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Benefit Plans
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]  
Benefit Plans Benefit Plans:
Components of Net Periodic Benefit (Income) Cost

Net periodic benefit (income) cost consisted of the following: 
 For the Nine Months Ended September 30,For the Three Months Ended September 30,
PensionPostretirementPensionPostretirement
 20202019202020192020201920202019
 (in millions)
Service cost$55 $52 $13 $12 $18 $17 $5 $4 
Interest cost188 229 44 57 62 77 14 17 
Expected return on plan assets
(376)(431)(11)(11)(125)(143)(4)(4)
Amortization:
Net loss108 119 7 3 55 39 — (3)
Prior service cost (credit)
4 4 (22)(22)2 1 (7)(8)
Curtailment— 7 — 5 — — — — 
Net periodic benefit
(income) cost
$(21)$(20)$31 $44 $12 $(9)$8 $6 

Curtailment costs shown in the table above were related to the cost reduction program announced in December 2018, which was completed in 2019.

Employer Contributions

Altria makes contributions to the pension plans to the extent that the contributions are tax deductible and pays benefits that relate to plans for salaried employees that cannot be funded under Internal Revenue Service regulations. Altria made employer contributions of $16 million to its pension plans during the nine months ended September 30, 2020. Currently, Altria anticipates making additional employer contributions to its pension plans during the remainder of 2020 of up to approximately $20 million based on current tax law. Altria did not make any employer contributions to its postretirement plans during the nine months ended September 30, 2020. Currently, Altria anticipates making employer contributions to its postretirement plans of up to approximately $60 million in 2020. However, these estimates may be subject to change as a result of changes in tax and other benefit laws, as well as asset performance significantly above or below the assumed long-term rate of return on assets, changes in interest rates or other considerations.