When to recognize revenue? This simple question is one of the most controversial issues in today’s accounting.
Why?
Well, it’s simple and easy when you sell goods, but how about long-term contracts or some sort of services?
You need to have some rules on WHEN to recognize the revenue from all these things, because all your profits and losses, your reputation in front of the outside world and your taxes depend on this.
Revenue recognition rules have just changed and later in this article, you’ll find an example showing you the impact of this change.
Revenue Recognition: IFRS vs. US GAAP
Until now, revenue recognition was exactly one of the biggest gaps between IFRS and US GAAP.
As you know, IAS 18 Revenue contains principles for revenue recognition, but they are quite broad and as a result, many companies use their judgment to apply them in their specific situation. Some companies even developed their own IFRS policies based on the US GAAP rules.
Opposed to IFRS, US GAAP guidance about revenues is very detailed – US GAAP contains about 100 separate documents and protocols about revenue recognition in specific areas (often conflicting, by the way).
Finally, these 2 standards came closer and tried to solve all these differences on 28 May 2014.
IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers
New revenue recognition standard was issued: IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers and it should fill the gap between IFRS and US GAAP.
FASB (the US GAAP standard setting body) issued the new revenue recognition standard, too: Topic 606, which is almost a mirror of IFRS 15 (full text of Topic 606 is here).
Although I’ll cover this standard in one of my videos in the following months, here are the basic points for your information:
You’ll need to apply IFRS 15 for reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2017 (early application permitted);
IFRS 15 will replace the following standards and interpretations:
IAS 18 Revenue,
IAS 11 Construction Contracts
SIC 31 Revenue – Barter Transaction Involving Advertising Services
IFRIC 13 Customer Loyalty Programs
IFRIC 15 Agreements for the Construction of Real Estate and
IFRIC 18 Transfer of Assets from Customers
The core principle of IFRS 15 is that an entity will recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration (payment) to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services.
To apply this principle, you need to follow a five-step model framework described below.
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IFRS 15 contains guidance for transactions not previously addressed (service revenue, contract modifications);
IFRS 15 improves guidance for multiple-element arrangements;
IFRS 15 requires enhanced disclosures about revenue.
Five-Step Model Framework
Every company must follow the five-step model in order to comply with IFRS 15. We’ll not go into details, just let me brief you a bit:
Step 1: Identify the contract(s) with a customer.
IFRS 15 defines a contract as an agreement between two or more parties that creates enforceable rights and obligations and sets out the criteria for every contract that must be met.
Step 2: Identify the performance obligations in the contract.
A performance obligation is a promise in a contract with a customer to transfer a good or service to the customer.
Step 3: Determine the transaction price.
The transaction price is the amount of consideration (for example, payment) to which an entity expects to be entitled in exchange for transferring promised goods or services to a customer, excluding amounts collected on behalf of third parties.
Step 4: Allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract.
For a contract that has more than one performance obligation, an entity should allocate the transaction price to each performance obligation in an amount that depicts the amount of consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for satisfying each performance obligation.
Step 5: Recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation.
IFRS15 5-step model
Who Will Feel the Biggest Impact of IFRS 15?
The experts say that the most impacted industries are telecom, software development, real estate and other industries with long-term contracts.
If you work in an industry where bundled contracts of “product + service” are quite common, then you should pay attention.
I’m referring mainly to software development or telecommunications, where customers usually buy a prepayment plans with a handset or software development comes with implementation and post-delivery service in 1 package, or any similar arrangements.
Under the new model, companies in telecom and software will probably recognize revenue earlier than under older rules.
Why is that?
Well, because under new IFRS 15, the transaction price must be allocated to the individual performance obligations in the contract and recognized when these obligations are delivered or fulfilled.
It means that under new IFRS 15, telecom operator must allocate a part of the revenue from prepayment plan with free handset to the sale of handset, too.
Under IAS 18, the revenue is defined as a gross inflow of economic benefits arising from ordinary operating activities of an entity.
It means that if the operator gives a handset for free with the prepayment plan, then the revenue from handset is 0.
OK, if that sounds a bit confusing, we’ll better look at numbers.
Example: IAS 18 vs. IFRS 15
Johnny enters into a 12-month telecom plan with the local mobile operator ABC. The terms of plan are as follows:
Johnny’s monthly fixed fee is CU 100.
Johnny receives a free handset at the inception of the plan.
ABC sells the same handsets for CU 300 and the same monthly prepayment plans without handset for CU 80/month.
How should ABC recognize the revenues from this plan in line with IAS 18 and IFRS 15?
OK, let’s ignore a couple of things here, like a price of a SIM kit, or the situations when Johnny hangs on the phone for hours and spends some minutes in excess of his plan. Let’s focus just on these 2 things.