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PENSION PLANS AND POST-RETIREMENT BENEFITS
 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2020
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]  
PENSION PLANS AND POST-RETIREMENT BENEFITS PENSION PLANS AND POST-RETIREMENT BENEFITS
Evergy and certain of its subsidiaries maintain, and Evergy Kansas Central and Evergy Metro participate in, qualified non-contributory defined benefit pension plans covering the majority of Evergy Kansas Central's and Evergy Metro's employees as well as certain non-qualified plans covering certain active and retired officers. Evergy
is also responsible for its indirect 94% ownership share of Wolf Creek Generating Station's (Wolf Creek) defined benefit plans, consisting of Evergy Kansas South's and Evergy Metro's respective 47% ownership shares.
For the majority of employees, pension benefits under these plans reflect the employees' compensation, years of service and age at retirement. However, for the plan covering Evergy Kansas Central's employees, the benefits for non-union employees hired between 2002 and the second quarter of 2018 and union employees hired beginning in 2012 are derived from a cash balance account formula. The plan was closed to future non-union employees in 2018. For the plans covering Evergy Metro's employees, the benefits for union employees hired beginning in 2014 are derived from a cash balance account formula and the plans were closed to future non-union employees in 2014.
Evergy and its subsidiaries also provide certain post-retirement health care and life insurance benefits for substantially all retired employees of Evergy Kansas Central and Evergy Metro and their respective shares of Wolf Creek's post-retirement benefit plans.
The Evergy Companies record pension and post-retirement expense in accordance with rate orders from the KCC and MPSC that allow the difference between pension and post-retirement costs under GAAP and costs for ratemaking to be recognized as a regulatory asset or liability.  This difference between financial and regulatory accounting methods is due to timing and will be eliminated over the life of the plans.
The following tables provide the components of net periodic benefit costs prior to the effects of capitalization and sharing with joint owners of power plants.
 
Pension Benefits
 
Post-Retirement Benefits
Three Months Ended March 31, 2020
Evergy
 
Evergy Kansas Central
 
Evergy Metro
 
Evergy
 
Evergy Kansas Central
 
Evergy Metro
Components of net periodic benefit costs
(millions)
Service cost
$
19.6

 
$
6.8

 
$
12.8

 
$
0.7

 
$
0.3

 
$
0.4

Interest cost
24.4

 
11.8

 
12.6

 
2.3

 
1.2

 
1.1

Expected return on plan assets
(26.7
)
 
(13.3
)
 
(14.1
)
 
(2.3
)
 
(1.7
)
 
(0.7
)
Prior service cost
0.4

 
0.4

 
0.2

 
0.1

 
0.1

 
—

Recognized net actuarial (gain)/loss
11.4

 
8.4

 
11.3

 
0.1

 
—

 
(0.1
)
Net periodic benefit costs before regulatory adjustment and intercompany allocations
29.1

 
14.1

 
22.8

 
0.9

 
(0.1
)
 
0.7

Regulatory adjustment
9.9

 
0.4

 
1.4

 
(0.9
)
 
(0.7
)
 
—

Intercompany allocations
—

 
—

 
(6.2
)
 
—

 
—

 
0.2

Net periodic benefit costs (income)
$
39.0

 
$
14.5

 
$
18.0

 
$
—

 
$
(0.8
)
 
$
0.9


 
Pension Benefits
 
Post-Retirement Benefits
Three Months Ended March 31, 2019
Evergy
 
Evergy Kansas Central
 
Evergy Metro
 
Evergy
 
Evergy Kansas Central
 
Evergy Metro
Components of net periodic benefit costs
(millions)
Service cost
$
19.1

 
$
7.3

 
$
11.8

 
$
0.6

 
$
0.3

 
$
0.3

Interest cost
27.5

 
13.4

 
14.1

 
2.6

 
1.4

 
1.2

Expected return on plan assets
(27.1
)
 
(13.7
)
 
(12.3
)
 
(2.4
)
 
(1.7
)
 
(0.7
)
Prior service cost
0.5

 
0.4

 
0.2

 
0.1

 
0.1

 
—

Recognized net actuarial (gain)/loss
6.9

 
6.4

 
12.2

 
(0.3
)
 
(0.1
)
 
(0.4
)
Net periodic benefit costs before regulatory adjustment and intercompany allocations
26.9

 
13.8

 
26.0

 
0.6

 
—

 
0.4

Regulatory adjustment
(0.1
)
 
0.5

 
(0.6
)
 
(0.7
)
 
(0.8
)
 
0.1

Intercompany allocations
—

 
—

 
(6.9
)
 
—

 
—

 
(0.1
)
Net periodic benefit costs (income)
$
26.8

 
$
14.3

 
$
18.5

 
$
(0.1
)
 
$
(0.8
)
 
$
0.4


The components of net periodic benefit costs other than the service cost component are included in other expense on the Evergy Companies' consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income.
For the three months ended March 31, 2020, Evergy, Evergy Kansas Central and Evergy Metro made pension contributions of $21.4 million, $18.0 million and $3.4 million, respectively. Evergy expects to make additional pension contributions of $106.7 million in 2020 to satisfy the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA) funding requirements and KCC and MPSC rate orders, of which $27.5 million is expected to be paid by Evergy Kansas Central and $79.2 million is expected to be paid by Evergy Metro. Also in 2020, Evergy, Evergy Kansas Central and Evergy Metro expect to make contributions of $3.8 million, $0.8 million and $3.0 million, respectively, to the post-retirement benefit plans.