Parachute Payments Clause Example from Business Contracts

Parachute Payments. (a) If any payment or benefit the Employee will or may receive from the Company or otherwise (a "280G Payment") would (i) constitute a "parachute payment" within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code, and (ii) but for this sentence, be subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code (the "Excise Tax"), then any such 280G Payment pursuant to this Agreement (a "Payment") will be equal to the Reduced Amount. The "Reduced Amount" will be either (x) the largest portion of the Payment ...that would result in no portion of the Payment (after reduction) being subject to the Excise Tax or (y) the largest portion, up to and including the total, of the Payment, whichever amount (i.e., the amount determined by clause (x) or by clause (y)), after taking into account all applicable federal, state and local employment taxes, income taxes, and the Excise Tax (all computed at the highest applicable marginal rate), results in the Employee's receipt, on an after-tax basis, of the greater economic benefit notwithstanding that all or some portion of the Payment may be subject to the Excise Tax. If a reduction in a Payment is required pursuant to the preceding sentence and the Reduced Amount is determined pursuant to clause (x) of the preceding sentence, the reduction will occur in the manner (the "Reduction Method") that results in the greatest economic benefit for the Employee. If more than one method of reduction will result in the same economic benefit, the items so reduced will be reduced pro rata (the "Pro Rata Reduction Method"). (b) Notwithstanding any provision of Section 11(a) to the contrary, if the Reduction Method or the Pro Rata Reduction Method would result in any portion of the Payment being subject to taxes pursuant to Section 409A that would not otherwise be subject to taxes pursuant to Section 409A, then the Reduction Method and/or the Pro Rata Reduction Method, as the case may be, will be modified so as to avoid the imposition of taxes pursuant to Section 409A as follows: (A) as a first priority, the modification will preserve to the greatest extent possible, the greatest economic benefit for the Employee as determined on an after-tax basis; (B) as a second priority, Payments that are contingent on future events (e.g., being terminated without Cause), will be reduced (or eliminated) before Payments that are not contingent on future events; and (C) as a third priority, Payments that are "deferred compensation" within the meaning of Section 409A will be reduced (or eliminated) before Payments that are not "deferred compensation" within the meaning of Section 409A. (c) The independent registered public accounting firm engaged by the Company for general audit purposes as of the day prior to the effective date of the event described in Section 280G(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Code will perform the foregoing calculations. If the independent registered public accounting firm so engaged by the Company is serving as accountant or auditor for the individual, entity or group effecting such event, the Company will appoint a nationally recognized independent registered public accounting firm to make the determinations required hereunder. The Company will bear all expenses with respect to the determinations by such independent registered public accounting firm required to be made hereunder. The Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to cause the independent registered public accounting firm engaged to make the determinations hereunder to provide its calculations, together with detailed supporting documentation, to the Company and the Employee within thirty (30) calendar days after the date on which the Employee's right to a 280G Payment becomes reasonably likely to occur (if requested at that time by the Company or the Employee) or such other time as requested by the Company or the Employee. (d) If the Employee receives a Payment for which the Reduced Amount was determined pursuant to clause (x) of Section 11(a) and the Internal Revenue Service determines thereafter that some portion of the Payment is subject to the Excise Tax, the Employee agrees to promptly return to the Company a sufficient amount of the Payment (after reduction pursuant to clause (x) of Section 11(a)) so that no portion of the remaining Payment is subject to the Excise Tax. For the avoidance of doubt, if the Reduced Amount was determined pursuant to clause (y) of Section 11(a), the Employee will have no obligation to return any portion of the Payment pursuant to the preceding sentence. View More