Benefit Plans (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]

Projected Benefit Obligations, Plan Assets and Funded Status of Pension Plans

The benefit obligations, plan assets and funded status of Altria Group, Inc.’s pension and postretirement plans at December 31, 2015 and 2014 were as follows:

	Pension						Postretirement
(in millions)	2015			2014			2015			2014
Change in benefit obligation:
Benefit obligation at beginning of year	$	8,330		$	7,137		$	2,613		$	2,317
Service cost	86			68			18			15
Interest cost	337			345			100			107
Benefits paid	(431		)	(410		)	(141		)	(132		)
Actuarial losses (gains)	(317		)	1,190			(192		)	306
Other	6			—			(6		)	—
Benefit obligation at end of year	8,011			8,330			2,392			2,613
Change in plan assets:
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year	7,297			7,077			—			—
Actual return on plan assets	(188		)	615			—			—
Employer contributions	28			15			—			—
Benefits paid	(431		)	(410		)	—			—
Fair value of plan assets at end of year	6,706			7,297			—			—
Funded status at December 31	$	(1,305	)	$	(1,033	)	$	(2,392	)	$	(2,613	)
Amounts recognized in Altria Group, Inc.’s consolidated balance sheets were as follows:
Other accrued liabilities	$	(28	)	$	(21	)	$	(147	)	$	(152	)
Accrued pension costs	(1,277		)	(1,012		)	—			—
Accrued postretirement health care costs	—			—			(2,245		)	(2,461		)
	$	(1,305	)	$	(1,033	)	$	(2,392	)	$	(2,613	)

Net Pension Liability Recognized in Consolidated Balance Sheets

The benefit obligations, plan assets and funded status of Altria Group, Inc.’s pension and postretirement plans at December 31, 2015 and 2014 were as follows:

	Pension						Postretirement
(in millions)	2015			2014			2015			2014
Change in benefit obligation:
Benefit obligation at beginning of year	$	8,330		$	7,137		$	2,613		$	2,317
Service cost	86			68			18			15
Interest cost	337			345			100			107
Benefits paid	(431		)	(410		)	(141		)	(132		)
Actuarial losses (gains)	(317		)	1,190			(192		)	306
Other	6			—			(6		)	—
Benefit obligation at end of year	8,011			8,330			2,392			2,613
Change in plan assets:
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year	7,297			7,077			—			—
Actual return on plan assets	(188		)	615			—			—
Employer contributions	28			15			—			—
Benefits paid	(431		)	(410		)	—			—
Fair value of plan assets at end of year	6,706			7,297			—			—
Funded status at December 31	$	(1,305	)	$	(1,033	)	$	(2,392	)	$	(2,613	)
Amounts recognized in Altria Group, Inc.’s consolidated balance sheets were as follows:
Other accrued liabilities	$	(28	)	$	(21	)	$	(147	)	$	(152	)
Accrued pension costs	(1,277		)	(1,012		)	—			—
Accrued postretirement health care costs	—			—			(2,245		)	(2,461		)
	$	(1,305	)	$	(1,033	)	$	(2,392	)	$	(2,613	)

Weighted-Average Assumptions used to Determine Benefit Obligations

The following assumptions were used to determine Altria Group, Inc.’s pension benefit obligations at December 31:

	2015		2014
Discount rate	4.4	%	4.1	%
Rate of compensation increase	4.0		4.0

The following assumptions were used to determine Altria Group, Inc.’s postretirement benefit obligations at December 31:

	2015		2014
Discount rate	4.4	%	4.0	%
Health care cost trend rate assumed for next year	6.5		7.0
Ultimate trend rate	5.0		5.0
Year that the rate reaches the ultimate trend rate	2019		2019

Schedule of Net Benefit Costs

Net periodic benefit cost consisted of the following for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013:

	Pension									Postretirement
(in millions)	2015			2014			2013			2015			2014			2013
Service cost	$	86		$	68		$	86		$	18		$	15		$	18
Interest cost	337			345			314			100			107			99
Expected return on plan assets	(539		)	(518		)	(493		)	—			—			—
Amortization:
Net loss	234			147			271			43			22			51
Prior service cost (credit)	7			10			10			(39		)	(43		)	(45		)
Termination and settlement	8			—			7			—			—			—
Net periodic benefit cost	$	133		$	52		$	195		$	122		$	101		$	123

Schedule Of Termination Settlement And Curtailment Cost

The amounts included in termination and settlement in the table above were comprised of the following changes:

(in millions)	2015		2013
Benefit obligation	$	—	$	1
Other comprehensive earnings/losses:
Net loss	8		6
	$	8	$	7

Amounts Recorded in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Losses

The estimated net loss and prior service cost (credit) that are expected to be amortized from accumulated other comprehensive losses into net periodic benefit cost during 2016 is as follows:

(in millions)	Pension		Postretirement
Net loss	$	183	$	30
Prior service cost (credit)	5		(40		)

The amounts recorded in accumulated other comprehensive losses at December 31, 2015 consisted of the following:

(in millions)	Pension			Post- retirement			Post- employment			Total
Net loss	$	(2,805	)	$	(588	)	$	(108	)	$	(3,501	)
Prior service (cost) credit	(22		)	231			—			209
Deferred income taxes	1,101			141			40			1,282
Amounts recorded in accumulated other comprehensive losses	$	(1,726	)	$	(216	)	$	(68	)	$	(2,010	)

