Gottschalk plc sponsors a defined benefit plan for its 100 employees. On January 1, 2022, the company’s actuary provided the following information.

Pension plan assets (fair value) ............... £200,000
Accumulated benefit obligation ............... 260,000
Defined benefit obligation ........................ 380,000

The average remaining service period for the participating employees is 10 years. All employees are expected to receive benefits under the plan. On December 31, 2022, the actuary calculated that the present value of future benefits earned for employee services rendered in the current year amounted to £52,000; the defined benefit obligation was £490,000, the fair value of pension assets was £276,000, and the accumulated benefit obligation amounted to £365,000. The discount (interest) rate is 10%. The actual return on plan assets is £11,000. The company’s current year’s contribution to the pension plan amounted to £65,000. No benefits were paid during the year.

Instructions

a. Determine the components of pension expense that the company would recognize in 2022. With only one year involved, you need not prepare a worksheet.

b. Prepare the journal entry to record the pension expense and the company’s funding of the pension plan in 2022. 

c. Compute the amount of the 2022 increase/decrease in gains or losses.

d. Indicate the pension amounts reported in the financial statements for 2022.