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Employee Benefit Plans
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]  
Employee Benefit Plans
19. EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS
Investment and Savings Plan
Substantially all U.S. employees of the Company are eligible to participate in The Hartford Investment and Savings Plan under which designated contributions may be invested in a variety of investments, including up to 10% in a fund consisting largely of common stock of The Hartford. The Company's contributions include a non-elective contribution of 2.0% of eligible compensation and a dollar-for-dollar matching contribution of up to 6.0% of eligible compensation contributed by the employee. The Company also maintains a non-qualified savings plan, The Hartford Excess Savings Plan, with the dollar-for-dollar matching contributions related to employee compensation in excess of the amount of eligible compensation that can be contributed under the tax-qualified Investment and Savings
Plan. An employee's eligible compensation includes overtime and bonuses but for the Investment and Savings Plan and Excess Savings Plan combined, is limited to $1 annually. The total cost to The Hartford for these plans was approximately $163, $142 and $147 for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Additionally, The Hartford has established defined contribution pension plans for certain employees of the Company’s international subsidiaries. The cost to The Hartford for each of the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 for these plans was $3.
Postretirement Benefit Plans
Defined Benefit Pension Plan- The Company maintains The Hartford Retirement Plan for U.S. Employees, a U.S. qualified defined benefit pension plan (“U.S. Pension Plan”) that covers substantially all U.S. employees hired prior to January 1, 2013. The Company also maintains non-qualified pension plans to provide retirement benefits previously accrued that are in excess of Internal Revenue Code limitations, as well as a Canadian defined benefit pension plan. Together, the non-qualified and Canadian defined benefit plan are referred to as "Other Pension Plans".
The U.S. Pension Plan includes two benefit formulas, both of which are frozen: a final average pay formula (for which all accruals ceased as of December 31, 2008) and a cash balance formula for which benefit accruals ceased as of December 31, 2012, although interest will continue to accrue to existing cash balance formula account balances. Employees who were participants as of December 31, 2012 continue to earn vesting credit with respect to their frozen accrued benefits if they continue to work. The interest crediting rate on the cash balance plan is the greater of the average annual yield on 10-year U.S. Treasury Securities published in December of the prior calendar year or 3.3%. The Hartford Excess Pension Plan I and The Hartford Excess Pension Plan II, the Company's non-qualified excess pension benefit plans for certain highly compensated employees, are also frozen.
Group Retiree Health Plan- The Company provides certain health care and life insurance benefits for eligible retired employees. The Company’s contribution for health care benefits are a function of the retiree’s date of retirement and years of service. In addition, the plan has a defined dollar cap for certain retirees which limits average Company contributions. The Hartford has prefunded a portion of the health care obligations where such prefunding can be accomplished on a tax effective basis. Beginning January 1, 2017, for retirees 65 and older who were participating in the Retiree PPO Medical Plan, the Company funds the cost of medical and dental health care benefits through contributions to a Health Reimbursement Account and covered individuals can access a variety of insurance plans from a health care exchange. Effective January 1, 2002, Company-subsidized retiree medical, retiree dental and retiree life insurance benefits were eliminated for employees with original hire dates with the Company on or after January 1, 2002. The Company also amended its postretirement medical, dental and life insurance coverage plans to no longer provide subsidized coverage for employees who retired on or after January 1, 2014.
Assumptions
Pursuant to accounting principles related to the Company’s pension and other postretirement obligations to employees
under its various benefit plans, the Company is required to make a significant number of assumptions in order to calculate the related liabilities and expenses each period. The two economic assumptions that have the most impact on pension and other postretirement expense under the defined benefit pension plans and group retiree health plan are the discount rate and the expected long-term rate of return on plan assets. The yield curve used to determine the discount rate is based on yields of high-quality fixed income investments grouped by duration, using the above mean average for each duration group. Based on all available market and industry information, it was determined that 5.15% and 5.13% were the appropriate discount rates as of December 31, 2023 to calculate the Company’s U.S. Pension Plan and other postretirement obligations, respectively.
