CHEVRON CORP

Management makes many estimates and assumptions in the application of accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) that may have a material impact on the company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures and on the comparability of such information over different reporting periods. Such estimates and assumptions affect reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, as well as disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. Estimates and assumptions are based on management’s experience and other information available prior to the issuance of the financial statements. Materially different results can occur as circumstances change and additional information becomes known.

The discussion in this section of “critical” accounting estimates and assumptions is according to the disclosure guidelines of the SEC, wherein:

1. the nature of the estimates and assumptions is material due to the levels of subjectivity and judgment necessary to account for highly uncertain matters, or the susceptibility of such matters to change; and

2. the impact of the estimates and assumptions on the company’s financial condition or operating performance is material.

The development and selection of accounting estimates and assumptions, including those deemed “critical,” and the associated disclosures in this discussion have been discussed with the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. The areas of accounting and the associated “critical” estimates and assumptions made by the company are as follows:

Oil and Gas Reserves Crude oil, NGLs and natural gas reserves are estimates of future production that impact certain asset and expense accounts included in the Consolidated Financial Statements. Proved reserves are the estimated quantities of oil and gas that geoscience and engineering data demonstrate with reasonable certainty to be economically producible in the future under existing economic conditions, operating methods and government regulations. Proved reserves include both developed and undeveloped volumes. Proved developed reserves represent volumes expected to be recovered through existing wells with existing equipment and operating methods. Proved undeveloped reserves are volumes expected to be recovered from new wells on undrilled proved acreage, or from existing wells where a relatively major expenditure is required for recompletion. Variables impacting Chevron’s estimated volumes of crude oil and natural gas reserves include field performance, available technology, commodity prices, and development, production and carbon costs.

The estimates of crude oil, NGLs and natural gas reserves are important to the timing of expense recognition for costs incurred and to the valuation of certain oil and gas producing assets. Impacts of oil and gas reserves on Chevron’s Consolidated Financial Statements, using the successful efforts method of accounting, include the following:

1. Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization (DD&A) - Capitalized exploratory drilling and development costs are depreciated on a unit-of-production (UOP) basis using proved developed reserves. Acquisition costs of proved properties are amortized on a UOP basis using total proved reserves. During 2023, Chevron’s UOP DD&A for oil and gas properties was $10.8 billion, and proved developed reserves at the beginning of 2023 were 6.5 billion barrels for consolidated companies. If the estimates of proved reserves used in the UOP calculations for consolidated operations had been lower by five percent across all oil and gas properties, UOP DD&A in 2023 would have increased by approximately $600 million.

2. Impairment - Oil and gas reserves are used in assessing oil and gas producing properties for impairment. A significant reduction in the estimated reserves of a property would trigger an impairment review. Proved reserves (and, in some cases, a portion of unproved resources) are used to estimate future production volumes in the cash flow model. For a further discussion of estimates and assumptions used in impairment assessments, see Impairment of Properties, Plant and Equipment and Investments in Affiliates below.

Refer to Table V, “Proved Reserve Quantity Information,” for the changes in proved reserve estimates for each of the three years ended December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023, and to Table VII, “Changes in the Standardized Measure of Discounted Future Net Cash Flows From Proved Reserves” for estimates of proved reserve values for each of the three years ended December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

This Oil and Gas Reserves commentary should be read in conjunction with the Properties, Plant and Equipment section of Note 1 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, which includes a description of the “successful efforts” method of accounting for oil and gas exploration and production activities.

Impairment of Properties, Plant and Equipment and Investments in Affiliates The company assesses its properties, plant and equipment (PP&E) for possible impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. If the carrying value of an asset exceeds the future undiscounted cash flows expected from the asset, an impairment charge is recorded for the excess of the carrying value of the asset over its estimated fair value.

Determination as to whether and how much an asset is impaired involves management estimates on highly uncertain matters, such as future commodity prices, operating expenses, carbon costs, production profiles, the pace of the energy transition, and the outlook for global or regional market supply-and-demand conditions for crude oil, NGLs, natural gas, commodity chemicals and refined products. However, the impairment reviews and calculations are based on assumptions that are generally consistent with the company’s business plans and long-term investment decisions. Refer also to the discussion of impairments of properties, plant and equipment in Note 18 Properties, Plant and Equipment and to the section on Properties, Plant and Equipment in Note 1 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.

