Post-employment benefits — Comprehensive project

Background

Accounting for employee benefits, particularly pensions and other post-retirement benefits, has long been a complex and difficult area.

The IASB has approached this project in two phases:

  • Amendments to IAS 19 - improvements to the recognition, presentation and disclosures of defined benefit plans (IASB only, see our separate project page)
  • Comprehensive project - improvements to the measurement of defined benefit plans and contribution-based promise plans, including plans that have the characteristics of both defined benefit and defined contribution plans (joint with FASB).

In addition, in July 2009 the IASB agreed to under a separate project to urgently amend IAS 19 paragraph 78 to remove the requirement to use a government bond rate when there is no deep market in high quality corporate bonds and to provide guidance on how to estimate a high quality corporate bond rate. The IASB did not ultimately proceed with this amendment.

 

Current status of the project

The IASB subsequently reactivated this project as an IASB-only research project. Board discussions are expected during the first and second quarter of 2015.

Project milestones

DateDevelopmentComments
July 2006 Project added to the IASB's agenda
March 2007 Employee Benefits Working Group established
27 March 2008 Discussion Paper Preliminary Views on Amendments to IAS 19 Employee Benefits published Comment deadline 26 September 2008

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