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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 11-K

(Mark One)

x           ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009

OR

o              TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                   to                  

Commission file number 1-2360

A.                                   Full title of the plan and address of the plan, if different from that of the issuer named below:

IBM 401(k) Plus Plan

Director of Compensation and Benefits

IBM

North Castle Drive, M/D 147

Armonk, New York 10504

B.                                     Name of issuer of the securities held pursuant to the plan and the address of its principal executive office:

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION

New Orchard Road

Armonk, New York 10504

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IBM 401(k) PLUS PLAN

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*   Other schedules required by Section 2520.103-10 of the Department of Labor Rules and Regulations for Reporting and Disclosures under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 are omitted because they are not applicable.

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SIGNATURE

The Plan.  Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the trustees (or other persons who administer the employee benefit plan) have duly caused this annual report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Members of the International Business Machines Corporation (“IBM”) Retirement Plans Committee and the Participants of the IBM 401(k) Plus Plan:

In our opinion, the accompanying statements of net assets available for benefits and the related statement of changes in net assets available for benefits present fairly, in all material respects, the net assets available for benefits of the IBM 401(k) Plus Plan (the “Plan”) at December 31, 2009 and 2008, and the changes in net assets available for benefits for the year ended December 31, 2009 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.  These financial statements are the responsibility of the Plan’s management.  Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.  We conducted our audits of these statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement.  An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.  We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Our audits were conducted for the purpose of forming an opinion on the basic financial statements taken as a whole.  The supplemental schedules of loans or fixed income obligations in default or classified as uncollectible and of assets (held at end of year) are presented for the purpose of additional analysis and are not a required part of the basic financial statements but are supplementary information required by the Department of Labor’s Rules and Regulations for Reporting and Disclosure under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.  These supplemental schedules are the responsibility of the Plan’s management.  The supplemental schedules have been subjected to the auditing procedures applied in the audits of the basic financial statements and, in our opinion, are fairly stated in all material respects in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole.

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IBM 401(k) PLUS PLAN
STATEMENTS OF NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS
AT DECEMBER 31,

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

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IBM 401(k) PLUS PLAN
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

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IBM 401(k) PLUS PLAN
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 1 - DESCRIPTION OF THE PLAN

The following description of the IBM 401(k) Plus Plan (formerly called the IBM Savings Plan and herein the “Plan”) provides only general information.  Participants should refer to the Plan prospectus (Summary Plan Description) for a complete description of the Plan’s provisions.

General

The Plan was established by resolution of International Business Machines Corporation’s Retirement Plans Committee (the “Committee”) effective July 1, 1983 and Plan assets are held in trust for the benefit of its participants.  The Plan offers all eligible active, full-time and part-time regular and long-term supplemental United States (U.S.) employees of International Business Machines Corporation (“IBM”) and certain of its domestic related companies and partnerships an opportunity to defer from one to eighty percent of their eligible compensation for before-tax 401(k) and/or Roth 401(k) contributions to any of thirty-two primary investment funds and approximately 200 mutual funds in a “mutual fund window.”  The investment objectives of the primary funds are described in Note 6, Description of Investment Funds.  In addition, participants are able to contribute up to ten percent of their eligible compensation on an after-tax basis.  Roth 401(k) and after-tax contributions are not available for employees working in Puerto Rico.  Annual contributions are subject to the legal limits permitted by Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) regulations.

Participants are provided the choice to enroll in a “disability protection program” under which a portion of the participant’s account is used to pay premiums to purchase term insurance (underwritten by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company), which will pay the amount of their before-tax 401(k) contributions, matching contributions, automatic contributions and/or Special Savings Awards into their accounts in the event the participant becomes disabled while insured.

At December 31, 2009 and 2008, the number of participants with an account balance in the Plan was 206,487 and 214,594, respectively.

The Plan qualifies under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and is subject to the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), as amended.

Administration

The Plan is administered by the Committee, which appointed certain officials of IBM to assist in administering the Plan.  The Committee appointed State Street Bank and Trust Company (“SSBT”), as Trustee, to safeguard the assets of the funds and State Street Global Advisors (“SSGA”), the institutional investment management affiliate of SSBT, The Vanguard Group and other investment managers to direct investments in the various

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funds.  Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company, Inc. (“Fidelity”) is the provider of record keeping and participant services, operator of the IBM Employee Services Center for the Plan in Raleigh, North Carolina as well as the provider of administrative services related to the mutual fund window.  Communications services were provided by Fidelity as well as The Vanguard Group.

Contributions

Under the Plan IBM provides employer contributions for eligible participants as follows, based upon which, if any, IBM pension formula the employee was eligible for on December 31, 2007:

Any employees who terminate employment and are rehired on or after January 1, 2005 will be eligible to participate in the “New Hires on or after 1/1/2005” contribution rates.

Some participants who were eligible to participate in the Personal Pension Account also received transition credits contributed to the Plan if they had been eligible for transition credits under the IBM Personal Pension Account formula.  All transition credits ceased as of June 30, 2009, according to the original design.  In addition, a contribution equal to five percent of eligible compensation (referred to as a “Special Savings Award”) will be added to the accounts of participants who are non-exempt employees at year-end and who participated in the Pension Credit Formula as of December 31, 2007 and have been continuously employed by IBM since that date.

In 2008, newly hired employees were automatically enrolled at 5 percent of eligible salary after approximately thirty days of employment with IBM, unless they elect otherwise.  Effective January 1, 2009, newly hired employees are automatically enrolled at 5 percent of eligible salary and performance pay after approximately thirty days of employment with IBM, unless they elected otherwise.  After completing one year of service with IBM, they are eligible for the IBM automatic contribution and the IBM matching contribution.  The match maximizer feature, which automatically adjusts IBM matching contributions for a participant’s aggregate eligible 401(k) deferrals for the year, will be calculated on a semi-monthly basis and all participants will be eligible for the feature.

Eligible compensation under the Plan includes regular salary, commissions, overtime, shift premium and similar additional compensation payments for nonscheduled workdays, recurring payments under an employee variable compensation plan, regular IBM Short-Term Disability Income Plan payments, holiday pay and vacation pay, and

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payments made under any executive incentive compensation plan.  Non-recurring compensation, such as awards, deal team payments and significant signing bonuses are not eligible compensation and cannot be deferred under the Plan.

