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Income Taxes
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2021
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes Income Taxes
 
Certain assets and liabilities are reported differently for income tax purposes than they are for financial statement purposes.  The tax effect of these differences is recorded as deferred taxes.  We calculate deferred taxes using currently enacted income tax rates.    

APS has recorded regulatory assets and regulatory liabilities related to income taxes on its Consolidated Balance Sheets in accordance with accounting guidance for regulated operations.  The regulatory assets are for certain temporary differences, primarily the allowance for equity funds used during construction, investment tax credit (“ITC”) basis adjustment and tax expense of Medicare subsidy.  The regulatory liabilities primarily relate to the change in income tax rates and deferred taxes resulting from ITCs.
    
The Tax Act reduced the corporate tax rate to 21% effective January 1, 2018. As a result of this rate reduction, the Company recognized a $1.14 billion reduction in its net deferred income tax liabilities as of December 31, 2017. In accordance with accounting for regulated companies, the effect of this rate reduction was substantially offset by a net regulatory liability.

Federal income tax laws require the amortization of a majority of the balance over the remaining regulatory life of the related property. As a result of the modifications made to the annual transmission formula rate during the second quarter of 2018, the Company began amortization of FERC jurisdictional net excess deferred tax liabilities in 2018. On March 13, 2019, the ACC approved the Company’s proposal to amortize non-depreciation related net excess deferred tax liabilities subject to its jurisdiction over a twelve-month period. As a result, the Company began amortization in March 2019. The Company recorded $14 million of income tax benefit related to the amortization of these non-depreciation related net excess deferred tax liabilities as of March 31, 2020, with these non-depreciation related net excess deferred tax liabilities being fully amortized as of March 31, 2020. On October 29, 2019, the ACC approved the Company’s proposal to amortize depreciation related net excess deferred tax liabilities subject to its jurisdiction over a 28.5-year period with amortization to retroactively begin as of January 1, 2018. The Company recorded $31 million of income tax benefit related to amortization of these depreciation related net excess deferred tax liabilities for the periods ending December 31, 2021, and December 31, 2020. See Note 4 for more details.

In accordance with regulatory requirements, APS ITCs are deferred and are amortized over the life of the related property with such amortization applied as a credit to reduce current income tax expense in the Statements of Income.

Net income associated with the Palo Verde sale leaseback VIEs is not subject to tax.  As a result, there is no income tax expense associated with the VIEs recorded on the Pinnacle West Consolidated and APS Consolidated Statements of Income. See Note 18 for additional details related to the Palo Verde sale leaseback VIEs.
The following is a tabular reconciliation of the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits, excluding interest and penalties, at the beginning and end of the year that are included in accrued taxes and unrecognized tax benefits (dollars in thousands):
Pinnacle West ConsolidatedAPS Consolidated
 202120202019202120202019
Total unrecognized tax benefits, January 1$45,655 $43,435 $40,731 $45,655 $43,435 $40,731 
Additions for tax positions of the current year3,305 3,418 3,373 3,305 3,418 3,373 
Additions for tax positions of prior years1,449 1,431 1,843 1,449 1,431 1,843 
Reductions for tax positions of prior years for:      
Changes in judgment(2,659)(1,965)(2,078)(2,659)(1,965)(2,078)
Settlements with taxing authorities— — — — — — 
Lapses of applicable statute of limitations(2,664)(664)(434)(2,664)(664)(434)
Total unrecognized tax benefits, December 31$45,086 $45,655 $43,435 $45,086 $45,655 $43,435 

Included in the balances of unrecognized tax benefits are the following tax positions that, if recognized, would decrease our effective tax rate (dollars in thousands):
Pinnacle West ConsolidatedAPS Consolidated
 202120202019202120202019
Tax positions, that if recognized, would decrease our effective tax rate$26,300 $25,714 $22,813 $26,300 $25,714 $22,813 

As of the balance sheet date, the tax year ended December 31, 2018, and all subsequent tax years remain subject to examination by the IRS.  With a few exceptions, we are no longer subject to state income tax examinations by tax authorities for years before 2017.

We reflect interest and penalties, if any, on unrecognized tax benefits in the Pinnacle West Consolidated and APS Consolidated Statements of Income as income tax expense.  The amount of interest expense or benefit recognized related to unrecognized tax benefits are as follows (dollars in thousands):
Pinnacle West ConsolidatedAPS Consolidated
 202120202019202120202019
Unrecognized tax benefit interest expense/(benefit) recognized$(535)$266 $459 $(535)$266 $459 

