Chapter 20

Intermediate Accounting
IFRS Edition
Kieso, Weygandt, Warfield
Fourth Edition
Chapter 20
Accounting for Pensions and Postretirement Benefits
Prepared by
Coby Harmon
University of California, Santa Barbara
Westmont College
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Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
LO 1 Discuss the fundamentals of pension plan accounting
LO 2 Use a worksheet for employer’s pension plan entries.
LO 3 Explain the accounting for past service costs.
LO 4 Explain the accounting for remeasurements.
LO 5 Describe the requirements for reporting pension plans in
financial statements.
LO 6 Explain the accounting for other postretirement benefits.
Copyright ©2020 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2

PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 20

Learning Objective 1
Discuss the fundamentals of pension
plan accounting.
LO 1 Copyright ©2020 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 4

Fundamentals of Pension Plan
Accounting
An arrangement whereby an employer provides benefits
(payments) to retired employees for services they performed in
their working years.
ILLUSTRATION 20.1

Pension Plan Accounting
Pension plans can be:

• Contributory: employees voluntarily make payments to
increase their benefits.
• Non-contributory: employer bears the entire cost.
• Qualified pension plans: offer tax benefits.
Pension fund should be a separate legal and accounting entity.

Defined Contribution Plan vs. Defined
Benefit Plan
Defined Contribution Plan Defined Benefit Plan
• Employer contribution • Benefit determined by plan
determined by plan (fixed) • Employer contribution
• Risk borne by employees varies (determined by
• Benefits based on plan actuaries)
value • Risk borne by employer
Companies engage actuaries to ensure that a pension plan is

appropriate for the employee group covered.

The Role of Actuaries in Pension
Accounting
Actuaries make predictions of mortality rates, employee
turnover, interest and earnings rates, early retirement
frequency, future salaries, and other factors necessary to
operate a pension plan.
They also compute the various pension measures that affect
the financial statements, such as
• the pension obligation,
• the annual cost of servicing the plan, and
• the cost of amendments to the plan.

Measures of the Liability
Two questions:
1. What is the pension obligation that a company should
report in the financial statements?
2. What is the pension expense for the period?

Measures of the Liability
Different Measures of the Pension Obligation
ILLUSTRATION 20.3

Net Defined Benefit Obligation (Asset)
• The net defined benefit obligation (asset) (also referred to as
the funded status) is the deficit or surplus related to a defined
pension plan.
• The deficit or surplus is measured as follows.
Defined Benefit Obligation − Fair Value of Plan Assets (if any)
ILLUSTRATION 20.4

Reporting Changes in the Defined
Benefit Obligation (Asset)
The IASB requires:
• All changes in the defined benefit obligation and plan
assets in the current period be recognized in
comprehensive income.
• Companies report changes arising from different elements
of pension liabilities and assets in different sections of the
statement of comprehensive income, depending on their
nature.

Reporting Changes in the Pension
Obligation (Assets)
ILLUSTRATION 20.5

Components of Pension Cost
Service Cost
• Current service cost - increase in the present value of the
defined benefit obligation from employee service in the
current period.
• Past service cost - change in the present value of the defined
benefit obligation for employee service for prior periods—
generally resulting from a plan amendment.
• Reported in the statement of comprehensive income in the
operating section of the statement and affects net income.
• Companies must consider future compensation levels in
measuring the present obligation and periodic pension
expense.

Net Interest
• Computed by multiplying the discount rate by the funded
status of the plan (defined benefit obligation minus plan
assets).
• Net defined benefit obligation results in interest expense.
• Net defined benefit asset results in interest revenue.
• Amount is often shown below the operating section of the
income statement in the financing section.
• Discount rate is based on the yields of high-quality bonds with
terms consistent with the company’s pension obligation.

Remeasurements
• Gains and losses related to the defined benefit obligation.
• Gains or losses on the fair value of the plan assets.
• This component is reported in other comprehensive income,
net of tax.
• Remeasurement gains or losses therefore affect
comprehensive income but not net income.

Plan Assets and Actual Return
Plan Assets
• Investments in shares, bonds, other securities, and real
estate.
• Reported at fair value.
• Employer contributions and the actual return on plan assets
increase pension plan assets.
• Benefits paid to retired employees decrease plan assets.