Participants are able to choose to have their contributions invested entirely in one of, or in any combination of, the following funds or in the mutual fund window funds, in multiples of one percent.  These funds and their investment objectives are more fully described in Note 6, Description of Investment Funds.

Life Cycle Funds (14)

Target Date 2005 Fund

Target Date 2010 Fund

Target Date 2015 Fund

Target Date 2020 Fund

Target Date 2025 Fund

Target Date 2030 Fund

Target Date 2035 Fund

Target Date 2040 Fund

Target Date 2045 Fund

Target Date 2050 Fund

Income Plus Life Strategy Fund
Conservative Life Strategy Fund
Moderate Life Strategy Fund
Aggressive Life Strategy Fund

Core Funds (7)

Stable Value Fund
Inflation Protected Bond Fund
Total Bond Market Fund
Total Stock Market Index Fund

Total International Stock Market Index Fund
Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Index Fund

International Real Estate Index Fund

Expanded Choice Funds (11)
High Yield and Emerging Markets Bond Fund

Long-Term Corporate Bond Fund
Large Company Index Fund
Large-Cap Value Index Fund

Large-Cap Growth Index Fund
Small/Mid-Cap Stock Index Fund

Small-Cap Value Index Fund

Small-Cap Growth Index Fund
European Stock Index Fund

Pacific Stock Index Fund
IBM Stock Fund

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The Plan participants also have access to the “mutual fund window” investment options.

Participants may change their deferral percentage and investment selection for future contributions at any time.  The changes will take effect for the next eligible pay cycle if the request is completed before the applicable cutoff date.  Also, participants may transfer part or all of existing account balances among funds in the Plan once daily, subject to the Plan restrictions on trading.

The Committee is committed to preserving the integrity of the Plan as a long-term savings vehicle for its employees.  Frequent, short-term trading that is intended to take advantage of pricing lags in funds can harm long-term investors, or increase trading expense in general.  Therefore, the Plan has implemented frequent trading transaction restrictions and reserves the right to take other appropriate action to curb short-term transactions (buying/selling).

Participant Accounts

The Plan record keeper maintains an account in the name of each participant to which each participant’s contributions and share of the net earnings, losses and expenses, if any, of the various investment funds are recorded.  The earnings on the assets held in each of the funds and all proceeds from the sale of such assets are held and reinvested in the respective funds.

Participants may transfer rollover contributions of before-tax and Roth 401(k) amounts from other qualified savings plans or Individual Retirement Accounts into their Plan account.  Rollovers must be made in cash within the time limits specified by the IRS; stock or in-kind rollovers are not accepted.  These rollovers are limited to active employees on the payroll of IBM (or affiliated companies) who have existing accounts in the Plan.  Retirees are not eligible for such rollovers, except that a retiree or separated employee who has an existing account in the Plan may rollover a lump-sum distribution from an IBM-sponsored qualified retirement plan, including the IBM Personal Pension Plan.  After-tax amounts may also be directly rolled over into the Plan from another qualified savings plan.

On each valuation date, the unit/share value of each fund is determined by dividing the current investment value of the assets in that fund on that date by the number of units/shares in the fund.  The participant’s investment value of assets equals the market value of assets for all funds except the Stable Value Fund for which the participant’s investment value of assets equals the contract value of assets.  In determining the unit/share value, new contributions that are to be allocated as of the valuation date are excluded from the calculation.  On the next day, the cash related to new contributions is transferred into the fund and the number of additional units to be credited to a participant’s account for each fund, due to new contributions, is equal to the amount of the participant’s new contributions to the fund divided by the prior night’s unit value.

Contributions (with the exception of after-tax contributions and Roth 401(k) contributions) made to the Plan, as well as interest, dividends, or other earnings of the

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Plan are generally not included in the taxable income of the participant until withdrawal, at which time all earnings and contributions withdrawn generally are taxed as ordinary income to the participant.  Additionally, withdrawals by the participant before attaining age 59 1/2 generally are subject to a penalty tax of 10 percent.  After-tax contributions made to the Plan are not tax deferred, but are taxable income prior to the participant making the contribution.  Any interest, dividends or other earnings on the after-tax contributions are generally not included in the taxable income of the participant until withdrawal, at which time all earnings withdrawn are generally taxed as ordinary income to the participant.  Any distribution of earnings on after-tax contributions that are withdrawn by the participant before attaining age 59 1/2 generally are subject to a penalty tax of 10 percent.  Roth 401(k) contributions are not deferred, but are taxable income prior to the participant making the contribution.  Interest, dividends or other earnings on Roth 401(k) contributions may not be taxable at withdrawal provided the participant has met the applicable rules.

Consistent with provisions established by the IRS, the Plan’s 2009 limit on employee salary deferrals was $16,500.  (The limit for 2010 is $16,500.)  Participants who were age 50 or older during 2009 could take advantage of a higher 401(k) contribution limit of $22,000 ($22,000 for 2010).  The 2009 maximum annual deferral amount for employees residing in Puerto Rico was limited by local government regulations to $9,000.  (The Puerto Rico limit for 2010 is $9,000.)  Puerto Rico participants who are age 50 or older in 2009 may take advantage of a higher contribution limit of $10,000 (same limit in 2010).

Vesting

Participants in the Plan are at all times fully vested in their account balance, including employee contributions, employer contributions and earnings thereon, if any.

Distributions

Participants who have attained age 59 1/2 may request a distribution of all or part of the value in their account.  A maximum of four distributions are allowed each year and the minimum amount of any such distribution shall be the lesser of the participant’s account balance or $500.

In addition, participants who (1) retire under the prior IBM Retirement Plan provisions of the IBM Personal Pension Plan, or (2) become eligible for benefits under the IBM Long-Term Disability Plan or the IBM Medical Disability Income Plan, or (3) separate from IBM and have attained age 55, may also elect to receive the balance of their account in annual installments over a period not to exceed twenty years.