The expected long-term rate of return considers both current market yields and forecasted investment returns expected to be achieved by the plan’s investment strategy over the remaining life of the plan. The Company also considers the plan's funded status, the investment volatility, duration and total returns for various time periods related to the characteristics of the pension obligation, which are influenced by the Company's workforce demographics. For the pension plan, the Company has assumed an allocation of approximately 81% in fixed income securities and 19% in non-fixed income securities (global equities and limited partnerships) in its assumed expected long-term rate of return for the year ended December 31, 2023, whereas the Company anticipated an allocation of 73% in fixed income securities and 27% in non-fixed income securities to derive an expected long-term rate of return for the year ended December 31, 2022. For the other postretirement plans, the Company has assumed an allocation of 100% in fixed income securities in its assumptions for the year ended December 31, 2023, whereas the Company anticipated an allocation of 75% in fixed income securities and 25% in non-fixed income securities to derive an expected long-term rate of return for the year ended December 31, 2022. Based upon these analyses, management determined the long-term rate of return assumption to be 6.10% and 4.50% for the Company's U.S. Pension Plan and other postretirement obligations, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 5.10% and 4.80% for the Company's U.S. Pension Plan and other postretirement obligations, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2022. To determine the Company's 2024 expense, the Company has assumed an allocation of 81% in fixed income securities and 19% in non-fixed income securities for the pension plan and an allocation of 100% in fixed income securities for the postretirement plans, contributing to an expected long-term rate of return on plan assets of 5.90% and 4.50% for the Company's U.S. Pension Plan and other postretirement obligations, respectively.
Assumptions Used in Calculating the Benefit Obligations and the Net Amount Recognized
For the years ended December 31,
 202320222021
Weighted Average Assumptions used to determine benefit obligations
Discount rate:
U.S. Pension Plan5.15 %5.43 %2.91 %
Other Pension Plans5.14 %5.40 %2.83 %
Other postretirement benefits5.13 %5.39 %2.72 %
Interest crediting rate on cash balance plan4.36 %3.89 %3.30 %
Weighted Average Assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit costs:
Discount rate:
U.S. Pension Plan5.43 %2.91 %2.66 %
Other Pension Plans5.40 %2.83 %2.52 %
Other postretirement benefits5.39 %2.72 %2.36 %
Expected long-term rate of return on plan assets:
U.S. Pension Plan6.10 %5.10 %5.40 %
Other Pension Plans4.40 %3.30 %2.90 %
Other postretirement benefits4.50 %4.80 %4.90 %
Assumed Health Care Cost Trend Rates
Pre-65 health care cost trend rate8.00 %7.00 %7.00 %
Post-65 health care cost trend rateN/AN/AN/A
Rate to which the cost trend rate is assumed to decline (the ultimate trend rate)4.50 %4.50 %4.50 %
Year that the rate reaches the ultimate trend rate203820322032
Obligations and Funded Status
The following tables set forth a reconciliation of beginning and ending balances of the benefit obligation and fair value of plan assets, as well as the funded status of the Company's defined benefit pension and postretirement health care and life
insurance benefit plans. Information is presented for the qualified U.S. Pension Plan, Other Pension Plans (including non-qualified plans and the Canadian pension plan) and other postretirement benefits.
Obligations and Funded Status
U.S. Pension PlanOther Pension PlansTotal Pension PlansOther Postretirement Benefits
For the years ended December 31,
20232022202320222023202220232022
Change in Benefit Obligation
Benefit obligation — beginning of year$3,156 $4,210 $334 $439 $3,490 $4,649 $143 $197 
Service cost 3 4 — — 3 4 — — 
Interest cost163 101 17 10 180 111 7 4 
Plan participants’ contributions— — — — — — 8 10 
Actuarial loss (gain)38 14 2 4 40 18 3 (5)
Changes in assumptions100 (985)8 (92)108 (1,077)3 (33)
Benefits paid [1](191)(188)(27)(27)(218)(215)(26)(30)
Benefit obligation — end of year [2]$3,269 $3,156 $334 $334 $3,603 $3,490 $138 $143 
Change in Plan Assets
Fair value of plan assets — beginning of year$3,513 $4,467 $11 $15 $3,524 $4,482 $30 $51 
Actual return on plan assets254 (742)— (3)254 (745)1 (6)
Employer contributions [3]— — 1 — 1 — 5 5 
Plan participants' contributions [3]
— — — — — — 8 10 
Benefits paid [1](191)(188)(1)(1)(192)(189)(26)(30)
Expenses paid(14)(24)— — (14)(24)— — 
Fair value of plan assets — end of year
$3,562 $3,513 $11 $11 $3,573 $3,524 $18 $30 
Funded status — end of year$293 $357 $(323)$(323)$(30)$34 $(120)$(113)
Amounts Recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheets
Other assets$293 $357 $— $— $293 $357 $— $— 
Other liabilities$— $— $(323)$(323)$(323)$(323)$(120)$(113)
[1]Other postretirement benefits paid represent payments from plan assets for non-key employee postretirement medical benefits, Company assets and plan participants' contributions.
