Cost Accounting Standards: Cost Accounting Standards 412 and 413-Cost Accounting Standards Pension Harmonization Rule

The Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP), Cost Accounting Standards Board (Board), is publishing this final rule to revise Cost Accounting Standard (CAS) 412, "Composition and Measurement of Pension Cost," and CAS 413, "Adjustment and Allocation of Pension Cost." This revision will harmonize the measurement and period assignment of the pension cost allocable to Government contracts, and the minimum required contribution under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), as amended, as required by the Pension Protection Act (PPA) of 2006. The PPA amended the minimum funding requirements for qualified defined benefit pension plans. The Board issues this final rule to revise CAS 412 and CAS 413 to include the recognition of a "minimum actuarial liability" and "minimum normal cost," which are measured on a basis consistent with the liability measurement used to determine the PPA minimum required contribution, and accelerate the recognition of actuarial gains and losses. These and other revisions will better align both the measurement and period assignment of pension cost allocable to a contractor's Government contracts and other final cost objectives in accordance with CAS, and the measurement and period assignment requirements for determining the contractor's minimum pension contribution under the PPA.