participant, if the participant has a spouse at the time at which the offset is to be made—(i) either—(I) such spouse has consented in writing to such offset and such consent is witnessed by a notary public or representative of the plan (or it is established to the satisfaction of a plan representative that such consent may not be obtained by reason of circumstances described in section 1055(c)(2)(B) of this title), or(II) an election to waive the right of the spouse to a qualified joint and survivor annuity or a qualified preretirement survivor annuity is in effect in accordance with the requirements of section 1055(c) of this title,
(ii) such spouse is ordered or required in such judgment, order, decree, or settlement to pay an amount to the plan in connection with a violation of part 4 of this subtitle, or
(iii) in such judgment, order, decree, or settlement, such spouse retains the right to receive the survivor annuity under a qualified joint and survivor annuity provided pursuant to section 1055(a)(1) of this title and under a qualified preretirement survivor annuity provided pursuant to section 1055(a)(2) of this title, determined in accordance with paragraph (5).
A plan shall not be treated as failing to meet the requirements of section 1055 of this title solely by reason of an offset under this paragraph.
(5)(A) The survivor annuity described in paragraph (4)(C)(iii) shall be determined as if—(i) the participant terminated employment on the date of the offset,
(ii) there was no offset,
(iii) the plan permitted commencement of benefits only on or after normal retirement age,
(iv) the plan provided only the minimum-required qualified joint and survivor annuity, and
(v) the amount of the qualified preretirement survivor annuity under the plan is equal to the amount of the survivor annuity payable under the minimum-required qualified joint and survivor annuity.
(B) For purposes of this paragraph, the term “minimum-required qualified joint and survivor annuity” means the qualified joint and survivor annuity which is the actuarial equivalent of the participant’s accrued benefit (within the meaning of section 1002(23) of this title) and under which the survivor annuity is 50 percent of the amount of the annuity which is payable during the joint lives of the participant and the spouse.
(h) Special rules applicable to benefit overpayments(1) General ruleIn the case of an inadvertent benefit overpayment by any pension plan, the responsible plan fiduciary shall not be considered to have failed to comply with the requirements of this subchapter merely because such fiduciary determines, in the exercise of its discretion, not to seek recovery of all or part of such overpayment from—(A) any participant or beneficiary,
(B) any plan sponsor of, or contributing employer to—(i) an individual account plan, provided that the amount needed to prevent or restore any impermissible forfeiture from any participant’s or beneficiary’s account arising in connection with the overpayment is, separately from and independently of the overpayment, allocated to such account pursuant to the nonforfeitability requirements of section 1053 of this title (for example, out of the plan’s forfeiture account, additional employer contributions, or recoveries from those responsible for the overpayment), or
(ii) a defined benefit pension plan subject to the funding rules in part 3 of this subtitle B, unless the responsible plan fiduciary determines, in the exercise of its fiduciary discretion, that failure to recover all or part of the overpayment faster than required under such funding rules would materially affect the plan’s ability to pay benefits due to other participants and beneficiaries, or
(C) any fiduciary of the plan, other than a fiduciary (including a plan sponsor or contributing employer acting in a fiduciary capacity) whose breach of its fiduciary duties resulted in such overpayment, provided that if the plan has established prudent procedures to prevent and minimize overpayment of benefits and the relevant plan fiduciaries have followed such procedures, an inadvertent benefit overpayment will not give rise to a breach of fiduciary duty.
(2) Reduction in future benefit payments and recovery from responsible partyParagraph (1) shall not fail to apply with respect to any inadvertent benefit overpayment merely because, after discovering such overpayment, the responsible plan fiduciary—(A) reduces future benefit payments to the correct amount provided for under the terms of the plan, or
(B) seeks recovery from the person or persons responsible for the overpayment.
(3) Employer funding obligationsNothing in this subsection shall relieve an employer of any obligation imposed on it to make contributions to a plan to meet the minimum funding standards under part 3 of this subtitle B or to prevent or restore an impermissible forfeiture in accordance with section 1053 of this title.
(4) Recoupment from participants and beneficiariesIf the responsible plan fiduciary, in the exercise of its fiduciary discretion, decides to seek recoupment from a participant or beneficiary of all or part of an inadvertent benefit overpayment made by the plan to such participant or beneficiary, it may do so, subject to the following conditions:(A)
(B) If the plan seeks to recoup past overpayments of a non-decreasing annuity by reducing future benefit payments—(i) the reduction ceases after the plan has recovered the full dollar amount of the overpayment,
(ii) the amount recouped each calendar year does not exceed 10 percent of the full dollar amount of the overpayment, and
(iii) future benefit payments are not reduced to below 90 percent of the periodic amount otherwise payable under the terms of the plan.
