Pension and Postretirement Benefit Costs

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2023

Pension and Postretirement Benefit Costs

The components of net periodic pension and postretirement benefit costs, excluding the service cost for benefits earned, are included in “Net periodic benefit credit, excluding service cost” in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations.

Net periodic pension cost (credit) included the following components:


	Three Months Ended March 31,
		2023		2022
		(Dollars in millions)

Interest cost on projected benefit obligation		$	7.4	$	5.3
Expected return on plan assets		(6.6)		(5.9)

Net periodic pension cost (credit)		$	0.8	$	(0.6)

Annual contributions to the qualified plans are made in accordance with minimum funding standards and the Company’s agreement with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. Funding decisions also consider certain funded status thresholds defined by the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (generally 80%). As of March 31, 2023, the Company’s qualified plans were expected to be at or above the Pension Protection Act thresholds. The Company is not required to make any contributions to its qualified pension plans in 2023 based on minimum funding requirements and does not expect to make any discretionary contributions in 2023 at this time.

In March 2022, Peabody Investments Corp. (PIC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of PEC, entered into a commitment agreement relating to the Peabody Investments Corp. Retirement Plan (the Peabody Plan) with The Prudential Insurance Company of America (Prudential) and Fiduciary Counselors Inc., as independent fiduciary to the Peabody Plan. Under the commitment agreement, the Peabody Plan purchased a buy-in group annuity contract (GAC) from Prudential for approximately $500 million and Prudential will reimburse the Peabody Plan for benefit payments to be made to the Peabody Plan’s participants. The benefit obligation was not transferred to Prudential and the Peabody Plan continues to administer and pay the retirement benefits of Peabody Plan participants and is reimbursed by Prudential for the payment of all benefits covered by the GAC. The purchase of the GAC was funded directly by the Peabody Plan’s assets. There was no impact on the monthly retirement benefits paid to Peabody Plan participants and no material impact on contributions for the Peabody Plan in 2022 or 2023 as a result of this transaction.

In May 2022, the Board of Directors of PIC approved the termination of the Peabody Plan effective July 31, 2022. In June 2022, the Peabody Plan’s participants were notified of the Peabody Plan termination and the Peabody Plan filed an application with the Internal Revenue Service to request a determination as to the qualified status under §401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 with respect to the amendment and termination of the Peabody Plan.

In February 2023, as part of the Peabody Plan termination process, the Company announced a program to offer a voluntary lump-sum pension payout to certain active and deferred participants of the Peabody Plan which would fully settle the Peabody Plan’s obligation to them. The program provided participants with a limited-time opportunity to elect to receive a lump-sum settlement of their pension benefit or begin to receive their benefit in the form of a monthly annuity in May 2023. Participants not electing the lump-sum settlement or annuity options will have their pension benefit transferred to a highly qualified insurance company. Through May 1, 2023, the Company settled $21.5 million of its pension obligations for active and deferred participants in the Peabody Plan with an equal amount paid from plan assets.

Net periodic postretirement benefit credit included the following components:


	Three Months Ended March 31,
		2023		2022
		(Dollars in millions)
Service cost for benefits earned		$	0.1	$	0.2
Interest cost on accumulated postretirement benefit obligation		2.5		1.7
Expected return on plan assets		(0.1)		(0.2)
Amortization of prior service credit		(13.4)		(13.4)

Net periodic postretirement benefit credit		$	(10.9)	$	(11.7)

The Company has established a Voluntary Employees’ Beneficiary Association (VEBA) trust to pre-fund a portion of benefits for non-represented retirees. The Company does not expect to make any discretionary contributions to the VEBA trust in 2023 and plans to utilize a portion of VEBA assets to make certain benefit payments.