The amounts recorded in accumulated other comprehensive losses at December 31, 2014 consisted of the following:

(in millions)	Pension			Post- retirement			Post- employment			Total
Net loss	$	(2,637	)	$	(823	)	$	(122	)	$	(3,582	)
Prior service (cost) credit	(23		)	264			—			241
Deferred income taxes	1,037			218			46			1,301
Amounts recorded in accumulated other comprehensive losses	$	(1,623	)	$	(341	)	$	(76	)	$	(2,040	)

Schedule Of Weighted Average Assumptions To Determine Net Periodic Benefit Cost

The following assumptions were used to determine Altria Group, Inc.’s net periodic benefit cost for the years ended December 31:

	Pension						Postretirement
	2015		2014		2013		2015		2014		2013
Discount rate	4.1	%	4.9	%	4.0	%	4.0	%	4.8	%	3.9	%
Expected rate of return on plan assets	8.0		8.0		8.0		—		—		—
Rate of compensation increase	4.0		4.0		4.0		—		—		—
Health care cost trend rate	—		—		—		7.0		7.0		7.5

Effects of One-Percentage-Point Change in Assumed Health Care Cost Trend Rates

A one-percentage-point change in assumed health care cost trend rates would have had the following effects as of December 31, 2015:

	One-Percentage-Point Increase		One-Percentage-Point Decrease
Effect on total of postretirement service and interest cost	6.8	%	(5.8	)%
Effect on postretirement benefit obligation	7.5	%	(6.1	)%

Schedule of Allocation of Plan Assets

The fair values of Altria Group, Inc.’s pension plan assets by asset category at December 31, 2015 and 2014 were as follows:

	2015								2014
(in millions)	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Common/collective trusts:
U.S. large cap	$	—	$	1,762	$	—	$	1,762	$	—	$	1,870	$	—	$	1,870
U.S. small cap	—		360		—		360		—		442		—		442
International developed markets	—		78		—		78		—		79		—		79
U.S. and foreign government securities or their agencies:
U.S. government and agencies	—		331		—		331		—		296		—		296
U.S. municipal bonds	—		102		—		102		—		124		—		124
Foreign government and agencies	—		252		—		252		—		281		—		281
Corporate debt instruments:
Above investment grade	—		1,660		—		1,660		—		1,765		—		1,765
Below investment grade and no rating	—		502		—		502		—		527		—		527
Common stock:
International equities	907		—		2		909		1,000		—		1		1,001
U.S. equities	605		—		—		605		556		—		—		556
Registered investment companies	58		—		—		58		63		113		—		176
Other, net	16		58		13		87		74		91		15		180
Total investments at fair value, net	$	1,586	$	5,105	$	15	$	6,706	$	1,693	$	5,588	$	16	$	7,297

Estimated Future Benefit Payments

Estimated future benefit payments at December 31, 2015 were as follows:

(in millions)	Pension		Postretirement
2016	$	436	$	147
2017	440		149
2018	442		149
2019	437		148
2020	446		144
2021-2025	2,348		686

Movements in Other Comprehensive Earnings/Losses

The movements in other comprehensive earnings/losses during the year ended December 31, 2015 were as follows:

(in millions)	Pension			Post- retirement			Post- employment			Total
Amounts reclassified to net earnings as components of net periodic benefit cost:
Amortization:
Net loss	$	234		$	43		$	19		$	296
Prior service cost/credit	7			(39		)	—			(32		)
Other expense:
Net loss	8			—			—			8
Deferred income taxes	(96		)	(2		)	(7		)	(105		)
	153			2			12			167
Other movements during the year:
Net loss	(410		)	192			(5		)	(223		)
Prior service cost/credit	(6		)	6			—			—
Deferred income taxes	160			(75		)	1			86
	(256		)	123			(4		)	(137		)
Total movements in other comprehensive earnings/losses	$	(103	)	$	125		$	8		$	30

The movements in other comprehensive earnings/losses during the year ended December 31, 2014 were as follows:

(in millions)	Pension			Post- retirement			Post- employment			Total
Amounts reclassified to net earnings as components of net periodic benefit cost:
Amortization:
Net loss	$	147		$	22		$	18		$	187
Prior service cost/credit	10			(43		)	—			(33		)
Deferred income taxes	(61		)	8			(7		)	(60		)
	96			(13		)	11			94
Other movements during the year:
Net loss	(1,093		)	(306		)	(12		)	(1,411		)
Deferred income taxes	425			120			5			550
	(668		)	(186		)	(7		)	(861		)
Total movements in other comprehensive earnings/losses	$	(572	)	$	(199	)	$	4		$	(767	)

The movements in other comprehensive earnings/losses during the year ended December 31, 2013 were as follows:

(in millions)	Pension			Post- retirement			Post- employment			Total
Amounts reclassified to net earnings as components of net periodic benefit cost:
Amortization:
Net loss	$	271		$	51		$	18		$	340
Prior service cost/credit	10			(45		)	—			(35		)
Other expense:
Net loss	6			—			—			6
Deferred income taxes	(111		)	(2		)	(7		)	(120		)
	176			4			11			191
Other movements during the year:
Net loss	1,218			327			23			1,568
Prior service cost/credit	(7		)	(2		)	—			(9		)
Deferred income taxes	(470		)	(129		)	(10		)	(609		)
	741			196			13			950
Total movements in other comprehensive earnings/losses	$	917		$	200		$	24		$	1,141