The new standard distinguishes between a warranty
providing assurance that a product meets agreed
-
upon
specifications (accounted for as a cost provision) and a warranty providing an additional service (for which
revenue will be deferred). Consideration of factors such as whether the warranty is required b
y law, the
length of the warranty coverage period, and the nature of the tasks the entity promises to perform will be
necessary to determine which type of warranty exists. If a customer can chose whether or not to purchase a
warranty as an “optional extra”
, that warranty will always be treated as a separate service. Where a
warranty is determined to include both elements (assurance and service), the transaction price is allocated
to the product and the service in a reasonable manner (if this is not possible
, the whole warranty is treated
as a service).