What is meant by “prior service cost”? When is prior service cost recognized as pension expense?

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A multi-employer pension plan is the type of pension plan offered by the organization where multiple employers of the company contribute towards an employee's pension plan.

Step by step solution

01

Prior service cost

Prior service costs or PSC are incurred by an organization when a certain sum of money is paid to the employees beforehand to the defined benefit plan initiation.

02

Prior service cost recognized

Prior service costs are not recognized during the number of years of service of an employee in the organization since employers of the company grant these pension benefits after the service tenure of the employee is over, i.e., after their retirement, which will be in the future. Therefore, the amount of unrecognized prior service cost will be amortized for the number of years left for employee retirement.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

What are the major differences between postretirement healthcare benefits and pension benefits?

Henning Company sponsors a defined benefit pension plan for its employees. The following data relate to the operation of the plan for the year 2017 in which no benefits were paid. 1. The actuarial present value of future benefits earned by employees for services rendered in 2017 amounted to \(56,000. 2. The company’s funding policy requires a contribution to the pension trustee amounting to \)145,000 for 2017. 3. As of January 1, 2017, the company had a projected benefit obligation of \(900,000, an accumulated benefit obligation of \)800,000, and a debit balance of \(400,000 in accumulated OCI (PSC). The fair value of pension plan assets amounted to \)600,000 at the beginning of the year. The actual and expected return on plan assets was \(54,000. The settlement rate was 9%. No gains or losses occurred in 2017 and no benefits were paid. 4. Amortization of prior service cost was \)50,000 in 2017. Amortization of net gain or loss was not required in 2017. Instructions (a) Determine the amounts of the components of pension expense that should be recognized by the company in 2017. (b) Prepare the journal entry or entries to record pension expense and the employer’s contribution to the pension trustee in 2017. (c) Indicate the amounts that would be reported on the income statement and the balance sheet for the year 2017.

Differentiate between a defined contribution pension plan and a defined benefit pension plan. Explain how the employer’s obligation differs between the two types of plans.

Ferreri Company received the following selected information from its pension plan trustee concerning the operation of the company’s defined benefit pension plan for the year ended December 31, 2017. January 1, December 31, 2017 2017 Projected benefit obligation \(1,500,000 \)1,527,000 Market-related and fair value of plan assets 800,000 1,130,000 Accumulated benefit obligation 1,600,000 1,720,000 Accumulated OCI (G/L)—Net gain –0– (200,000) The service cost component of pension expense for employee services rendered in the current year amounted to \(77,000 and the amortization of prior service cost was \)120,000. The company’s actual funding (contributions) of the plan in 2017 amounted to \(250,000. The expected return on plan assets and the actual rate were both 10%; the interest/discount (settlement) rate was 10%. Accumulated other comprehensive income (PSC) had a balance of \)1,200,000 on January 1, 2017. Assume no benefits paid in 2017. Instructions (a) Determine the amounts of the components of pension expense that should be recognized by the company in 2017. (b) Prepare the journal entry to record pension expense and the employer’s contribution to the pension plan in 2017. (c) Indicate the pension-related amounts that would be reported on the income statement and the balance sheet for Ferreri Company for the year 2017.

Hiatt Toothpaste Company initiates a defined benefit pension plan for its 50 employees on January 1, 2017. The insurance company which administers the pension plan provided the following selected information for the years 2017, 2018, and 2019

For Year Ended December 31, 2017 2018 2019 Plan assets (fair value) \(50,000 \) 85,000 \(180,000 Accumulated benefi t obligation 45,000 165,000 292,000 Projected benefi t obligation 60,000 200,000 324,000 Net (gain) loss (for purposes of corridor calculation) –0– 78,400 81,033 Employer’s funding contribution (made at end of year) 50,000 60,000 105,000

There were no balances as of January 1, 2017, when the plan was initiated. The actual and expected return on plan assets was 10% over the 3-year period, but the settlement rate used to discount the company’s pension obligation was 13% in 2017, 11% in 2018, and 8% in 2019. The service cost component of net periodic pension expense amounted to the following: 2017, \)60,000; 2018, \(85,000; and 2019, \)119,000. The average remaining service life per employee is 12 years. No benefits were paid in 2017, \(30,000 of benefits were paid in 2018, and \)18,500 of benefits were paid in 2019 (all benefits paid at end of year). Instructions (Round to the nearest dollar.) (a) Calculate the amount of net periodic pension expense that the company would recognize in 2017, 2018, and 2019. (b) Prepare the journal entries to record net periodic pension expense, employer’s funding contribution, and related pension amounts for the years 2017, 2018, and 2019

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