## Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 

## E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company 

The tax benefit recorded in Stockholders' Equity was $33 million for the year ended December 31, 2016. Included in the amount was a tax benefit of $21 million for the year ended December 31, 2016 associated with stock compensation programs. The remainder consists of amounts recorded within other comprehensive loss as shown in the table above. 

## NOTE 18 - PENSION PLANS AND OTHER POST EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS 

The company offers various long-term benefits to its employees. Where permitted by applicable law, the company reserves the right to change, modify or discontinue the plans. 

As a result of the Merger, the company re-measured its pension and OPEB plans. The remeasurement of the company’s pension and OPEB plans is included in the fair value measurement of Historical DuPont’s assets and liabilities as a result of the application of purchase accounting in connection with the Merger. In addition, net losses and prior service benefits recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss were eliminated. Historical Dow and Historical DuPont did not merge their pension plans and OPEB plans as a result of the Merger. See Note 3 for details on the Merger. 

## Defined Benefit Pension Plans 

The company has both funded and unfunded noncontributory defined benefit pension plans covering a majority of the U.S. employees and a number of other countries. The principal U.S. pension plan is the largest pension plan held by Historical DuPont. Most employees hired on or after January 1, 2007 are not eligible to participate in the U.S. defined benefit pension plans. The benefits under these plans are based primarily on years of service and employees' pay near retirement. In November 2016, the company announced that it will freeze the pay and service amounts used to calculate pension benefits for active employees who participate in the U.S. pension plans on November 30, 2018. Therefore, as of November 30, 2018, employees participating in the U.S. pension plans no longer accrue additional benefits for future service and eligible compensation received. These changes resulted in a $527 million decline in the projected benefit obligation, which is reflected in actuarial loss (gain) in the change in projected benefit obligations and recognition of a $25 million pre-tax curtailment gain during the fourth quarter of 2016. The decline in the projected benefit obligation is primarily due to the decrease in expected future compensation. 

The company's funding policy is consistent with the funding requirements of federal laws and regulations. Pension coverage for employees of the company's non-U.S. consolidated subsidiaries is provided, to the extent deemed appropriate, through separate plans. Obligations under such plans are funded by depositing funds with trustees, covered by insurance contracts, or remain unfunded. The company made a discretionary contribution of $1,100 million in the third quarter of 2018 to its principal U.S. pension plan. During the period January 1 through August 31, 2017, the company made total contributions of $2,900 million to its principal U.S. pension plan funded through the May 2017 Debt Offering; short-term borrowings, including commercial paper issuance; and cash flow from operations. See Note 15 for further discussion related to the May 2017 Debt Offering. The company contributed $230 million to the principal U.S. pension plan in 2016. The company does not expect to make cash contributions to this plan in 2019. 

The company made total contributions of $103 million, $34 million, $67 million and $121 million to its funded pension plans other than the principal U.S. pension plan for the year ended December 31, 2018, for periods September 1 through December 31, 2017 and January 1 through August 31, 2017, and the year ended December 31, 2016, respectively. Additionally, the company made total contributions of $105 million, $34 million, $57 million and $184 million to its remaining plans with no plan assets for the year ended December 31, 2018, for periods September 1 through December 31, 2017 and January 1 through August 31, 2017, and the year ended December 31, 2016, respectively. Historical DuPont expects to contribute approximately $190 million to its funded pension plans other than the principal U.S. pension plan and its remaining plans with no plan assets in 2019. 

The company’s remeasurement of its pension plans at the Merger Effectiveness Time resulted in an increase in the underfunded status of $560 million. In connection with the remeasurement, the company updated the weighted average discount rate to 3.42 percent at August 31, 2017 from 3.80 percent as of December 31, 2016. 

The workforce reductions in 2016 related to a 2016 global cost savings and restructuring plan triggered curtailments for certain of the company's pension plans, including the principal U.S. pension plan. For the principal U.S. pension plan, the company recorded curtailment losses of $63 million during the year ended December 31, 2016. The curtailment losses were driven by the changes in the benefit obligation based on the demographics of the terminated positions partially offset by accelerated recognition of a portion of the prior service benefit. 

