Understanding New Comparability Plans

A new comparability plan is a qualified profit-sharing plan that can have more substantial contributions for favored employees (usually higher-paid workers and key employees). With this type of plan, contributions are not allocated strictly as a percentage of compensation. Instead, by dividing up plan participants into two or more classes and having different contribution rates for each class, this type of plan allows businesses to maximize plan contributions for certain employees and minimize allocations to other employees. A new comparability plan satisfies nondiscrimination requirements by requiring minimum contributions and then having the plan pass a series of tests to show that the projected benefits for each class meet the coverage requirements.