Employee Post-Retirement Benefits

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]

Employee Post-Retirement Benefits

Note 9.  Employee Post-Retirement Benefits

HickoryTech provides post-retirement health care and life insurance benefits for eligible employees. We are currently not funding these post-retirement benefits, but have accrued these liabilities. We are required to recognize the funded status of our post-retirement benefit plans on our consolidated balance sheet and recognize as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax, the gains and losses and prior service costs or credit that arise during the period but are not recognized as components of net periodic benefit cost. New employees are not eligible for post-retirement health care and life insurance benefits.

		Three Months Ended March 31
(Dollars in thousands)		2012		2011
Components of net periodic benefit cost
Service cost	$	150	$	127
Interest cost		188		200
Expected return on plan assets		-		-
Amortization of transition obligation		15		15
Amortization of prior service cost		(19)		(14)
Recognized net actuarial loss		135		107
Net periodic benefit cost	$	469	$	435
Employer's contributions for current premiums:				March 31, 2012
Contributions made for the three months ended March 31, 2012			$	83
Expected contributions for remainder of 2012				258
Total estimated employer contributions for fiscal year 2012			$	341