The company performs impairment assessments when triggering events arise to determine whether any write-down in the carrying value of an asset or asset group is required. For example, when significant downward revisions to crude oil, NGLs and natural gas reserves are made for any single field or concession, an impairment review is performed to determine if the carrying value of the asset remains recoverable. Similarly, a significant downward revision in the company’s crude oil, NGLs or natural gas price outlook would trigger impairment reviews for impacted upstream assets. In addition, impairments could occur due to changes in national, state or local environmental regulations or laws, including those designed to stop or impede the development or production of oil and gas. Also, if the expectation of sale of a particular asset or asset group in any period has been deemed more likely than not, an impairment review is performed, and if the estimated net proceeds exceed the carrying value of the asset or asset group, no impairment charge is required. Such calculations are reviewed each period until the asset or asset group is disposed. Assets that are not impaired on a held-and-used basis could possibly become impaired if a decision is made to sell such assets. That is, the assets would be impaired if they are classified as held-for-sale and the estimated proceeds from the sale, less costs to sell, are less than the assets’ associated carrying values.

Investments in common stock of affiliates that are accounted for under the equity method, as well as investments in other securities of these equity investees, are reviewed for impairment when the fair value of the investment falls below the company’s carrying value. When this occurs, a determination must be made as to whether this loss is other-than-temporary, in which case the investment is impaired. Because of the number of differing assumptions potentially affecting whether an investment is impaired in any period or the amount of the impairment, a sensitivity analysis is not practicable.

A sensitivity analysis of the impact on earnings for these periods if other assumptions had been used in impairment reviews and impairment calculations is not practicable, given the broad range of the company’s PP&E and the number of assumptions involved in the estimates. That is, favorable changes to some assumptions might have avoided the need to impair any assets in these periods, whereas unfavorable changes might have caused an additional unknown number of other assets to become impaired, or resulted in larger impacts on impaired assets.

Asset Retirement Obligations In the determination of fair value for an asset retirement obligation (ARO), the company uses various assumptions and judgments, including such factors as the existence of a legal obligation, estimated amounts and timing of settlements, discount and inflation rates, and the expected impact of advances in technology and process improvements. A sensitivity analysis of the ARO impact on earnings for 2023 is not practicable, given the broad range of the company’s long-lived assets and the number of assumptions involved in the estimates. That is, favorable changes to some assumptions would have reduced estimated future obligations, thereby lowering accretion expense and amortization costs, whereas unfavorable changes would have the opposite effect. Refer to Note 25 Asset Retirement Obligations for additional discussions on asset retirement obligations.

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Note 23 Employee Benefit Plans includes information on the funded status of the company’s pension and other postretirement benefit (OPEB) plans reflected on the Consolidated Balance Sheet; the components of pension and OPEB expense reflected on the Consolidated Statement of Income; and the related underlying assumptions.

The determination of pension plan expense and obligations is based on a number of actuarial assumptions. Two critical assumptions are the expected long-term rate of return on plan assets and the discount rate applied to pension plan obligations. Critical assumptions in determining expense and obligations for OPEB plans, which provide for certain health care and life insurance benefits for qualifying retired employees and which are not funded, are the discount rate and the assumed health care cost-trend rates. Information related to the company’s processes to develop these assumptions is included in Note 23 Employee Benefit Plans under the relevant headings. Actual rates may vary significantly from estimates because of unanticipated changes beyond the company’s control.

For 2023, the company used an expected long-term rate of return of 7.0 percent and a discount rate for service costs of 5.2 percent and a discount rate for interest cost of 5.0 percent for the primary U.S. pension plan. The actual return for 2023 was 10.9 percent. For the 10 years ended December 31, 2023, actual asset returns averaged 5.3 percent for this plan. Additionally, with the exception of three years within this 10-year period, actual asset returns for this plan equaled or exceeded 7.0 percent during each year.