Withdrawals for financial hardship are permitted provided they are for an immediate and significant financial need, and the distribution is necessary to satisfy that need.  Employees are required to fully use the Plan loan program, described below, before requesting a hardship withdrawal.  Only an employee’s contributions are eligible for hardship withdrawal; earnings on before-tax 401(k) and Roth 401(k), and IBM contributions (match, automatic, transition credits and Special Savings Award) are not

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eligible for withdrawal.  Employees must submit evidence of hardship to the record keeper who will determine whether the situation qualifies for a hardship withdrawal based on guidance from the Plan administrator.   A hardship withdrawal is taxed as ordinary income to the employee and may be subject to the 10 percent additional tax on early distributions.

If the participant dies and is married at the time of death, the participant’s spouse must be the beneficiary of the participant’s Plan account, unless the participant’s spouse has previously given written, notarized consent to designate another person as beneficiary.  If the participant marries or remarries, any prior beneficiary designation is canceled and the spouse automatically becomes the beneficiary.  If the participant is single, the beneficiary may be anyone previously designated by the participant under the Plan.  In the absence of an effective designation under the Plan at the time of death, the proceeds normally will be paid in the following order:  the participant’s spouse, the participant’s children in equal shares, or to surviving parents equally.  If no spouse, child, or parent is living, payments will be made to the executors or administrators of the participant’s estate.

Upon the death of a participant, an account will be established for the participant’s beneficiary.  If the beneficiary is a spouse or domestic partner, the beneficiary’s account may be maintained in the Plan, subject to IRS Minimum Required Distribution rules.  If the beneficiary is neither a spouse nor a domestic partner, the account will be paid to the beneficiary in a lump sum.  Beneficiaries may rollover distributions from the Plan.

Participant Loans

Participants may borrow up to one-half of the value of their account balance, not to exceed $50,000, within a twelve month period.  Loans will be granted in $1 increments subject to a minimum loan amount of $500.  Participants are limited to two simultaneous outstanding Plan loans.  Repayment of a loan is made through semi-monthly payroll deductions over a term of one to four years for a general purpose loan or one to ten years for a primary residence loan.  The loan bears a fixed rate of interest, set quarterly, for the term of the loan, determined by the plan administrator to be 1.25 points above the prime rate.  The interest is credited to the participant’s account as the semi-monthly repayments of principal and interest are made.  Interest rates on outstanding loans at December 31, 2009 and 2008 ranged from 4.50 percent to 11.00 percent and 4.25 percent to 11.00 percent, respectively.

Participants may prepay the entire remaining loan principal at any time.  Employees on an approved leave of absence may elect to make scheduled loan payments directly to the Plan.  Participants may continue to contribute to the Plan while having an outstanding loan.  A loan default is a taxable event to the participant and will be reported as such in the year of the loan default.

Participants who retire or separate from IBM and have outstanding Plan loans may make coupon payments to continue monthly loan repayments according to their original amortization schedule.

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Termination of Service

If the value of a participant’s account is $1,000 or less, it will be distributed to the participant in a lump-sum payment following the termination of the participant’s employment with IBM.  If the account balance is greater than $1,000 at the time of separation, the participant may defer distribution of the account until age 70 ½.

Termination of the Plan

IBM reserves the right to terminate this Plan at any time by action of the Board of Directors of IBM.  In that event, each participant or beneficiary receiving or entitled to receive payments under the Plan would receive the balance of the account at such time and in accordance with applicable law and regulations.  In the event of a full or partial termination of the Plan, or upon complete discontinuance of contributions under the Plan, the rights of all affected participants in the value of their accounts would be nonforfeitable.

Risks and Uncertainties

The Plan provides for various investment options in the form of mutual funds, commingled funds or separately-managed funds. These funds invest in equities, fixed income securities, synthetic guaranteed investment contracts (“synthetic GICs”) and derivative contracts.  Investment securities are exposed to various risks, such as interest rates, credit and overall market volatility.  Due to the level of risk associated with certain investment securities and the level of uncertainty related to changes in the value of investment securities, it is reasonably possible that changes in risks in the near term could materially affect participants’ account balances and the amounts reported in the statement of net assets available for benefits.  The Plan is potentially exposed to credit loss in the event of non-performance by the companies with whom the synthetic GICs are placed.  However, the Committee does not anticipate non-performance by these companies at this time.

NOTE 2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying financial statements are prepared under the accrual basis of accounting, except distributions, which are recorded when paid.  Within the financial tables presented, certain columns and rows may not add due to the use of rounded numbers for disclosure purposes.

Beginning in 2009, the Plan is reporting unsettled transactions related to amounts owed to brokers for securities purchased (payables) and due from brokers for securities sold (receivables) on a gross basis in the Statements of Net Assets Available for Benefits, with receivables reported in Income, sales proceeds and other receivables and payables reported in Accrued expenses and other liabilities.  In 2008, unsettled transactions were

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not considered material for separate presentation in the financial statements.  This change has no impact on Net assets at fair value or Net assets available for benefits.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and changes therein, and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Investment Contracts

Investment contracts held by a defined contribution plan are reported at fair value. However, contract value is the relevant measurement attribute for that portion of the net assets available for benefits of a defined contribution plan attributable to fully benefit responsive investment contracts because contract value is the amount participants would receive if they were to initiate permitted transactions under the terms of the Plan.  Contract value represents the cost plus contributions made under the contracts plus interest at the contract rates less withdrawals and administrative expenses.  The statements of net assets available for benefits present the fair value of the investment in the Stable Value Fund as well as the adjustment from fair value to contract value for the fully benefit responsive investment contracts within the Stable Value Fund.  The statement of changes in net assets available for benefits presents these investments on a contract value basis.

Valuation of Investments

The Plan’s investments are stated at fair value, which is the price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date (an exit price).  Under fair value measurement guidance, the Plan is required to classify certain assets and liabilities based on the fair value hierarchy.  The framework establishes a three-level fair value hierarchy based on the nature of the information used to measure fair value.  These levels are accounting terms that refer to different methods of valuing assets and do not represent relative risk or credit quality of an investment.  The levels of  assets are as follows:

· Level 1 — Quoted prices in active markets that are unadjusted and accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities;

· Level 2 — Quoted prices for identical assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets or financial instruments for which significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly; and

· Level 3 — Prices or valuations that require inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable.

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Assets are classified within the fair value hierarchy according to the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Valuation techniques used maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs.

Investments in mutual funds, commingled funds and separately managed funds are valued at the net asset values per share using available inputs to measure fair value by such companies or funds as of the valuation date.

