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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

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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

At the end of the current year, Pociek Co. has prior service cost of $9,150,000. Where should the prior service cost be reported on the balance sheet?

Gottschalk Company sponsors a defined benefit plan for its 100 employees. On January 1, 2017, the company’s actuary provided the following information. Accumulated other comprehensive loss (PSC) \(150,000 Pension plan assets (fair value and market-related asset value) 200,000 Accumulated benefit obligation 260,000 Projected benefit obligation 380,000 The average remaining service period for the participating employees is 10 years. All employees are expected to receive benefits under the plan. On December 31, 2017, the actuary calculated that the present value of future benefits earned for employee services rendered in the current year amounted to \)52,000; the projected benefit obligation was \(490,000; fair value of pension assets was \)276,000; the accumulated benefit obligation amounted to \(365,000. The expected return on plan assets and the discount rate on the projected benefit obligation were both 10%. The actual return on plan assets is \)11,000. The company’s current year’s contribution to the pension plan amounted to $65,000. No benefits were paid during the year. Instructions (a) Determine the components of pension expense that the company would recognize in 2017. (With only one year involved, you need not prepare a worksheet.) (b) Prepare the journal entry to record the pension expense and the company’s funding of the pension plan in 2017. (c) Compute the amount of the 2017 increase/decrease in gains or losses and the amount to be amortized in 2017 and 2018. (d) Indicate the pension amounts reported in the financial statement as of December 31, 2017.

Davis Corporation is a medium-sized manufacturer of paperboard containers and boxes. The corporation sponsors a noncontributory, defined benefit pension plan that covers its 250 employees. Sid Cole has recently been hired as president of Davis Corporation. While reviewing last year’s financial statements with Carol Dilbeck, controller, Cole expressed confusion about several of the items in the footnote to the financial statements relating to the pension plan. In part, the footnote reads as follows. Note J. The company has a defined benefit pension plan covering substantially all of its employees. The benefits are based on years of service and the employee’s compensation during the last four years of employment. The company’s funding policy is to contribute annually the maximum amount allowed under the federal tax code. Contributions are intended to provide for benefi ts expected to be earned in the future as well as those earned to date. The net periodic pension expense on Davis Corporation’s comparative income statement was \(72,000 in 2017 and \)57,680 in 2016. The following are selected figures from the plan’s funded status and amounts recognized in the Davis Corporation’s Statement of Financial Position at December 31, 2017 (\(000 omitted). Actuarial present value of benefi t obligations: Accumulated benefi t obligation (including vested benefi ts of \)636) \( (870) Projected benefi t obligation \)(1,200) Plan assets at fair value 1,050 Projected benefi t obligation in excess of plan assets $ (150) Given that Davis Corporation’s work force has been stable for the last 6 years, Cole could not understand the increase in the net periodic pension expense. Dilbeck explained that the net periodic pension expense consists of several elements, some of which may increase or decrease the net expense. Instructions (a) The determination of the net periodic pension expense is a function of five elements. List and briefly describe each of the elements. (b) Describe the major difference and the major similarity between the accumulated benefit obligation and the projected benefit obligation. (c) (1) Explain why pension gains and losses are not recognized on the income statement in the period in which they arise. (2) Briefly describe how pension gains and losses are recognized.

The following information is available for the pension plan of Radcliffe Company for the year 2017. Actual and expected return on plan assets $ 15,000 Benefits paid to retirees 40,000 Contributions (funding) 90,000 Interest/discount rate 10% Prior service cost amortization 8,000 Projected benefit obligation, January 1, 2017 500,000 Service cost 60,000 Instructions (a) Compute pension expense for the year 2017. (b) Prepare the journal entry to record pension expense and the employer’s contribution to the pension plan in 2017.

Why didn’t the FASB cover both types of post-retirement benefits—pensions and healthcare—in the earlier pension accounting rules?

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