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Benefit Plans

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Subsidiaries of Altria sponsor noncontributory defined benefit pension plans covering certain employees of Altria and its subsidiaries. Employees hired on or after a date specific to their employee group, except for certain employees of UST’s subsidiaries and Middleton, are not eligible to participate in these noncontributory defined benefit pension plans but are instead eligible to participate in a defined contribution plan with enhanced benefits. Altria and its subsidiaries also provide postretirement health care and other benefits to certain retired employees.

The plan assets and benefit obligations of Altria’s pension plans and postretirement plans are measured at December 31 of each year.

The discount rates for Altria’s plans were based on a yield curve developed from a model portfolio of high-quality corporate bonds with durations that match the expected future cash flows of the pension and postretirement benefit obligations.

▪Obligations and Funded Status: The benefit obligations, plan assets and funded status of Altria’s pension and postretirement plans at December 31, 2020 and 2019 were as follows:


	Pension				Postretirement
(in millions)	2020		2019		2020		2019
Change in benefit obligation:
Benefit obligation at beginning of year	$	8,659	$	7,726	$	2,091	$	2,040
Service cost	74		70		16		16
Interest cost	251		306		59		76
Benefits paid	(477)		(493)		(107)		(126)
Actuarial losses	970		1,025		169		78

Settlement and curtailment	—		25		—		7
Other	(12)		—		1		—
Benefit obligation at end of year	9,465		8,659		2,229		2,091
Change in plan assets:
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year	8,167		7,138		213		211
Actual return on plan assets	1,188		1,466		21		45
Employer contributions	33		56		—		—
Benefits paid	(477)		(493)		(33)		(43)

Fair value of plan assets at end of year	8,911		8,167		201		213
Funded status at December 31	$	(554)	$	(492)	$	(2,028)	$	(1,878)
Amounts recognized on Altria’s consolidated balance sheets were as follows:

Other accrued liabilities	$	(23)	$	(26)	$	(77)	$	(81)
Accrued pension costs	(551)		(473)		—		—
Other assets	20		7		—		—
Accrued postretirement health care costs	—		—		(1,951)		(1,797)
	$	(554)	$	(492)	$	(2,028)	$	(1,878)

The table above presents the projected benefit obligation for Altria’s pension plans. The accumulated benefit obligation, which represents benefits earned to date, for the pension plans was $9.1 billion and $8.4 billion at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Actuarial losses for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 for the pension and postretirement plans were due primarily to changes in the discount rate assumptions.

For pension plans with accumulated benefit obligations in excess of plan assets at December 31, 2020, the accumulated benefit obligation and fair value of plan assets were $393 million and $149 million, respectively. For pension plans with accumulated benefit obligations in excess of plan assets at December 31, 2019, the accumulated benefit obligation and fair value of plan assets were $357 million and $134 million, respectively.

For pension plans with projected benefit obligations in excess of plan assets at December 31, 2020, the projected benefit obligation and fair value of plan assets were $9,324 million and $8,750 million, respectively. For pension plans with projected benefit obligations in excess of plan assets at December 31, 2019, the projected benefit obligation and fair value of plan assets were $8,522 million and $8,023 million, respectively.

At December 31, 2020 and 2019, the accumulated postretirement benefit obligations were in excess of plan assets for all postretirement plans.

The following assumptions were used to determine Altria’s pension and postretirement benefit obligations at December 31:


	Pension				Postretirement
	2020		2019		2020		2019
Discount rate	2.7	%	3.4	%	2.6	%	3.4	%
Rate of compensation increase	4.0		4.0		—		—
Health care cost trend rate assumed for next year	—		—		6.5		6.5
Ultimate trend rate	—		—		5.0		5.0
Year that the rate reaches the ultimate trend rate	—		—		2027		2025

▪Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Income): Net periodic benefit cost (income) consisted of the following for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018:


	Pension						Postretirement
(in millions)	2020		2019		2018		2020		2019		2018
Service cost	$	74	$	70	$	81	$	16	$	16	$	18
Interest cost	251		306		276		59		76		70
Expected return on plan assets	(502)		(576)		(585)		(14)		(15)		(19)
Amortization:
Net loss	134		159		225		10		5		21
Prior service cost (credit)	5		6		4		(30)		(30)		(42)
Settlement and curtailment	10		27		16		—		5		—
Net periodic benefit cost (income)	$	(28)	$	(8)	$	17	$	41	$	57	$	48

Settlement and curtailment shown in the table above for 2019 and 2018 primarily relate to the cost reduction program discussed in Note 5. Asset Impairment, Exit and Implementation Costs.

