Accounting For Pensions

The projected benefit obligation is a measure of an employer's pension obligation that takes into account future salary levels. It represents the estimated amount that the employer will need to pay out in pension benefits to employees based on their projected future salaries. This measure is used to calculate the funding requirements for the pension plan and helps the employer determine the amount of contributions that need to be made to ensure the plan remains adequately funded.

The correct answer is "all of these." This means that all of the options listed (service cost, interest on the liability, and amortization of prior service cost) increase pension expense.

The correct answer is "all of the options are disclosed". This means that all of the mentioned pension information should be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. This includes the expected benefit payments to be paid to current plan participants for each of the next five fiscal years, a company's best estimate of expected contributions to be paid to the plan during the next year, and a reconciliation showing how the projected benefit obligation and the fair value of the plan assets changed from the beginning to the end of the period.

The FASB argues that the projected benefit obligation indicates a more realistic measure of the employer's obligation under the pension plan on a going concern basis and should be used as the basis for determining service cost. This is because the projected benefit obligation takes into account future salary increases and other factors that may affect the ultimate amount of pension benefits that will be paid out to employees. It provides a more accurate estimate of the employer's long-term financial commitment to the pension plan.

The funding level of a defined benefit plan is determined by various factors, such as compensation levels, interest earnings, and turnover. However, the age of the employer company does not directly impact the funding level of the plan. The age of the employer company may affect other aspects of the plan, such as the length of time the plan has been in existence or the company's financial stability, but it does not have a direct influence on the funding level.

Unexpected decreases in the pension obligation can result in liability gains. This means that the amount of money that the company is obligated to pay in pensions decreases unexpectedly. This could happen, for example, if the company's pension investments perform better than anticipated or if the company is able to negotiate lower pension payments. In either case, the company's liability for pensions decreases, resulting in a liability gain.

When the additional liability exceeds the unrecognized prior service cost, the excess is debited to a contra equity account. This means that the excess amount is recorded as a decrease in the equity of the company. This is done to accurately reflect the financial position of the company and ensure that the liabilities are properly accounted for. By debiting the contra equity account, the company is able to offset the excess liability and maintain a balanced financial statement.

The recognized net gain or loss balance must be amortized when it exceeds 10% of the larger of the beginning projected benefit obligation or the market related asset value. This means that if the net gain or loss balance is greater than 10% of either the beginning projected benefit obligation or the market related asset value, it needs to be amortized. This ensures that any significant gains or losses are gradually recognized over time rather than all at once, helping to smooth out the impact on financial statements.

The correct answer is a defined contribution plan. In a defined contribution plan, the employer's pension expense is determined by the contributions made to the plan on behalf of employees. The employer is not obligated to pay a specific amount to the pension trust, as the benefits received by employees are based on the performance of the investments in the plan. Therefore, the pension expense is not determined by the employer's obligation, but rather by the contributions made to the plan.

The amortization of projected benefit obligation is not a component of pension expense. Pension expense is the cost incurred by a company to provide pension benefits to its employees. It includes various components such as the actual return on plan assets, amortization of prior service cost, and gains or losses. However, the amortization of projected benefit obligation refers to the gradual recognition of changes in the projected benefit obligation over time, and it is not directly included in the calculation of pension expense.

Qualified pension plans refer to retirement plans that meet specific requirements set by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the United States. These requirements include rules related to eligibility, vesting, funding, and distribution. Companies often design qualified pension plans to take advantage of tax benefits and ensure compliance with IRS regulations. This designation ensures that the plan meets certain standards and provides employees with certain protections and benefits.

Losses that arise from a single occurrence such as a plant closing should be recognized immediately because they are considered to be significant and non-recurring events that have a material impact on the financial statements. These losses are typically not expected to happen again in the future, so it is important to recognize them in the period in which they occur to provide accurate and transparent financial reporting.

All of the options are correct except that liability losses are deferred instead of recognized immediately

The correct answer states that iGAAP does not separate pension plans into defined contribution plans and defined benefit plans. This means that iGAAP treats all pension plans as a single category, without distinguishing between the two types of plans. However, the other statements provided are true. iGAAP does not recognize prior service costs on the balance sheet for defined benefit plans, gives companies the choice of recognizing actuarial gains and losses immediately or amortizing them, and uses smoothing provisions to reduce fluctuations in pension expenses.

The correct answer is "accumulated benefit obligation and the fair value of plan assets". The accumulated benefit obligation represents the present value of the expected future benefit payments to employees, based on their years of service and expected salary increases. The fair value of plan assets represents the current market value of the assets held in the pension plan. The minimum liability is the difference between these two values, and it represents the amount that the company would need to contribute to the pension plan in order to fully fund the expected future benefit payments.