Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Employee Benefits

v3.19.2
Employee Benefits
12 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2019
Employee Benefits [Abstract]  
Employee Benefits
Employee Benefits

The Company has defined contribution plans covering substantially all domestic employees and certain foreign subsidiary employees who meet certain service and eligibility requirements. Participant benefits are 100% vested upon participation. The Company matches employee contributions, limited to 50% of the first 6% of each employee's salary contributed. The Company's matching contributions to defined contribution plans on a consolidated basis were approximately $2,315, $2,119, and $1,634 in fiscal 2019, fiscal 2018, and fiscal 2017, respectively.
 
The Company has an incentive compensation program to provide employees with incentive pay based on the Company's ability to achieve certain profitability objectives. The Company recorded approximately $9,885, $6,656, and $2,324 for incentive compensation earned in fiscal 2019, fiscal 2018, and fiscal 2017, respectively.
    
Thermon Europe B.V., our European subsidiary, maintains defined benefit pension plans for qualifying employees located in The Netherlands. The Company is currently under contract with an insurance company to fund a defined benefit (average pay) pension plan to provide for estimated post-retirement pension income. As of March 31, 2018, the plan had an estimated net benefit obligation of $2,185, which is included in non-current liabilities. The obligation is based on an actuarial calculation of the pension obligation for the participants. Effective January 1, 2019, the plan was terminated and the Company purchased replacement annuity contracts transferring the obligation. As such, the Company's net benefit obligation (inclusive of actuarial gains or losses previously deferred in other comprehensive income and other minor amounts related to the pension plan) of $1,840 as of December 31, 2018 was recorded as income at the settlement date into Marketing, general and administrative and engineering expense on the condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive income.
    
The Company provides a non-qualified deferred compensation plan for certain highly compensated employees where payroll contributions are made by the employees on a pre-tax basis. Included in “Other long-term assets” at March 31, 2019 and 2018 were $1,557 and $574, respectively, of deferred compensation plan assets (mutual funds) held by the Company. Deferred compensation plan assets (mutual funds) are measured at fair value on a recurring basis based on quoted market prices in active markets. The Company has a corresponding liability to participants of $1,520 and $569 included in “Other long-term liabilities” in the condensed consolidated balance sheet at March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Deferred compensation expense included in marketing, general and administrative and engineering were $21 and $51 for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Expenses and income from our deferred compensation plan were offset by unrealized gains and losses for the deferred compensation plan included in other expense on our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income. Our unrealized gains and losses on investments were losses of $50 and gains of $36 for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.