When available, the Plan uses unadjusted quoted market prices on the last business day of the Plan year to measure fair value.  IBM common stock is valued daily at the New York Stock Exchange closing price.  The fair value of fixed income securities is typically estimated using pricing models or quoted prices of securities with similar characteristics.

Exchange traded derivatives are valued at the closing price reported on the exchange on which the individual securities are traded.  Over-the-counter derivatives are typically valued using proprietary pricing models requiring a variety of market inputs.

Securities in cash portfolios are valued at amortized cost, which includes cost and accrued interest and approximates fair value.  Participant loans are valued at cost plus accrued interest, which approximates fair value.

The methods described above may produce a fair value calculation that may not be indicative of net realizable value or reflective of future fair values.  Furthermore, while the Plan believes its valuation methods are appropriate and consistent with other market participants, the use of different methodologies or assumptions to determine fair value of certain financial instruments could result in a different fair value measurement at the reporting date.

Security Transactions and Related Investment Income

Security transactions are recorded on a trade-date basis.  Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date and interest income is recorded on the accrual basis.

The Plan presents in the Statement of Changes in Net Assets Available for Benefits the net change in the fair value of its investments, which consists of realized gains and losses and the unrealized appreciation and depreciation on those investments.

Administrative Expenses and Investment Management Fees

All administrative costs of the Plan are deducted from participants’ account balances.  These costs include (a) brokerage fees, wrapper fees and commissions, which are included in the cost of investments and in determining net proceeds on sales of investments, and (b) operational expenses required for administration of the Plan including trustee, recordkeeping, custody, and investment management  which are charged against the fund’s assets on a pro rata basis throughout the year and are included as part of administrative expenses.  Custodian and investment management fees for commingled trusts are charged based on a percentage of net asset value and are paid from the assets of the respective funds.

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Standard to be Implemented

In January 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued additional disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. According to the guidance, the fair value hierarchy disclosures are to be disaggregated by class of assets and liabilities. A class is often a subset of assets or liabilities within a line item in the statements of net assets available for benefits. In addition, significant transfers between Levels 1 and 2 of the fair value hierarchy will be required to be disclosed. These additional requirements are effective for fiscal 2010 reporting. These amendments will not have an impact on the Plan’s Financial Statements because they are disclosure-only in nature. In addition, the guidance requires more detailed disclosures of the changes in Level 3 assets. These changes will be effective for fiscal 2011 reporting and are not expected to have a material impact on the Plan’s Financial Statements.

Standards Implemented

In September 2009, the FASB issued amended guidance concerning fair value measurements of investments in certain entities that calculate net asset value per share (or its equivalent). If fair value is not readily determinable, the amended guidance permits, as a practical expedient, a reporting entity to measure the fair value of an investment using the net asset value per share (or its equivalent) provided by the investee without further adjustment. In accordance with the guidance, the Plan adopted these amendments for the year ended December 31, 2009. There was no material impact on the Plan’s Financial Statements.

On July 1, 2009, the FASB issued the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (the “Codification”). The Codification became the single source of authoritative nongovernmental U.S. GAAP, superseding existing FASB, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) and related literature. The Codification eliminates the previous U.S. GAAP hierarchy and establishes one level of authoritative GAAP. All other literature is considered non-authoritative. There was no impact to the Plan’s financial results as this change is disclosure only in nature.

In April 2009, the FASB issued guidance on determining fair value when the volume and level of activity for an asset or liability have significantly decreased when compared with normal market activity. According to this guidance, a significant decrease in the volume and level of activity for an asset or liability is an indication that transactions or quoted prices may not be determinative of fair value and a significant adjustment may be necessary to estimate fair value. This guidance also requires fair value hierarchy disclosures to be further disaggregated based on major security types as described in guidance related to accounting for certain investments in debt and equity securities.  The Plan adopted this guidance for the year ended December 31, 2009.  There was no material impact to the Plan’s financial statements.

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In March 2008, the FASB issued new disclosure requirements regarding derivative instruments and hedging activities. The Plan must now provide enhanced disclosures regarding how and why the Plan uses derivatives; how derivatives and related hedged items are accounted for and how derivatives and related hedged items affect the entity’s financial position, financial results and cash flow.  Pursuant to the transition provisions, the Plan adopted these new disclosures on January 1, 2009. The required disclosures are presented in Note 4, “Derivatives.”

NOTE 3 — INVESTMENTS

The following schedules summarize the fair value of investments within the fair value hierarchy, level 3 gains and losses, investments that represent 5 percent or more of the Plan’s net assets and the related net change in the fair value of investments by type of investment.

The following tables set forth by level, within the fair value hierarchy, the Plan’s investments at fair value at December 31, 2009 and 2008.  The major categories of investments changed in 2009 to comply with amendments to fair value disclosure guidance.

Investments at Fair Value as of December 31, 2009

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Investments at Fair Value as of December 31, 2008

(Dollars in Thousands)

Level 3 Gains and Losses

The following table presents the changes in the fair value of the plan’s level 3 investments for the year ended December 31, 2009:

The return on assets held at the end of the year and the sold during the year are reported in the net change in fair value of investments in the Statement of Changes in Net Assets Available for Benefits.

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Investments — Five Percent or More of Plan’s Net Assets

The investments that represent 5 percent or more of the Plan’s net assets available for benefits at December 31, 2009 and 2008 are as follows:

Net Change in Fair Value of Investments

The following table represents the Net Change in Fair Value of Investments (including gains and losses on investments bought and sold, as well as held during the year):

NOTE 4 — DERIVATIVES

In accordance with the investment strategy of the separately-managed funds and the Stable Value Fund, investment managers execute transactions in various derivative instruments.  These derivative instruments include interest rate swaps, options, bond and equity futures and forward contracts.  The use of derivatives is permitted principally to gain or reduce exposure or execute an investment strategy more efficiently.  The objective of these derivative instruments is primarily to manage duration and interest rate volatility and credit exposure to achieve a certain performance result, although

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derivative instruments are also in place to manage currency, equity and cash exposure.  Within the fixed income funds, the fund either sells or purchases credit protection through credit default swaps.  The fund also enters into interest rate swap transactions where a series of fixed versus floating rate amounts are exchanged.