Following are the total amount of accrued liabilities for interest recognized related to unrecognized benefits that could reverse and decrease our effective tax rate to the extent matters are settled favorably (dollars in thousands):
Pinnacle West ConsolidatedAPS Consolidated
 202120202019202120202019
Unrecognized tax benefit interest accrued $1,320 $1,855 $1,589 $1,320 $1,855 $1,589 
Additionally, as of December 31, 2021, we have recognized less than $1 million of interest expense to be paid on the underpayment of income taxes for certain adjustments that we have filed, or will file, with the IRS.
The components of income tax expense are as follows (dollars in thousands):
Pinnacle West ConsolidatedAPS Consolidated
 Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
 202120202019202120202019
Current:   
Federal$(5,041)$11,869 $(13,551)$1,514 $57,299 $(54,697)
State2,458 1,932 3,195 (11)99 695 
Total current(2,583)13,801 (10,356)1,503 57,398 (54,002)
Deferred:      
Federal95,327 53,398 (14,982)101,175 15,122 29,321 
State17,342 10,974 9,565 22,875 16,244 15,109 
Total deferred112,669 64,372 (5,417)124,050 31,366 44,430 
Income tax expense/(benefit)$110,086 $78,173 $(15,773)$125,553 $88,764 $(9,572)

The following chart compares pretax income at the 21% statutory federal income tax rate to income tax expense (dollars in thousands):
Pinnacle West ConsolidatedAPS Consolidated
 Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
 202120202019202120202019
Federal income tax expense at statutory rate$156,666 $136,127 $113,828 $162,762 $142,020 $120,790 
Increases (reductions) in tax expense resulting from:      
State income tax net of federal income tax benefit22,656 19,146 18,599 23,339 20,124 19,267 
State income tax credits net of federal income tax benefit(7,015)(8,951)(8,519)(5,277)(7,213)(6,781)
Net operating loss carryback tax benefit(5,915)— — — — — 
Excess deferred income taxes — Tax Cuts and Jobs Act(36,558)(50,543)(124,082)(36,558)(50,543)(124,082)
Allowance for equity funds used during construction (see Note 1)(4,180)(2,747)(2,476)(4,180)(2,747)(2,476)
Palo Verde VIE noncontrolling interest (see Note 18)(3,617)(4,094)(4,094)(3,617)(4,094)(4,094)
Investment tax credit amortization(7,620)(7,510)(6,851)(7,620)(7,510)(6,851)
Other(4,331)(3,255)(2,178)(3,296)(1,273)(5,345)
Income tax expense/(benefit)$110,086 $78,173 $(15,773)$125,553 $88,764 $(9,572)
     The components of the net deferred income tax liability were as follows (dollars in thousands):
Pinnacle West ConsolidatedAPS Consolidated
 December 31,December 31,
 2021202020212020
DEFERRED TAX ASSETS  
Risk management activities$677 $4,287 $677 $4,287 
Regulatory liabilities:   
Excess deferred income taxes — Tax Cuts and Jobs Act306,915 319,091 306,915 319,091 
Asset retirement obligation and removal costs174,952 157,470 174,952 157,470 
Unamortized investment tax credits49,601 50,879 49,601 50,879 
Other postretirement benefits92,654 95,778 92,654 95,778 
Other65,815 43,551 65,815 43,551 
Operating lease liabilities204,890 107,853 204,378 107,414 
Pension liabilities42,136 45,853 37,814 40,168 
Coal reclamation liabilities43,165 42,065 43,165 42,065 
Renewable energy incentives22,646 25,355 22,646 25,355 
Credit and loss carryforwards57,077 26,460 18,902 8,034 
Other74,184 78,113 74,184 78,113 
Total deferred tax assets1,134,712 996,755 1,091,703 972,205 
DEFERRED TAX LIABILITIES   
Plant-related(2,570,613)(2,489,899)(2,570,613)(2,489,899)
Risk management activities(27,276)(1,174)(27,276)(1,174)
Pension and other postretirement assets(133,624)(123,462)(132,769)(122,580)
Other special use funds(64,610)(42,927)(64,610)(42,927)
Operating lease right-of-use assets(204,890)(107,853)(204,378)(107,414)
Regulatory assets:   
Allowance for equity funds used during construction(42,616)(41,038)(42,616)(41,038)
Deferred fuel and purchased power(96,033)(47,673)(96,033)(47,673)
Pension benefits(126,010)(116,219)(126,010)(116,219)
Retired power plant costs (28,389)(35,214)(28,389)(35,214)
Other(123,902)(106,227)(123,902)(106,227)
Other(28,611)(20,472)(6,808)(5,513)
Total deferred tax liabilities(3,446,574)(3,132,158)(3,423,404)(3,115,878)
Deferred income taxes — net$(2,311,862)$(2,135,403)$(2,331,701)$(2,143,673)
As of December 31, 2021, PNW Consolidated deferred tax assets for credit and loss carryforwards relate to federal general business credits of approximately $51 million, which first begin to expire in 2036, state credit carryforwards net of federal benefit of $42 million, which first begin to expire in 2023, and Arizona net operating loss net of federal benefit of $6 million, which will expire in 2041. PNW Consolidated credit and loss carryforwards amount above has been reduced by $42 million of unrecognized tax benefits.
As of December 31, 2021, APS Consolidated deferred tax assets for credit and loss carryforwards relate to state credit carryforwards net of federal benefit of $24 million, which first begin to expire in 2024 and Arizona net operating loss net of federal benefit of $4 million, which will expire in 2041. APS
Consolidated credit and loss carryforwards amount above has been reduced by $9 million of unrecognized tax benefits.