Legal Definitions - government plan

A government plan is a type of employee benefit plan that is established and maintained by the federal government, state or local governments, or their agencies or instrumentalities for their employees. It can include a variety of plans such as pension plans, profit-sharing plans, and welfare plans.

• 401(k) plan: A retirement and savings plan that allows an employee to elect to have a portion of their pretax salary contributed to a defined contribution plan. Employers often match all or part of the employee's contributions.
• 403(b) plan: A retirement plan for employees of public educational systems and certain tax-exempt organizations that is funded by pretax employee contributions much like a 401(k) plan, but may also provide for employer contributions.
• Governmental plan: An employee benefit plan established or maintained for its employees by the federal government, state or local governments, or their agencies or instrumentalities.

These examples illustrate how a government plan can take different forms and provide various benefits to employees. For instance, a 401(k) plan allows employees to save for retirement with the help of their employer's contributions, while a 403(b) plan is designed for employees of certain organizations. A governmental plan is established by the government for its employees and can include different types of plans.