‘‘(A) shall be available for crediting against 
the minimum required contribution, pursuant to 
an election under paragraph (3), 
‘‘(B) shall be applied as a reduction in the 
amount treated as the value of plan assets for 
purposes of this section, to the extent provided 
in paragraph (4), and 
‘‘(C) may be reduced at any time, pursu-
ant to an election under paragraph (5). 
‘‘(3) ELECTION TO APPLY BALANCES AGAINST 
MINIMUM REQUIRED CONTRIBUTION.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraphs (B) and (C), in the case of any 
plan year in which the plan sponsor elects to 
credit against the minimum required contribu-
tion for the current plan year all or a portion 
of the prefunding balance or the funding stand-
ard carryover balance for the current plan year 
(not in excess of such minimum required con-
tribution), the minimum required contribution 
for the plan year shall be reduced as of the first 
day of the plan year by the amount so credited 
by the plan sponsor. For purposes of the pre-
ceding sentence, the minimum required con-
tribution shall be determined after taking into 
account any waiver under section 302(c). 
‘‘(B) 
COORDINATION
WITH
FUNDING 
STANDARD CARRYOVER BALANCE.—To the ex-
tent that any plan has a funding standard car-
ryover balance greater than zero, no amount of 
the prefunding balance of such plan may be 
credited under this paragraph in reducing the 
minimum required contribution. 
‘‘(C) LIMITATION
FOR
UNDERFUNDED 
PLANS.—The preceding provisions of this para-
graph shall not apply for any plan year if the 
ratio (expressed as a percentage) which—
‘‘(i) the value of plan assets for the 
preceding plan year (as reduced under 
paragraph (4)(C)), bears to 
‘‘(ii) the funding target of the plan for 
the preceding plan year (determined with-
out regard to subsection (i)(1)), 
is less than 80 percent. In the case of plan 
years beginning in 2008, the ratio under this 
subparagraph may be determined using such 
methods of estimation as the Secretary of the 
Treasury may prescribe.
‘‘(4) EFFECT
OF
BALANCES
ON
AMOUNTS 
TREATED AS VALUE OF PLAN ASSETS.—In the case 
of any plan maintaining a prefunding balance or a 
funding standard carryover balance pursuant to this 
subsection, the amount treated as the value of plan 
assets shall be deemed to be such amount, reduced 
as provided in the following subparagraphs: 
‘‘(A) APPLICABILITY OF SHORTFALL AM-
ORTIZATION BASE.—For purposes of subsection 
(c)(5), the value of plan assets is deemed to be 
such amount, reduced by the amount of the 
prefunding balance, but only if an election 
under paragraph (2) applying any portion of 
the prefunding balance in reducing the min-
imum required contribution is in effect for the 
plan year. 
‘‘(B) DETERMINATION OF EXCESS ASSETS, 
FUNDING SHORTFALL, AND FUNDING TARGET 
ATTAINMENT PERCENTAGE.—
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—For purposes of 
subsections (a), (c)(4)(B), and (d)(2)(A), 
the value of plan assets is deemed to be 
such amount, reduced by the amount of 
the prefunding balance and the funding 
standard carryover balance.
‘‘(ii) SPECIAL
RULE
FOR
CERTAIN 
BINDING AGREEMENTS WITH PBGC.—For 
purposes of subsection (c)(4)(B), the value 
of plan assets shall not be deemed to be re-
duced for a plan year by the amount of the 
specified balance if, with respect to such 
balance, there is in effect for a plan year 
a binding written agreement with the Pen-
sion Benefit Guaranty Corporation which 
provides that such balance is not available 
to reduce the minimum required contribu-
tion for the plan year. For purposes of the 
preceding sentence, the term ‘specified bal-
ance’ means the prefunding balance or the 
funding standard carryover balance, as the 
case may be. 
‘‘(C) AVAILABILITY OF BALANCES IN PLAN 
YEAR FOR CREDITING AGAINST MINIMUM RE-
QUIRED
CONTRIBUTION.—For 
purposes 
of 
paragraph (3)(C)(i) of this subsection, the value 
of plan assets is deemed to be such amount, re-
duced by the amount of the prefunding balance. 
‘‘(5) ELECTION TO REDUCE BALANCE PRIOR TO 
DETERMINATIONS OF VALUE OF PLAN ASSETS AND