Note 11 - Retirement Fund and Profit Sharing Plan

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2020

Notes to Financial Statements

Retirement Benefits [Text Block]

11. RETIREMENT FUND AND PROFIT SHARING PLAN

The Company maintains the Bel Fuse Inc. Employees’ Savings Plan, a defined contribution plan that is intended to meet the applicable requirements for tax-qualification under sections 401(a) and (k) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The expense for the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 amounted to $0.3 million in both periods. The expense for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 amounted to $0.6 million in both periods. The Company’s matching contribution is made in the form of Bel Fuse Inc. Class A common stock. As of June 30, 2020, the plan owned 223,406 and 111,761 shares of Bel Fuse Inc. Class A and Class B common stock, respectively.

The Company's subsidiaries in Asia have a retirement fund covering substantially all of their Hong Kong based full-time employees.  The expense for the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 amounted to $0.1 million in both periods. The expense for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 amounted to $0.2 million in both periods. As of June 30, 2020, the plan owned 3,323 and 17,342 shares of Bel Fuse Inc. Class A and Class B common stock, respectively.

The Company maintains a SERP, which is designed to provide a limited group of key management and other key employees of the Company with supplemental retirement and death benefits.  As discussed in Note 5 above, the Company has investments in a rabbi trust which are intended to fund the obligations of the SERP.

The components of SERP expense are as follows:

	Three Months Ended				Six Months Ended
	June 30,				June 30,
	2020		2019		2020		2019
Service cost	$	150	$	144	$	300	$	288
Interest cost		159		185		318		370
Net amortization		86		48		172		96
Net periodic benefit cost	$	395	$	377	$	790	$	754

The service cost component of net benefit cost is presented within cost of sales or selling, general and administrative expense on the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations, in accordance with where compensation cost for the related associate is reported.  All other components of net benefit cost, including interest cost and net amortization noted above, are presented within other (expense) income, net in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations.

The following amounts are recognized net of tax in accumulated other comprehensive loss:

	June 30,		December 31,
	2020		2019
Prior service cost	$	662	$	738
Net loss		1,870		1,965
	$	2,532	$	2,703