RETIREMENT BENEFITS PLANS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

Retirement Benefits [Abstract]

RETIREMENT BENEFITS PLANS

RETIREMENT BENEFITS PLANS

Eaton has defined benefits pension plans and other postretirement benefits plans.

Obligations and Funded Status

	United States pension liabilities				Non-United States pension liabilities				Other postretirement liabilities
(In millions)	2021		2020		2021		2020		2021		2020
Funded status
Fair value of plan assets	$	3,672	$	3,463	$	2,247	$	2,137	$	19	$	20
Benefit obligations	(3,760)		(4,121)		(2,837)		(3,036)		(304)		(375)
Funded status	$	(88)	$	(658)	$	(590)	$	(899)	$	(285)	$	(355)
Amounts recognized in the Consolidated    Balance Sheets
Non-current assets	$	59	$	—	$	179	$	95	$	—	$	—
Current liabilities	(16)		(36)		(28)		(28)		(22)		(25)
Non-current liabilities	(131)		(622)		(741)		(966)		(263)		(330)
Total	$	(88)	$	(658)	$	(590)	$	(899)	$	(285)	$	(355)
Amounts recognized in Accumulated other    comprehensive loss (pre-tax)
Net actuarial (gain) loss	$	708	$	1,046	$	745	$	1,005	$	(55)	$	1
Prior service cost (credit)	5		5		18		21		—		(3)
Total	$	713	$	1,051	$	763	$	1,026	$	(55)	$	(2)

Change in Benefit Obligations

	United States pension liabilities				Non-United States pension liabilities				Other postretirement liabilities
(In millions)	2021		2020		2021		2020		2021		2020
Balance at January 1	$	4,121	$	4,028	$	3,036	$	2,747	$	375	$	378
Service cost	37		97		72		73		1		2
Interest cost	70		103		40		45		6		9
Actuarial (gain) loss	(82)		223		(143)		217		(59)		11
Gross benefits paid	(435)		(330)		(107)		(121)		(36)		(49)
Currency translation	—		—		(79)		137		—		2
Plan amendments	1		—		—		1		—		—
Acquisitions and divestitures	48		—		14		—		2		—
Benefit obligation reclassified to held for sale	—		—		—		(65)		—		—
Other	—		—		4		2		15		22
Balance at December 31	$	3,760	$	4,121	$	2,837	$	3,036	$	304	$	375
Accumulated benefit obligation	$	3,707	$	4,054	$	2,709	$	2,862

During 2020, the Company announced it was freezing its United States pension plans for its non-union employees. The freeze was effective January 1, 2021 for non-union U.S. employees whose retirement benefit was determined under a cash balance formula and is effective January 1, 2026 for non-union U.S. employees whose retirement benefit is determined under a final average pay formula.

Actuarial gains related to changes in the United States and Non-United States benefit obligations in 2021 of $82 million and $143 million, respectively, were primarily due to increases in the discount rates used to measure the obligations. Actuarial losses related to changes in the United States and Non-United States benefit obligations in 2020 of $223 million and $217 million, respectively, were primarily due to decreases in the discount rates used to measure the obligations, partially offset by curtailment gains related to amendments to freeze the Company's United States pension plans for its non-union employees.

Change in Plan Assets

	United States pension liabilities				Non-United States pension liabilities				Other postretirement liabilities
(In millions)	2021		2020		2021		2020		2021		2020
Balance at January 1	$	3,463	$	3,433	$	2,137	$	1,903	$	20	$	23
Actual return on plan assets	380		342		127		185		—		1
Employer contributions	237		18		106		104		20		23
Gross benefits paid	(435)		(330)		(107)		(121)		(36)		(49)
Currency translation	—		—		(23)		69		—		—
Acquisitions and divestitures	27		—		4		—		—		—
Plan assets reclassified to held for sale	—		—		—		(5)		—		—
Other	—		—		3		2		15		22
Balance at December 31	$	3,672	$	3,463	$	2,247	$	2,137	$	19	$	20

