Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2022

Retirement Benefits [Abstract]

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]

11. Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits

Pension and Postretirement Health Care Benefits

Xcel Energy has several noncontributory, qualified, defined benefit pension plans that cover almost all employees. All newly hired or rehired employees participate under the Cash Balance formula, which is based on pay credits using a percentage of annual eligible pay and annual interest credits.

The average annual interest crediting rates for these plans was 4.89, 2.03 and 1.89% in 2022, 2021, and 2020, respectively.

Some employees may participate under legacy formulas such as the traditional final average pay or pension equity. Xcel Energy’s policy is to fully fund into an external trust the actuarially determined pension costs subject to the limitations of applicable employee benefit and tax laws.

In addition to the qualified pension plans, Xcel Energy maintains a SERP and a nonqualified pension plan. The SERP is maintained for certain executives who participated in the plan in 2008, when the SERP was closed to new participants.

The nonqualified pension plan provides benefits for compensation that is in excess of the limits applicable to the qualified pension plans, with distributions funded by Xcel Energy’s consolidated operating cash flows.

Obligations of the SERP and nonqualified plan as of Dec. 31, 2022 and 2021 were $11 million and $43 million, respectively. Xcel Energy recognized net benefit cost for the SERP and nonqualified plans of $17 million in 2022 and $4 million in 2021.

Xcel Energy’s investment-return assumption considers the expected long-term performance for each of the asset classes in its pension and postretirement health care portfolio. Xcel Energy considers the historical returns achieved by its asset portfolios over long time periods, as well as the long-term projected return levels from investment experts.

Pension cost determination assumes a forecasted mix of investment types over the long-term.

•Investment returns in 2022 were below the assumed level of 6.49%.

•Investment returns in 2021 were above the assumed level of 6.49%.

•Investment returns in 2020 were above the assumed level of 6.87%.

•In 2023, expected investment-return assumption is 6.93%.

Pension plan and postretirement benefit assets are invested in a portfolio according to Xcel Energy’s return, liquidity and diversification objectives to provide a source of funding for plan obligations and minimize contributions to the plan, within appropriate levels of risk.

The principal mechanism for achieving these objectives is the asset allocation given the long-term risk, return, correlation and liquidity characteristics of each particular asset class.

There were no significant concentrations of risk in any industry, index, or entity. Market volatility can impact even well-diversified portfolios and significantly affect the return levels achieved by the assets in any year.

State agencies also have issued guidelines to the funding of postretirement benefit costs. SPS is required to fund postretirement benefit costs for Texas and New Mexico amounts collected in rates. PSCo is required to fund postretirement benefit costs in irrevocable external trusts that are dedicated to the payment of these postretirement benefits. These assets are invested in a manner consistent with the investment strategy for the pension plan.

Xcel Energy’s ongoing investment strategy is based on plan-specific investment recommendations that seek to minimize potential investment and interest rate risk as a plan’s funded status increases over time.

The investment recommendations consider many factors and generally result in a greater percentage of long-duration fixed income securities being allocated to specific plans having relatively higher funded status ratios and a greater percentage of growth assets being allocated to plans having relatively lower funded status ratios.

Plan Assets

For each of the fair value hierarchy levels, Xcel Energy’s pension plan assets measured at fair value:

	Dec. 31, 2022 (a)										Dec. 31, 2021 (a)
(Millions of Dollars)	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Measured at NAV		Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Measured at NAV		Total
Cash equivalents	$	129	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	129	$	133	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	133
Commingled funds	935		—		—		882		1,817		1,324		—		—		1,143		2,467
Debt securities	—		682		3		—		685		—		959		5		—		964
Equity securities	47		—		—		—		47		67		—		—		—		67
Other	—		7		—		—		7		—		7		—		32		39
Total	$	1,111	$	689	$	3	$	882	$	2,685	$	1,524	$	966	$	5	$	1,175	$	3,670

(a)See Note 10 for further information regarding fair value measurement inputs and methods.

For each of the fair value hierarchy levels, Xcel Energy’s postretirement benefit plan assets that were measured at fair value:

	Dec. 31, 2022 (a)										Dec. 31, 2021 (a)
(Millions of Dollars)	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Measured at NAV		Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Measured at NAV		Total
Cash equivalents	$	31	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	31	$	28	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	28
Insurance contracts	—		41		—		—		41		—		52		—		—		52
Commingled funds	54		—		—		63		117		64		—		—		77		141
Debt securities	—		175		1		—		176		—		218		1		—		219
Other	—		(1)		—		—		(1)		—		2		—		—		2
Total	$	85	$	215	$	1	$	63	$	364	$	92	$	272	$	1	$	77	$	442

(a)See Note 10 for further information on fair value measurement inputs and methods.

