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Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]  
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]
11. Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits
Pension and Postretirement Health Care Benefits
Xcel Energy has several noncontributory, qualified, defined benefit pension plans that cover almost all employees. All newly hired or rehired employees participate under the Cash Balance formula, which is based on pay credits using a percentage of annual eligible pay and annual interest credits.
The average annual interest crediting rates for these plans was 4.72, 4.89 and 2.03% in 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively.
Some employees may participate under legacy formulas such as the traditional final average pay or pension equity. Xcel Energy’s policy is to fully fund into an external trust the actuarially determined pension costs subject to the limitations of applicable employee benefit and tax laws.
In addition to the qualified pension plans, Xcel Energy maintains a SERP and a nonqualified pension plan. The SERP is maintained for certain executives who participated in the plan in 2008, when the SERP was closed to new participants.
The nonqualified pension plan provides benefits for compensation that is in excess of the limits applicable to the qualified pension plans, with distributions funded by Xcel Energy’s consolidated operating cash flows.
Obligations of the SERP and nonqualified plan as of Dec. 31, 2023 and 2022 were $12 million and $11 million, respectively. Xcel Energy recognized net benefit cost for the SERP and nonqualified plans of $2 million in 2023 and $17 million in 2022.
Xcel Energy’s postretirement health care benefit plan is a continuation of certain welfare benefit programs for current employees. A full time employee’s date of hire or a retiree’s date of retirement determine eligibility for each of the programs.
Xcel Energy’s investment-return assumption considers the expected long-term performance for each of the asset classes in its pension and postretirement health care portfolio. Xcel Energy considers the historical returns achieved by its asset portfolios over long time periods, as well as the long-term projected return levels from investment experts.
Pension cost determination assumes a forecasted mix of investment types over the long-term.
•Investment returns in 2023 were above the assumed level of 6.93%.
•Investment returns in 2022 were below the assumed level of 6.49%.
•Investment returns in 2021 were above the assumed level of 6.49%.
•In 2024, expected investment-return assumption is 6.93%.
Pension plan and postretirement benefit assets are invested in a portfolio according to Xcel Energy’s return, liquidity and diversification objectives to provide a source of funding for plan obligations and minimize contributions to the plan, within appropriate levels of risk.
The principal mechanism for achieving these objectives is the asset allocation given the long-term risk, return, correlation and liquidity characteristics of each particular asset class.
There were no significant concentrations of risk in any industry, index, or entity. Market volatility can impact even well-diversified portfolios and significantly affect the return levels achieved by the assets in any year.
State agencies also have issued guidelines to the funding of postretirement benefit costs. SPS is required to fund postretirement benefit plans for Texas and New Mexico equal to amounts collected in rates. These assets are invested in a manner consistent with the investment strategy for the pension plan.
Xcel Energy’s ongoing investment strategy is based on plan-specific investment recommendations that seek to minimize potential investment and interest rate risk as a plan’s funded status increases over time.
The investment recommendations consider many factors and generally result in a greater percentage of long-duration fixed income securities being allocated to specific plans having relatively higher funded status ratios and a greater percentage of growth assets being allocated to plans having relatively lower funded status ratios.
Plan Assets
For each of the fair value hierarchy levels, Xcel Energy’s pension plan assets measured at fair value:
Dec. 31, 2023 (a)
Dec. 31, 2022 (a)
(Millions of Dollars)Level 1Level 2Level 3Measured at NAVTotalLevel 1Level 2Level 3Measured at NAVTotal
Cash equivalents$233 $— $— $— $233 $129 $— $— $— $129 
Commingled funds491 — — 1,235 1,726 935 — — 882 1,817 
Debt securities— 683 4 — 687 — 682 3 — 685 
Equity securities35 — — — 35 47 — — — 47 
Other— 9 — — 9 — 7 — — 7 
Total$759 $692 $4 $1,235 $2,690 $1,111 $689 $3 $882 $2,685 
(a)See Note 10 for further information regarding fair value measurement inputs and methods.
For each of the fair value hierarchy levels, Xcel Energy’s postretirement benefit plan assets that were measured at fair value:
Dec. 31, 2023 (a)
Dec. 31, 2022 (a)
(Millions of Dollars)Level 1Level 2Level 3Measured at NAVTotalLevel 1Level 2Level 3Measured at NAVTotal
Cash equivalents$33 $— $— $— $33 $31 $— $— $— $31 
Insurance contracts— 40 — — 40 — 41 — — 41 
Commingled funds22 — — 72 94 54 — — 63 117 
Debt securities— 187 1 — 188 — 175 1 — 176 
Other— 1 — — 1 — (1)— — (1)
Total$55 $228 $1 $72 $356 $85 $215 $1 $63 $364 
(a)See Note 10 for further information on fair value measurement inputs and methods.
