Plan A coverage = (9/20 NHCEs) / (2/2 HCEs) = 45%
Plan B has no HCEs covered, so plan B coverage is an automatic pass, and we assume it has the same safe harbor as plan A to allow aggregation with plan A if necessary to get plan A to pass coverage.
Plan A’s 45% result is greater than the safe harbor percentage for coverage, which is 27.50% based on the concentration percentage, but it’s less than 70%. So without aggregation of plans, the average benefit test for coverage is necessary.
Does plan A satisfy the nondiscriminatory classification test of 1.410(b)-4? Meaning, does it cover a reasonable business classification?
If not, and you aggregate the two plans to get plan A to pass coverage, you must now also aggregate the two plans for purposes of nondiscrimination testing, and if allocations are tested on a benefits basis (cross-tested), then the gateway minimum allocation does apply. Shut you want plan A to pass coverage without aggregation with B so you can avoid the gateway in B.
If you do have a reasonable business classification defining who is covered by plan A, then you run the average benefit test. You can run that on a benefits basis or on a contributions-basis. You need that to be 70%, and if it is, then Plan A passes coverage without aggregation with plan B, and no gateway applies to Plan B even if Plan A is cross-tested.