Rabbi Trust

Updated: 21 October 2024

What Does Rabbi Trust Mean?

A rabbi trust is a non-qualified income deferral system for higher-paid employees meant to increase retirement money compared to qualified benefit programs.

Insuranceopedia Explains Rabbi Trust

Rabbi trusts are designed for employees with higher earnings than those who typically participate in traditional plans like 401(k)s. Given their income, these employees seek to accumulate more retirement savings. With a Rabbi trust, employers deposit a portion of the employee’s annual income into an irrevocable, tax-deferred trust.

The term originated from an IRS ruling that approved a similar compensation arrangement for rabbis.

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