Alternatively, if the plan seeks to recoup past overpayments of a non-decreasing annuity through one or more installment payments, the sum of such installment payments in any calendar year does not exceed the sum of the reductions that would be permitted in such year under the preceding sentence.
(C) If the plan seeks to recoup past overpayments of a benefit other than a non-decreasing annuity, the plan satisfies requirements developed by the Secretary of Labor for purposes of this subparagraph.
(D) Efforts to recoup overpayments are—(i) not accompanied by threats of litigation, unless the responsible plan fiduciary makes a determination that there is a reasonable likelihood of success to recover an amount greater than the cost of recovery, and
(ii) not made through a collection agency or similar third party, unless the participant or beneficiary ignores or rejects efforts to recoup the overpayment following either a final judgment in Federal or State court or a settlement between the participant or beneficiary and the plan, in either case authorizing such recoupment.
(E) Recoupment of past overpayments to a participant is not sought from any beneficiary of the participant, including a spouse, surviving spouse, former spouse, or other beneficiary.
(F) Recoupment may not be sought if the first overpayment occurred more than 3 years before the participant or beneficiary is first notified in writing of the error, except in the case of fraud or misrepresentation by the participant.
(G) A participant or beneficiary from whom recoupment is sought is entitled to contest all or part of the recoupment pursuant to the claims procedures of the plan that made the overpayment to the extent such procedures are consistent with section 1133 of this title and in the case of an inadvertent benefit overpayment from a plan to which paragraph (1) applies that is transferred to an eligible retirement plan (as defined in section 402(c)(8)(B) of title 26) by or on behalf of a participant or beneficiary—(i) such plan shall notify the plan receiving the rollover of such dispute,
(ii) the plan receiving the rollover shall retain such overpayment on behalf of the participant or beneficiary (and shall be entitled to treat such overpayment as plan assets) pending the outcome of such procedures, and
(iii) the portion of such overpayment with respect to which recoupment is sought on behalf of the plan shall be permitted to be returned to such plan if it is determined to be an overpayment (and the plans making and receiving such transfer shall be treated as permitting such transfer).
(H) In determining the amount of recoupment to seek, the responsible plan fiduciary may take into account the hardship that recoupment likely would impose on the participant or beneficiary.
(5) Effect of culpabilitySubparagraphs (A) through (F) of paragraph (4) shall not apply to protect a participant or beneficiary who is culpable. For purposes of this paragraph, a participant or beneficiary is culpable if the individual bears responsibility for the overpayment (such as through misrepresentations or omissions that led to the overpayment), or if the individual knew that the benefit payment or payments were materially in excess of the correct amount. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, an individual is not culpable merely because the individual believed the benefit payment or payments were or might be in excess of the correct amount, if the individual raised that question with an authorized plan representative and was told the payment or payments were not in excess of the correct amount.
(Pub. L. 93–406, title I, § 206, Sept. 2, 1974, 88 Stat. 864; Pub. L. 98–397, title I, § 104(a), Aug. 23, 1984, 98 Stat. 1433; Pub. L. 99–514, title XVIII, § 1898(c)(2)(B), (4)(B), (5), (6)(B), (7)(B), Oct. 22, 1986, 100 Stat. 2952–2954; Pub. L. 101–239, title VII, §§ 7891(a)(1), 7894(c)(8), (9)(A), Dec. 19, 1989, 103 Stat. 2445, 2449; Pub. L. 103–465, title VII, §§ 761(a)(9)(B)(i), 776(c)(2), Dec. 8, 1994, 108 Stat. 5033, 5048; Pub. L. 105–34, title XV, § 1502(a), Aug. 5, 1997, 111 Stat. 1058; Pub. L. 109–280, title I, §§ 103(a), 108(a)(9), (10), formerly § 107(a)(9), (10), title IV, § 410(b), Aug. 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 809, 819, 935, renumbered Pub. L. 111–192, title II, § 202(a), June 25, 2010, 124 Stat. 1297; Pub. L. 110–458, title I, § 101(c)(1)(B)–(G), Dec. 23, 2008, 122 Stat. 5097; Pub. L. 111–192, title II, § 203(a)(1), June 25, 2010, 124 Stat. 1299; Pub. L. 113–97, title I, § 102(b)(3), Apr. 7, 2014, 128 Stat. 1116; Pub. L. 113–159, title II, § 2003(c)(2), Aug. 8, 2014, 128 Stat. 1850; Pub. L. 113–295, div. A, title II, § 221(a)(57)(E)(ii), (F)(ii), (G)(ii), Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 4046, 4047; Pub. L. 117–328, div. T, title III, §§ 301(a), 339(b), Dec. 29, 2022, 136 Stat. 5335, 5375.)