[2]As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Accumulated Benefit Obligation is equal to the Projected Benefit Obligation.
[3]Employer and plan participants' contributions for the Other Postretirement Benefits represent funding from Company and plan participant assets.

Changes in assumptions for the U.S. Pension Plan in 2023 primarily included a $88 increase in the benefit obligation for pension benefits as a result of a decrease in the discount rate from 5.43% as of the December 31, 2022 valuation to 5.15% as of the December 31, 2023 valuation. Changes in assumptions in 2022 included a $997 decrease in the benefit obligation for pension benefits as a result of an increase in the discount rate from 2.91% as of the December 31, 2021 valuation to 5.43% as of the December 31, 2022 valuation.
Changes in assumptions for the Other Pension Plans in 2023 primarily included a $7 increase in the benefit obligation for pension benefits as a result of a decrease in the discount rate from 5.40% as of the December 31, 2022 valuation to 5.14% as of the December 31, 2023 valuation. Changes in assumptions in 2022 included a $92 decrease in the benefit obligation for pension benefits as a result of an increase in the discount rate from 2.83% as of the December 31, 2021 valuation to 5.40% as of the December 31, 2022 valuation.
Included in the benefit obligation for the U.S. Pension Plan in the table above, the cash balance plan pension benefit obligation was $357 and $338 as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
The fair value of assets for total pension plans, and hence the funded status, presented in the table above excludes assets of $198 and $170 as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, held in rabbi trusts and designated for the Other Pension Plans. The Company contributed $3 to the rabbi trusts in 2023. The assets do not qualify as plan assets; however, the assets are available to pay benefits for certain retired, terminated and active participants. Such assets are available to the Company’s general creditors in the event of insolvency. The rabbi trusts' assets consist of equity and fixed income investments. To the extent the fair value of these rabbi trusts were included in the table above, total pension plan assets would have been $3,771 and $3,694 as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and the funded status of total pension plans would have been $168 and $204 as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

The tables below present an aggregate view of net periodic cost (benefit) and components of other comprehensive income and AOCI for pension plans that includes both the U.S. Pension Plan and Other Pension Plans. Net periodic cost (benefit) is recognized in insurance operating costs and other expenses in the Consolidated Statement of Operations.
Net Periodic Cost (Benefit)
 
Pension Benefits
Other Postretirement Benefits
For the years ended December 31,
 202320222021202320222021
Service cost$3 $4 $4 $— $— $— 
Interest cost180 111 96 7 4 3 
Expected return on plan assets(235)(202)(205)(1)(2)(3)
Amortization of prior service credit— — — (7)(7)(7)
Amortization of actuarial loss29 62 69 5 7 8 
Net periodic cost (benefit)$(23)$(25)$(36)$4 $2 $1 
Amounts Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
 Pension BenefitsOther Postretirement Benefits
For the years ended December 31,
 202320222021202320222021
Amortization of actuarial loss$29 $62 $69 $5 $7 $8 
Amortization of prior service credit— — — (7)(7)(7)
Net actuarial gain (loss)(142)89 214 (6)30 5 
Prior service cost (credit)— — — — — — 
Total$(113)$151 $283 $(8)$30 $6 
Amounts in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Before Tax, not yet Recognized as Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost
 Pension BenefitsOther Postretirement Benefits
As of December 31,
 202320222021202320222021
Net loss$(1,777)$(1,664)$(1,815)$(88)$(87)$(124)
Prior service credit— — — 40 47 54 
Total$(1,777)$(1,664)$(1,815)$(48)$(40)$(70)
Actuarial net losses in AOCI that exceed 10% of the greater of the benefit obligation or the market-related value of plan assets are amortized to expense over the average future life expectancy of plan participants.
