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Benefit Plans
 12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]  
Benefit Plans Benefit Plans
The Company has defined benefit pension plans covering certain employees in the United States and certain international locations. Postretirement healthcare and life insurance benefits provided to qualifying domestic retirees as well as other postretirement benefit plans in international countries are not material. The measurement date used for the Company’s employee benefit plans is September 30.
As a result of the Company’s conclusion to merge the legacy Bard pension plan into the BD defined benefit cash balance pension plan, the assets and liabilities of the legacy Bard U.S. defined pension benefit plan will be remeasured as of October 31, 2020. Amendments to this plan were approved and communicated to affected employees in the first quarter of fiscal year 2021. The legacy Bard U.S. pension plan has been frozen to prevent new participants since January 1, 2011.
Effective January 1, 2018, the legacy BD U.S. pension plan was frozen to limit the participation of employees who are hired or re-hired by the Company, or who transfer employment to the Company, on or after January 1, 2018.
Net pension cost for the years ended September 30 included the following components:
 Pension Plans
(Millions of dollars)202020192018
Service cost$153 $134 $136 
Interest cost84 107 90 
Expected return on plan assets(188)(180)(154)
Amortization of prior service credit(13)(13)(13)
Amortization of loss97 78 78 
Settlements4 10 2 
Net pension cost$137 $135 $137 
Net pension cost included in the preceding table that is attributable to international plans$41 $32 $34 
The amounts provided above for amortization of prior service credit and amortization of loss represent the reclassifications of prior service credits and net actuarial losses that were recognized in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in prior periods. The settlement losses recorded in 2020, 2019 and 2018 included lump sum benefit payments associated with certain plans. The Company recognizes pension settlements when payments from the plan exceed the sum of service and interest cost components of net periodic pension cost associated with the plan for the fiscal year.
All components of the Company’s net periodic pension and postretirement benefit costs, aside from service cost, are recorded to Other income, net on its consolidated statements of income.
The change in benefit obligation, change in fair value of pension plan assets, funded status and amounts recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheets for these plans were as follows:
 Pension Plans
(Millions of dollars)20202019
Change in benefit obligation:
Beginning obligation$3,731 $3,246 
Service cost153 134 
Interest cost84 107 
Plan amendments— 3 
Benefits paid(186)(153)
Impact of acquisitions (divestitures) 10 (9)
Actuarial loss104 514 
Settlements(17)(63)
Other, includes translation74 (49)
Benefit obligation at September 30$3,953 $3,731 
Change in fair value of plan assets:
Beginning fair value$2,926 $2,642 
Actual return on plan assets222 279 
Employer contribution42 258 
Benefits paid(186)(153)
Impact of acquisitions (divestitures) 7 (7)
Settlements(17)(63)
Other, includes translation51 (30)
Plan assets at September 30$3,045 $2,926 
Funded Status at September 30:
Unfunded benefit obligation$(908)$(804)
Amounts recognized in the Consolidated Balance
Sheets at September 30:
Other$16 $11 
Salaries, wages and related items(23)(22)
Long-term Employee Benefit Obligations(901)(793)
Net amount recognized$(908)$(804)
Amounts recognized in Accumulated other
comprehensive income (loss) before income taxes at September 30:
Prior service credit$31 $44 
Net actuarial loss(1,281)(1,289)
Net amount recognized$(1,250)$(1,246)
International pension plan assets at fair value included in the preceding table were $935 million and $859 million at September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The international pension plan projected benefit obligations were $1.321 billion and $1.244 billion at September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. 
The benefit obligation associated with postretirement healthcare and life insurance plans provided to qualifying domestic retirees, which was largely recorded to Long-Term Employee Benefit Obligations, was $148 million and $153 million at September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Pension plans with accumulated benefit obligations in excess of plan assets and plans with projected benefit obligations in excess of plan assets consist of the following at September 30:
 Accumulated Benefit
Obligation Exceeds the
Fair Value of Plan Assets		Projected Benefit
Obligation Exceeds the
Fair Value of Plan Assets
(Millions of dollars)2020201920202019
Projected benefit obligation$3,844 $3,623 $3,920 $3,698 
Accumulated benefit obligation$3,703 $3,476 
Fair value of plan assets$2,936 $2,821 $2,996 $2,882 
The estimated net actuarial loss and prior service credit that will be amortized from Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) into net pension costs over the next fiscal year for pension benefits and other postretirement benefits are not material.