The components of pension plans with an accumulated benefit obligation in excess of plan assets at December 31 are as follows:

	United States pension liabilities				Non-United States pension liabilities
(In millions)	2021		2020		2021		2020
Accumulated benefit obligation	$	131	$	4,054	$	894	$	2,586
Fair value of plan assets	—		3,463		207		1,756

The components of pension plans with a projected benefit obligation in excess of plan assets at December 31 are as follows:

	United States pension liabilities				Non-United States pension liabilities
(In millions)	2021		2020		2021		2020
Projected benefit obligation	$	147	$	4,121	$	1,290	$	2,763
Fair value of plan assets	—		3,463		521		1,770

Other postretirement benefit plans with accumulated postretirement benefit obligations in excess of plan assets have been disclosed in the Obligations and Funded Status table.

Changes in pension and other postretirement benefit liabilities recognized in Accumulated other comprehensive loss are as follows:

	United States pension liabilities				Non-United States pension liabilities				Other postretirement liabilities
(In millions)	2021		2020		2021		2020		2021		2020
Balance at January 1	$	1,051	$	1,103	$	1,026	$	904	$	(2)	$	(25)
Prior service cost arising during the year	1		—		—		1		—		—
Net loss (gain) arising during the year	(238)		112		(151)		141		(59)		10
Currency translation	—		—		(24)		48		—		—
Other	—		—		—		2		—		—
Less amounts included in expense during the year	(101)		(164)		(88)		(70)		6		13
Net change for the year	(338)		(52)		(263)		122		(53)		23
Balance at December 31	$	713	$	1,051	$	763	$	1,026	$	(55)	$	(2)

Benefits Expense

	United States pension benefit expense (income)						Non-United States pension benefit expense (income)						Other postretirement benefits expense (income)
(In millions)	2021		2020		2019		2021		2020		2019		2021		2020		2019
Service cost	$	37	$	97	$	91	$	72	$	73	$	58	$	1	$	2	$	2
Interest cost	70		103		138		40		45		57		6		9		14
Expected return on plan assets	(223)		(231)		(235)		(120)		(109)		(106)		—		—		(2)
Amortization	36		102		62		71		60		38		(5)		(13)		(14)
	(80)		71		56		63		69		47		2		(2)		—
Settlements, curtailments and special termination benefits	65		62		48		17		10		14		(1)		—		—
Total expense (income)	$	(15)	$	133	$	104	$	80	$	79	$	61	$	1	$	(2)	$	—

Total retirement benefits expense for 2021 of $66 million included $13 million of settlement and curtailment expense related to the sale of the Hydraulics business discussed in Note 2.

Total retirement benefits expense for 2019 of $165 million included $8 million of settlement expense related to the sale of the Automotive Fluid Conveyance Business discussed in Note 2.

The components of retirement benefits expense (income) other than service costs are included in Other expense - net.

Retirement Benefits Plans Assumptions

In 2019, 2020, and 2021, for purposes of determining liabilities related to the majority of its plans in the United States, the Company used mortality tables that are based on the Company's own experience and generational improvement scales that are based on MP-2019, MP-2020, and MP-2021, respectively.

To estimate the service and interest cost components of net periodic benefit cost for the vast majority of its defined benefits pension and other postretirement benefits plans, the Company used a spot rate approach by applying the specific spot rates along the yield curve used to measure the benefit obligation at the beginning of the period to the relevant projected cash flows.