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


	Pension						Postretirement
(in millions)	2020		2019		2018			2019
Benefit obligation	$	—	$	6	$	—		$	10
Other comprehensive earnings/losses:
Net loss	10		20		13			—
Prior service cost (credit)	—		1		3			(5)
	$	10	$	27	$	16		$	5

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


	Pension						Postretirement
	2020		2019		2018		2020		2019		2018
Discount rates:
Service cost	3.7	%	4.6	%	3.8	%	3.6	%	4.5	%	3.8	%
Interest cost	3.0		4.0		3.3		3.0		4.0		3.3
Expected rate of return on plan assets	6.6		7.8		7.8		7.7		7.8		7.8
Rate of compensation increase	4.0		4.0		4.0		—		—		—
Health care cost trend rate	—		—		—		6.5		6.5		7.0

▪Defined Contribution Plans: Altria sponsors deferred profit-sharing plans covering certain salaried, non-union and union employees. Contributions and costs are determined generally as a percentage of earnings, as defined by the plans. Amounts charged to expense for these defined contribution plans totaled $88 million, $78 million and $85 million in 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

▪Pension and Postretirement Plan Assets: In managing its pension assets, Altria implements a liability-driven investment framework that aligns plan assets with liabilities. The current target allocation between fixed income and growth assets of 70%/30%, respectively, balances pension liability hedging and asset growth in order to maintain the plan’s funded status and cover incremental service accruals and interest cost. Liability hedging is achieved through investing in rate-sensitive fixed income securities, primarily corporate bonds and U.S. Treasuries, while growth assets are comprised of publicly traded equity securities.

Altria’s investment strategy for its postretirement plan assets is aimed at maximizing the total asset return based on expectation that equity securities will outperform debt securities over the long term and reflects the maturity structure of the benefit obligation. The equity/fixed income target allocation for postretirement plan assets is 55%/45%.

Altria believes that it implements these investment strategies in a prudent and risk-controlled manner, consistent with the fiduciary requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, by investing retirement plan assets in a well-diversified mix of equities, fixed income and other securities.

The actual composition of Altria’s plan assets at December 31, 2020 was broadly characterized with the following allocation:


	Pension		Postretirement
Equity securities	31	%	58	%
Corporate bonds	53	%	31	%
U.S. Treasury and foreign government securities	16	%	11	%

Altria’s pension and postretirement plan asset performance is monitored on an ongoing basis to adjust the mix as necessary.

Substantially all pension and all postretirement assets can be used to make monthly benefit payments.

Altria’s investment objective for its pension and postretirement plan assets is accomplished by investing in long-duration fixed income securities that primarily include U.S. corporate bonds of companies from diversified industries and U.S. Treasury securities that mirror Altria’s pension obligation benchmark, as well as U.S. and international equity index strategies that are intended to mirror broad market indices, including, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and Morgan Stanley Capital International (“MSCI”) Europe, Australasia, and the Far East (“EAFE”) Index. Altria’s pension and postretirement plans also invest in actively managed international equity securities of mid and small cap companies located in developed and emerging markets. For pension plan assets, the allocation to below investment grade securities represented 11% of the fixed income holdings or 8% of the total plan assets at December 31, 2020. The allocation to emerging markets represented 1% of equity holdings or less than 1% of total plan assets at December 31, 2020. For postretirement plan assets, the allocation to below investment grade securities represented 8% of the fixed income holdings or 3% of the total plan assets at December 31, 2020. There were no postretirement plan assets invested in emerging markets at December 31, 2020.

Altria’s risk management practices for its pension and postretirement plans include (i) ongoing monitoring of asset allocation, investment performance and investment managers’ compliance with their investment guidelines, (ii) periodic rebalancing between equity and debt asset classes and (iii) annual actuarial re-measurement of plan liabilities.