Immaterial assets were transferred in or out of Level 3 for 2022. No assets were transferred in or out of Level 3 for 2021.

Funded Status — Benefit obligations for both pension and postretirement plans decreased from Dec. 31, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2022, due primarily to benefit payments and increases in discount rates used in actuarial valuations. Comparisons of the actuarially computed benefit obligation, changes in plan assets and funded status of the pension and postretirement health care plans for Xcel Energy are as follows:

	Pension Benefits				Postretirement Benefits
(Millions of Dollars)	2022		2021		2022		2021
Change in Benefit Obligation:
Obligation at Jan. 1	$	3,718	$	3,964	$	511	$	574
Service cost	97		104		2		2
Interest cost	110		104		15		15
Plan amendments	1		5		—		—
Actuarial gain	(703)		(94)		(85)		(41)
Plan participants’ contributions	—		—		8		8
Medicare subsidy reimbursements	—		—		2		2
Benefit payments (a)	(352)		(365)		(48)		(49)
Obligation at Dec. 31	$	2,871	$	3,718	$	405	$	511
Change in Fair Value of Plan Assets:
Fair value of plan assets at Jan. 1	$	3,670	$	3,599	$	442	$	452
Actual return on plan assets	(683)		305		(51)		16
Employer contributions	50		131		13		15
Plan participants’ contributions	—		—		8		8
Benefit payments	(352)		(365)		(48)		(49)
Fair value of plan assets at Dec. 31	$	2,685	$	3,670	$	364	$	442
Funded status of plans at Dec. 31	$	(186)	$	(48)	$	(41)	$	(69)
Amounts recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheet at Dec. 31:
Noncurrent assets	$	15	$	19	$	33	$	33
Current liabilities	—		—		(2)		(4)
Noncurrent liabilities	(201)		(67)		(72)		(98)
Net amounts recognized	$	(186)	$	(48)	$	(41)	$	(69)

(a)Includes approximately $195 million in 2022 and $197 million in 2021 of lump-sum benefit payments used in the determination of a settlement charge.

	Pension Benefits				Postretirement Benefits
Significant Assumptions Used to Measure Benefit Obligations:	2022		2021		2022		2021
Discount rate for year-end valuation	5.80	%	3.08	%	5.80	%	3.09	%
Expected average long-term increase in compensation level	4.25		3.75		N/A		N/A
Mortality table	PRI-2012		PRI-2012		PRI-2012		PRI-2012
Health care costs trend rate — initial: Pre-65	N/A		N/A		6.50	%	5.30	%
Health care costs trend rate — initial: Post-65	N/A		N/A		5.50	%	4.90	%
Ultimate trend assumption — initial: Pre-65	N/A		N/A		4.50	%	4.50	%
Ultimate trend assumption — initial: Post-65	N/A		N/A		4.50	%	4.50	%
Years until ultimate trend is reached	N/A		N/A		7		4

Accumulated benefit obligation for the pension plan was $2,672 million and $3,469 million as of Dec. 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Credit) — Net periodic benefit cost (credit), other than the service cost component, is included in other income (expense) in the consolidated statements of income.

Components of net periodic benefit cost (credit) and amounts recognized in other comprehensive income and regulatory assets and liabilities:

	Pension Benefits									Postretirement Benefits
(Millions of Dollars)	2022			2021			2020			2022			2021			2020
Service cost	$	97		$	104		$	95		$	2		$	2		$	1
Interest cost	110			104			125			15			15			18
Expected return on plan assets	(208)			(206)			(208)			(18)			(18)			(19)
Amortization of prior service credit	(1)			(1)			(4)			(6)			(8)			(8)
Amortization of net loss	75			107			100			2			5			4
Settlement charge (a)	71			59			—			—			—			—
Net periodic pension cost (credit)	144			167			108			(5)			(4)			(4)
Effects of regulation	(30)			(46)			9			3			2			3
Net benefit cost (credit) recognized for financial reporting	$	114		$	121		$	117		$	(2)		$	(2)		$	(1)
Significant Assumptions Used to Measure Costs:
Discount rate	3.08		%	2.71		%	3.49		%	3.09		%	2.65		%	3.47		%
Expected average long-term increase in compensation level	3.75			3.75			3.75			—			—			—
Expected average long-term rate of return on assets	6.49			6.49			6.87			4.10			4.10			4.50

(a)A settlement charge is required when the amount of all lump-sum distributions during the year is greater than the sum of the service and interest cost components of the annual net periodic pension cost. In 2022 and 2021, as a result of lump-sum distributions during each plan year, Xcel Energy recorded a total pension settlement charge of $71 million and $59 million, respectively, the majority of which was not recognized due to the effects of regulation. A total of $9 million and $7 million was recorded in the consolidated statements of income in 2022 and 2021, respectively. There were no settlement charges recorded for the qualified pension plans in 2020.

