Employee Benefit Plans

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]

Employee Benefit Plans

12. Employee Benefit Plans

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans

Certain subsidiaries of MetLife, Inc. (the “Subsidiaries”) sponsor and/or administer various U.S. qualified and non-qualified defined benefit pension plans and other postretirement employee benefit plans covering employees and sales representatives who meet specified eligibility requirements. The Subsidiaries also provide certain postemployment benefits and certain postretirement medical and life insurance benefits for retired employees.

The components of net periodic benefit costs were as follows:

	Three Months   Ended   September 30,
	2014											2013
	Pension Benefits						Other Postretirement Benefits					Pension Benefits						Other Postretirement Benefits
	U.S. Plans			Non-U.S. Plans			U.S. Plans			Non-U.S. Plans		U.S. Plans			Non-U.S. Plans			U.S. Plans			Non-U.S. Plans
	(In millions)
Service costs	$	50		$	17		$	3		$	—	$	59		$	16		$	5		$	—
Interest costs	109			3			23			1		98			4			23			1
Settlement and curtailment costs	14			—			—			—		—			—			—			—
Expected return on plan assets	(119		)	(2		)	(19		)	—		(121		)	(2		)	(18		)	(1		)
Amortization of net actuarial (gains) losses	42			—			3			—		57			—			14			—
Amortization of prior service costs (credit)	—			—			—			—		2			—			(19		)	—
Net periodic benefit costs	$	96		$	18		$	10		$	1	$	95		$	18		$	5		$	—

	Nine Months   Ended   September 30,
	2014												2013
	Pension Benefits						Other Postretirement Benefits						Pension Benefits						Other Postretirement Benefits
	U.S. Plans			Non-U.S. Plans			U.S. Plans			Non-U.S. Plans			U.S. Plans			Non-U.S. Plans			U.S. Plans			Non-U.S. Plans
	(In millions)
Service costs	$	150		$	51		$	10		$	1		$	177		$	50		$	15		$	1
Interest costs	327			10			69			2			292			11			69			2
Settlement and curtailment costs	14			—			—			—			—			—			—			—
Expected return on plan assets	(356		)	(6		)	(56		)	(1		)	(363		)	(5		)	(56		)	(1		)
Amortization of net actuarial (gains) losses	127			—			9			—			171			—			41			—
Amortization of prior service costs (credit)	1			—			(1		)	—			5			—			(56		)	—
Net periodic benefit costs	$	263		$	55		$	31		$	2		$	282		$	56		$	13		$	2

As disclosed in Note 18 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in the 2013 Annual Report, no contributions are required to be made to the Subsidiaries’ U.S. qualified pension plans during 2014; however, during the nine months ended September 30, 2014, $303 million of discretionary contributions were made by the Subsidiaries to those plans.