RETIREMENT PLANS AND POST RETIREMENT PENSION PLANS (Notes)
 6 Months Ended
Apr. 30, 2016
Defined Benefit Pension Plans and Defined Benefit Postretirement Plans Disclosure [Abstract]  
RETIREMENT PLANS AND POST RETIREMENT PENSION PLANS
1. RETIREMENT PLANS AND POST RETIREMENT PENSION PLANS

Components of net periodic costs. For the three and six months ended April 30, 2016 and 2015, our net pension and post retirement benefit costs were comprised of the following:
 
 
Pensions
 
 
 
U.S. Plans
 
Non-U.S.
Plans
 
U.S. Post Retirement
Benefit Plans
 
Three Months Ended April 30,
 
2016
 
2015
 
2016
 
2015
 
2016
 
2015
 
(in millions)
Service cost—benefits earned during the period
$
6

 
$
6

 
$
5

 
$
4

 
$
—

 
$
1

Interest cost on benefit obligation
4

 
3

 
4

 
6

 
1

 
1

Expected return on plan assets
(6
)
 
(7
)
 
(11
)
 
(10
)
 
(1
)
 
(2
)
Amortization:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Actuarial losses
—

 
1

 
7

 
6

 
2

 
1

Prior service cost
(1
)
 
(1
)
 
—

 
—

 
(3
)
 
(3
)
Total net plan costs
$
3

 
$
2

 
$
5

 
$
6

 
$
(1
)
 
$
(2
)
Curtailments and settlements
$
—

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pensions
 
 
 
U.S. Plans
 
Non-U.S.
Plans
 
U.S. Post Retirement
Benefit Plans
 
Six Months Ended April 30,
 
2016
 
2015
 
2016
 
2015
 
2016
 
2015
 
(in millions)
Service cost—benefits earned during the period
$
12

 
$
12

 
$
9

 
$
8

 
$
—

 
$
2

Interest cost on benefit obligation
7

 
7

 
8

 
12

 
2

 
2

Expected return on plan assets
(12
)
 
(14
)
 
(22
)
 
(21
)
 
(3
)
 
(4
)
Amortization:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Actuarial losses
2

 
2

 
14

 
13

 
5

 
2

Prior service cost
(2
)
 
(2
)
 
—

 
—

 
(5
)
 
(6
)
Total net plan costs
$
7

 
$
5

 
$
9

 
$
12

 
$
(1
)
 
$
(4
)
Curtailment and settlements
(16
)
 

 

 

 

 


We contributed zero to our U.S. defined benefit plans during both the three and six months ended April 30, 2016. We contributed $9 million and $13 million to our non-U.S. defined benefit plans during the three and six months ended April 30, 2016, respectively.

We contributed $15 million to our U.S. defined benefit plans during both the three and six months ended April 30, 2015. We contributed $6 million and $11 million to our non-U.S. defined benefit plans during the three and six months ended April 30, 2015, respectively.

We do not expect to contribute to our U.S. defined benefit plans during the remainder of 2016 and we expect to contribute $12 million to our non-U.S. defined benefit plans during the remainder of 2016.

Plan Amendments. During the three months ended January 31, 2016, we made changes to our U.S. Retirement Plan and Supplemental Benefits Retirement Plan ("U.S. Plans"). Effective April 30, 2016, benefit accruals under the U.S. Plans will be frozen.  Any pension benefit earned in the U.S. Plans through April 30, 2016 will remain fully vested, but there will be no additional benefit accruals after April 30, 2016.  In addition, active employees who have not met the eligibility requirement for the Retiree Medical Account (RMA) under the U.S. Post Retirement Benefit Plan - 55 years old with at least 15 years of Agilent service - as of April 30, 2016 - will only be eligible for 50 percent of the current RMA reimbursement amount upon retirement.

Due to these plan amendments, we recorded a curtailment gain of $15 million in the U.S. Plans during the six months ended April 30, 2016. In addition, we recognized a settlement gain of $1 million related to the U.S. Supplemental Benefits Retirement Plan during the six months ended April 30, 2016.