	Pension Benefits				Postretirement Benefits
(Millions of Dollars)	2022		2021		2022		2021
Amounts Not Yet Recognized as Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost:
Net loss	$	1,021	$	978	$	63	$	81
Prior service credit	(7)		(9)		(1)		(7)
Total	$	1,014	$	969	$	62	$	74
Amounts Not Yet Recognized as Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost Have Been Recorded as Follows Based Upon Expected Recovery in Rates:
Current regulatory assets	$	21	$	74	$	—	$	—
Noncurrent regulatory assets	943		846		78		90
Current regulatory liabilities	—		—		(1)		(1)
Noncurrent regulatory liabilities	—		—		(20)		(19)
Deferred income taxes	14		13		1		1
Net-of-tax accumulated other comprehensive income	36		36		4		3
Total	$	1,014	$	969	$	62	$	74

Measurement date Dec. 31, 2022 Dec. 31, 2021 Dec. 31, 2022 Dec. 31, 2021

Cash Flows — Funding requirements can be impacted by changes to actuarial assumptions, actual asset levels and other calculations prescribed by the requirements of income tax and other pension-related regulations. Required contributions were made in 2020 - 2023 to meet minimum funding requirements.

Voluntary and required pension funding contributions:

•$50 million in January 2023.

•$50 million in 2022.

•$131 million in 2021.

•$150 million in 2020.

The postretirement health care plans have no funding requirements other than fulfilling benefit payment obligations when claims are presented and approved. Additional cash funding requirements are prescribed by certain state and federal rate regulatory authorities.

Voluntary postretirement funding contributions:

•$12 million expected during 2023.

•$13 million during 2022.

•$15 million during 2021.

•$11 million during 2020.

Targeted asset allocations:

	Pension Benefits				Postretirement Benefits
	2022		2021		2022		2021
Domestic and international equity securities	33	%	33	%	16	%	15	%
Long-duration fixed income securities	38		37		—		—
Short-to-intermediate fixed income securities	9		11		71		71
Alternative investments	18		17		12		8
Cash	2		2		1		6
Total	100	%	100	%	100	%	100	%

The asset allocations above reflect target allocations approved in the calendar year to take effect in the subsequent year.

Plan Amendments — There were no significant plan amendments made in 2022 or 2020 which affected the postretirement benefit obligation.

In 2021, Xcel Energy amended the Xcel Energy Pension Plan and Xcel Energy Inc. Nonbargaining Pension Plan (South) to reduce supplemental benefits for non-bargaining participants as well as to allow the transfer of a portion of non-qualified pension obligations into the qualified plans.

Projected Benefit Payments

Xcel Energy’s projected benefit payments:

(Millions of  Dollars)	Projected Pension Benefit Payments		Gross Projected Postretirement Health Care Benefit Payments		Expected Medicare Part D Subsidies		Net Projected Postretirement Health Care Benefit Payments
2023	$	283	$	42	$	2	$	40
2024	249		41		2		39
2025	249		40		2		38
2026	246		39		2		37
2027	243		37		2		35
2028 - 2032	1,162		167		12		155

Defined Contribution Plans

Xcel Energy maintains 401(k) and other defined contribution plans that cover most employees. Total expense to these plans was approximately $46 million in 2022, $43 million in 2021 and $42 million in 2020.

Multiemployer Plans

NSP-Minnesota and NSP-Wisconsin each contribute to several union multiemployer pension and other postretirement benefit plans, none of which are individually significant. These plans provide pension and postretirement health care benefits to certain union employees who may perform services for multiple employers and do not participate in the NSP-Minnesota and NSP-Wisconsin sponsored pension and postretirement health care plans.

Contributing to these types of plans creates risk that differs from providing benefits under NSP-Minnesota and NSP-Wisconsin sponsored plans, in that if another participating employer ceases to contribute to a multiemployer plan, additional unfunded obligations may need to be funded over time by remaining participating employers.