IFRS 15 Revenue from contract with customers

About IFRS 15

International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) 15: Revenue from Contracts with Customers was introduced by the International Accounting Standards Board to provide one comprehensive revenue recognition model for all contracts with customers to improve comparability within industries, across industries, and across capital markets.

The new rules on revenue recognition became effective from 1 January 2018 and it replaces former revenue recognition standards ( IAS 11 – Construction Contracts, IAS 18 – Revenues) and most of other revenue recognition guidance (IFRIC 13 – Customer Loyalty Programmes, IFRIC 15 – Agreements for the Construction of Real Estates, IFRIC 18 – Transfers of Assets from Customers, and SIC 31 – Revenue – Barter Transactions Involving Advertising Services).

For many companies the impact will be manageable. But for those with large numbers of customer contracts, diverse or constantly changing terms, the impact could be significant unless action has been taken to mitigate the impact of IFRS 15.

Here’s what you need to know:

5-step model

The core principle of IFRS 15 is that revenue is recognised when the goods or services are transferred to the customer, at the transaction price. Revenue is recognised in accordance with that core principle by applying a 5-step model as shown below.

Step 1: Identify contract(s) with customer

A contract creates enforceable rights and obligations. It may be written, oral or implied by customary business practice.

Combine contracts when they are entered into at or near the same time and are negotiated as a package, payment of one depends on the other, or goods/services promised are a single performance obligation.

A contract modification is accounted for as a separate contract or continuation of the original contract prospectively or with cumulative catch-up, depending on facts and circumstances.

Step 2: Identify separate performance obligations in the contract(s)

Performance obligations are promises in a contract to transfer goods or services, including those a customer can resell or provide to its customer.

Use the model’s indicators to separate the performance obligations if they are capable of being distinct and if they are distinct based on the context of the contract (separately identifiable from other promises in the contract).

Step 3: Determine the transaction price

Transaction price is the amount of the consideration an company is entitled to receive in exchange for transferring goods or services to customers.

Determining the transaction price is straightforward when the contract price is fixed: it becomes more complex when it is not fixed.

Discounts, rebates, refunds, credits, incentives, performance bonuses, and price concessions could cause the amount of consideration to be variable.

In situations where there are variable considerations, transaction price is estimated based on the expected value or the most likely amount but is constrained up to the amount that is highly probable of no significant reversal in the future.

Step 4: Allocate the transaction price

Transaction price should be allocated to distinct performance obligations based on relative standalone selling price.

This may be the standalone selling price of a good or service when sold separately to a customer in similar circumstances and to similar customers.

If a standalone selling price is not directly observable, estimate it by considering all information that is reasonably available, such as market conditions, specific factors, and class of customers.

Step 5: Recognise revenue when the performance obligation is satisfied

Recognise revenue when the promised goods or services are transferred to the customer and the customer obtains control. This may be overtime or at a point in time. The new standard provides indicators when control is transferred.

Additionally, the new standard introduces a new concept and revenue is required to be recognised over time when:

• the asset being created has no alternative use to the company; and
• the company has an enforceable right to payment for performance completed to date