Derivatives may be executed on exchange traded investment instruments or via over the counter (OTC) transactions.  When an OTC contract is executed, there is exposure to credit loss in the event of non-performance by the counterparties to these transactions. IBM manages this exposure through stringent credit approval guidelines and regularly monitors and reports market and counterparty credit risks associated with these instruments. The Plan’s investment managers negotiate and enter into collateral and netting agreements with counterparties on the Plan’s behalf.  In the event of a counterparty default, these agreements reduce the potential loss to the Plan.   These arrangements define the nature of the collateral (cash or U.S. Treasury securities) and the established thresholds for when additional collateral is required by either party. For OTC transactions, the Plan has posted collateral of $21million and received collateral of $12 million as of December 31, 2009.   In addition, for exchange traded transactions, the Plan has posted $22 million of collateral as of December 31, 2009.  Derivative collateral received is recorded in Investments, at fair value and Accrued expenses and other liabilities in the Statements of Net Assets Available For Benefits at December 31, 2009.  Derivative collateral posted is recorded in Investments, at fair value in the Statements of Net Assets Available For Benefits.

Market risk arises from the potential for changes in value of financial instruments resulting from fluctuations in interest and foreign exchange rates and in prices of debt and equity securities.  The notional (or contractual) amounts used to express the volume of these transactions do not necessarily represent the amounts potentially subject to market risk.

All derivative financial instruments are carried at fair value.  The net fair value of derivative financial instruments was a liability of $26 million and $63 million as of December 31, 2009 and 2008.

The Plan has authorized Investment Managers to use specific derivative instruments in the implementation of their investment strategy for financial instruments that are managed by the Plan.  The following section discloses how these derivatives may be used, their fair value and financial position at year-end, and the risks associated with each.  Exchange traded derivatives include futures and options and are regulated by the exchange and approved broker dealers.  OTC derivatives include foreign currency contracts, options, interest rate swaps, and credit default swaps. These transactions will be contracted between two counterparties and governed by separate agreements.  A description of these instruments and the risks are below.

Futures Contracts

Futures contracts are standardized agreements to buy or sell a specific amount of a financial instrument on a future date for a specified price.  Futures are valued based upon

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their quoted daily price.  The primary risks associated with futures are the accuracy of the correlation between the value of bonds or equities and the price of the futures contracts. Futures contracts may be used to equitize cash and manage the Plan’s exposure to changes in interest rates. Upon entering into a futures contract, the portfolio manager is required to deposit collateral or initial margin and subsequent margin payments are moved daily depending on the value of the contract. Futures contracts may be subject to risk of loss in excess of the daily variation margin.

Options Contracts

Options include equity options, index options, options on swaps (swaptions), and options on futures. Options are contracts that give the owner the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an asset at a specified price (strike price) on a future date. Options may be purchased or written to help manage exposure to the securities markets. The Plan may write (sell) call and put options and the premiums received from writing options which expire are treated as realized gains.  Premiums received from a position which is exercised/closed are offset against the amount paid for the underlying security to calculate the gain or loss. An option writer (seller) has no control over whether the underlying instrument may be sold (call) or purchased (put) and bears the market risk of an unfavorable change in the price of the underlying instrument.  The Plan may also purchase put and call options. Purchasing call options is intended to increase the Plan’s exposure to the underlying instrument, while purchasing put options would tend to decrease the Plan’s exposure to the underlying issue. Premiums paid for purchasing options which expire are realized losses. The risk associated with purchasing put and call options is limited to the premium paid.

Foreign Currency Forwards

A foreign currency forward is a contract between two parties to exchange money denominated in one currency into another currency at a set price on a specified future date. Foreign currency forwards are used to hedge the currency exposure, as a part of an investment strategy, or in connection with settling transactions.  Foreign currency contracts may involve market risk in excess of the unrealized gain or loss. Forward transactions are typically not collateralized. The Plan could be exposed to risk if the counterparties are unable to meet the terms of the contracts.

Swap Agreements

Swap agreements are privately negotiated contracts to exchange investment cash flows at a future date based on the underlying value of the assets.   Swap agreements involve elements of credit, market, and documentation risk. The Plan could be exposed to risk if the counterparties are unable to meet the terms of the contracts. This risk is mitigated by the posting of collateral by the counterparty and monitored against the contract terms.

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Interest Rate Swaps

An Interest rate swap is an agreement in which two parties exchange cash flows based upon a notional principal amount and pay or receive fixed or floating rate amounts of interest. One party exchanges a stream of fixed interest payments for another party’s stream of floating interest payments.  The Plan may enter into interest rate swap agreements to help hedge against interest rate risk and to maintain its ability to generate income at prevailing market rates. Interest rate swaps expose users to interest rate risk and credit risk.  The notional value of an interest rate swap is not at risk.

Credit Default Swap Agreements

Credit default swap are agreements where one party (the buyer of protection) makes payments to another party (seller of protection) in exchange for the right to receive a specified return in the event of a default or other credit event.   The Plan may use credit default swaps to provide a measure of protection against defaults of the issuers or to gain or reduce exposure to a particular credit exposure.  The typical term of an agreement is five years.  If the Plan is a buyer of protection and a credit event occurs, the Plan will either receive from the seller of protection an amount equal to the notional amount of the swap or receive a net settlement amount in the form of cash or securities equal to the notional amount of the swap less the recovery value of the referenced obligation.  If the Plan is a seller of protection and a credit event occurs, the Plan will either pay to the buyer of protection an amount equal to the notional amount of the swap or pay a net settlement amount in the form of cash or securities equal to the notional amount of the swap less the recovery value of the referenced obligation.  The maximum potential amount of future payments that the Plan as a seller could be required to make is $140 million.  Credit default swaps are considered to have credit risk-related contingent features since they require payment by the protection seller upon the occurrence of a defined credit event.

Total Return Swaps

A Total Return Swap allows one party to derive the economic benefit of owning an asset without putting that asset on its balance sheet, and allows the other party, which does retain the asset on its balance sheet, to buy protection against loss in value.  The Plan may enter into Total Return Swaps to gain/reduce exposure on the Referenced Asset.   These transactions are primarily found within the commingled commodities fund.

