The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash reported within the balance sheets and the statements of cash flows at March 31, 2024, and December 31, 2023:


	March 31, 2024						December 31, 2023
	Ameren		Ameren Missouri		Ameren Illinois		Ameren		Ameren Missouri		Ameren Illinois
“Cash and cash equivalents”	$	85	$	2	$	—	$	25	$	—	$	—

Restricted cash included in “Other current assets”	13		5		6		13		5		5
Restricted cash included in “Other assets”	248		—		248		229		—		229
Restricted cash included in “Nuclear decommissioning trust fund”	9		9		—		5		5		—
Total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash	$	355	$	16	$	254	$	272	$	10	$	234

Restricted cash included in “Other current assets” primarily represents funds held by an irrevocable Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association (VEBA) trust, which provides health care benefits for active employees. Restricted cash included in “Other assets” on Ameren’s and Ameren Illinois’ balance sheets primarily represents amounts collected under a cost recovery rider restricted for use in the procurement of renewable energy credits and amounts in a trust fund restricted for the use of funding certain asbestos-related claims.

“Accounts receivable – trade” on Ameren’s and Ameren Illinois’ balance sheets include certain receivables purchased at a discount from alternative retail electric suppliers that elect to participate in the utility consolidated billing program. At March 31, 2024, and December 31, 2023, “Other current liabilities” on Ameren’s and Ameren Illinois’ balance sheets included payables for purchased receivables of $43 million and $42 million, respectively.

The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of the allowance for doubtful accounts for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023:


	Three Months
		2024		2023
Ameren:
Beginning of period		$	30	$	31
Bad debt expense		10		10
Charged to other accounts(a)		3		—
Net write-offs		(6)		(7)
End of period		$	37	$	34
Ameren Missouri:
Beginning of period		$	12	$	13
Bad debt expense		1		2
Net write-offs		(2)		(3)
End of period		$	11	$	12
Ameren Illinois:(b)
Beginning of period		$	18	$	18
Bad debt expense		9		8
Charged to other accounts(a)		3		—
Net write-offs		(4)		(4)
End of period		$	26	$	22

(a)Amounts associated with the allowance for doubtful accounts related to receivables purchased by Ameren Illinois from alternative retail electric suppliers, as required by the Illinois Public Utilities Act.

(b)Ameren Illinois has rate-adjustment mechanisms that allow it to recover the difference between its actual net bad debt write-offs under GAAP, including those associated with receivables purchased from alternative retail electric suppliers, and the amount of net bad debt write-offs included in its base rates. The table above does not include the impact related to the riders.

The following table provides noncash financing and investing activity excluded from the statements of cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023:


	March 31, 2024						March 31, 2023
	Ameren		Ameren Missouri				Ameren Illinois	Ameren		Ameren Missouri		Ameren Illinois
Investing:
Accrued capital expenditures, including nuclear fuel expenditures	$	310	$	169	$	122		$	298	$	153	$	138

Net realized and unrealized gain – nuclear decommissioning trust fund	74		74		—			54		54		—
Return of investment in industrial development revenue bonds(a)	—		—		—			240		240		—
Financing:
Issuance of common stock for stock-based compensation	$	16	$	—	$	—		$	37	$	—	$	—
Issuance of common stock under the DRPlus	7		—		—			7		—		—
Termination of a financing obligation(a)	—		—		—			240		240		—

(a)In January 2023, Ameren Missouri and Audrain County mutually agreed to terminate a financing obligation agreement related to the CT energy center in Audrain County, which was scheduled to expire in December 2023. No cash was exchanged in connection with the termination of the agreement as the $240 million principal amount of the financing obligation due from Ameren Missouri was equal to the amount of bond service payments due to Ameren Missouri.


	Ameren Missouri			Ameren Illinois			Ameren
Balance at December 31, 2023	$	787	(a)	$	4	(b)	$	791	(a)

Liabilities settled	—			(1)			(1)
Accretion	8		(c)	—			8		(c)

Balance at March 31, 2024	$	795	(a)	$	3	(b)	$	798	(a)

In the first quarter of 2024, Ameren granted 359,133 performance share units with a grant date fair value of $21 million and 153,887 restricted share units with a grant date fair value of $11 million. Awards vest approximately 3 years after the grant date based on continued employment or on a pro-rata basis upon death or eligible retirement. The performance share units vest based on the achievement of certain specified market performance measures (307,816 performance share units) or clean energy transition targets (51,317 performance share units). The exact number of shares issued pursuant to a performance share unit varies from 0% to 200% of the target award, depending on actual company performance relative to the performance goals.

For the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, excess tax benefits (deficiencies) associated with the settlement of stock-based compensation awards increased income tax expense by $1 million and reduced income tax expense by $6 million, respectively.

At March 31, 2024, and December 31, 2023, the present value of benefits to be paid for deferred compensation obligations was $87 million and $85 million, respectively, which was primarily reflected in “Other deferred credits and liabilities” on Ameren’s consolidated balance sheet.

As of March 31, 2024 and 2023, our remaining performance obligations for contracts with a term greater than one year were immaterial. The Ameren Companies elected not to disclose the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to the performance obligations that are unsatisfied as of the end of the reporting period for contracts with an initial expected term of one year or less.

Ameren Missouri and Ameren Illinois collect from their customers excise taxes, including municipal and state excise taxes and gross receipts taxes that are levied on the sale or distribution of natural gas and electricity. The following table presents the excise taxes recorded on a gross basis in “Operating Revenues – Electric,” “Operating Revenues – Natural gas” and “Operating Expenses – Taxes other than income taxes” on the statements of income for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023:

The following table reconciles the basic weighted-average number of common shares outstanding to the diluted weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023:


	Three Months
		2024	2023


Weighted-average Common Shares Outstanding – Basic		266.4	262.2
Assumed settlement of performance share units and restricted stock units		0.4	0.9

Weighted-average Common Shares Outstanding – Diluted(a)		266.8	263.1

(a)There was an immaterial number of anti-dilutive performance share units excluded from the earnings per diluted share calculations for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023. The outstanding forward sale agreements as of March 31, 2024 and 2023, were anti-dilutive for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, and were excluded from the earnings per diluted share calculation as calculated using the treasury stock method. For additional information about our outstanding forward sale agreements, see Note 4 – Long-term Debt and Equity Financings.