Altria’s expected rate of return on pension and postretirement plan assets is determined by the plan assets’ historical long-term investment performance, current asset allocation and estimates of future long-term returns by asset class. The forward-looking estimates are consistent with the long-term historical averages exhibited by returns on equity and fixed income securities. For determining its pension and postretirement net periodic benefit cost, Altria’s 2021 expected rate of return assumption remains unchanged from prior year at 6.6% and 7.7%, respectively.

The fair values of the pension plan assets by asset category at December 31, 2020 and 2019 were as follows:


	2020				2019
(in millions)	Level 1		Level 2		Total		Level 1		Level 2		Total
U.S. and foreign government securities or their agencies:
U.S. government and agencies	$	—	$	950	$	950	$	—	$	811	$	811
U.S. municipal bonds	—		64		64		—		57		57
Foreign government and agencies	—		90		90		—		98		98
Corporate debt instruments:
Above investment grade	—		3,760		3,760		—		3,523		3,523
Below investment grade and no rating	—		868		868		—		521		521
Common stock:
International equities	316		—		316		296		—		296
U.S. equities	970		—		970		1,263		—		1,263





Other, net	21		356		377		(4)		479		475
	$	1,307	$	6,088	$	7,395	$	1,555	$	5,489	$	7,044
Investments measured at NAV as a practical expedient for fair value:
Collective investment funds
U.S. large cap					$	924					$	825
U.S. small cap					455						386
International developed markets					114						106
Total investments measured at NAV					$	1,493					$	1,317

Other					23						(194)
Fair value of plan assets, net					$	8,911					$	8,167

Level 3 holdings and transactions were immaterial to total plan assets at December 31, 2020 and 2019.

The fair value of the postretirement plan assets at December 31, 2020 and 2019 were as follows:


	2020						2019
(in millions)	Level 1		Level 2		Total		Level 1		Level 2		Total
U.S. and foreign government securities or their agencies:
U.S. government and agencies	$	—	$	6	$	6	$	—	$	11	$	11

Foreign government and agencies	—		4		4		—		5		5
Corporate debt instruments:
Above investment grade	—		55		55		—		63		63
Below investment grade and no rating	—		11		11		—		9		9
Other, net	—		7		7		—		7		7
	$	—	$	83	$	83	$	—	$	95	$	95
Investments measured at NAV as a practical expedient for fair value:
Collective investment funds:
U.S. large cap					$	97					$	97
International developed markets					25						24
Total investments measured at NAV					$	122					$	121

Other					(4)						(3)
Fair value of plan assets, net					$	201					$	213

There were no Level 3 postretirement plan holdings or transactions during 2020 and 2019.

For a description of the fair value hierarchy and the three levels of inputs used to measure fair value, see Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.

Following is a description of the valuation methodologies used for investments measured at fair value.

▪U.S. and Foreign Government Securities: U.S. and foreign government securities consist of investments in Treasury Nominal Bonds and Inflation Protected Securities and municipal securities. Government securities are valued at a price that is based on a compilation of primarily observable market information, such as broker quotes. Matrix pricing, yield curves and indices are used when broker quotes are not available.

▪Corporate Debt Instruments: Corporate debt instruments are valued at a price that is based on a compilation of primarily observable market information, such as broker quotes. Matrix pricing, yield curves and indices are used when broker quotes are not available.

▪Common Stock: Common stocks are valued based on the price of the security as listed on an open active exchange on last trade date.

▪Collective Investment Funds: Collective investment funds consist of funds that are intended to mirror indices such as Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and MSCI EAFE Index. They are valued on the basis of the relative interest of each participating investor in the fair value of the underlying assets of each of the respective collective investment funds. The underlying assets are valued based on the net asset value (“NAV”), which is provided by the investment account manager as a practical expedient to estimate fair value. These investments are not classified by level but are disclosed to permit reconciliation to the fair value of plan assets.

Cash Flows: Altria makes contributions to the pension plans to the extent that the contributions are tax deductible and pays benefits that relate to plans for salaried employees that cannot be funded under IRS regulations. Currently, Altria anticipates making employer contributions to its pension and postretirement plans of up to approximately $30 million and $60 million, respectively, in 2021. However, this estimate is subject to change as a result of changes in tax and other benefit laws, changes in interest rates, as well as asset performance significantly above or below the assumed long-term rate of return for each respective plan.