The following tables provide a quantitative summary of the derivative activity as of and for the 12 months ended December 31, 2009.

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Fair Values of Derivative Instruments on Statements of Net Assets Available for Benefits

(Dollars in Thousands)

* Reported in Investments, at fair value

The Effect of Derivative Instruments on the Statement of Changes in Net Assets Available for Benefits

* Reported in Net change in fair value of investments

NOTE 5 — INVESTMENT CONTRACTS

The Plan entered into benefit-responsive investment contracts, such as synthetic investment contracts (“synthetic GICs”), (through the Stable Value Fund — “the Fund”) with various third parties, i.e., insurance companies and banks.   Contract value represents contributions made to investment contracts, plus earnings, less participant withdrawals and administrative expenses.  The fair value of the synthetic GIC wrapper contracts was determined using a discounted cash flow model which considers recent rebids as determined by recognized dealers, discount rate and the duration of the underlying portfolio.

A synthetic GIC provides for a fixed return on principal over a specified period of time, e.g., monthly crediting rate, through fully benefit-responsive wrapper contracts issued by third parties, which are backed by underlying assets owned by the Plan.  The contract value of the synthetic GIC held by the Stable Value Fund was $8,501 million and $8,151 million at December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively.  The fair value of the synthetic GIC wrapper contract was $44 million and $16 million at December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively.  The fair value of the underlying assets was $8,573 million and $7,636 million at December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively.  The adjustment from the sum of the fair value of the underlying assets and the fair value of the synthetic GIC to the contract value of the synthetic GIC was ($117) million and $499 million at December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively.

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Synthetic GICs accrue interest using a formula called the “crediting rate.”  Synthetic GICs use the crediting rate formula to convert market value changes in the covered assets into income in order to minimize the difference between the market and contract value of the covered assets over time.  Using the crediting rate formula, an estimated future market value is calculated by compounding the covered assets’ current market value at the covered assets’ yield to maturity for a period equal to the synthetic GICs benchmark duration.  The crediting rate is the discount rate that equates estimated future market value with the Fund’s current contract value.  The crediting rate is most impacted by the change in the annual effective yield to maturity of the underlying securities, but is also affected by the differential between the synthetic GIC contract value and the market value of the covered investments.  The difference is amortized over the synthetic GIC’s benchmark duration. Depending on the change in duration from reset period to reset period, the magnitude of the impact to the crediting rate of the synthetic GIC “contract to market” difference is heightened or lessened.  Crediting rates are reset quarterly or more often if deemed appropriate.  The synthetic GICs provide a guarantee that the crediting rate will not fall below zero percent.

If the synthetic GIC experiences significant redemptions when the market value is below the contract value, the synthetic GIC’s may be reduced significantly, to a level that is not competitive with other investment options.  This may result in additional redemptions, which would tend to lower the crediting rate further.  If redemptions continued, the crediting rate could be reduced to zero.  If redemptions continued thereafter, the synthetic GIC might have insufficient assets to meet redemption requests, at which point the Fund would require payments from the wrap issuer to pay further participant redemptions.

The synthetic GIC crediting rate, and hence the Fund’s return, may be affected by many factors, including purchases and redemptions by participants.  The precise impact on the synthetic GIC depends on whether the market value of the covered assets is higher or lower than the contract value of those assets.  If the market value of the covered assets is higher than their contract value, the crediting rate will ordinarily be higher than the yield of the covered assets.  Under these circumstances, cash from new investors will tend to lower the crediting rate and the Fund’s return, and redemptions by existing participants will tend to increase the crediting rate and the Fund’s return.

The Fund and the wrap contracts purchased by the Fund are designed to pay all participant-initiated transactions at contract value.  Participant-initiated transactions are those transactions allowed by the provisions of the Plan (typically this would include withdrawals for benefits, loans, or transfers to non-competing funds within the Plan).  However, the wrap contracts limit the ability of the Fund to transact at contract value upon the occurrence of certain events.  At this time, the occurrence of any of these events is not probable.  These events include:

·                  The Plan’s failure to qualify under Section 401(a) or Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code.

·                  The establishment of a defined contribution plan that competes with the Plan for employee contributions.

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·                  Any substantive modification of the Plan or the administration of the Plan that is not consented to by the wrap issuer.

·                  Complete or partial termination of the Plan.

·                  Any change in law, regulation or administrative ruling applicable to the Plan that could have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s cash flow.

·                  Merger or consolidation of the Plan with another plan, the transfer of plan assets to another plan, or the sale, spin-off or merger of a subsidiary or division of the plan sponsor.

·                  Any communication given to participants by the Plan sponsor or any other plan fiduciary that is designed to induce or influence participants not to invest in the Fund or to transfer assets out of the Fund.

·                  Exclusion of a group of previously eligible employees from eligibility in the Plan.

·                  Any significant retirement program, group termination, group layoff, facility closing or similar program.

·                  Any transfer of assets from the Fund directly to a competing option.

·                  Bankruptcy of the plan sponsor or other plan sponsor events which cause a significant withdrawal from the Plan.

A wrap issuer may terminate a wrap contract at any time.  In the event that the market value of the Fund’s covered assets is below their contract value at the time of such termination, the trustee may elect to keep the wrap contract in place until such time as the market value of the Fund’s covered assets is equal to their contract value.  A wrap issuer may also terminate a wrap contract if the trustee’s investment management authority over the Fund is limited or terminated as well as if all of the terms of the wrap contract fail to be met.

Synthetic investment contracts generally impose conditions on both the Plan and the issuer.  If an event of default occurs and is not cured, the non-defaulting party may terminate the contract.  The following may cause the Plan to be in default: a breach of material obligation under the contract; a material misrepresentation; or a material amendment to the Plan agreement.  The issuer may be in default if it breaches a material obligation under the investment contract; makes a material misrepresentation; is acquired or reorganized.  If, in the event of default of an issuer, the Plan were unable to obtain a replacement investment contract, the Plan may experience losses if the value of the Plan’s assets no longer covered by the contract is below contract value.  The Plan may seek to add additional issuers over time to diversify the Plan’s exposure to such risk, but there is no assurance the Plan may be able to do so.  The combination of the default of an issuer and an inability to obtain a replacement agreement could render the Plan unable to achieve its objective of maintaining a stable contract value.  The terms of an investment

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contract generally provide for settlement of payments only upon termination of the contract or total liquidation of the covered investments.  Generally, payments will be made pro-rata, based on the percentage of investments covered by each issuer.  Contract termination occurs whenever the contract value or market value of the covered investments reaches zero or upon certain events of default.  If the contract terminates due to issuer default, the issuer will generally be required to pay to the Plan the excess, if any, of contract value over market value on the date of termination.  If the contract terminates when the market value equals zero, the issuer will pay the excess of contract value over market value to the Plan to the extent necessary for the Plan to satisfy outstanding contract value withdrawal requests.  Contract termination also may occur by either party upon election and notice.