Pension Plan Assets
Investment Strategy and Target Allocation
The overall investment strategy of the U.S. Pension Plan is to produce total investment returns that provide sufficient funding for present and anticipated future benefit obligations within the constraints of a prudent level of portfolio risk and diversification. With respect to asset management, the oversight responsibility of the U.S. Pension Plan rests with The Hartford’s Pension Investment Committee composed of individuals whose responsibilities include establishing overall objectives and the
setting of investment policy; selecting appropriate investment options and ranges; selecting qualified service providers such as investment managers and investment consultants; reviewing the asset allocation mix and asset allocation targets on a regular basis; and monitoring performance to determine whether or not the rate of return objectives are being met and that policy and guidelines are being followed. The Pension Investment Committee has adopted a de-risking glide path that reduces the target allocation to equity securities and limited partnerships and increases the allocation to fixed income securities over time in response to improvement in the funded status of the U.S. Pension Plan. The Company believes that the asset allocation decision will be the single most important factor determining the long-term performance of the U.S. Pension Plan.
Target Asset Allocation Ranges
 Pension PlansOther Postretirement Plans
MinimumMaximumMinimumMaximum
Equity securities— %20 %— %— %
Fixed income securities75 %95 %100 %100 %
Limited partnerships— %25 %— %— %
Divergent market performance among different asset classes and changes in the context of the glide path may, from time to time, cause the asset allocation to deviate from the desired asset allocation ranges. The asset allocation mix is reviewed on a periodic basis. If it is determined that an asset allocation mix rebalancing is required, future portfolio additions and
withdrawals will be used first, as necessary, to bring the allocation within tactical ranges, before shifting assets across portfolios.
The U.S. Pension Plan invests in multiple asset classes reflecting the current needs, investment preferences, risk tolerances and the desired degree of diversification of the U.S. Pension Plan. These asset classes include publicly traded fixed income securities and equities, private fixed income securities, commercial mortgage loans and limited partnerships. Investment portfolios are primarily managed by affiliated managers.
In addition, the Company uses U.S. Treasury bond futures contracts and U.S. Treasury STRIPS, in addition to certain other investments, in a duration overlay program to adjust the duration of U.S. Pension Plan assets to better match the duration of the benefit obligation.
Pension Plan Assets at Fair Value
As of December 31, 2023As of December 31, 2022
Asset CategoryLevel 1Level 2Level 3TotalLevel 1Level 2Level 3Total
Short-term investments:$187 $— $— $187 $155 $— $— $155 
Fixed Income Securities:
Corporate— 1,643 36 1,679 — 1,791 31 1,822 
RMBS— 111 — 111 — 115 — 115 
U.S. Treasuries— 271 — 271 — 165 — 165 
Foreign government— 11 10 21 — 25 1 26 
CMBS— 49 1 50 — 57 1 58 
Other fixed income [1]— 160 — 160 — 139 — 139 
  Mortgage Loans— — 143 143 — — 165 165 
Equity Securities:
Domestic11 23 — 34 8 — — 8 
International— 45 — 45 — 7 — 7 
Total pension plan assets at fair value, in the fair value hierarchy [2]198 2,313 190 2,701 163 2,299 198 2,660 
Other Investments, at net asset value [3]:
Limited partnerships826 818 
Total pension plan assets at fair value$198 $2,313 $190 $3,527 $163 $2,299 $198 $3,478 
[1]Includes ABS, municipal bonds and CLOs.
[2]Excludes $46 and $46 as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, of investment receivables net of investment payables that are excluded from this disclosure requirement because they are trade receivables in the ordinary course of business where the carrying amount approximates fair value.
[3]Investments that are measured at net asset value per share or an equivalent and have not been classified in the fair value hierarchy.