Immaterial assets were transferred in or out of Level 3 for 2023 and 2022.
Funded Status — Comparisons of the actuarially computed benefit obligation, changes in plan assets and funded status of the pension and postretirement health care plans for Xcel Energy are as follows:
Pension BenefitsPostretirement Benefits
(Millions of Dollars)2023202220232022
Change in Benefit Obligation:
Obligation at Jan. 1$2,871 $3,718 $405 $511 
Service cost74 97 1 2 
Interest cost158 110 22 15 
Plan amendments(3)1 — — 
Actuarial (gain) loss126 (703)14 (85)
Plan participants’ contributions— — 8 8 
Medicare subsidy reimbursements— — — 2 
Benefit payments (a)
(283)(352)(56)(48)
Obligation at Dec. 31$2,943 $2,871 $394 $405 
Change in Fair Value of Plan Assets:
Fair value of plan assets at Jan. 1$2,685 $3,670 $364 $442 
Actual return on plan assets238 (683)29 (51)
Employer contributions50 50 11 13 
Plan participants’ contributions— — 8 8 
Benefit payments(283)(352)(56)(48)
Fair value of plan assets at Dec. 312,690 2,685 356 364 
Funded status of plans at Dec. 31$(253)$(186)$(38)$(41)
Amounts recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheet at Dec. 31:
Noncurrent assets$1 $15 $28 $33 
Current liabilities— — (3)(2)
Noncurrent liabilities(254)(201)(63)(72)
Net amounts recognized$(253)$(186)$(38)$(41)
(a)Includes lump-sum benefit payments used in the determination of a settlement charges of $195 million of in 2022.
Pension BenefitsPostretirement Benefits
Significant Assumptions Used to Measure Benefit Obligations:2023202220232022
Discount rate for year-end valuation5.49 %5.80 %5.54 %5.80 %
Expected average long-term increase in compensation level4.25 %4.25 %N/AN/A
Mortality tablePRI-2012PRI-2012PRI-2012PRI-2012
Health care costs trend rate — initial: Pre-65N/AN/A6.50 %6.50 %
Health care costs trend rate — initial: Post-65N/AN/A5.50 %5.50 %
Ultimate trend assumption — initial: Pre-65N/AN/A4.50 %4.50 %
Ultimate trend assumption — initial: Post-65N/AN/A4.50 %4.50 %
Years until ultimate trend is reachedN/AN/A67
Accumulated benefit obligation for the pension plan was $2,728 million and $2,672 million as of Dec. 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Credit) — Net periodic benefit cost (credit), other than the service cost component, is included in other income (expense) in the consolidated statements of income.
Components of net periodic benefit cost (credit) and amounts recognized in other comprehensive income and regulatory assets and liabilities:
Pension BenefitsPostretirement Benefits
(Millions of Dollars)202320222021202320222021
Service cost$74 $97 $104 $1 $2 $2 
Interest cost158 110 104 22 15 15 
Expected return on plan assets(209)(208)(206)(17)(18)(18)
Amortization of prior service credit(1)(1)(1)(1)(6)(8)
Amortization of net loss22 75 107 1 2 5 
Settlement charge (a)
— 71 59 — — — 
Net periodic pension cost (credit)44 144 167 6 (5)(4)
Effects of regulation30 (30)(46)— 3 2 
Net benefit cost (credit) recognized for financial reporting$74 $114 $121 $6 $(2)$(2)
Significant Assumptions Used to Measure Costs:
Discount rate5.80 %3.08 %2.71 %5.80 %3.09 %2.65 %
Expected average long-term increase in compensation level4.25 3.75 3.75 — — — 
Expected average long-term rate of return on assets6.93 6.49 6.49 5.00 4.10 4.10 
(a)A settlement charge is required when the amount of all lump-sum distributions during the year is greater than the sum of the service and interest cost components of the annual net periodic pension cost. There were no settlement charges recorded for the qualified pension plans in 2023. In 2022 and 2021, as a result of lump-sum distributions during each plan year, Xcel Energy recorded a total pension settlement charge of $71 million and $59 million, respectively, the majority of which was not recognized due to the effects of regulation. A total of $9 million and $7 million was recorded in the consolidated statements of income in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Pension BenefitsPostretirement Benefits
(Millions of Dollars)2023202220232022
Amounts Not Yet Recognized as Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost:
Net loss$1,096 $1,021 $64 $63 
Prior service credit(9)(7)— (1)
Total$1,087 $1,014 $64 $62 
Amounts Not Yet Recognized as Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost Have Been Recorded as Follows Based Upon Expected Recovery in Rates:
Current regulatory assets$20 $21 $2 $— 
Noncurrent regulatory assets1,014 943 79 78 
Current regulatory liabilities— — (1)(1)
Noncurrent regulatory liabilities— — (19)(20)
Deferred income taxes14 14 1 1 
Net-of-tax accumulated other comprehensive income39 36 2 4 
Total$1,087 $1,014 $64 $62 
Measurement dateDec. 31, 2023Dec. 31, 2022Dec. 31, 2023Dec. 31, 2022
Cash Flows — Funding requirements can be impacted by changes to actuarial assumptions, actual asset levels and other calculations prescribed by the requirements of income tax and other pension-related regulations. Required contributions were made in 2021 - 2024 to meet minimum funding requirements.
