Employee Benefit Plans

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

Compensation And Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]

Employee Benefit Plans

NOTE 13: EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS

Retirement Savings Plan

The TripAdvisor Retirement Savings Plan (the “401(k) Plan”), qualifies under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code. The 401(k) Plan allows participating employees, most of our U.S. employees, to make contributions of a specified percentage of their eligible compensation. Participating employees may contribute up to 50% of their eligible salary on a pre-tax basis, but not more than statutory limits. Employee-participants age 50 and over may also contribute an additional amount of their salary on a pre-tax tax basis up to the IRS Catch-Up Provision Limit. Employees may also contribute into the 401(k) Plan on an after-tax basis up to an annual maximum of 10%. The 401(k) Plan has an automatic enrollment feature at 3% pre-tax. We match 50% of the first 6% of employee contributions to the plan for a maximum employer contribution of 3% of a participant’s eligible earnings. The “catch up contributions”, are not eligible for employer matching contributions. The matching contributions portion of an employee’s account, vests after two years of service. Effective June 8, 2012 the 401(k) Plan permits certain after-tax Roth 401(k) contributions. Additionally, at the end of the 401 (k) Plan year, we make a discretionary matching contribution to eligible participants. This additional discretionary matching employer contribution referred to as “true up” is limited to match only contributions up to 3% of eligible compensation.

We also have various defined contribution plans for our international employees. Our contribution to the 401(k) Plan and our international defined contribution plans was $5 million, $5 million, and $3 million for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

TripAdvisor, Inc. Deferred Compensation Plan for Non-Employee Directors

On December 20, 2011, the TripAdvisor, Inc. Deferred Compensation Plan for Non-Employee Directors (the “Plan”) became effective. Under the Plan, eligible directors who defer their directors’ fees may elect to have such deferred fees (i) applied to the purchase of share units, representing the number of shares of our common stock that could have been purchased on the date such fees would otherwise be payable, or (ii) credited to a cash fund. The cash fund will be credited with interest at an annual rate equal to the weighted average prime or base lending rate of a financial institution selected in accordance with the terms of the Plan and applicable law. Upon termination of service as a director of TripAdvisor, a director will receive (i) with respect to share units, such number of shares of our common stock as the share units represent, and (ii) with respect to the cash fund, a cash payment. Payments upon termination will be made in either one lump sum or up to five annual installments, as elected by the eligible director at the time of the deferral election.

Under the 2011 Incentive Plan, 100,000 shares of TripAdvisor common stock are available for issuance to non-employee directors. From the inception of the Plan through December 31, 2014, a total of 557 shares have been reserved for such purpose.