Taxes

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2022

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Taxes

Taxes

Income Taxes	Year ended December 31
	2022		2021		2020
Income tax expense (benefit)
U.S. federal
Current	$	1,723	$	174	$	(182)
Deferred	2,240		1,004		(1,315)
State and local
Current	482		222		65
Deferred	39		202		(152)
Total United States	4,484		1,602		(1,584)
International
Current	9,738		4,854		1,833
Deferred	(156)		(506)		(2,141)
Total International	9,582		4,348		(308)
Total income tax expense (benefit)	$	14,066	$	5,950	$	(1,892)

The reconciliation between the U.S. statutory federal income tax rate and the company’s effective income tax rate is detailed in the following table:

	2022			2021			2020
Income (loss) before income taxes
United States	$	21,005		$	9,674		$	(5,700)
International	28,669			11,965			(1,753)
Total income (loss) before income taxes	49,674			21,639			(7,453)
Theoretical tax (at U.S. statutory rate of 21%)	10,432			4,544			(1,565)
Equity affiliate accounting effect	(1,678)			(890)			211
Effect of income taxes from international operations	5,041			2,692			(39)
State and local taxes on income, net of U.S. federal income tax benefit	508			216			(65)
Prior year tax adjustments, claims and settlements 1	(90)			362			(236)
Tax credits	(6)			(173)			(33)
Other U.S. 1, 2	(141)			(801)			(165)
Total income tax expense (benefit)	$	14,066		$	5,950		$	(1,892)
Effective income tax rate 3	28.3		%	27.5		%	25.4		%

1 Includes one-time tax costs (benefits) associated with changes in uncertain tax positions.

2 Includes one-time tax costs (benefits) associated with changes in valuation allowances (2022 - $(36); 2021 - $(624); 2020 - $0).

3 The company’s effective tax rate is reflective of equity income reported on an after-tax basis as part of the “Total Income (Loss) Before Income Tax Expense,” in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Chevron’s share of its equity affiliates’ total income tax expense in 2022 was $2,281.

The 2022 increase in income tax expense of $8,116 is a result of the year-over-year increase in total income before income tax expense, which is primarily due to higher upstream realizations and downstream margins. The company’s effective tax rate changed from 27.5 percent in 2021 to 28.3 percent in 2022. The change in effective tax rate is mainly due to mix effects resulting from the absolute level of earnings or losses and whether they arose in higher or lower tax rate jurisdictions.

The company records its deferred taxes on a tax-jurisdiction basis. The reported deferred tax balances are composed of the following:

			At December 31
	2022		2021
Deferred tax liabilities
Properties, plant and equipment	$	18,295	$	17,169
Investments and other	4,492		4,105
Total deferred tax liabilities	22,787		21,274
Deferred tax assets
Foreign tax credits	(12,599)		(11,718)
Asset retirement obligations/environmental reserves	(4,518)		(4,553)
Employee benefits	(2,087)		(3,037)
Deferred credits	(446)		(996)
Tax loss carryforwards	(3,887)		(4,175)
Other accrued liabilities	(746)		(239)
Inventory	(219)		(289)
Operating leases	(1,134)		(1,255)
Miscellaneous	(4,057)		(3,657)
Total deferred tax assets	(29,693)		(29,919)
Deferred tax assets valuation allowance	19,532		17,651
Total deferred taxes, net	$	12,626	$	9,006

Deferred tax liabilities increased by $1,513 from year-end 2021, primarily driven by an increase to properties, plant and equipment. Deferred tax assets decreased by $226 from year-end 2021. This decrease was primarily related to decreases in employee benefits and tax loss carryforwards for various locations, partially offset by the increase in foreign tax credits.

The overall valuation allowance relates to deferred tax assets for U.S. foreign tax credit carryforwards, tax loss carryforwards and temporary differences. The valuation allowance reduces the deferred tax assets to amounts that are, in management’s assessment, more likely than not to be realized. At the end of 2022, the company had gross tax loss carryforwards of approximately $9,850 and tax credit carryforwards of approximately $440, primarily related to various international tax jurisdictions. Whereas some of these tax loss carryforwards do not have an expiration date, others expire at various times from 2023 through 2041. U.S. foreign tax credit carryforwards of $12,599 will expire between 2023 and 2033.

