qualified services
(11) Certain plans excluded (A) In general The following plans shall be treated as not providing for the deferral of compensation: (i) Any bona fide vacation leave, sick leave, compensatory time, severance pay, disability pay, or death benefit plan. (ii) Any plan paying solely length of service awards to bona fide volunteers (or their beneficiaries) on account of qualified services performed by such volunteers. (B) Special rules applicable to length of service award plans (i) Bona fide volunteer An individual shall be treated as a bona fide volunteer for purposes of subparagraph (A)(ii) if the only compensation received by such individual for performing qualified services is in the form of— (I) reimbursement for (or a reasonable allowance for) reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of such services, or (II) reasonable benefits (including length of service awards), and nominal fees for such services, customarily paid by eligible employers in connection with the performance of such services by volunteers. (ii) Limitation on accruals A plan shall not be treated as described in subparagraph (A)(ii) if the aggregate amount of length of service awards accruing with respect to any year of service for any bona fide volunteer exceeds $6,000. (iii) Cost of living adjustment In the case of taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 , the Secretary shall adjust the $6,000 amount under clause (ii) at the same time and in the same manner as under section 415(d), except that the base period shall be the calendar quarter beginning July 1, 2016 , and any increase under this paragraph that is not a multiple of $500 shall be rounded to the next lowest multiple of $500. (iv) Special rule for application of limitation on accruals for certain plans In the case of a plan described in subparagraph (A)(ii) which is a defined benefit plan (as defined in section 414(j)), the limitation under clause (ii) shall apply to the actuarial present value of the aggregate amount of length of service awards accruing with respect to any year of service. Such actuarial present value with respect to any year shall be calculated using reasonable actuarial assumptions and methods, assuming payment will be made under the most valuable form of payment under the plan with payment commencing at the later of the earliest age at which unreduced benefits are payable under the plan or the participant’s age at the time of the calculation. (C) Qualified services For purposes of this paragraph, the term “qualified services” means fire fighting and prevention services, emergency medical services, and ambulance services. (D) Certain voluntary early retirement incentive plans (i) In general If an applicable voluntary early retirement incentive plan— (I) makes payments or supplements as an early retirement benefit, a retirement-type subsidy, or a benefit described in the last sentence of section 411(a)(9), and (II) such payments or supplements are made in coordination with a defined benefit plan which is described in section 401(a) and includes a trust exempt from tax under section 501(a) and which is maintained by an eligible employer described in paragraph (1)(A) or by an education association described in clause (ii)(II), such applicable plan shall be treated for purposes of subparagraph (A)(i) as a bona fide severance pay plan with respect to such payments or supplements to the extent such payments or supplements could otherwise have been provided under such defined benefit plan (determined as if section 411 applied to such defined benefit plan). (ii) Applicable voluntary early retirement incentive plan For purposes of this subparagraph, the term “applicable voluntary early retirement incentive plan” means a voluntary early retirement incentive plan maintained by— (I) a local educational agency (as defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965), or (II) an education association which principally represents employees of 1 or more agencies described in subclause (I) and which is described in section 501(c)(5) or (6) and exempt from tax under section 501(a).