Pension Plans

	United States pension plans						Non-United States pension plans
	2021		2020		2019		2021		2020		2019
Assumptions used to determine benefit obligation at year-end
Discount rate	2.81	%	2.48	%	3.22	%	2.01	%	1.59	%	2.02	%
Rate of compensation increase	3.12	%	3.12	%	3.14	%	3.01	%	3.02	%	3.05	%
Interest rate used to credit cash balance plans	1.99	%	2.02	%	2.59	%	0.56	%	0.53	%	0.54	%
Assumptions used to determine expense
Discount rate used to determine benefit obligation	2.61	%	3.22	%	4.28	%	1.63	%	2.02	%	2.83	%
Discount rate used to determine service cost	2.92	%	3.34	%	4.39	%	2.52	%	2.78	%	4.02	%
Discount rate used to determine interest cost	1.83	%	2.75	%	3.94	%	1.36	%	1.82	%	2.56	%
Expected long-term return on plan assets	6.75	%	7.25	%	7.25	%	5.62	%	5.84	%	6.42	%
Rate of compensation increase	3.12	%	3.14	%	3.14	%	3.02	%	3.05	%	3.10	%
Interest rate used to credit cash balance plans	2.14	%	2.59	%	3.13	%	0.52	%	0.54	%	2.60	%

The expected long-term rate of return on pension assets was determined for each country and reflects long-term historical data taking into account each plan's target asset allocation. The expected long-term rates of return on pension assets for United States pension plans and Non-United States pension plans for 2022 are 6.50% and 5.70%, respectively. The discount rates were determined using appropriate bond data for each country.

Other Postretirement Benefits Plans

Substantially all of the obligation for other postretirement benefits plans relates to United States plans. Assumptions used to determine other postretirement benefits obligations and expense are as follows:

	Other postretirement benefits plans
	2021		2020		2019
Assumptions used to determine benefit obligation at year-end
Discount rate	2.79	%	2.37	%	3.13	%
Health care cost trend rate assumed for next year	7.45	%	7.05	%	6.95	%
Ultimate health care cost trend rate	4.75	%	4.75	%	4.75	%
Year ultimate health care cost trend rate is achieved	2031		2030		2029
Assumptions used to determine expense
Discount rate used to determine benefit obligation	2.44	%	3.13	%	4.23	%
Discount rate used to determine service cost	2.76	%	3.25	%	4.29	%
Discount rate used to determine interest cost	1.70	%	2.67	%	3.85	%
Initial health care cost trend rate	7.38	%	6.95	%	7.10	%
Ultimate health care cost trend rate	4.75	%	4.75	%	4.75	%
Year ultimate health care cost trend rate is achieved	2030		2029		2028

Employer Contributions to Retirement Benefits Plans

Contributions to pension plans that Eaton expects to make in 2022, and made in 2021, 2020 and 2019, are as follows:

(In millions)	Expected in 2022		2021		2020		2019
United States plans	$	17	$	237	$	18	$	17
Non-United States plans	97		106		104		102
Total contributions	$	114	$	343	$	122	$	119

The following table provides the estimated pension and other postretirement benefit payments for each of the next five years, and the five years thereafter in the aggregate. For other postretirement benefits liabilities, the expected subsidy receipts related to the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 would reduce the gross payments listed below.

	Estimated United States pension payments		Estimated non-United States pension payments		Estimated other postretirement benefit payments
(In millions)					Gross		Medicare prescription drug subsidy
2022	$	303	$	106	$	25	$	—
2023	296		107		21		—
2024	281		111		20		—
2025	276		113		18		—
2026	265		118		17		—
2027 - 2031	1,176		642		94		(1)

Pension Plan Assets

Investment policies and strategies are developed on a country and plan specific basis. The United States plans, representing 62% of worldwide pension assets, and the United Kingdom plans representing 29% of worldwide pension assets, are invested primarily for growth, as the majority of the assets are in plans with active participants and ongoing accruals. In general, the plans are primarily allocated to diversified global equities, primarily through index funds in the form of common collective and other trusts. The United States plans' target allocation is 19% United States equities, 19% non-United States equities, 6% real estate (primarily equity of real estate investment trusts), 47% debt securities and 9% other, including private equity, private debt and cash equivalents. The United Kingdom plans' target asset allocations are 44% equities and the remainder in debt securities, cash equivalents and real estate investments. The equity risk for the plans is managed through broad geographic diversification and diversification across industries and levels of market capitalization. The majority of debt allocations for these plans are longer duration government and corporate debt. The United States, United Kingdom and Canada pension plans are authorized to use derivatives to achieve more economically desired market exposures through the use of futures, swaps and options to gain or hedge exposures.

