Note 13 - Retirement, Savings and Deferred Compensation Plans

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Notes to Financial Statements

Retirement Benefits [Text Block]

13. RETIREMENT, SAVINGS AND DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLANS

The Company maintains the Bel Fuse Inc. Employees’ Savings Plan, a defined contribution plan that is intended to meet the applicable requirements for tax-qualification under sections 401(a) and (k) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.The expense for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 amounted to $0.3 million for each period. The expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 amounted to $1.0 million during each period. The Company’s matching contribution is made in the form of Bel Fuse Inc. Class A common stock. As of September 30, 2023, the plan owned 302,074and 69,485 shares of Bel Fuse Inc. Class A and Class B common stock, respectively.  

The Company also maintains a Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan (the "DCP").  With certain exceptions, the Company's contributions to the DCP are discretionary and become fully vested by the participants upon reaching age 65.  The expense amounted to less than $0.1 million during each of the three month periods ended  September 30, 2023 and 2022 and amounted to $0.1 million during each of the nine month periods ended September 30, 2023 and 2022. As the plan is fully funded, the assets and liabilities related to the DCP were in equal amounts of $0.8 million at September 30, 2023 and $0.7 million at December 31, 2022.  These amounts are included in other assets and other liabilities, respectively, on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets as of each date.   

The Company's subsidiaries in Asia have a retirement fund covering substantially all of their Hong Kong based full-time employees.  The expense for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 amounted to $0.3 million and $0.4 million, respectively.  The expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 amounted to $1.2 million and $1.3 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, the plan owned 3,323 and 17,342 shares of Bel Fuse Inc. Class A and Class B common stock, respectively. During the second quarter of 2022, the Company repurchased all shares back from the Asia retirement plan and no shares were owned by the plan as of September 30, 2023 or December 31, 2022.

The Company maintains a SERP, which is designed to provide a limited group of key management and other key employees of the Company with supplemental retirement and death benefits.  As discussed in Note 6 above, the Company has investments in a rabbi trust which are intended to fund the obligations of the SERP.

The components of SERP expense are as follows:

	Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
	September 30,				September 30,
	2023		2022		2023		2022
Service cost	$	92	$	126	$	277	$	377
Interest cost		221		159		664		477
Net amortization		18		78		53		234
Net periodic benefit cost	$	331	$	363	$	994	$	1,088

The service cost component of net benefit cost is presented within cost of sales, research and development costs or selling, general and administrative expense on the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations, in accordance with where compensation cost for the related associate is reported.  All other components of net benefit cost, including interest cost and net amortization noted above, are presented within other expense, net in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations.

The following amounts are recognized net of tax in accumulated other comprehensive loss:

	September 30,			December 31,
	2023			2022
Prior service cost	$	242		$	334
Net loss		(2,177	)		(2,216	)
	$	(1,935	)	$	(1,882	)