Employee Benefit Plans

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2021

Retirement Benefits [Abstract]

Employee Benefit Plans

12. Employee Benefit Plans

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans

Certain subsidiaries of MetLife, Inc. sponsor a U.S. qualified and various U.S. and non-U.S. nonqualified defined benefit pension plans covering employees who meet specified eligibility requirements. These subsidiaries also provide certain postemployment benefits and certain postretirement medical and life insurance benefits for U.S. and non-U.S. retired employees.

The components of net periodic benefit costs, reported in other expenses, were as follows:

	Three Months Ended September 30,
	2021				2020
	Pension Benefits		Other Postretirement Benefits		Pension Benefits		Other Postretirement Benefits
	(In millions)
Service costs	$	58	$	2	$	62	$	2
Interest costs	89		9		89		10
Expected return on plan assets	(124)		(14)		(132)		(15)
Amortization of net actuarial (gains) losses	38		(6)		45		(19)
Amortization of prior service costs (credit)	(6)		—		(4)		(1)
Net periodic benefit costs (credit)	$	55	$	(9)	$	60	$	(23)
	Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2021				2020
	Pension Benefits		Other Postretirement Benefits		Pension Benefits		Other Postretirement Benefits
	(In millions)
Service costs	$	177	$	4	$	185	$	4
Interest costs	250		27		267		31
Curtailment (gains) losses (1)	(17)		—		—		—
Expected return on plan assets	(381)		(42)		(396)		(46)
Amortization of net actuarial (gains) losses	115		(33)		134		(56)
Amortization of prior service costs (credit)	(11)		—		(12)		(2)
Net periodic benefit costs (credit)	$	133	$	(44)	$	178	$	(69)

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(1)See Note 3 for information on the Company’s business dispositions.