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Company matching contributions
To give you an incentive to defer a portion of your compensation, the Company will make "matching" contributions based upon the amount of your pay deferrals and/or Roth pay deferrals. The Company will contribute 50¢ for each $1 of your pay deferrals and Roth pay deferrals, up to a maximum matching contribution equal to 4% of your compensation.
The matching contributions are made as of the end of each Plan Year. To receive a matching contribution, you must be employed on the last day of the Plan Year and must have at least 1,000 hours of service during the Plan Year. You will also be eligible for a matching contribution if you terminate employment during the Plan Year as a result of your retirement after reaching age 65, total disability, or death.
These matching contributions made for you are credited to your "matching contribution account" as soon as administratively feasible following the end of the Plan Year. The portion of your matching contributions that does not exceed 2% of your compensation will be credited to a "2% subaccount" within your matching contribution account, and will be initially invested in the Stryker Stock Fund. Any additional matching contributions are invested in accordance with your election.
Example
Here is an example of how matching contributions work:
If you earn $30,000 per year and you defer 10% of your compensation, your total deferral is $3,000. Your pay deferrals and/or Roth pay deferrals up to 8% of your compensation ($2,400) qualify for a matching contribution at the rate of 50¢ for each $1 of deferrals, for a total matching contribution of $1,200. Of that total matching contribution, $600 (2% of your compensation) will be invested in the Stryker Stock Fund. The remainder of your matching contribution will be invested in accordance with your election.
Roth in-Plan conversions
You may elect, in accordance with procedures established by the Plan Administrator, to have a portion of your vested Accounts (other than amounts in your Roth pay deferral or Roth rollover accounts) directly transferred to a Roth In-Plan Conversion account. You may elect to make such an in-plan conversion even if the vested amounts are not otherwise distributable to you. The benefit of making a Roth In-Plan Conversion is that the converted amount, along with any earnings on the converted amount, will not be taxed upon your receipt of such amounts in a "qualified" distribution (see "Tax consequences of Roth distributions" for information on qualified Roth distributions).
A Roth In-Plan Conversion generally will be treated as a distribution for tax purposes, which means that in the year of the conversion, you will owe ordinary income taxes on any tax-deferred money in your Accounts, and any earnings in your Accounts, which are converted to Roth under the Plan in a Roth In-Plan Conversion.
A Roth In-Plan Conversion will not trigger any early distribution penalty tax (as discussed in "Excise tax on certain early distributions"), but the penalty may apply later if the converted amount is not held in the designated Roth account for the 5-year period required for Roth distributions to be tax-free.
Roth In-Plan Conversions are not subject to mandatory or optional tax withholdings. Therefore, if you decide to make a Roth In-Plan Conversion, you may need to increase your withholding or make estimated tax payments outside the Plan to avoid any underpayment penalties that may result from the conversion.
If you wish to complete a Roth In-Plan Conversion, contact Vanguard (see "Contacting Vanguard").
Important: Because the tax rules on Roth In-Plan Conversions can be complicated, you should consult with your professional tax advisor before deciding whether or not to complete a Roth In-Plan Conversion. Once a Roth In-Plan Conversion is made, it is irrevocable and cannot be undone or re-characterized in any way.
Any amounts transferred to a Roth In-Plan Conversion account will remain subject to any distribution restrictions that were applicable prior to the transfer.