Pension Expense

The amount of pension benefit costs recognized during the period for (1) defined benefit plans and (2) defined contribution plans. For defined benefit plans, pension expense includes the following components: service cost, interest cost, expected return on plan assets, gain or loss on plan assets, prior service cost or credit, transition asset or obligation, and gain or loss due to settlements or curtailments. For defined contribution plans, the pension expense generally equals the firm's contribution to employees' accounts (if the firm contributes) during the period.