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Retirement Benefits
 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2021
Subsidiaries [Member]  
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Table Text Block [Line Items]  
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block] Retirement Benefits
PSE has a defined benefit pension plan (Qualified Pension Benefits) covering a substantial majority of PSE employees.  Pension benefits earned are a function of age, salary, years of service and, in the case of employees in the cash balance formula plan, the applicable annual interest crediting rates.  Starting January 1, 2014, all the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) represented employees receive annual pay contributions of 4.0% of eligible pay each year in the cash balance formula plan of the defined benefit pension. Starting January 1, 2014, for non-represented employees, and December 12, 2014, for employees represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union (IBEW), participants receive annual employer contributions of 4.0% of eligible pay each year in the cash balance formula of the defined benefit pension or 401k plan account. Those employees receiving contributions in the cash balance formula plan also receive interest credits, which are at least 1.0% per quarter. When an employee with a vested cash balance formula benefit leaves PSE, they will have annuity and lump sum options for distribution. PSE also has a non-qualified Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP) for certain key senior management employees that closed to new participants in 2019. PSE has an officer restoration benefit for new officers who join PSE or are promoted beginning in 2019, such that company contributions under PSE’s applicable tax-qualified plan, which otherwise would have been earned if not for IRS limitations, are credited to an account with the Deferred Compensation Plan.
In addition to providing pension benefits, PSE provides legacy group health care and life insurance benefits (Plan) for certain retired employees.  These benefits are provided principally through an insurance company.  The insurance premiums, paid primarily by retirees, are based on the benefits provided during the prior year. On June 11, 2019, the Welfare Benefits Committee approved the termination of the Plan effective December 31, 2019, and the creation of a Retiree Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) Plan effective January 1, 2020. No eligible individual may become a participant or covered dependent in the Plan on or after January 1, 2020, and no benefits will be payable under insurance contracts or the Plan on or after January 1, 2020. Effective January 1, 2020, assets in the 401(h) account will be allocated to the Retiree HRA instead of the Plan to cover the Company's portion of premiums for health benefits for retiree and their beneficiaries.
Puget Energy's retirement plans were remeasured as a result of the merger in 2009, which represents the difference between Puget Energy and PSE's retirement plans.
In 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-07, requiring that an employer report the service cost component in the same line items as other compensation costs arising from services rendered by the pertinent employees during the period. The other components of net benefit cost (which include interest costs, expected return on plan assets, amortization of prior service cost or credits and actuarial gains and losses) are required to be presented in the income statement separately from the service cost component and outside a subtotal of income from operations. Pursuant to the standard, the Company has retrospectively included in the consolidated statements of income: (i) the components of service cost within utility operations and maintenance for PSE and within non-utility expense and other for Puget Energy, and (ii) all non-service cost components in other income.
The following tables summarize the Company’s net periodic benefit cost for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020:
Puget EnergyQualified
Pension Benefits		SERP
Pension Benefits		Other
Benefits
Three Months Ended March 31,
(Dollars in Thousands)202120202021202020212020
Components of net periodic benefit cost:
Service cost$6,711 $5,997 $115 $228 $41 $49 
Interest cost5,578 6,298 293 378 77 91 
Expected return on plan assets(12,081)(12,502)— — (91)(97)
Amortization of prior service cost(476)(495)87 87 2 — 
Amortization of net loss (gain)2,830 1,981 587 586 (10)(22)
Net periodic benefit cost$2,562 $1,279 $1,082 $1,279 $19 $21 


Puget Sound EnergyQualified
Pension Benefits		SERP
Pension Benefits		Other
Benefits
Three Months Ended March 31,
(Dollars in Thousands)202120202021202020212020
Components of net periodic benefit cost:
Service cost$6,711 $5,997 $115 $228 $41 $49 
Interest cost5,578 6,298 293 378 77 91 
Expected return on plan assets(12,081)(12,504)— — (91)(97)
Amortization of prior service cost(378)(393)87 87 2 — 
Amortization of net loss (gain)5,311 4,656 635 659 (15)(36)
Net periodic benefit cost$5,141 $4,054 $1,130 $1,352 $14 $7 
The following table summarizes the Company’s change in benefit obligation for the periods ended March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020:
Puget Energy and
Puget Sound Energy		Qualified
Pension Benefits		SERP
Pension Benefits		Other
Benefits
Three Months EndedYear EndedThree Months EndedYear EndedThree Months EndedYear Ended
(Dollars in Thousands)March 31,
2021		December 31,
2020		March 31,
2021		December 31,
2020		March 31,
2021		December 31,
2020
Change in benefit obligation:
Benefit obligation at beginning of period$849,383 $774,305 $46,742 $63,000 $12,114 $11,627 
Amendments— — — — — 44 
Service cost6,711 24,337 115 756 41 190 
Interest cost5,578 25,180 293 1,464 77 368 
Curtailment Loss / (Gain)— — — — — — 
Actuarial loss (gain)— 69,413 — 3,663 — 604 
Benefits paid(11,625)(42,775)(496)(22,141)(237)(906)
Medicare part D subsidy received— — — — 196 187 
Administrative Expense— (1,077)— — — — 
Benefit obligation at end of period$850,047 $849,383 $46,654 $46,742 $12,191 $12,114 

The aggregate expected contributions by the Company to fund the qualified pension plan, SERP and the other postretirement plans for the year ending December 31, 2021, are expected to be at least $18.0 million, $6.8 million and $0.3 million, respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2021, the Company contributed $0.5 million to fund the SERP. During the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company contributed $13.6 million to fund the SERP. The Company contributed an immaterial amount to fund the other postretirement plans.