Voluntary and required pension funding contributions:
•$100 million in January 2024.
•$50 million in 2023.
•$50 million in 2022.
•$131 million in 2021.
The postretirement health care plans have no funding requirements other than fulfilling benefit payment obligations when claims are presented and approved. Additional cash funding requirements are prescribed by certain state and federal rate regulatory authorities.
Voluntary postretirement funding contributions:
•$11 million expected during 2024.
•$11 million during 2023.
•$13 million during 2022.
•$15 million during 2021.
Targeted asset allocations:
Pension BenefitsPostretirement Benefits
2023202220232022
Long-duration fixed income securities38 %38 %— %— %
Domestic and international equity securities31 33 9 16 
Alternative investments20 18 13 12 
Short-to-intermediate fixed income securities9 9 77 71 
Cash2 2 1 1 
Total100 %100 %100 %100 %
The asset allocations above reflect target allocations approved in the calendar year to take effect in the subsequent year.
Plan Amendments — In 2023, Xcel Energy amended the Xcel Energy Pension Plan and Xcel Energy Inc. Nonbargaining Pension Plan (South) to reduce supplemental social security benefits for all active participants on and after Jan. 1, 2024.
There were no significant plan amendments made in 2022 which affected the postretirement benefit obligation.
In 2021, Xcel Energy amended the Xcel Energy Pension Plan and Xcel Energy Inc. Nonbargaining Pension Plan (South) to reduce supplemental benefits for non-bargaining participants as well as to allow the transfer of a portion of non-qualified pension obligations into the qualified plans.
Projected Benefit Payments
Xcel Energy’s projected benefit payments:
(Millions of  Dollars)Projected
Pension Benefit
Payments		Gross Projected
Postretirement
Health Care
Benefit Payments		Expected
Medicare Part D
Subsidies		Net Projected
Postretirement
Health Care
Benefit Payments
2024$398 $42 $2 $40 
2025214 40 2 38 
2026217 39 2 37 
2027223 37 2 35 
2028226 36 2 34 
2029 - 20331,131 161 12 149 
Voluntary Retirement Program
Incremental to amounts presented above for postretirement benefits, Xcel Energy recognized new postemployment costs and obligations in the fourth quarter of 2023 for employees accepted to a voluntary retirement program.
Utilizing employee information and the following inputs, the estimated costs of the program of $34 million for health plan subsidies and $5 million for other medical benefits, each commencing in 2024, were recognized in the fourth quarter of 2023. These unfunded obligations are presented in other current liabilities and noncurrent pension and employee benefit obligations in the consolidated balance sheet as of Dec. 31, 2023.
Significant Assumptions to Measure Benefit Obligations:2023
Discount rate for year-end valuation5.50 %
Mortality tablePRI-2012
Health care costs trend rate and ultimate trend assumption7.00 %
Defined Contribution Plans
Xcel Energy maintains 401(k) and other defined contribution plans that cover most employees. Total expense to these plans was approximately
$49 million in 2023, $46 million in 2022 and $43 million in 2021.
Multiemployer Plans
NSP-Minnesota and NSP-Wisconsin each contribute to several union multiemployer pension and other postretirement benefit plans, none of which are individually significant. These plans provide pension and postretirement health care benefits to certain union employees who may perform services for multiple employers and do not participate in the NSP-Minnesota and NSP-Wisconsin sponsored pension and postretirement health care plans.
Contributing to these types of plans creates risk that differs from providing benefits under NSP-Minnesota and NSP-Wisconsin sponsored plans, in that if another participating employer ceases to contribute to a multiemployer pension plan, additional unfunded obligations may need to be funded over time by remaining participating employers.