Sec. 1.72-8 Effect of certain employer contributions with respect to premiums or other consideration paid or contributed by an employee.

(1) Amounts includible in gross income of employee under subtitle A of the Code or prior income tax laws. Section 72(f) provides that for the purposes of section 72(c), (d), and (e), amounts contributed by an employer for the benefit of an employee or his beneficiaries shall constitute consideration paid or contributed by the employee to the extent that such amounts were includible in the gross income of the employee under subtitle A of the Code or prior income tax laws. Amounts to which this paragraph applies include, for example, contributions made by an employer to or under a trust or plan which fails to qualify under the provisions of section 401(a), provided that the employee's rights to such contributions are nonforfeitable at the time the contributions are made. See sections 402(b) and 403(c) and the regulations thereunder. This subparagraph also applies to premiums paid by an employer (other than premiums paid on behalf of an owner-employee) for life insurance protection for an employee if such premiums are includible in the gross income of the employee when paid. See section 1.72-16. However, such premiums shall only be considered as premiums and other consideration paid by the employee with respect to any benefits attributable to the contract providing the life insurance protection. See section 1.72-16.

(2) Amounts not includible in gross income of employee at time contributed if paid directly to employee at that time. Except as provided in subparagraph (3) of this paragraph, section 72(f) provides that for the purposes of section 72(c), (d), and (e), amounts contributed by an employer for the benefit of an employee or his beneficiaries shall constitute consideration paid or contributed by the employee to the extent that such amounts would not have been includible in the gross income of the employee at the time contributed had they been paid directly to the employee at that time. Amounts to which this subparagraph applies include, for example, contributions made by an employer after December 31, 1950, and before January 1, 1963, if made on account of foreign services rendered by an employee during a period in which the employee qualified as a bona fide resident of a foreign country under section 911(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, or under section 116(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1939. In such a case, it would be immaterial whether such contributions were made under a qualified plan or otherwise. See subparagraph (4) of this paragraph for rules governing the determination of the amount of employer foreign service contributions to which this subparagraph applies. On the other hand, if contributions are made by an employer to a qualified plan at a time when compensation paid directly to the employee concerned with respect to the same services rendered would have been includible in the gross income of the employee, such as in the case of an employee of a State government where contributions are made in 1955 with respect to services rendered by the employee prior to the year 1939, this subparagraph does not apply to such contributions.

(3) Limitation.

(4) Determination of employer foreign service contributions which constitute consideration paid or contributed by employee.For purposes of subparagraphs (2) and (3)(ii) of this paragraph, employer foreign service contributions which constitute, for purposes of section 72(c), (d), and (e), consideration paid or contributed by the employee shall be determined as follows:

(5) Amounts not includible in gross income of employee under subtitle A of the Code or prior income tax laws. Amounts contributed by an employer which were not includible in the gross income of the employee under Subtitle A of the Code or prior income tax laws, but which would have been includible therein had they been paid directly to the employee, do not constitute consideration paid or contributed by the employee for the purposes of section 72. For example, contributions made by an employer under a qualified employees' trust or plan, which contributions would have been includible in the gross income of the employee had such contributions been paid to him directly as compensation, do not constitute consideration paid or contributed by the employee. Accordingly, the aggregate amount of premiums or other consideration paid or contributed by an employee, insofar as compensatory employer contributions are concerned, consists solely of the (i) sum of all amounts actually contributed by the employee, plus (ii) contributions in the nature of compensation which are deemed to be paid or contributed by the employee under this paragraph.

(1) Amounts (other than amounts paid as an annuity) to the extent such amounts are excludable from the beneficiary's gross income as a death benefit under section 101(b), and

(2) Any amount or amounts of death benefits which are treated as additional consideration contributed by the employee under section 101(b)(2)(D) and the regulations thereunder, or which were excludable from the beneficiary's gross income as a death benefit under section 22(b)(1)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1939 and the regulations thereunder. Accordingly, in the case of an employee's beneficiary, any such amount shall be added to any amount or amounts deemed paid or contributed by the employee under paragraph (a)(1) of this section and to any amounts actually contributed by the employee for the purpose of finding the aggregate amount of premiums or other consideration paid or contributed by the employee.