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Chapter 20: Q20-25Q (page 1161)

A headline in the Wall Street Journal stated, “Firms Increasingly Tap Their Pension Funds to Use Excess Assets.” What is the accounting issue related to the use of these “excess assets” through plan terminations?

Short Answer

Expert verified

Answer

When pension plans revert to companies, such terminations are considered gains only when a major issue is related to the use of “excess assets” through plan terminations.

Step by step solution

01

Step-by-Step SolutionStep 1: Meaning of Accounting Issues

Accounting issues are obstacles and hurdles that come in the way ofaccounting professionals.Such issues prevent the accountants from performing their roles properly, which leads to inappropriate accounting records.

02

Issue related to the excess assets

The major issue related to excess assets terminations is that a company may recognize it as a gain when such pension plan assets revert to the company.

Another complexity associated with this issue is that when an old plan is eliminated, companies start a new plan. At the same time, some companies believe that theassociated substance does not change, rater there is only a change in the form.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Veldre Company provides the following information about its defined benefit pension plan for the year 2017. Service cost $ 90,000 Contribution to the plan 105,000 Prior service cost amortization 10,000 Actual and expected return on plan assets 64,000 Benefits paid 40,000 Plan assets at January 1, 2017 640,000 Projected benefi t obligation at January 1, 2017 700,000 Accumulated OCI (PSC) at January 1, 2017 150,000 Interest/discount (settlement) rate 10% Instructions Compute the pension expense for the year 2017.

Larson Corp. sponsors a defined benefit pension plan for its employees. On January 1, 2018, the following balances related to this plan. Plan assets (market-related value) \(270,000 Projected benefit obligation 340,000 Pension asset/liability 70,000 Cr. Prior service cost 90,000 OCI—Loss 39,000

As a result of the operation of the plan during 2018, the actuary provided the following additional data for 2018. Service cost \)45,000 Actual return on plan assets 27,000 Amortization of prior service cost 12,000 Contributions 65,000 Benefits paid retirees 41,000 Settlement rate 7% Expected return on plan assets 8% Average remaining service life of active employees 10 years Instructions (a) Compute pension expense for Larson Corp. for the year 2018 by preparing a pension worksheet that shows the journal entry for pension expense. (b) Indicate the pension amounts reported in the financial statements

Question: The following defined pension data of Doreen Corp. apply to the year 2017.

Defined benefit obligation, 1/1/17 (before amendment) $560,000

Plan assets, 1/1/17 546,200

Pension asset/liability 13,800 Cr.

On January 1, 2017, Doreen Corp., through plan amendment,

grants past service benefits having a present value of 120,000

Discount rate 9%

Service cost 58,000

Contributions (funding) 65,000

Actual return on plan assets 49,158

Benefits paid to retirees 40,000

Instructions

For 2017, prepare a pension worksheet for Doreen Corp. that shows the journal entry for pension expense and the year-end balances in the related pension accounts.

Lahey Corp. has three defined benefit pension plans as follows. Pension Assets Projected Benefit (at Fair Value) Obligation Plan X \(600,000 \)500,000 Plan Y 900,000 720,000 Plan Z 550,000 700,000 How will Lahey report these multiple plans in its financial statements?

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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