Accenture Ltd., Chicago, expects to contribute $39 million to its $243 million non-U.S. pension funds in fiscal 2005, according to an SEC filing. The company contributed $29 million to the non-U.S. plans in fiscal 2004, which ended Aug. 31. Accenture contributed $230 million to its $596 million U.S. pension fund in fiscal 2004 and is not required to make any contributions to the U.S. plans in fiscal 2005, the filing said.
The company estimated that pension expense for fiscal 2005 will be about $113 million, compared with $122 million in fiscal 2004 and $72 million in fiscal 2003, according to the filing. The company assumes a 7.5% expected rate of return on U.S. plan assets and 5.19% on non-U.S. plan assets for fiscal 2005.