The weighted average assumptions used in determining pension plan information were as follows:
202020192018
Net Cost
Discount rate:
U.S. plans (a)3.21 %4.26 %3.71 %
International plans1.39 2.30 2.30 
Expected return on plan assets:
U.S. plans7.25 7.25 7.20 
International plans5.05 4.98 4.95 
Rate of compensation increase:
U.S. plans4.29 4.29 4.51 
International plans2.35 2.36 2.31 
Benefit Obligation
Discount rate:
U.S. plans2.80 3.21 4.26 
International plans1.44 1.39 2.30 
Rate of compensation increase:
U.S. plans4.30 4.29 4.29 
International plans2.20 2.35 2.36 
(a)The Company calculated the service and interest components utilizing an approach that discounts the individual expected cash flows using the applicable spot rates derived from the yield curve over the projected cash flow period.
Expected Rate of Return on Plan Assets
The expected rate of return on plan assets is based upon expectations of long-term average rates of return to be achieved by the underlying investment portfolios. In establishing this assumption, the Company considers many factors, including historical assumptions compared with actual results; benchmark data; expected returns on various plan asset classes, as well as current and expected asset allocations.
Expected Funding
The Company’s funding policy for its defined benefit pension plans is to contribute amounts sufficient to meet legal funding requirements, plus any additional amounts that may be appropriate considering the funded status of the plans, tax consequences, the cash flow generated by the Company and other factors. The Company made a discretionary contribution of $200 million to its BD U.S. pension in October 2018. The Company did not make any required contributions in 2020 and does not anticipate any significant required contributions to its pension plans in 2021.
Expected benefit payments are as follows:
(Millions of dollars)Pension
Plans
2021$209 
2022162 
2023171 
2024176 
2025186 
2026-20301,068 
Expected benefit payments associated with postretirement healthcare plans are immaterial to the Company's consolidated financial results.
Investments
The Company’s primary objective is to achieve returns sufficient to meet future benefit obligations. It seeks to generate above market returns by investing in more volatile asset classes such as equities while at the same time controlling risk through diversification in non-correlated asset classes and through allocations to more stable asset classes like fixed income.
U.S. Plans
The Company’s U.S. pension plans comprise 69% of total benefit plan investments, based on September 30, 2020 market values, and have a target asset mix of 40% fixed income, 25% diversifying investments and 35% equities. This mix was established based on an analysis of projected benefit payments and estimates of long-term returns, volatilities and correlations for various asset classes. The asset allocations to diversifying investments include high-yield bonds, hedge funds, real estate, infrastructure, leveraged loans and emerging markets bonds.
 The actual portfolio investment mix may, from time to time, deviate from the established target mix due to various factors such as normal market fluctuations, the reliance on estimates in connection with the determination of allocations and normal portfolio activity such as additions and withdrawals. Rebalancing of the asset portfolio on a quarterly basis is required to address any allocations that deviate from the established target allocations in excess of defined allowable ranges. The target allocations are subject to periodic review, including a review of the asset portfolio’s performance, by the named fiduciary of the plans. Any tactical deviations from the established asset mix require the approval of the named fiduciary.
The U.S. plans may enter into both exchange traded and non-exchange traded derivative transactions in order to manage interest rate exposure, volatility, term structure of interest rates, and sector and currency exposures within the fixed income portfolios. The Company has established minimum credit quality standards for counterparties in such transactions.
The following table provides the fair value measurements of U.S. plan assets, as well as the measurement techniques and inputs utilized to measure fair value of these assets, at September 30, 2020 and 2019. The categorization of fund investments is based upon the categorization of these funds’ underlying assets.
(Millions of dollars)Total U.S.
Plan Asset
Balances		Investments Measured at Net Asset Value (a)Quoted Prices in
Active Markets
for Identical
Assets (Level 1)		Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs (Level 2)		Significant
Unobservable
Inputs (Level 3)
2020201920202019202020192020201920202019
Fixed Income:
Corporate bonds656 401 — — 273 48 383 353 — — 
Government and agency-U.S.95 108 — — 74 85 21 23 — — 
Government and agency-Foreign40 85 — — — 69 40 16 — — 
Other fixed income141 37 — — — — 141 37 — — 
Equity securities737 922 43 782 694 140 — — — — 
Cash and cash equivalents147 254 — — 147 254 — — — — 
Other291 261 151 124 141 138 — — — — 
Fair value of plan assets$2,108 $2,068 $193 $906 $1,330 $733 $584 $429 $— $— 
(a)As per applicable disclosure requirements, certain investments that were measured at net asset value per share or its equivalent have not been categorized within the fair value hierarchy. Values of such assets are based on the corroborated net asset value provided by the fund administrator.
Fixed Income Securities
U.S. pension plan assets categorized above as fixed income securities include fund investments comprised of corporate and government and agency investments. Investments in corporate bonds are diversified across industry and sector and consist of investment-grade, as well as high-yield debt instruments. U.S. government investments consist of obligations of the U.S. Treasury, other U.S. government agencies, state governments and local municipalities. Assets categorized as foreign government and agency debt securities included investments in developed and emerging markets.
