Changes in Pension Accounting:  FAS No. 158
  • Major change:  An entity must recognize in its statement of financial position an asset for a plan's overfunded status or a liability for a plan's underfended status.
  • FAS No. 87 only required limited recognition of an underfunded plan--called the "minimum liability."  This was the difference between the "accumulated benefit obligation" and the fair value of plan assets.
  • An entity must recognize changes in the funded status of a defined benefit post retirement plan in the year in which the changes occur. Those changes will be reported in comprehensive income.
  • an employer should continue to apply the provisions in Statements 87, 88, and 106 in measuring plan assets and benefit obligations as of the date of its statement of financial position and in determining the amount of net periodic benefit cost.
  • FAS No. 158 does not impact the calculation of periodic pension expense; same as under FAS No. 87.

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