Industry: Software
The primary authority for software revenue recognition is AICPA Statement of Position (SOP) No. 97-2, Software Revenue Recognition, which is the result of about 12 years of development work from 1985 through 1997. It applies to both public companies (according to SAB 104) and private enterprises.
Under SOP 97-2, recognition of revenue generally occurs at delivery if a four-part conjunctive test is met. Software delivery should be straightforward and require no special production, modification, or authorization by the software seller (vendor). The four-part conjunctive test is as follows:
Persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists. This means that a bona fide contract needs to exist (see Part 4, Legal Rules, regarding application of Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code [UCC] to this arrangement).