Total pension expense for 2023 was $557 million. An increase in the expected long-term return on plan assets or the discount rate would reduce pension plan expense, and vice versa. As an indication of the sensitivity of pension expense to the long-term rate of return assumption, a one percent increase in this assumption for the company’s primary U.S. pension plan, which accounted for about 55 percent of companywide pension expense, would have reduced total pension plan expense for 2023 by approximately $78 million. A one percent increase in the discount rates for this same plan would have reduced pension expense for 2023 by approximately $105 million.

The aggregate funded status recognized at December 31, 2023, was a net liability of approximately $1.5 billion. An increase in the discount rate would decrease the pension obligation, thus changing the funded status of a plan. At December 31, 2023, the company used a discount rate of 5.0 percent to measure the obligations for the primary U.S. pension plan. As an indication of the sensitivity of pension liabilities to the discount rate assumption, a 0.25 percent increase in the discount rate applied to the company’s primary U.S. pension plan, which accounted for about 65 percent of the companywide pension obligation, would have reduced the plan obligation by approximately $279 million, and would have changed the plan’s funded status from a deficit of $80 million to a surplus of $199 million.

For the company’s OPEB plans, expense for 2023 was $86 million, and the total liability, all unfunded at the end of 2023, was $2.0 billion. For the primary U.S. OPEB plan, the company used a discount rate for service cost of 5.3 percent and a discount rate for interest cost of 5.1 percent to measure expense in 2023, and a 5.0 percent discount rate to measure the benefit obligations at December 31, 2023. Discount rate changes, similar to those used in the pension sensitivity analysis, resulted in an immaterial impact on 2023 OPEB expense and OPEB liabilities at the end of 2023.

Differences between the various assumptions used to determine expense and the funded status of each plan and actual experience are included in actuarial gain/loss. Refer to page 93 in Note 23 Employee Benefit Plans for more information on the $3.7 billion of before-tax actuarial losses recorded by the company as of December 31, 2023. In addition, information related to company contributions is included on page 96 in Note 23 Employee Benefit Plans under the heading “Cash Contributions and Benefit Payments.”

Business Combinations — Purchase-Price Allocation Accounting for business combinations requires the allocation of the company’s purchase price to the various assets and liabilities of the acquired business at their respective fair values. The company uses all available information to make these fair value determinations. Determining the fair value of assets acquired generally involves assumptions regarding the amounts and timing of future revenues and expenditures, as well as discount rates. For additional discussion of purchase price allocations, refer to Note 29 Acquisition of PDC Energy, Inc.

Contingent Losses Management also makes judgments and estimates in recording liabilities for claims, litigation, tax matters, transferred liabilities from previously sold assets, and environmental remediation. Actual costs can frequently vary from estimates for a variety of reasons. For example, the costs for settlement of claims and litigation can vary from estimates based on differing interpretations of laws, opinions on culpability and assessments on the amount of damages. Similarly, liabilities for environmental remediation are subject to change because of changes in laws, regulations and their interpretation, the determination of additional information on the extent and nature of site contamination, and improvements in technology.

Under the accounting rules, a liability is generally recorded for these types of contingencies if management determines the loss to be both probable and estimable. The company generally reports these losses as “Operating expenses,” “Selling, general and administrative expenses” or “Other income (loss)” on the Consolidated Statement of Income. An exception to this handling is for income tax matters, for which benefits are recognized only if management determines the tax position is

more likely than not (i.e., likelihood greater than 50 percent) to be allowed by the tax jurisdiction. For additional discussion of income tax uncertainties, refer to Note 24 Other Contingencies and Commitments under the heading “Income Taxes.” Refer also to the business segment discussions elsewhere in this section for the effect on earnings from losses associated with certain litigation, environmental remediation and tax matters for the three years ended December 31, 2023.

An estimate as to the sensitivity to earnings for these periods if other assumptions had been used in recording these liabilities is not practicable because of the number of contingencies that must be assessed, the number of underlying assumptions and the wide range of reasonably possible outcomes, both in terms of the probability of loss and the estimates of such loss. For further information, refer to “Changes in management’s estimates and assumptions may have a material impact on the company’s consolidated financial statements and financial or operational performance in any given period” in Item 1A. Risk Factors, on page 26.