UK GAAP

Since 2005 listed groups in the UK have been required to prepare their consolidated financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs). Almost all other groups and companies have a choice. They can choose to follow IFRSs or UK GAAP. 

For periods beginning on or after 1 January 2015, FRSs 100101 and 102 came into force, bringing with them a number of new options for all UK entities and groups. These Standards replaced old UK GAAP.

In addition to the above three Standards, two additional Standards were in force from 1 January 2015 - FRS 103 Insurance Contracts which contains specific accounting requirements for entities that have insurance contracts (including reinsurance contracts) and are applying FRS 102 and FRS 104 Interim Financial Reporting, which is intended for use in the preparation of interim financial reports by those entities that apply FRS 102FRS 105 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable to the Micro Entities Regime is a financial reporting standard applicable to entities able to apply the micro entities regime. 

Companies who operate within specialised industries or sectors will also apply the requirements of their specific Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) in conjunction with the Financial Reporting Standards.  Most of the various SORP-issuing bodies have revised their SORPs in the light of FRS 102.

As the UK GAAP regime has now been in place for a number of years, preparation of either parent company or subsidiary accounts under either FRS 101 or FRS 102 should now have become a routine exercise. 

Amendments have been made to FRS 102 in relation to phase 2 of the interest rate benchmark reform and also in relation to accounting for temporary rent concessions for operating leases occurring as a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic extending beyond 30 June 2021 (for which an amendment was also made to FRS 105). Amendments to FRS 101, FRS 102, FRS 104 and FRS 105 have also been made to reflect changes in company law following the UK's exit from the European Union and to FRS 101 as a result of the 2020/21 annual review of the standard.

The news articles and publications below - organised chronologically - provide a comprehensive collection of resources on the UK GAAP framework.

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Related Resources

EFRAG and European National Standard Setters publish their strategy regarding the IFRS Conceptual Framework

06 Feb, 2013

The European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) has posted to its website a strategy document entitled 'Getting a Better Framework – Our Strategy' that was developed in cooperation with the French Autorité des Normes Comptables (ANC), the Accounting Standards Committee of Germany (ASCG), the Organismo Italiano di Contabilità (OIC) and the UK Financial Reporting Council (FRC). The aim of the document is to ensure ultimately that the IASB's Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting reflects an underlying accounting model that European stakeholders believe is conducive to robust and effective financial reporting standards.

UK FRC consults on the implementation of the Sharman Panel recommendations

31 Jan, 2013

In June 2012, the United Kingdom Sharman Panel of Inquiry, established at the invitation of the UK Financial Reporting Council (FRC) to consider going concern and liquidity risks, published its final report and recommendations. The FRC has now issued for consultation guidance for directors, and related standards for auditors, to implement the recommendations.

iGAAP newsletter — December 2012

06 Dec, 2012

This edition of the iGAAP newsletters from Deloitte (UK) covers a wide range of topics, including the practical issue of joined-up writing — annual reports, an interview with Bill Hicks on the future of UK GAAP, disclosures, and more.

Deloitte's response to the proposed Amendment to FRED 48

03 Dec, 2012

This comment letter from Deloitte (United Kingdom) is in response to the Financial Reporting Council's (FRCs) exposure draft 'Amendments to Financial Reporting Exposure Draft 48' relating to multi-employer defined benefit pension plans and grantors of service concession arrangements.

Stay Tuned Online – IFRS and UK GAAP update

29 Nov, 2012

The Deloitte London IFRS Centre of Excellence is running a series of hour-long Internet-based financial reporting updates, aimed at helping finance teams keep up to speed with IFRSs and other financial reporting issues.

Stay Tuned Online — IFRS and UK GAAP update November 2012

29 Nov, 2012

The following topics are covered in the November 2012 webcast, 1 - New consolidation rules for investment entities, 2 - Corporate governance developments, 3 - Narrative reporting and ‘joined up writing’, 4 - New IFRS reduced disclosure framework and an update on the future of UK GAAP and 5 - Other developments.

iGAAP Alert — IFRS reduced disclosure framework now available

26 Nov, 2012

This publication from Deloitte (United Kingdom) discusses FRS 101 'Reduced Disclosure Framework', the IFRS reduced disclosure framework for qualifying entities, which has been published and is now available for 31 December 2012 year ends.

