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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 defi nedbenefi t 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 benefits 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 (\(000 omitted). Actuarial present value of benefi t obligations: Accumulated benefi t obligation (including vested benefits of \)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.

Short Answer

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Financial position of an organization can be determined by reviewing thefinancial statements and the company's financial ratios. Every organization should be financially stable to sustain itself in the market.

Step by step solution

01

(a) The determination of the net periodic pension expense

Pension benefits are those benefits an employee in an organization receives in compensation. These benefits are paid until the time of retirement. Following are the components of the pension expense:

(1) Service costs: It measures the present value of the pension benefits earned by an employee.

(2) Interest cost: It is earned on the defined benefit obligation, which represents the liability for the company.

(3) Actual return on plan assets measures the reduced value of the interest implied on the pension expense.

(4) Prior service cost measures the cost incurred beforehand the number of employees' service.

(5) Gains and losses arise due to the variation in the amounts of benefit obligation and the plan assets.

02

(b) Difference between the accumulated benefit obligation and the projected benefit obligation

The accumulated benefit obligation is strictly based on the annual pension expense incurred by an organization for its employees. On the other hand, the defined projected benefit obligation measures the current pension expense.

The similarity between the two concepts

One of the most similar things in the accumulated benefit obligation and the projected benefit obligation is that both methods consider the total number of years of service of an employee.

03

(c) Explanation

1. Pension gains and losses are not recognized under the income statement.

The amount of pension gains and losses are not recognized under the income statement because the value of gain or loss arises due to the change in assets' actual and fair value. These amounts reflect an inability of an organization to provide compensation, the number of years of service, and the retirement age. Therefore, it does not get recognized under the income statement.

2. Recognition PF pension gains and losses

The recognition of pension gains and losses works according to the corridor approach of the IASB. It aims at decreasing the volatility of pension gains and losses.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

The accounting staff of Holder Inc. has prepared the following postretirement benefit worksheet. Unfortunately, several entries in the worksheet are not decipherable. The company has asked your assistance in completing the worksheet and completing the accounting tasks related to the pension plan for 2017.

Instructions (a) Determine the missing amounts in the 2017 postretirement worksheet, indicating whether the amounts are debits or credits. (b) Prepare the journal entry to record 2017 postretirement expense for Holder Inc. (c) What discount rate is Holder using in accounting for the interest on its other postretirement benefit plan? Explain

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

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

Question: What is meant by “past service cost”? When is past service cost recognized as pension expense?

For 2017, Sampsell Inc. computed its annual postretirement expense as \(240,900. Sampsell’s contribution to the plan during 2017 was \)180,000. Prepare Sampsell’s 2017 entry to record postretirement expense, assuming Sampsell has no OCI amounts.

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