The investment contracts owned by the Stable Value Fund produced the following returns:

NOTE 6 - DESCRIPTION OF INVESTMENT FUNDS

The objectives of the thirty-two investment funds to which participants could contribute in 2009 are described below:

Life Cycle Funds —

The fourteen life cycle funds reflect a portfolio of diversified investments — U.S. stocks, international stocks, real estate equity stocks, and fixed-income investments — from the existing core funds noted below, plus a commodities fund (not available to participants as a standalone offering).  These funds offer a convenient low-cost way to achieve diversification, professional money management and periodic rebalancing.  The funds are structured by the IBM Retirement Fund organization and managed by the underlying funds’ managers.

Four Life Cycle Funds are Life Strategy Funds that have a preset mix of stock and fixed income investments in order to provide broad diversification at a given risk level.  The preset mix of each Life Strategy Fund is not expected to change over time.

·                                       Income Plus Life Strategy Fund - target allocation: 30% stocks*, 70% bonds; seeks returns that modestly outpace inflation on a fairly consistent basis.

·                                       Conservative Life Strategy Fund - target allocation: 50% stocks*, 50% bonds; seeks returns that moderately outpace inflation over the long term.

·                                       Moderate Life Strategy Fund - target allocation: 65% stocks*, 35% bonds; seeks relatively high returns at a moderate risk level.

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·                                       Aggressive Life Strategy Fund - target allocation: 85% stocks*, 15% bonds; seeks high returns over the long term.

* Exposure to commodities is considered part of the allocation to stocks.

Ten Life Cycle Funds are Target Date Funds that offer portfolios with levels of risk designed for varying retirement dates or the year in which one expects to start drawing on their retirement assets.  The portfolios are offered in five year increments from 2005 to 2050, with the 2030 through 2050 funds providing a significantly higher allocation to stocks.  As a fund draws closer to its associated target date, the fund will automatically shift toward a more conservative risk level by reducing its allocation to stocks.  Each fund’s reduction to stocks continues through its “target date” for another 15 years, until the fund’s allocation and risk profile matches that of the Income Plus Fund.  Target Date funds assume a retirement age of 60.

·                                       Target Date 2005 Fund - designed for investors who have retired or started to draw on their retirement assets on or around the year 2005; seeks returns that moderately outpace inflation over the long term.  Target asset allocation between stocks and bonds is 48% stocks*, 52% bonds.

·                                       Target Date 2010 Fund - seeks relatively high returns at a moderate risk level.  Target asset allocation between stocks and bonds is 58% stocks*, 42% bonds.

·                                       Target Date 2015 Fund - seeks relatively high returns at a moderate risk level.  Target asset allocation between stocks and bonds is 68% stocks*, 32% bonds.

·                                       Target Date 2020 Fund - seeks high returns over the long term.  Target asset allocation between stocks and bonds is 78% stocks*, 22% bonds.

·                                       Target Date 2025 Fund - seeks high returns over the long term.  Target asset allocation between stocks and bonds is 87% stocks*, 13% bonds.

·                                       Target Date 2030 Fund - seeks high returns over the long term.  Target asset allocation between stocks and bonds is 90% stocks*, 10% bonds.

·                                       Target Date 2035 Fund - seeks high returns over the long term.  Target asset allocation between stocks and bonds is 90% stocks*, 10% bonds.

·                                       Target Date 2040 Fund - seeks high returns over the long term.  Target asset allocation between stocks and bonds is 90% stocks*, 10% bonds.

·                                       Target Date 2045 Fund - seeks high returns over the long term.  Target asset allocation between stocks and bonds is 90% stocks*, 10% bonds.

·                                       Target Date 2050 Fund - seeks high returns over the long term.  Target asset allocation between stocks and bonds is 90% stocks*, 10% bonds.

* Exposure to commodities is considered part of the allocation to stocks.

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Core Funds - seven funds that provide an opportunity to build a portfolio from a selection of broadly diversified U.S. and international stock funds and from funds that track the fixed-income markets.

·                                       Stable Value Fund - seeks to preserve principal and provide income at a stable rate of interest that is competitive with intermediate-term rates of return.  The fund is managed by multiple money managers.

·                                       Inflation Protected Bond Fund - seeks over the long term to provide a rate of return similar to the Barclays Capital U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) Index.  The fund is managed by State Street Global Advisors.

·                                       Total Bond Market Fund - seeks to modestly exceed the return of its benchmark index (Barclays Capital Aggregate Bond Index), which consists of more than 5,000 U.S. Treasury, federal agency, mortgage-backed, and corporate securities.   The fund is managed by Neuberger Berman.

·                                       Total Stock Market Index Fund - seeks long-term growth of capital and income.  It attempts to match the performance of the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index. The fund is managed by The Vanguard Group.

·                                       Total International Stock Market Index Fund - seeks long-term capital growth with a market rate of return for a diversified group of non-U.S. equities in such major markets as Europe and Asia plus the emerging markets of the world.  It attempts to match the performance of the MSCI All Country World Ex-USA Investable Market Index.  The fund is managed by State Street Global Advisors.

·                                       Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Index Fund - seeks a total rate of return approximating the returns of the MSCI U.S. REIT index.  Investment consists of U.S. publicly traded real estate equity securities.  The fund is managed by BlackRock Institutional Trust Company.

·                                       International Real Estate Index Fund. - seeks to replicate the returns of the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Rental ex US Index.  Investment consists of the international market for securities of companies principally engaged in the real estate industry that derive greater than or equal to 70% of their total revenue from rental revenue of investment properties.  The fund is managed by BlackRock Institutional Trust Company.

