17. EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS

DEFINED BENEFIT AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFIT PLANS

        Our employees participate in a trusteed, non-contributory defined benefit pension plan (the "Plan") that covers substantially all of our full-time U.S. employees. Effective July 1, 2004, the Plan formula for employees not covered by a collective bargaining agreement was converted to a cash balance design. For represented employees, participation in the cash balance design is subject to the terms of negotiated contracts. For participating employees, benefits accrued under the prior formula were converted to opening cash balance accounts. The new cash balance benefit formula provides annual pay credits from 4% to 12% of eligible pay, depending on age and service, plus accrued interest. Participants in the plan on July 1, 2004 may be eligible for additional annual pay credits from 1% to 8%, depending on their age and service as of that date, for up to five years. The conversion to the cash balance plan did not have a significant impact on the accrued benefit liability, the funded status or ongoing pension expense.

        We sponsor defined benefit plans in a number of countries outside of the U.S. The availability of these plans, and their specific design provisions, are consistent with local competitive practices and regulations.

        We also sponsor unfunded postretirement benefit plans other than pensions, which provide medical and life insurance benefits.

        Our postretirement benefit plans provide a fully insured Medicare Part D plan including prescription drug benefits affected by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (the "Act"). We cannot determine whether the medical benefits provided by our postretirement benefit plans are actuarially equivalent to those provided by the Act. We do not collect a subsidy and our net periodic postretirement benefits cost, and related benefit obligation, do not reflect an amount associated with the subsidy.

        On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. On March 30, 2010, President Obama signed into law a reconciliation measure, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. The passage of this legislation has resulted in comprehensive reform of health care in the U.S. We do not believe that this will have a significant impact on our financial position.

        The following table sets forth the funded status of the plans for us and the amounts recognized in the consolidated balance sheets at December 31, 2012 and 2011 (dollars in millions):

 

        The amounts in accumulated other comprehensive loss that are expected to be recognized as components of net periodic benefit cost during the next fiscal year are as follows (dollars in millions):

        Components of net periodic benefit costs for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 were as follows (dollars in millions):

 

        The amounts recognized in net periodic benefit cost and other comprehensive loss as of December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 were as follows (dollars in millions):

 

        The following weighted-average assumptions were used to determine the projected benefit obligation at the measurement date and the net periodic pension cost for the year:

 

        In both 2012 and 2011, the health care trend rate used to measure the expected increase in the cost of benefits was assumed to be 7.5% decreasing to 5% after 2017. Assumed health care cost trend rates can have a significant effect on the amounts reported for the postretirement benefit plans. A one-percent point change in assumed health care cost trend rates would have the following effects (dollars in millions):

        The projected benefit obligation and fair value of plan assets for the defined benefit plans with projected benefit obligations in excess of plan assets as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 were as follows (dollars in millions):

        The projected benefit obligation, accumulated benefit obligation and fair value of plan assets for the defined benefit plans with an accumulated benefit obligation in excess of plan assets as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 were as follows (dollars in millions):

        Expected future contributions and benefit payments are as follows (dollars in millions):

        Our investment strategy with respect to pension assets is to pursue an investment plan that, over the long term, is expected to protect the funded status of the plan, enhance the real purchasing power of plan assets, and not threaten the plan's ability to meet currently committed obligations. Additionally, our investment strategy is to achieve returns on plan assets, subject to a prudent level of portfolio risk. Plan assets are invested in a broad range of investments. These investments are diversified in terms of domestic and international equities, both growth and value funds, including small, mid and large capitalization equities; short-term and long-term debt securities; real estate; and cash and cash equivalents. The investments are further diversified within each asset category. The portfolio diversification provides protection against a single investment or asset category having a disproportionate impact on the aggregate performance of the plan assets.

