Pension Benefits

9 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Defined Benefit Plan [Abstract]

Pension Benefits

Pension Benefits

The net periodic expense for defined benefit pension plans was $16 million and $151 million for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2019 and $5 million and $19 million for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2018.

Cash contributions to these plans were $120 million and $132 million for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2019 and $6 million and $53 million for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2018. The three months ended December 31, 2019 includes a cash payment of $114 million from the executive benefit retirement plan. The projected unit credit method is utilized in measuring net periodic pension expense over the employees’ service life for the pension plans. Unrecognized actuarial losses exceeding 10% of the greater of the projected benefit obligation or the market value of assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over the average remaining future service periods and expected life expectancy.

On May 23, 2018, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the termination of its frozen U.S. defined benefit pension plan (“Plan”). During the first quarter of 2020, the Company offered the option of receiving a lump sum payment to certain participants with vested qualified Plan benefits in lieu of receiving monthly annuity payments. Approximately 1,300 participants elected to receive the settlement, and lump sum payments of approximately $49 million were made from plan assets to these participants in June 2019. The benefit obligation settled approximated payments to plan participants and a pre-tax settlement charge of $17 million ($12 million after-tax) was recorded during the first quarter of 2020. During the second quarter of 2020, the Company transferred the remainder of the Plan’s pension obligation to a third-party insurance provider by purchasing annuity contracts for approximately $280 million which was fully funded directly by plan assets. The third-party insurance provider assumed the obligation to pay future pension benefits and provide administrative services on November 1, 2019. As a result, the remaining previously recorded unrecognized losses in accumulated other comprehensive loss for this Plan were recognized as expense and a pre-tax settlement charge of approximately $105 million ($78 million after-tax) was recorded within other income (expense), net, in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations during the second quarter of 2020. As of March 31, 2019, this Plan had an accumulated other comprehensive loss of approximately $121 million.