SunCoke Energy Inc

9. Retirement Benefits Plans

Postretirement Health Care and Life Insurance Plans

The Company has plans which provide health care and life insurance benefits for many of its retirees (“postretirement benefit plans”). The postretirement benefit plans are unfunded and the costs are borne by the Company. Effective January 1, 2011, postretirement medical benefits for future retirees were phased out or eliminated for non-mining employees with less thanten years of service.

Postretirement benefit plans expense consisted of the following components:

Postretirement benefit plans expense is determined using actuarial assumptions as of the beginning of the year or using weighted-average assumptions when curtailments, settlements and/or other events require a plan remeasurement. The following assumptions were used to determine postretirement benefit plans expense:

The following amounts were recognized as components of other comprehensive income (loss) before related tax impacts:

(1)The actuarial gain for the year ended December 31, 2024 was primarily due to the remeasurement of the retirement benefit plan obligation associated with a plan amendment during the current year period.

The following table sets forth the components of the changes in benefit obligations:

(1)The current portion of retirement benefit liabilities, which totaled $1.0 million and $2.3 million at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, is classified in accrued liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The following table sets forth the cumulative amounts not yet recognized in net income:

(1)The increase in prior service benefits not yet recognized in net income in 2024 reflects the impact of the remeasurement of the retirement benefit plan obligation associated with a plan amendment during the current year period.

The expected benefit payments through 2034 for the postretirement benefit plan are as follows:

The measurement date for the Company’s postretirement benefit plans is December 31. The following discount rates were used to determine the benefit obligation:

The health care cost trend assumption used at to compute the accumulated postretirement benefit obligation for the postretirement benefit plans was 6.50 percent and 6.75 percent at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, which are both assumed to decline gradually to 5.00 percent in 2031 and to remain at that level thereafter.

Defined Contribution Plans

The Company has defined contribution plans which provide retirement benefits for certain of its employees. The Company’s contributions, which are charged against income as incurred, amounted to $8.5 million, $7.9 million and $7.9 million, respectively, for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022.