49 Where an insurance policy is in the name of a specified plan participant or a group of plan
participants and the entity does not have any legal or constructive obligation to cover any loss
on the policy, the entity has no obligation to pay benefits to the employees and the insurer has
sole responsibility for paying the benefits. The payment of fixed premiums under such
contracts is, in substance, the settlement of the employee benefit obligation, rather than an
investment to meet the obligation. Consequently, the entity no longer has an asset or a
liability. Therefore, an entity treats such payments as contributions to a defined contribution
plan.
Post-employment benefits: defined contribution plans
50 Accounting for defined contribution plans is straightforward because the reporting entity’s
obligation for each period is determined by the amounts to be contributed for that period.
Consequently, no actuarial assumptions are required to measure the obligation or the
expense and there is no possibility of any actuarial gain or loss. Moreover, the obligations are
measured on an undiscounted basis, except where they are not expected to be settled wholly
before twelve months after the end of the annual reporting period in which the employees
render the related service.
Recognition and measurement
51 When an employee has rendered service to an entity during a period, the entity shall
recognise the contribution payable to a defined contribution plan in exchange for that
service:
(a) as a liability (accrued expense), after deducting any contribution already paid. If
the contribution already paid exceeds the contribution due for service before the
end of the reporting period, an entity shall recognise that excess as an asset
(prepaid expense) to the extent that the prepayment will lead to, for example, a
reduction in future payments or a cash refund.
(b) as an expense, unless another SB-FRS requires or permits the inclusion of the
contribution in the cost of an asset (see, for example, SB-FRS 2 and SB-FRS 16).
52 When contributions to a defined contribution plan are not expected to be settled wholly
before twelve months after the end of the annual reporting period in which the
employees render the related service, they shall be discounted using the discount rate
specified in paragraph 83.
Disclosure
53 An entity shall disclose the amount recognised as an expense for defined contribution
plans.
54 Where required by SB-FRS 24 an entity discloses information about contributions to defined
contribution plans for key management personnel.
Post-employment benefits: defined benefit plans
55 Accounting for defined benefit plans is complex because actuarial assumptions are required
to measure the obligation and the expense and there is a possibility of actuarial gains and
losses. Moreover, the obligations are measured on a discounted basis because they may be
settled many years after the employees render the related service.