Expanded Choice Funds — eleven funds that provide an opportunity to build an investment portfolio with funds that are less broadly diversified, focusing instead on discrete sectors of the stock and bond markets.

·                                       High Yield and Emerging Markets Bond Fund - seeks to modestly exceed the returns of the Barclays Capital U.S. High Yield/Emerging Markets Bond Index.  The fund invests in “below investment grade” U.S. corporate and emerging market dollar bonds and is managed by Pacific Investment Management Company, LLC (PIMCO).

·                                       Long-Term Corporate Bond Fund - seeks a high and sustainable level of interest income by investing in a widely diversified group of long-term bonds issued by corporations with strong credit ratings.  The fund is managed by Neuberger Berman.

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·                                       Large Company Index Fund - seeks long-term growth of capital and income from dividends by holding all the stocks that make up the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.  The fund is managed by The Vanguard Group.

·                                       Large-Cap Value Index Fund - seeks long-term growth of capital and income from dividends.  The fund holds all the stocks in the Russell 1000 Value Index in approximately the same proportion as those stocks represented in the index.   The fund is managed by The Vanguard Group.

·                                       Large-Cap Growth Index Fund - seeks long-term growth of capital by holding all the stocks in the Russell 1000 Growth Index in approximately the same proportion as those stocks represented in the index.  The fund is managed by The Vanguard Group.

·                                       Small/Mid-Cap Stock Index Fund - seeks long-term growth of capital with a market rate of return from a diversified group of medium- and small-company stocks.  The fund holds stocks in the Russell 3000 index that are not part of the Standard and Poor’s 500 index and attempts to match the performance of the Russell SmallCap Completeness Index.   The fund is managed by State Street Global Advisors.

·                                       Small-Cap Value Index Fund - seeks long-term growth of capital by attempting to match the performance of the Russell 2000 Value Index.  The fund is managed by The Vanguard Group.

·                                       Small-Cap Growth Index Fund - seeks long-term growth of capital by attempting to match the performance of the Russell 2000 Growth Index.  The fund is managed by The Vanguard Group.

·                                       European Stock Index Fund - seeks long-term growth of capital that corresponds to an index of European stocks.   It attempts to match the investment results of the MSCI Europe Index.  The fund is managed by The Vanguard Group.

·                                       Pacific Stock Index Fund - seeks long-term growth of capital by attempting to match the performance of the MSCI Pacific Index.  The fund is managed by The Vanguard Group.

·                                       IBM Stock Fund - invests in IBM common stock and holds a small interest-bearing cash balance of approximately 0.35% for liquidity purposes.  The fund is managed by State Street Bank and Trust Company.

IBM 401(k) participants also have access to the “mutual fund window” investments — which expands the Plan’s investment options to include approximately 200 mutual funds, most of which are actively managed.  This feature gives more options to participants who are interested in investing in brand-name funds, or in simply having a broader range of investment options from which to choose.

Securities Lending

Security loan transactions are permitted with the objective to add investment return to the portfolio.  Certain funds may lend securities held in that fund to unaffiliated broker-dealers registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or banks organized in the United States of America.  At all times, the borrower must maintain cash or equivalent collateral equal in value to at least 102 percent of the value of the domestic securities loaned and 105 percent of the value of international securities loaned. The cash collateral

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is reinvested to generate income that is credited to the portfolio return. A risk in lending securities is associated with the reinvestment of this cash.  When securities are posted as collateral, the funds seek to minimize risk by requiring a daily valuation of the loaned securities, with additional collateral posted each day, if necessary.  An additional risk in lending securities is that a borrower may default during a sharp rise in the price of the security that was borrowed, resulting in a deficiency in the collateral posted by the borrower.  To mitigate this risk, the loaned securities in the State Street Bank agency program are indemnified against broker default.

The addition of the securities lending provision does not change the investment objectives for the funds.  The securities lending program was suspended and managed in an orderly wind down during 2009.  Therefore, the value of loaned securities and associated collateral for 2009 were significantly lower than 2008.  The value of loaned securities in the State Street Bank agency program amounted to $61 thousand and $1,478 million at December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively.   The value of cash collateral obtained and reinvested in short-term investments of $63 thousand (same at fair value) and $1,521million ($1,501 at fair value) for December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively, is reflected as a liability in the Plan’s financial statements.  Securities lending is also permitted in the commingled funds and in funds within the IBM Mutual Fund Window.  The prospectus for each fund will disclose if lending is permitted.

NOTE 7 - TAX STATUS

The Trust established under the Plan is qualified under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and the Trustee intends to continue it as a qualified trust.  The Plan received a favorable determination letter from the IRS on September 10, 2004.  Subsequent to this determination letter by the IRS, the Plan was amended.  The Plan administrator and Counsel continue to believe the Plan is designed and is being operated in compliance with the applicable requirements of the Internal Revenue Code.  Accordingly, a provision for federal income taxes has not been made.

NOTE 8 - RECONCILIATION OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS TO FORM 5500

The following is a reconciliation of net assets available for benefits per the financial statements to the Form 5500 as of:

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The following is a reconciliation of investment income per the financial statements to the Form 5500:

NOTE 9 - RELATED-PARTY TRANSACTIONS

At December 31, 2009, a significant portion of the Plan’s assets were managed by State Street Global Advisors.  State Street Global Advisors’ affiliate, State Street Bank and Trust Company, also acts as the trustee for the Plan and, therefore, these investments qualify as party-in-interest transactions.  The Plan also pays a fee to the trustee and the trustee also is a security lending agent.  These transactions qualify as party-in-interest transactions as well.

In addition, Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company, Inc is the provider of administrative services related to the mutual fund window as well as the investment manager of Fidelity funds within the mutual fund window.  Fidelity is also the provider of record keeping and participant services, and the operator of the IBM Employee Services Center for the IBM 401(k) Plus Plan.

At December 31, 2009 the Plan held 14,375,440 shares of IBM common stock valued at $1,881,745,096.  At December 31, 2008, the Plan held 15,941,533 shares of IBM common stock valued at $1,341,639,417.

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IBM 401(K) PLUS PLAN AT DECEMBER 31, 2009

Schedule G, Part I - Schedule of Loans or Fixed Income Obligations in Default or Classified as Uncollectible

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