Update

IFRS 15, Revenue from Contracts with Customers: first application imminent


David Baur
Director, Technical Office, Assurance

Increasingly complex sales transactions have prompted the standard setters to amend the rules on revenue recognition. The new IFRS rules will be applicable for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2018. Here we look at the question of whether it’s possible to avoid transition effects by switching to Swiss GAAP FER.

In a joint project, IASB and FASB have formulated almost identical IFRS and US GAAP standards governing the key area of revenue recognition. IFRS 15, Revenue from Contracts with Customers replaces the existing standards, IAS 11, Construction Contracts, and IAS 18, Revenue. In the two-and-a-half years since the publication of the new standard, its impact on IFRS users has been shown to vary. While some entities have had to make major adjustments, for others revenue recognition has remained unchanged.


Core points of the new standard

Essentially the new standard determines when revenue may be recognised and in what amount. The core principle is that an entity recognises revenue when it transfers the goods or services as agreed with the customer. IFRS 15 implements this core principle in a five-step model. The first step involves identifying the contract with the customer. In the second step, the individual performance obligations in the contract are identified. In practice, however, rather than covering only the sale of goods, contracts often contain additional performance obligations to the customer, for example follow-up services or the right to future discounts or products free of charge. Such contractual components often constitute performance obligations that have to be treated separately, and revenue may be recognised on performance. The third step in the model involves determining the transaction price – in other words, working out how much revenue can be recognised for the contract in question. This raises interesting questions, for example if the contract contains a financing element or variability in the selling price. The fourth step involves allocating the transaction price to the performance obligations identified in step two. Generally this is done in proportion to the standalone selling prices of the individual performance obligations. After the fourth step, it is therefore clear how much revenue an entity may recognise for the fulfilment of each individual performance obligation. The fifth and final step clarifies the question of when an entity is deemed to have satisfied a performance obligation and when it may recognise the corresponding revenue. On the basis of a ‘transfer of control’ model, a performance obligation may be satisfied either at one point in time or over a period of time.

Revenue recognition on the basis of individual performance obligations essentially results in a meaningful representation of revenue in the financial statements. However, the model can pose major challenges for an entity if there are differences between the timing and amount of revenue recognised and the timing and amount of the invoice or cash flow.

Five step approach for recognising revenue

1
Identify the contract
2
Separate performance obligations
3
Determine transaction price
4
Allocate transaction price
5
Recognise revenue

Effective date and transitional requirements

To allow any necessary changes to systems, the IASB has set a fairly distant deadline for first application. The standard was published in May 2014 and must be applied for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2018. Two options are available for transitioning to the new standard:

  • Users can apply the standard retrospectively; under this option the comparative information provided in the 2018 financial statements must be presented as if IFRS 15 has always been applied.
  • Entities can apply the standard as of 1 January 2018 without adjusting the comparative information provided.

Is switching to Swiss GAAP FER an alternative?

Various Swiss IFRS users that would have to contend with transition effects as a result of IFRS 15 are considering a switch to Swiss GAAP FER. Until recently, Swiss GAAP FER contained virtually no rules on revenue recognition. Prompted not least by the changes to IFRS and US GAAP, Swiss GAAP FER launched its own project to adapt its revenue recognition rules. The resulting changes are applicable for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2016. Rather than create a separate standard, it was decided to modify the revenue recognition policies established in the Swiss GAAP FER Framework, FER 3 Presentation and Format and FER 6 Notes.

Some of these changes result in a situation where IFRS 15 transition effects will also occur on a switch to Swiss GAAP FER. For example, Swiss GAAP FER now also requires that separately identifiable components of business transactions be valued separately. The corresponding revenue is recognised when the service is performed or an asset is delivered. Therefore, the treatment of such business transactions under Swiss GAAP FER hardly differs conceptually from the treatment under IFRS 15. Entities dealing with discrepancies in the timing of invoices, cash flows and revenue recognition under IFRS 15 will have to resolve the same issues under Swiss GAAP FER. Given the same transaction is supposed to be recognised on the basis of its economic substance under both standards, this should hardly come as a surprise. The use of judgement with consideration of materiality is permitted under both IFRS and Swiss GAAP FER.

In the consultation on revenue recognition under Swiss GAAP FER, the treatment of unusually long payment deadlines was also raised: ‘If the agreed payment of the consideration for individual transactions is subject to an unusually long deadline, the corresponding portion of revenues is to be shown as finance income.’ Ultimately the proposed addendum was not implemented. However, during consultation it was noted this accounting treatment of a material financing component would already be required under the existing Swiss GAAP FER guidance. This means switching to Swiss GAAP FER would not permit an entity to avoid recognising material financing components separately, even if this aspect is not directly addressed by the standard.

There are undoubtedly areas where Swiss GAAP FER allows greater room for manoeuvring than IFRS 15. This includes the application of the PoC (percentage of completion) method laid down for long-term contracts under Swiss GAAP FER. Under the PoC method, revenues are recognised on an ongoing basis over the duration of construction or service delivery. IFRS 15 also contains the concept of revenue recognition over a period of time. However, it can only be applied if control of goods or services is transferred to the customer on an ongoing basis. FER 22, Long-Term Contracts, takes a less restrictive stance on the way the PoC method is used. From this point of view, a switch to Swiss GAAP FER may be interesting for entities that under IFRS (especially IAS 11, Construction Contracts) have until now recognised revenue over a period of time but do not actually meet the new IFRS 15 requirements in terms of the continuous transfer of control.

Summary

Deciding on the most appropriate financial reporting standard for your company is a key question that should be addressed holistically. Rather than being swayed by individual accounting-related issues, you should think about the requirements your financial reporting has to meet. Besides considering the expectations of your various stakeholders, it is also important to take into account the regulatory environment and any local reporting requirements affecting group companies.

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David Baur

David Baur

Partner and Leader Corporate Reporting Services, PwC Switzerland

Tel: +41 58 792 26 54

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