The tables below provide fair value level 3 roll forwards for the U.S. Pension Plan Assets for which significant unobservable inputs ("Level 3") are used in the fair value measurement on a recurring basis. The U.S. Pension Plan classifies the fair value of financial instruments within Level 3 if there are no observable markets for the instruments or, in the absence of active markets,
if one or more of the significant inputs used to determine fair value are based on the U.S. Pension Plan’s own assumptions. Therefore, the gains and losses in the tables below include changes in fair value due to both observable and unobservable factors.
Pension Plan Asset Fair Value Measurements Using Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Assets
Corporate
Foreign government
Mortgage loans
Other [1]
Totals
Fair Value as of January 1, 2023$31 $1 $165 $1 $198 
Realized gains (losses), net— — (3)— (3)
Changes in unrealized gains (losses), net2 (1)8 — 9 
Purchases— 10 3 — 13 
Settlements— — — — — 
Sales— — (30)— (30)
Transfers into Level 3 [2]5 — — — 5 
Transfers out of Level 3 [2](2)— — — (2)
Fair Value as of December 31, 2023$36 $10 $143 $1 $190 
Fair Value as of January 1, 2022$42 $2 $202 $5 $251 
Realized gains, net— — — — — 
Changes in unrealized gains (losses), net(10)— (25)— (35)
Purchases1 — 4 — 5 
Settlements— — — — — 
Sales(2)— (16)— (18)
Transfers into Level 3 [2]3 — — — 3 
Transfers out of Level 3 [2](3)(1)— (4)(8)
Fair Value as of December 31, 2022$31 $1 $165 $1 $198 
[1]"Other" includes CMBS.
[2]Transfers into and/or (out of) Level 3 are primarily attributable to the availability of market observable information and the re-evaluation of the observability of pricing.
There was less than $1 in Company common stock included in the U.S. Pension Plan’s assets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 as part of a passive indexing strategy.
Other Postretirement Plan Assets at Fair Value
As of December 31, 2023As of December 31, 2022
Asset CategoryLevel 1Level 2Level 3TotalLevel 1Level 2Level 3Total
Short-term investments$16 $— $— $16 $25 $— $— $25 
Fixed Income Securities:
RMBS— — — — — 1 — 1 
U.S. Treasuries— 2 — 2 — 4 — 4 
Total other postretirement plan assets at fair value$16 $2 $— $18 $25 $5 $— $30 
There was no Company common stock included in the other postretirement benefit plan assets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022.
Concentration of Risk
In order to minimize risk, the Pension Plan maintains a listing of permissible and prohibited investments. In addition, the Pension Plan has certain concentration limits and investment quality requirements imposed on permissible investment options. Permissible investments include U.S. equity, international equity, limited partnership and fixed income investments including derivative instruments. Permissible derivative instruments include futures contracts, options, swaps, currency forwards,
caps or floors and may be used to control risk or enhance return but will not be used for leverage purposes.
Securities specifically prohibited from purchase include, but are not limited to: shares or fixed income instruments issued by The Hartford (other than equity securities purchased on the open market as part of a passively managed strategy), short sales of any type within long-only portfolios, non-derivative securities involving the use of margin, leveraged floaters and inverse floaters, including money market obligations, natural resource real properties such as oil, gas or timber and precious metals.
Other than U.S. government and certain U.S. government agencies backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S.
government, the Pension Plan does not have any material exposure to any concentration risk of a single issuer.
Expected Employer Contributions
The Company does not have a 2024 required minimum funding contribution for the U.S. qualified defined benefit pension plan. The Company has not determined whether, and to what extent, contributions may be made to the U.S. qualified defined benefit pension plan in 2024. The Company will monitor the funded status of the U.S. qualified defined benefit pension plan during 2024 to make this determination.
Benefit Payments

Amounts of Benefits Expected to be Paid over the next Ten Years from Pension and other Postretirement Plans as of December 31, 2023
Pension BenefitsOther Postretirement Benefits
2024$242 $17 
2025251 14 
2026258 13 
2027263 12 
2028256 12 
2029 - 20331,307 50 
Total$2,577 $118