Fair Value Measurements

Financial instruments included in pension and other postretirement benefits plan assets are categorized into a fair value hierarchy of three levels, based on the degree of subjectivity inherent in the valuation methodology are as follows:

Level 1 -Quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets in active markets.

Level 2 -Quoted prices for similar assets in active markets, and inputs that are observable for the asset, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the financial instrument.

Level 3 -Unobservable prices or inputs.

Certain investments that are measured at fair value using the net asset value per share practical expedient have not been categorized in the fair value hierarchy and are being presented in the tables to permit a reconciliation to total plan assets.

Pension Plans

A summary of the fair value of pension plan assets at December 31, 2021 and 2020, is as follows:

(In millions)	Total		Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1)		Other observable inputs (Level 2)		Unobservable inputs (Level 3)1
2021
Common collective trusts
Non-United States equity and global equities	$	586	$	—	$	586	$	—
United States equity	240		—		240		—
Fixed income	624		—		624		—
Fixed income securities	1,074		—		1,074		—
United States treasuries	417		417		—		—
Bank loans	117		—		117		—
Real estate	471		237		18		216
Equity securities	2		2		—		—
Cash equivalents	150		28		122		—
Exchange traded funds	122		122		—		—
Other	365		—		46		319
Common collective and other trusts measured at net asset value	1,841
Money market funds measured at net asset value	9
Pending purchases and sales of plan assets, and interest     receivable	(99)
Total pension plan assets	$	5,919	$	806	$	2,827	$	535

1 These pension plan assets include private real estate, private credit and private equity funds that generally have redemption notice periods of six months or longer, and are not eligible for redemption until the underlying assets are liquidated or distributed. The Company has unfunded commitments to these funds of approximately $192 million at December 31, 2021, which will be satisfied by a reallocation of pension plan assets.

(In millions)	Total		Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1)		Other observable inputs (Level 2)		Unobservable inputs (Level 3)1
2020
Common collective trusts
Non-United States equity and global equities	$	610	$	—	$	610	$	—
United States equity	73		—		73		—
Fixed income	681		—		681		—
Fixed income securities	1,021		—		1,021		—
United States treasuries	316		316		—		—
Bank loans	110		—		110		—
Real estate	419		221		14		184
Cash equivalents	184		71		113		—
Exchange traded funds	88		88		—		—
Other	213		—		39		174
Common collective and other trusts measured at net asset value	1,987
Money market funds measured at net asset value	6
Pending purchases and sales of plan assets, and interest     receivable	(108)
Total pension plan assets	$	5,600	$	696	$	2,661	$	358

1 These pension plan assets include private real estate, private credit and private equity funds that generally have redemption notice periods of six months or longer, and are not eligible for redemption until the underlying assets are liquidated or distributed. The Company has unfunded commitments to these funds of approximately $254 million at December 31, 2020, which will be satisfied by a reallocation of pension plan assets.

The fair value measurement of plan assets using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) changed during 2020 and 2021 due to the following:

(In millions)	Real estate		Other		Total
Balance at January 1, 2020	$	61	$	129	$	190
Actual return on plan assets:
Gains (losses) relating to assets still held at year-end	2		12		14
Purchases, sales, settlements - net	121		33		154
Transfers into or out of Level 3	—		—		—
Balance at December 31, 2020	184		174		358
Actual return on plan assets:
Gains (losses) relating to assets still held at year-end	28		61		89
Purchases, sales, settlements - net	4		79		83
Transfers into or out of Level 3	—		5		5
Balance at December 31, 2021	$	216	$	319	$	535

