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Employee Benefits
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2016
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Table Text Block [Line Items]  
Employee Benefits [Text Block]
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits
The Company provides pension and other postretirement benefits to certain employees through three retirement benefit plans: the QEP Resources, Inc. Retirement Plan (the Pension Plan), the Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (the SERP), and a postretirement medical plan (the Medical Plan).

The Pension Plan is a closed, qualified, defined-benefit pension plan that is funded and provides pension benefits to certain QEP employees. During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, the Company made contributions of $4.0 million to the Pension Plan and does not expect to make additional contributions to the Pension Plan during the remainder of 2016. Contributions to the Pension Plan increase plan assets.

As a result of the Company's divestitures in 2014 and retirements in 2015, the number of active participants in the Pension Plan fell to 50 employees during the year ended December 31, 2015, which is the minimum number of active participants required for a plan to be qualified under the Internal Revenue Services' participation rules. In order to prevent disqualification, the Pension Plan was amended in June 2015 and was frozen effective January 1, 2016, such that employees do not earn additional defined benefits for future services.

The SERP is a nonqualified retirement plan that is unfunded and provides pension benefits to certain QEP employees. During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, the Company made contributions of $3.5 million to its SERP and expects to contribute an additional $0.1 million to its SERP during the remainder of 2016. Contributions to the SERP are used to fund current benefit payments. The SERP was amended and restated in June 2015 and was closed to new participants effective January 1, 2016.

The Medical Plan is unfunded and provides other postretirement benefits including certain health care and life insurance benefits for certain retired QEP employees. During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, the Company made contributions of $0.2 million to its Medical Plan and expects to contribute an additional $0.1 million to its Medical Plan during the remainder of 2016. Contributions to the Medical Plan are used to fund current benefit payments.

The following table sets forth the Company’s net periodic benefit costs related to its Pension Plan, SERP and Medical Plan:
 
Three Months Ended
 
Nine Months Ended
 
September 30,
 
September 30,
 
2016
 
2015
 
2016
 
2015
Pension Plan and SERP benefits
(in millions)
Service cost
$
0.3

 
$
0.5

 
$
0.9

 
$
1.5

Interest cost
1.3

 
1.3

 
3.9

 
3.7

Expected return on plan assets
(1.4
)
 
(1.5
)
 
(4.2
)
 
(4.3
)
Amortization of prior service costs (1)
0.3

 
0.4

 
0.9

 
1.3

Amortization of actuarial losses (1)
0.2

 
0.1

 
0.6

 
0.4

Curtailment loss (2)
—

 
—

 
—

 
11.2

Periodic expense
$
0.7

 
$
0.8

 
$
2.1

 
$
13.8

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Medical Plan benefits
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest cost
$
0.1

 
$
0.1

 
$
0.2

 
$
0.2

Amortization of prior service costs (1)
—

 
—

 
0.1

 
0.1

Periodic expense
$
0.1

 
$
0.1

 
$
0.3

 
$
0.3


____________________________
(1) 
Amortization of prior service costs and actuarial losses out of accumulated other comprehensive income are recognized on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations within "General and administrative" expense.
(2) 
A curtailment is recognized immediately when there is a significant reduction in, or an elimination of, defined benefit accruals for current employees' future services. These expenses are recognized on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations within "General and administrative" expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2015.