        Our pension plan assets are managed by outside investment managers. The investment managers value our plan assets using quoted market prices, other observable inputs or unobservable inputs. For certain assets, the investment managers obtain third-party appraisals at least annually, which use valuation techniques and inputs specific to the applicable property, market, or geographic location. During 2012, there was a net transfer out of Level 3 assets of $7 million due to a change in the significance of unobservable inputs for several investments, which are immaterial both individually and in the aggregate. These assets are all contained within the real estate/other category.

        We have established target allocations for each asset category. Our pension plan assets are periodically rebalanced based upon our target allocations.

        The fair value of plan assets for the pension plans was $2.9 billion and $2.6 billion at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The following plan assets are measured at fair value on a recurring basis (dollars in millions):

 

        The following table reconciles the beginning and ending balances of plan assets measured at fair value using unobservable inputs (Level 3) (dollars in millions):

 

        Based upon historical returns, the expectations of our investment committee and outside advisors, the expected long-term rate of return on the pension assets is estimated to be between 6.52% and 8.20%. The asset allocation for our pension plans at December 31, 2012 and 2011 and the target allocation for 2013, by asset category are as follows:

        Equity securities in our pension plans did not include any equity securities of our Company or our affiliates at the end of 2012.

DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PLANS

        We have a money purchase pension plan covering substantially all of our domestic employees who were hired prior to January 1, 2004. Employer contributions are made based on a percentage of employees' earnings (ranging up to 8%).

        We also have a salary deferral plan covering substantially all U.S. employees. Plan participants may elect to make voluntary contributions to this plan up to a specified amount of their compensation. We contribute an amount equal to one-half of the participant's contribution, not to exceed 2% of the participant's compensation.

        Along with the introduction of the cash balance formula within our defined benefit pension plan, the money purchase pension plan was closed to new hires. At the same time, our match in the salary deferral plan was increased, for new hires, to a 100% match, not to exceed 4% of the participant's compensation, once the participant has achieved six years of service with our Company.

        Our total combined expense for the above defined contribution plans for each of the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 was $14 million.

SUPPLEMENTAL SALARY DEFERRAL PLAN AND SUPPLEMENTAL EXECUTIVE RETIREMENT PLAN

        The Huntsman Supplemental Savings Plan ("Huntsman SSP") is a non-qualified plan covering key management employees and allows participants to defer amounts that would otherwise be paid as compensation. The participant can defer up to 75% of their salary and bonus each year. This plan also provides benefits that would be provided under the Huntsman Salary Deferral Plan if that plan were not subject to legal limits on the amount of contributions that can be allocated to an individual in a single year. The Huntsman SSP was amended and restated effective as of January 1, 2005 to allow eligible executive employees to comply with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

        The Huntsman Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (the "SERP") is an unfunded non-qualified pension plan established to provide certain executive employees with benefits that could not be provided, due to legal limitations, under the Huntsman Defined Benefit Pension Plan, a qualified defined benefit pension plan, and the Huntsman Money Purchase Pension Plan, a qualified money purchase pension plan.

        Assets of these plans are included in other noncurrent assets and as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 were $14 million and $12 million, respectively. During each of the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 we expensed a total of $1 million as contributions to the Huntsman SSP and the SERP.

STOCK-BASED INCENTIVE PLAN

        In connection with the initial public offering of common and preferred stock on February 16, 2005, our parent adopted the Huntsman Stock Incentive Plan (the "Stock Incentive Plan"). The Stock Incentive Plan permits the grant of non-qualified stock options, incentive stock options, stock appreciation rights, nonvested stock, phantom stock, performance awards and other stock-based awards to our employees, directors and consultants and to employees and consultants of our subsidiaries, provided that incentive stock options may be granted solely to employees. As of December 31, 2012 we are authorized to grant up to 32.6 million shares under the Stock Incentive Plan. See "Note 22. Stock-Based Compensation Plan."

INTERNATIONAL PLANS

        International employees are covered by various post employment arrangements consistent with local practices and regulations. Such obligations are included in the consolidated financial statements in other long-term liabilities.