Other Postretirement Benefits Plans

A summary of the fair value of other postretirement benefits plan assets at December 31, 2021 and 2020, is as follows:

(In millions)	Total		Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1)		Other observable inputs (Level 2)		Unobservable inputs (Level 3)
2021
Cash equivalents	$	3	$	3	$	—	$	—
Common collective and other trusts measured at net asset value	16
Total other postretirement benefits plan assets	$	19	$	3	$	—	$	—

(In millions)	Total		Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1)		Other observable inputs (Level 2)		Unobservable inputs (Level 3)
2020
Cash equivalents	$	3	$	3	$	—	$	—
Common collective and other trusts measured at net asset value	17
Total other postretirement benefits plan assets	$	20	$	3	$	—	$	—

Valuation Methodologies

Following is a description of the valuation methodologies used for pension and other postretirement benefits plan assets measured at fair value. There have been no changes in the methodologies used at December 31, 2021 and 2020.

Common collective and other trusts - Valued at the net unit value of units held by the trust at year end. The unit value is determined by the total value of fund assets divided by the total number of units of the fund owned. The equity investments in collective trusts are predominantly in index funds for which the underlying securities are actively traded in public markets based upon readily measurable prices. The investments in other trusts are predominantly in exchange traded funds for which the underlying securities are actively traded in public markets based upon readily measurable prices. Common collective and other trusts measured at fair value using the net asset value per share practical expedient have not been categorized in the fair value hierarchy and are being presented in the tables above to permit a reconciliation of the fair value hierarchy to the total plan assets.

Fixed income securities - These securities consist of publicly traded United States and non-United States fixed interest obligations (principally corporate and government bonds and debentures). The fair value of corporate and government debt securities is determined through third-party pricing models that consider various assumptions, including time value, yield curves, credit ratings, and current market prices. The Company verifies the results of trustees or custodians and evaluates the pricing classification of these securities by performing analyses using other third-party sources.

Equity securities - These securities consist of comingled funds and direct investments consisting of the stock of publicly traded companies. Such investments are valued based on the closing price reported in an active market on which the individual securities are traded.

United States treasuries - Valued at the closing price of each security.

Bank loans - These securities consist of senior secured term loans of publicly traded and privately held United States and non-United States floating rate obligations (principally corporations of non-investment grade rating). The fair value is determined through third-party pricing models that primarily utilize dealer quoted current market prices. The Company verifies the results of trustees or custodians and evaluates the pricing classification of these securities by performing analyses using other third-party sources.

Real estate - Consists of direct investments in the stock of publicly traded companies and investments in pooled funds that invest directly in real estate. The publicly traded companies are valued based on the closing price reported in an active market on which the individual securities are traded and as such are classified as Level 1. The pooled funds rely on appraisal-based valuations and as such are classified as Level 3.

Cash equivalents - Primarily certificates of deposit, commercial paper, and repurchase agreements.

Exchange traded funds - Valued at the closing price of the exchange traded fund's shares.

Money market funds - Money market funds measured at fair value using the net asset value per share practical expedient have not been categorized in the fair value hierarchy and are being presented in the tables above to permit a reconciliation of the fair value hierarchy to the total plan assets.

Other - These assets consist of private equity, private debt, insurance contracts primarily for international plans, futures contracts, and over-the-counter options. Investments in private equity and private debt are valued at net asset value or estimated fair value based on quarterly financial information received from the investment advisor, third party appraisal or general partner. These estimates incorporate factors such as contributions and distributions, market transactions, market comparables and performance multiples. Futures contracts and options are valued based on the closing prices of contracts or indices as available using third-party sources.

For additional information regarding fair value measurements, see Note 14.

Defined Contribution Plans

The Company has various defined contribution benefit plans, primarily consisting of the plans in the United States. The total contributions related to these plans are charged to expense and are as follows:

(In millions)
2021	$	171
2020	111
2019	130