Pension Costs

The cash basis of accounting records revenues when cash is received and expenses when cash is paid out. The accrual basis of accounting records revenues when they are earned and expenses when resources are used.

Using the Internet or Strayer databases, go to the FASB Website, located at http://www.fasb.org, and other resources to research the Disclosure of Postretirement Health Care and Life Insurance Benefits.

The accrual basis of accounting uses the adjusting process to recognize revenues when earned and expenses when incurred. The cash basis of accounting recognizes revenues when cash is received and records expenses when cash is paid. An example of accrual basis of accounting is if a company is insuring a building. The insurance company bills the company $600 every six months. If each bill is for six months of coverage, then under the accrual method, the company would not record a $600 expense in January and a $600 expense in July. It would instead record a $100 expense each month for the whole year.

SFAS No. 87 “Employers’ Accounting for Pensions” maintains that pension information should be prepared on the accrual basis and retained three fundamental aspects of past pension accounting: 1. delaying recognition of certain events, 2. Reporting net cost, and 3. offsetting assets and liabilities” (Schroeder, Clark, & Cathey, "Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits," 2011). “The components of pension costs reflect different aspects of the benefits earned by employees and the method of financing those benefits by the employer. The following are required to be included in the net pension cost recognized by the employer sponsoring a defined benefits pension plan: 1. Service cost, 2. Interest cost, 3. Return on plan assets, 4. Amortization of unrecognized prior service cost, 5. Amortization of gains and losses, 6. Amortization of the unrecognized net obligation or unrecognized net asset at the date of the initial application of SFAS No. 87” (Schroeder, Clark, & Cathey, "Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits," 2011).

(b) Calculate the pension expense for 2011 and 2012 assuming that Flintstone Corp. accounts for its pension with the deferral and amortization approach under PE GAAP.

increase when the company or the employees make additional cash contributions. Pension benefits are paid out when employees retire and this reduces the plan‟s assets. d. Pension expense is determined using the expected return on plan assets (not the actual return). The expected return on the assets reduces the expense. The pension plan assets are measured on the balance sheet each period at

Refer to ASC 410-20-30-1 (Asset Retirement Obligations - Determination of a Reasonable Estimate of Fair Value)

The employers offering pension plans were to disclosure the plans as well as the general features that were contained in the document in addition to the current year and pension expense incurred. This would equal the postretirement health care and life insurance benefits. As such, the components of the pension expense, net funding status, pension asset and obligation accounts, and pension expense components needed disclosure. Since then the net pension liability or asset have to be booked while the changes in pensions liabilities and assets not included into the income being added into other comprehensive income. According to the SFAS No.87 Employers ' Accounting for Pensions, disclosure of the pension

Information based on accrual accounting has historically and empirically provided a better indication of a company’s ability to generate cash flows than information gathered under the cash method. If there is not inter-period allocation, then the information is not as meaningful and will result in a mismatching of economic benefits

Accordingly, the $39.3 million actuarial gain which resulted from the restructuring is included in Accrued Pension Costs in the accompanying Balance Sheet and is being amortized to income over a ten-year period commencing in 1984. The effect of the changes in the investment return assumption rates for all U.S. plans, together with the 1984 restructuring of the U.S. Salaried Employees' Plan, was to reduce pension expense by approximately $4.0 million in 1984 and $2.0 million in 1983, and the actuarial present value of accumulated plan benefits by approximately $60.0 million in 1984. Pension expense in 1983 was also reduced $2.1 million from the lower level of active employees. Other actuarial gains, including higher than anticipated investment results, more than offset the additional pension costs resulting from plan changes and interest charges on balance sheet accruals in 1984 and 1983.

Under GAAP, it is possible to use cash-basis or accrual basis accounting for revenue recognition. Under cash basis, revenue is recognized with payment is received. Under accrual basis, revenue is recognized when it becomes economically significant. GAAP has specific requirements for various industries on when an event qualifies to be recognized as revenue.

The major distinction between the accrual and the cash basis of accounting is when revenue and expenses are recognized. When the cash method is used, revenue is recorded when money is received. Expenses are recorded only when money is paid. The Accrual method accounts for revenue when it is earned. Expenses for goods and services are recorded when they are incurred. The

Accrual accounting is an accounting method that is utilized to size the performance and of a company by recognizing circumstances regardless of when cash transactions occur. They are documented by matching revenues to expenses at the time in which the transaction occurs rather than when a payment is processed. This method allows the current cash credits and debits to be combined with future expected cash flows to give a more accurate picture of a company 's current financial state. It is ideal to use this method of accounting if an organization has a revenue of more than five million per year. While the accrual method shows the flow of business income and debts more accurately, the downside to this method of accounting is that financial advisers may be blindsided as to what cash reserves are available, which could ultimately result in some serious cash flow obstacles. A common example that I have seen used which helps me understand is when your income ledger may show thousands of dollars in sales, while in reality your bank account is empty because your customers haven 't paid you yet. Cash Basis accounting is when revenues are documented when cash is received and expenses are recognized when paid. The cash basis of accounting is usually utilized by small companies with a revenue of less than one million annually. The cash method provides a more accurate picture of how much actual cash your business has. Cash basis accounting is allowed for tax purposes only for smaller

One of these is with regards to goodwill and intangible assets with identifiable useful lives.

According to this concept the asset is recorded in the books of accounts at the price paid for it and not at its market value. For example: if a business entity purchases a building valued at $15 million from a friend for $12 million, this asset would be recorded at $12 million and not at $ 15 million, because for the business entity the cost was $12 million and not $15 million.