Plan Assets and Actual Return Example
Determination of Pension Assets
Hasbro SA has pension plan assets of €4,200,000 on January 1,
2022. During 2022, Hasbro contributed €300,000 to the plan and
paid out retirement benefits of €250,000. Its actual return on
plan assets was €210,000 for the year. Compute the amount of
plan assets at December 31, 2022.
ILLUSTRATION 20.6

Equation for Computing Actual Return
Illustration: Hasbro SA has pension plan assets of €4,200,000 on
January 1, 2022. During 2022, Hasbro contributed €300,000 to the
plan and paid out retirement benefits of €250,000. Its actual return
on plan assets was €210,000 for the year. Some companies
compute the actual return as follows.
ILLUSTRATION 20.7

Computation of Actual Return on Plan
Assets
Stated another way, the actual return on plan assets is the
difference between the fair value of the plan assets at the beginning
of the period and the end of the period, adjusted for contributions
and benefit payments. Illustration 20.8 uses the equation method to
compute actual return, using the information provided in
Illustration 20.6.
ILLUSTRATION 20.8

Use a worksheet for employer’s
pension plan entries.

Basic Format of Pension Worksheet
Companies often use a worksheet to record pension-related
information. As its name suggests, the worksheet is a working tool. A
worksheet is not a permanent accounting record. It is neither a journal
nor part of the general ledger. The worksheet is merely a device to
make it easier to prepare entries and the financial statements.
ILLUSTRATION 20.9

2022 Entries and Worksheet
Illustration: Zarle AG provides the following information related to
its pension plan for the year 2022.
• Plan assets, January 1, 2022, are €100,000.
• Defined benefit obligation, January 1, 2022, is €100,000.
• Annual service cost is €9,000.
• Discount rate is 10 percent.
• Funding contributions are €8,000.
• Benefits paid to retirees during the year are €7,000.
Instructions: Prepare a pension worksheet for Zarle Company for
the year ending December 31, 2022.

Pension Worksheet—2022
ILLUSTRATION 20.10

2022 Journal Entry to Record Pension
Expense
Zarle makes the “formal journal entry” on December 31, which
records the pension expense in 2022 as follows.
Pension Expense 9,000

Cash 8,000
Pension Asset/Liability 1,000

Explain the accounting for past service
costs.

Types of Past Service Costs
Past Service Cost
• Change in the present value of the defined benefit obligation
resulting from a plan amendment or a curtailment.
• Expense past service cost in the period of the amendment or
curtailment.
ILLUSTRATION 20.12

Illustration: On January 1, 2023, Zarle AG amends the pension plan
to grant employees past service benefits with a present value of
€81,600. The following additional facts apply to the pension plan
for the year 2023.
• Annual funding contributions are €20,000.

Pension Worksheet—2023
ILLUSTRATION 20.13

Explain the accounting for
remeasurements.

Remeasurements
Uncontrollable and unexpected swings that can result from
1. sudden and large changes in the fair value of plan assets
and
2. changes in actuarial assumptions that affect the amount
of the defined benefit obligation.
Gains and losses reported in other comprehensive income.

Remeasurements
Asset Gains and Losses
Difference between the actual return and the interest revenue
computed in determining net interest.
• Illustration: Shopbob SE has plan assets at January 1, 2022, of
€100,000. The discount rate for the year is 6 percent, and the
actual return on the plan assets for 2022 is €8,000. In 2022,
Shopbob should record an asset gain of €2,000, computed as
follows.
ILLUSTRATION 20.15

Remeasurements
Liability Gains and Losses
Any change in actuarial assumptions that affect the amount
of the defined benefit obligation.
• Companies report liability gains and liability losses in
Other Comprehensive Income (G/L).
• They accumulate the asset and liability gains and losses
from year to year in Accumulated Other Comprehensive
Income.
• This amount is reported on the statement of financial
position in the equity section.

Illustration: The following facts for Zarle Company apply to the
pension plan for 2024.
• Actual return on plan assets is €12,000.
• Annual funding contributions are €24,000.
• Changes in actuarial assumptions establish the end-of-year
defined benefit obligation at €265,000.
2024 Pension Worksheet—2024
ILLUSTRATION 20.16

Defined Benefit Obligation Balance
ILLUSTRATION 20.17

2024 Journal Entry to Record Pension
Expense
Zarle makes the “formal journal entry” on December 31, which
records the pension expense in 2024 as follows.
Pension Expense 21,036

Other Comprehensive Income (G/L) 28,004
Cash 24,000
Pension Asset/Liability 25,040

Describe the requirements for
reporting pension plans in financial
statements.

Within the Financial Statements
Pension Expense
• Report these components in one section of the statement
of comprehensive income and report total pension
expense.
or
• Report the service cost component in operating income
and the net interest in a separate section related to
financing.

Within the Financial Statements
Gains and Losses (Remeasurements)
• Asset and liability gains and losses are recognized in other
comprehensive income.
• Not recognized in net income.