At December 31, 2022 and 2021, deferred taxes were classified on the Consolidated Balance Sheet as follows:

	At December 31
	2022		2021
Deferred charges and other assets	$	(4,505)	$	(5,659)
Noncurrent deferred income taxes	17,131		14,665
Total deferred income taxes, net	$	12,626	$	9,006

Income taxes, including U.S. state and foreign withholding taxes, are not accrued for unremitted earnings of international operations that have been or are intended to be reinvested indefinitely. The indefinite reinvestment assertion continues to apply for the purpose of determining deferred tax liabilities for U.S. state and foreign withholding tax purposes.

Undistributed earnings of international consolidated subsidiaries and affiliates for which no deferred income tax provision has been made for possible future remittances totaled approximately $51,300 at December 31, 2022. This amount represents earnings reinvested as part of the company’s ongoing international business. It is not practicable to estimate the amount of state and foreign withholding taxes that might be payable on the possible remittance of earnings that are intended to be reinvested indefinitely. The company does not anticipate incurring significant additional taxes on remittances of earnings that are not indefinitely reinvested.

Uncertain Income Tax Positions The company recognizes a tax benefit in the financial statements for an uncertain tax position only if management’s assessment is that the position is more likely than not (i.e., a likelihood greater than 50 percent) to be allowed by the tax jurisdiction based solely on the technical merits of the position. The term “tax position” in the accounting standards for income taxes refers to a position in a previously filed tax return or a position expected to be taken in a future tax return that is reflected in measuring current or deferred income tax assets and liabilities for interim or annual periods.

The following table indicates the changes to the company’s unrecognized tax benefits for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020. The term “unrecognized tax benefits” in the accounting standards for income taxes refers to the differences between a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return and the benefit measured and recognized in the financial statements. Interest and penalties are not included.

	2022		2021		2020
Balance at January 1	$	5,288	$	5,018	$	4,987
Foreign currency effects	(2)		(1)		2
Additions based on tax positions taken in current year	30		194		253
Additions for tax positions taken in prior years	234		218		437
Reductions for tax positions taken in prior years	(117)		(36)		(216)
Settlements with taxing authorities in current year	(110)		(18)		(429)
Reductions as a result of a lapse of the applicable statute of limitations	—		(87)		(16)
Balance at December 31	$	5,323	$	5,288	$	5,018

Approximately 80 percent of the $5,323 of unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2022, would have an impact on the effective tax rate if subsequently recognized. Certain of these unrecognized tax benefits relate to tax carryforwards that may require a full valuation allowance at the time of any such recognition.

Tax positions for Chevron and its subsidiaries and affiliates are subject to income tax audits by many tax jurisdictions throughout the world. For the company’s major tax jurisdictions, examinations of tax returns for certain prior tax years had not been completed as of December 31, 2022. For these jurisdictions, the latest years for which income tax examinations had been finalized were as follows: United States – 2016, Nigeria – 2007, Australia – 2009, Kazakhstan – 2012 and Saudi Arabia – 2016.

The company engages in ongoing discussions with tax authorities regarding the resolution of tax matters in the various jurisdictions. Both the outcome of these tax matters and the timing of resolution and/or closure of the tax audits are highly uncertain. Of the amount of unrecognized tax benefits the company has identified as of December 31, 2022, it is reasonably possible that developments on tax matters in certain tax jurisdictions may result in decreases of approximately 20 percent within the next 12 months. Given the number of years that still remain subject to examination and the number of matters being examined in the various tax jurisdictions, the company is unable to estimate the range of possible adjustments to the balance of unrecognized tax benefits beyond the next 12 months.

On the Consolidated Statement of Income, the company reports interest and penalties related to liabilities for uncertain tax positions as “Income Tax Expense (Benefit).” As of December 31, 2022, accrued expense of $112 for anticipated interest

and penalties was included on the Consolidated Balance Sheet, compared with accrued benefit of $(76) as of year-end 2021. Income tax expense (benefit) associated with interest and penalties was $152, $19 and $(124) in 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Taxes Other Than on Income
	Year ended December 31
	2022		2021		2020
United States
Import duties and other levies	$	10	$	7	$	7
Property and other miscellaneous taxes	609		552		588
Payroll taxes	248		302		235
Taxes on production	989		628		317
Total United States	1,856		1,489		1,147
International
Import duties and other levies	63		49		39
Property and other miscellaneous taxes	1,789		2,174		1,461
Payroll taxes	122		113		117
Taxes on production	202		138		75
Total International	2,176		2,474		1,692
Total taxes other than on income	$	4,032	$	3,963	$	2,839