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Employee Benefits
 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Table Text Block [Line Items]  
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]
Employee Benefits
 
The Company maintains the QEP Resources, Inc. Retirement Plan, a closed, defined-benefit pension plan (the Pension Plan) and a postretirement medical plan. The Company's postretirement medical plan is unfunded and provides certain health care and life insurance benefits for certain retired employees. The Pension Plan includes a qualified and a nonqualified retirement plan. The nonqualified retirement plan is the Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP). During the three months ended March 31, 2015, the Company made contributions of $1.0 million to its funded qualified pension plan. Contributions to funded qualified plans increase plan assets. During the three months ended March 31, 2015, the Company made contributions of $0.4 million to its SERP. Payments to the SERP are used to fund current benefit payments. During the remainder of 2015, the Company expects to contribute $3.0 million to its funded qualified pension plan, $4.0 million to its SERP and $0.3 million for retiree health care and life insurance benefits. During the three months ended March 31, 2015, for continuing operations, QEP recognized $1.7 million in recurring employee benefit expense, compared to $2.0 million during the three months ended March 31, 2014. During the three months ended March 31, 2014, for discontinued operations, QEP recognized $0.5 million in recurring employee benefit expense.

The following table sets forth the Company’s pension and postretirement benefits net periodic benefit costs:

 
Pension
 
Three Months Ended
 
March 31,
 
2015
 
2014
 
(in millions)
Service cost
$
0.6

 
$
0.7

Interest cost
1.3

 
1.4

Expected return on plan assets
(1.4
)
 
(1.2
)
Amortization of prior service costs (1)
0.8

 
1.2

Amortization of actuarial losses (1)
0.3

 
0.2

Periodic expense
$
1.6

 
$
2.3

 ____________________________
(1) 
Amortization of prior service costs and actuarial losses out of AOCI are recognized in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations in "General and administrative."

 
Postretirement Benefits
 
Three Months Ended
 
March 31,
 
2015
 
2014
 
(in millions)
Interest cost
$
0.1

 
$
0.1

Amortization of prior service costs (1)
—

 
0.1

Periodic expense
$
0.1

 
$
0.2

____________________________
(1) 
Amortization of prior service costs out of AOCI are recognized in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations in "General and administrative."