An extra play-off place for promotion from the Second Division will be added this season if league reconstruction plans are approved.
Proposals to reshape Scottish league football into a 12-12-18 format are gathering pace and Kilmarnock have released a document providing further details on the plans.
The document confirms that if the new structure is put in place for next season, there would be an additional Second Division team entering the play-off to join the second tier.
Under the current league set-up, the bottom team in the First Division is automatically relegated, with the team in ninth going into a four-team play-off with the sides finishing second, third and fourth in the Second Division.
If the SPL and SFL vote to approve new plans for the 2013-14 season, there will be no automatic relegation from the First Division this term and no relegation play-off involving the side that finishes ninth.
That, in turn, would require an extra team to be entered into the play-off for the second promotion spot from the Second Division.
As the league currently stands, Queen of the South are 18 points clear in first place and look likely to gain automatic promotion to the First Division.
Alloa Athletic, Brechin City and Arbroath occupy the second, third and fourth positions but if the new plans gain approval, fifth place Forfar Athletic would be in the fourth play-off place.
Should league positions remain the same until the end of the season, they would enter the knock-out games for promotion.
The creation of an 18-team third tier would mean no relegation from the Second Division and no promotion from the Third as a new division is formed.