Pension Benefits

Total Periodic Benefit Cost

The components of the Companies’ total periodic benefit costs for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 were as follows:



	For the Three Months Ended March 31,
	Con Edison		CECONY
(Millions of Dollars)	2018	2017	2018	2017
Service cost – including administrative expenses	$72	$66	$68	$61
Interest cost on projected benefit obligation	140	148	131	139
Expected return on plan assets	(258)	(243)	(245)	(229)
Recognition of net actuarial loss	172	149	163	141
Recognition of prior service costs	(4)	(4)	(5)	(5)
TOTAL PERIODIC BENEFIT COST	$122	$116	$112	$107
Cost capitalized	(31)	(43)	(29)	(41)
Reconciliation to rate level	(23)	(11)	(25)	(12)
Cost charged to operating expenses	$68	$62	$58	$54

In March 2017, the FASB issued amendments to the guidance for retirement benefits through ASU 2017-07, “Compensation-Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost.” The Companies adopted ASU 2017-07 beginning on January 1, 2018. The guidance requires that components of net periodic benefit cost other than service cost be presented outside of operating income on consolidated income statements, and that only the service cost component is eligible for capitalization. Accordingly, the service cost components are included in the line "Other operations and maintenance" and the non-service cost components are included in the line “Other deductions” in the Companies' consolidated income statements. As permitted by a practical expedient under ASU 2017-07, the Companies applied the presentation requirements retrospectively for both pension and other postretirement benefit costs using amounts disclosed in prior-period financial statements as appropriate estimates.

Expected Contributions

Based on estimates as of March 31, 2018, the Companies expect to make contributions to the pension plans during 2018 of $472 million (of which $433 million is to be contributed by CECONY). The Companies’ policy is to fund the total periodic benefit cost of the qualified plan to the extent tax deductible and to also contribute to the non-qualified supplemental plans. During the first three months of 2018, the Companies contributed $184 million to the pension plans, nearly all of which was contributed by CECONY.