The values of fixed income investments classified within Level 1 are based on the closing price reported on the major market on which the investments are traded. A portion of the fixed income instruments classified within Level 2 are valued based upon estimated prices from independent vendors’ pricing models and these prices are derived from market observable sources including: benchmark yields, reported trades, broker/dealer quotes, issuer spreads, benchmark securities, bids, offers and other market-related data.
Equity Securities
U.S. pension plan assets categorized as equity securities consist of fund investments in publicly-traded U.S. and non-U.S. equity securities. In order to achieve appropriate diversification, these portfolios are invested across market sectors, investment styles, capitalization weights and geographic regions. The values of equity securities classified within Level 1 are based on the closing price reported on the major market on which the investments are traded. Upon the adoption of ASU 2018-09, as previously discussed in Note 2, equity securities measured at NAV in prior periods have been classified within Level 1 at September 30, 2020. These assets have a readily determinable fair value based on published prices obtained from fund managers which represent
the price at which the instruments can be redeemed at period end. The U.S. pension plan has no future funding commitments associated with these investments and has the right to redeem them upon one day’s notice, at any time and without restriction.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
A portion of the U.S. plans’ assets consists of investments in cash and cash equivalents, primarily to accommodate liquidity requirements relating to trade settlement and benefit payment activity, and the values of these assets are based upon quoted market prices.
Other Securities
Other U.S. pension plan assets include fund investments comprised of hedge funds. The values of such instruments classified within Level 1 are based on the closing price reported on the major market on which the investments are traded.
International Plans
International plan assets comprise 31% of the Company’s total benefit plan assets, based on market value at September 30, 2020. Such plans have local independent fiduciary committees, with responsibility for development and oversight of investment policy, including asset allocation decisions. In making such decisions, consideration is given to local regulations, investment practices and funding rules.
The following table provides the fair value measurements of international plan assets, as well as the measurement techniques and inputs utilized to measure fair value of these assets, at September 30, 2020 and 2019.
(Millions of dollars)Total International
Plan Asset
Balances		Investments Measured at Net Asset Value (a)Quoted Prices in
Active Markets
for Identical
Assets (Level 1)		Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs (Level 2)		Significant
Unobservable
Inputs (Level 3) (b)
2020201920202019202020192020201920202019
Fixed Income:
Corporate bonds$34 $33 $— $— $15 $15 $19 $18 $— $— 
Government and agency-U.S.3 3 — — — — 3 3 — — 
Government and agency-Foreign212 199 — — 115 105 97 94 — — 
Other fixed income102 100 — — 63 63 39 37 — — 
Equity securities335 319 — 14 335 305 — — — — 
Cash and cash equivalents12 8 — — 12 8 — — — — 
Real estate34 30 — — — — 24 30 10 — 
Insurance contracts131 113 — — — — — — 131 113 
Other72 53 — — 70 52 1 1 — — 
Fair value of plan assets$935 $859 $— $14 $611 $549 $183 $182 $141 $113 
(a)As per applicable disclosure requirements, certain investments that were measured at net asset value per share or its equivalent have not been categorized within the fair value hierarchy. Values of such assets are based on the corroborated net asset value provided by the fund administrator.
(b)Changes in the fair value of international pension assets measured using Level 3 inputs for the years ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 were immaterial.
Fixed Income Securities
Fixed income investments held by international pension plans include corporate, U.S. government and non-U.S. government securities. The values of fixed income securities classified within Level 1 are based on the closing price reported on the major market on which the investments are traded. Values of investments classified within Level 2 are based upon estimated prices from independent vendors’ pricing models and these prices are derived from market observable sources.
Equity Securities
Equity securities included in the international plan assets consist of publicly-traded U.S. and non-U.S. equity securities. The values of equity securities classified within Level 1 are based on the closing price reported on the major market on which the investments are traded. As noted above, equity securities measured at NAV in prior periods have been classified within Level 1 at September 30, 2020 as these assets have a readily determinable fair value based on published prices obtained from fund managers which represent the price at which the instruments can be redeemed at period end. The international plans holding these securities have no future funding commitments associated with these investments and has the right to redeem them upon one day’s notice, at any time and without restriction.
Other Securities
The international plans hold a portion of assets in cash and cash equivalents, in order to accommodate liquidity requirements and the values are based upon quoted market prices. Real estate investments consist of investments in funds holding an interest in real properties and the corresponding values represent the estimated fair value based on the fair value of the underlying investment value or cost, adjusted for any accumulated earnings or losses. The values of insurance contracts approximately represent cash surrender value. Other investments include fund investments for which values are based upon either quoted market prices or market observable sources.
Defined Contribution Plans
The cost of voluntary defined contribution plans which provide for a Company match or contribution was $111 million in 2020, $126 million in 2019 and $108 million in 2018.