Benefit Plans

We have various pension and other defined benefit and defined contribution plans, in which substantially all employees may participate. We also have non-qualified supplemental executive and Board retirement plans.

Components of net periodic benefit costs for the three and nine months ended May 31, 2015 and 2014 are as follows:



	Qualified Pension Benefits						Non-Qualified Pension Benefits				Other Benefits
	2015			2014			2015		2014		2015			2014
Components of net periodic benefit costs for the three months ended May 31 are as follows:	(Dollars in thousands)
Service cost	$	8,889		$	7,543		$	206	$	219	$	188		$	339
Interest cost	7,003			7,495			357		423		288			418
Expected return on assets	(12,431		)	(11,910		)	—		—		—			—
Prior service cost (credit) amortization	407			398			57		57		(30		)	(30		)
Actuarial (gain) loss amortization	4,916			4,566			272		250		(342		)	(228		)
Net periodic benefit cost	$	8,784		$	8,092		$	892	$	949	$	104		$	499
Components of net periodic benefit costs for the nine months ended May 31 are as follows:
Service cost	$	27,005		$	22,812		$	656	$	646	$	1,134		$	1,297
Interest cost	21,019			22,433			1,061		1,245		1,118			1,439
Expected return on assets	(37,305		)	(35,726		)	—		—		—			—
Prior service cost (credit) amortization	1,223			1,195			171		171		(90		)	(90		)
Actuarial (gain) loss amortization	14,724			13,655			794		718		(553		)	(415		)
Net periodic benefit cost	$	26,666		$	24,369		$	2,682	$	2,780	$	1,609		$	2,231

Employer Contributions

Total contributions to be made during fiscal 2015, including the NCRA plan, will depend primarily on market returns on the pension plan assets and minimum funding level requirements. During the nine months ended May 31, 2015, CHS made a voluntary contribution of $29.1 million to the pension plans. At this time, we do not anticipate having to make a required contribution for our benefit plans in fiscal 2015.