Estimated future benefit payments at December 31, 2020 were as follows:


(in millions)	Pension		Postretirement
2021	$	495	$	120
2022	483		118
2023	483		115
2024	483		113
2025	485		112
2026-2030	2,437		563

Comprehensive Earnings/Losses

The amounts recorded in accumulated other comprehensive losses at December 31, 2020 consisted of the following:


(in millions)	Pension		Post- retirement		Post- employment		Total

Net loss	$	(2,689)	$	(541)	$	(44)	$	(3,274)
Prior service (cost) credit	(27)		41		(5)		9
Deferred income taxes	702		132		11		845
Amounts recorded in accumulated other comprehensive losses	$	(2,014)	$	(368)	$	(38)	$	(2,420)

The amounts recorded in accumulated other comprehensive losses at December 31, 2019 consisted of the following:


(in millions)	Pension		Post- retirement		Post- employment		Total
Net loss	$	(2,565)	$	(389)	$	(45)	$	(2,999)
Prior service (cost) credit	(27)		72		(5)		40
Deferred income taxes	670		86		11		767
Amounts recorded in accumulated other comprehensive losses	$	(1,922)	$	(231)	$	(39)	$	(2,192)

The movements in other comprehensive earnings/losses during the year ended December 31, 2020 were as follows:


(in millions)	Pension		Post- retirement		Post- employment		Total
Amounts reclassified to net earnings (losses) as components of net periodic benefit cost:
Amortization:
Net loss	$	134	$	10	$	19	$	163
Prior service cost/credit	5		(30)		—		(25)
Other expense (income):
Net loss	10		—		—		10
Prior service cost/credit	—		—		—		—
Deferred income taxes	(37)		5		(5)		(37)
	$	112	$	(15)	$	14	$	111
Other movements during the year:
Net loss	$	(268)	$	(162)	$	(18)	$	(448)
Prior service cost/credit	(5)		(1)		—		(6)
Deferred income taxes	69		41		5		115
	$	(204)	$	(122)	$	(13)	$	(339)
Total movements in other comprehensive earnings/losses	$	(92)	$	(137)	$	1	$	(228)

The movements in other comprehensive earnings/losses during the year ended December 31, 2019 were as follows:


(in millions)	Pension		Post-retirement		Post-employment		Total
Amounts reclassified to net earnings (losses) as components of net periodic benefit cost:
Amortization:
Net loss	$	159	$	5	$	20	$	184
Prior service cost/credit	6		(30)		1		(23)
Other expense (income):
Net loss	20		—		(4)		16
Prior service cost/credit	1		(5)		—		(4)
Deferred income taxes	(47)		7		(4)		(44)
	$	139	$	(23)	$	13	$	129
Other movements during the year:

Net loss	$	(153)	$	(67)	$	17	$	(203)
Prior service cost/credit	—		(1)		—		(1)
Deferred income taxes	38		18		(5)		51
	$	(115)	$	(50)	$	12	$	(153)
Total movements in other comprehensive earnings/losses	$	24	$	(73)	$	25	$	(24)

The movements in other comprehensive earnings/losses during the year ended December 31, 2018 were as follows:


(in millions)	Pension		Post- retirement		Post- employment		Total
Amounts reclassified to net earnings (losses) as components of net periodic benefit cost:
Amortization:
Net loss	$	225	$	21	$	17	$	263
Prior service cost/credit	4		(42)		—		(38)
Other expense (income):
Net loss	13		—		—		13
Prior service cost/credit	3		—		—		3
Deferred income taxes	(61)		4		(4)		(61)
	$	184	$	(17)	$	13	$	180
Other movements during the year:
Adoption of ASU 2018-02 (1)	$	(330)	$	(55)	$	(12)	$	(397)
Net loss	(336)		264		(2)		(74)
Prior service cost/credit	(26)		(45)		(6)		(77)
Deferred income taxes	91		(54)		2		39
	$	(601)	$	110	$	(18)	$	(509)
Total movements in other comprehensive earnings/losses	$	(417)	$	93	$	(5)	$	(329)

(1) Reflects the reclassification of the stranded income tax effects of the Tax Reform Act.