Gains and Losses (Remeasurements)
Obey ASA provides the following information for the year 2022.
Computation of Other Comprehensive Income
ILLUSTRATION 20.20
Computation of Comprehensive Income
ILLUSTRATION 20.21

Comprehensive Income Reporting
The components other comprehensive income must be reported
using one of two formats:
1. a two statement approach or
2. a one statement approach (a combined statement of
comprehensive income).
Two statement
approach
ILLUSTRATION 20.22

Computation of Accumulated Other
Comprehensive Income
ILLUSTRATION 20.23
Reporting of Accumulated OCI
ILLUSTRATION 20.24

Recognition of the Net Funded Status of the
Pension Plan
• Companies must recognize on their statement of financial
position the overfunded (pension asset) or underfunded
(pension liability) status of their defined benefit pension
plan.

Classification of Pension Asset or
Pension Liability
• The excess of the fair value of the plan assets over the
defined benefit obligation is classified as a noncurrent
asset.

Aggregation of Pension Plans
• The only situation in which offsetting is permitted is when

a company:
1. Has a legally enforceable right to use a surplus in one plan
to settle obligations in the other plan, and
2. Intends either to settle the obligation on a net basis, or to
realize the surplus in one plan and settle its obligations
under the other plan simultaneously.

Within the Notes to Financial
Statements
A company is required to disclose information that:
a. Explains characteristics of its defined benefit plans and
risks associated with them.
b. Identifies and explains the amounts in its financial
statements arising from its defined benefit plans.
c. Describes how its defined benefit plans may affect the
amount, timing, and uncertainty of the company’s future
cash flows.

Explain the accounting for other
postretirement benefits.

Differences Between Pensions and
Postretirement Healthcare Benefits
Item Pensions Healthcare Benefits
Funding Generally funded. Generally not funded.
Benefit Well-defined and level dollar Generally uncapped and great variability.
amount.
Beneficiary Retiree (maybe some benefit to Retiree, spouse, and other dependents.
surviving spouse).
Benefit payable Monthly. As needed and used.
Predictability Variables are reasonably Utilization difficult to predict.

predictable. Level of cost varies geographically and fluctuates
over time.
ILLUSTRATION 20.27

Compare the accounting for pensions
under IFRS and U.S. GAAP.

Global Accounting Insights
The underlying concepts for the accounting for

postretirement benefits are similar between U.S. G AAP and
IFRS—both U.S. GAAP and IFRS view pensions and other
postretirement benefits as forms of deferred
compensation. At present, there are significant differences
in the specific accounting provisions applied to these plans.

Similarities
• U.S. GAAP and IFRS separate pension plans into defined contribution plans
and defined benefit plans. The accounting for defined contribution plans is
similar.
• Both U.S. GAAP and IFRS recognize the merit of reporting the primary
components of pension expense (service cost and net interest) in different
sections of the income statement.
• U.S. GAAP and IFRS recognize a pension asset or liability as the funded
status of the plan (i.e., defined benefit obligation minus the fair value of
plan assets). (Note that defined benefit obligation is referred to as the
projected benefit obligation in U.S. GAAP.)
• U.S. GAAP and IFRS compute unrecognized past service cost (PSC) (referred
to as prior service cost in U.S. GAAP) in the same manner.

Differences
• While U.S. GAAP and IFRS include interest expense on the liability in
pension expense, GAAP subtracts an asset return component based
on expected return. Under IFRS for asset returns, pension expense is
reduced by the amount of interest revenue. Other changes in asset
value measurements are recorded in other comprehensive income.
• U.S. GAAP amortizes PSC over the remaining service lives of
employees, while IFRS recognizes PSC as a component of pension
expense in income immediately.
• While IFRS permits the primary components of pension expense
(service cost and net interest) to be reported in different sections of
the income statement, U.S. GAAP requires this method of reporting.

More Differences
• U.S. GAAP recognizes liability and asset gains and losses in
“Accumulated other comprehensive income” and amortizes
these amounts to income over remaining service lives
(generally using the “corridor approach”). Under IFRS,
companies recognize both liability and asset gains and losses
(referred to as remeasurements) in other comprehensive
income. These gains and losses are not “recycled” into income
in subsequent periods.
• U.S. GAAP has separate standards for pensions and
postretirement benefits, and significant differences exist in the
accounting. The accounting for pensions and other
postretirement benefit plans is the same under IFRS.
On the Horizon
The I A S B and the F A S B have been working collaboratively over

the years on a postretirement benefit project and, as a result, their
accounting is this area is similar. Significant differences remain in
the components of pension expense. If the F A S B restarts a
project to reexamine expense measurement of postretirement
benefit plans, it likely will consider the recent I A S B amendments
in this area.

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Intermediate Accounting

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Pension plans can be:

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Companies engage actuaries to ensure that a pension plan is

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Pension Expense 9,000

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Pension Expense 21,036

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Computation of Other Comprehensive Income

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Reporting of Accumulated OCI

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• The only situation in which offsetting is permitted is when

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Funding Generally funded. Generally not funded.

Predictability Variables are reasonably Utilization difficult to predict.

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The underlying concepts for the accounting for

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