Which of the following is true about integrating retirement plans with Social Security?

The assertion that defined benefit plans can use either the excess method or the offset method is accurate. In retirement planning, integrating these plans with Social Security allows employers to adjust the benefits they provide based on an employee's expected Social Security benefits.

The excess method involves calculating the retirement benefit based on a formula that includes contributions made by the employer and excludes a portion of the expected Social Security benefits. This method can lead to higher benefits for employees who may receive lower Social Security payments.

On the other hand, the offset method calculates retirement benefits by reducing the employer's pension benefit by a certain offset amount, which corresponds to an estimate of what the employee would receive from Social Security. This method is often used to ensure that the total benefits do not exceed a specific percentage of the employee's final earnings.

This flexibility allows employers to tailor their defined benefit plans to better integrate with Social Security, recognizing the importance of coordinating these benefits for retirement planning.

In contrast, other options are not accurate representations of how retirement plans can be integrated with Social Security, particularly regarding which methods are permissible and the applicability of integration across different plan types.