Background and Basis of Presentation (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

On January 1, 2018, Altria Group, Inc. adopted the following Accounting Standards Updates (“ASU”):


▪	ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) and all related ASU amendments (collectively “ASU No. 2014-09”);


▪	ASU No. 2016-01, Financial Instruments-Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities and the related ASU amendment (collectively “ASU No. 2016-01”);


▪	ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments (“ASU No. 2016-15”);


▪	ASU No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash (“ASU No. 2016-18”); and


▪	ASU No. 2017-07, Compensation-Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost (“ASU No. 2017-07”).

Certain prior-period amounts have been reclassified to conform with the current period’s presentation due to Altria Group, Inc.’s adoptions of ASU No. 2016-18 and ASU No. 2017-07.

ASU No. 2014-09 establishes principles for reporting information about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from an entity’s contracts with customers. Altria Group, Inc. has elected to apply the guidance using the modified retrospective transition method. For further discussion, see Note 2. Revenues from Contracts with Customers.

ASU No. 2016-01 addresses certain aspects of the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of financial instruments. The adoption of ASU No. 2016-01 did not impact Altria Group, Inc.’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

ASU No. 2016-15 addresses how eight specific cash flow issues are to be presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The adoption of ASU 2016-15 did not impact Altria Group, Inc.’s condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. In addition, Altria Group, Inc. made an accounting policy election to continue to classify distributions received from equity method investees using the nature of distribution approach.

ASU No. 2016-18, which was retrospectively adopted, requires that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents and amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents. As a result of the adoption, restricted cash of $98 million, $92 million, $61 million and $82 million at March 31, 2018, March 31, 2017, December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively, was included in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash on the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows.

ASU No. 2017-07 requires an employer to report the service cost component of net periodic pension cost and net periodic postretirement benefit cost in the same line item or items as other compensation costs arising from services rendered by employees during the period. The other components of net periodic pension cost and net periodic postretirement benefit cost are required to be presented in the statement of earnings separately from the service cost component and outside the subtotal of operating income. Additionally, only the service cost component is eligible for capitalization. Altria Group, Inc. retrospectively adopted the guidance for the presentation of the service cost component and the other components of net periodic pension cost and net periodic postretirement benefit cost in the statement of earnings, and prospectively adopted the capitalization of service cost. Altria Group, Inc. used the practical expedient provided in ASU No. 2017-07 that permits Altria Group, Inc. to use the amounts disclosed in its benefit plans note for the prior comparative periods as the estimation basis for applying the retrospective presentation requirements. For the three months ended March 31, 2017, the adoption of ASU No. 2017-07 resulted in a reclassification of net periodic benefit income of $3 million and $5 million from cost of sales and marketing, administration and research costs, respectively, to net periodic benefit income, excluding service cost in Altria Group, Inc.’s condensed consolidated statement of earnings. In addition, certain prior-period segment data has been reclassified to conform with the current period’s presentation. For further discussion, see Note 7. Segment Reporting.

The following table provides a description of the recently issued accounting guidance applicable to, but not yet adopted by, Altria Group, Inc.:



Standards	Description	Effective Date for Public Entity	Effect on Financial Statements
ASU Nos. 2016-02; 2018-01 Leases (Topic 842)	The guidance increases transparency and comparability among organizations by requiring entities to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and disclose key information about leasing arrangements.	The guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is permitted.	Altria Group, Inc. is in the process of evaluating the impact of this guidance on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures, including identifying and analyzing all contracts that contain a lease. As a lessor, PMCC maintains a portfolio of finance assets, substantially all of which are leveraged leases, the accounting of which will be unchanged under the new guidance and is not expected to change unless there is a contract modification to an existing lease. As a lessee, Altria Group, Inc.’s various leases under existing guidance are classified as operating leases that are not recorded on its consolidated balance sheets but are recorded in its consolidated statements of earnings as expense is incurred. Upon adoption of the new guidance, Altria Group, Inc. will record substantially all leases on its balance sheets as a right-of-use asset and a lease liability. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on Altria Group, Inc.’s consolidated financial statements. The guidance will result in expanded footnote disclosures.
ASU No. 2016-13 Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (Topic 326)	The guidance replaces the current incurred loss impairment methodology for recognizing credit losses for financial assets with a methodology that reflects the entity’s current estimate of all expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information for estimating credit losses.	The guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is permitted only as of annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within that reporting period.	Altria Group, Inc. is in the process of evaluating the impact of this guidance on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. Altria Group, Inc.’s financial assets that are within the scope of the new guidance were approximately 2% of Altria Group, Inc.’s total assets at March 31, 2018.
ASU No. 2018-02 Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Topic 220)	The guidance allows an entity to elect to reclassify the income tax effects of the Tax Reform Act on items within accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings.	The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted in any interim period for which financial statements have not yet been issued.	Altria Group, Inc. is in the process of evaluating the impact of this guidance on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.