UK implements revised differential reporting regime

23 Nov, 2012

The United Kingdom Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has issued two new standards which implement a revised differential reporting regime for UK companies. The new regime introduces a 'reduced disclosure regime' for individual financial statements of subsidiaries and ultimate parents.

Annual survey of corporate reporting in the UK

01 Nov, 2012

The 2012 Deloitte survey of annual reports ‘Joined up writing’ is a comprehensive survey of listed company annual reports. It gives a clear view of the current regulatory focus, what is happening in the world of corporate reporting and better practice guidance for annual reports. The survey reveals an encouraging improvement in the levels and coherence of corporate reporting, but companies must act now to get ahead of reforms.

iGAAP newsletter — October 2012

11 Oct, 2012

This edition of the iGAAP newsletters from Deloitte (UK) covers a wide range of topics, including the practical issue of responding to heightened country and currency risks, an interview with Roger Marshall on the future of UK GAAP, disclosure framework, and more.

UK FRC issues exposure draft amending FRED 48

03 Oct, 2012

The United Kingdom Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has issued an exposure draft of limited scope amendments to Financial Reporting Exposure Draft (FRED) 48: Draft FRS 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland.' The limited scope amendments relate to 1) multi-employer defined benefit pension plans and 2) grantors of service concession arrangements.

iGAAP Alert — Hedge accounting draft: A closer reflection of risk management

14 Sep, 2012

This publication highlight the key issues of the new hedge accounting draft guidance for various industries with hedging activities in the United Kingdom.

iGAAP Alert — Audit exemptions

14 Sep, 2012

This publication highlights changes to UK GAAP made by amendments to the Companies Act 2006.

UK announces reduced auditing and reporting requirements for SMEs and subsidiaries

06 Sep, 2012

UK Business Secretary Vince Cable announced that the government plans to allow more companies to make a commercial decision about whether or not to have a statutory audit. The changes will exempt more SMEs and subsidiary companies from mandatory audits, and will make it easier for companies to move to UK GAAP from IFRS.

Stay Tuned Online – IFRS and UK GAAP update

01 Aug, 2012

The Deloitte London IFRS Centre of Excellence is running a series of hour-long Internet-based financial reporting updates, aimed at helping finance teams keep up to speed with IFRSs and other financial reporting issues.

Stay Tuned Online — IFRS and UK GAAP update July 2012

01 Aug, 2012

The following topics were covered in the July 2012 webcast 1 - Latest IFRS developments, 2 - other UK reporting developments, 3 - Eurozone uncertainties and 4 - the future for financial instruments.

Governance in brief: Summary of the latest corporate governance developments (Sharman report) (June 2012)

18 Jun, 2012

This publication from Deloitte (UK) provides a summary of the latest corporate governance developments to June 2012.

UK Sharman inquiry calls for global consistency in interpretation of "going concern"

14 Jun, 2012

The United Kingdom Sharman Panel of Inquiry, established at the invitation of the UK Financial Reporting Council (FRC) to consider going concern and liquidity risks, has published its final report and recommendations ('Sharman report'). One of the recommendations is that the FRC should engage with the IASB and IAASB "to agree a common international understanding of the purposes of the going concern assessment and financial statement disclosures about going concern, and of the related thresholds and descriptions of a going concern".

iGAAP newsletter — May 2012

14 May, 2012

This edition of the iGAAP newsletters from Deloitte (UK) covers a wide range of topics, including half-year financial reporting issues, an interview with Bob Uhl, the future of financial reporting in the UK and Ireland, activities of the IASB, and more.

Deloitte's response on FREDs 46, 47 and 48

27 Apr, 2012

This comment letter from Deloitte (United Kingdom) is in response to the Accounting Standard Board's (ASB's) invitation to comment on the future of financial reporting in the UK and Republic of Ireland following the publication of FRED 46 'Application of Financial Reporting Requirements' ('draft FRS 100'), FRED 47 'Reduced Disclosure Framework' ('draft FRS 101') and FRED 48 'The Financial Reporting Standard Applicable in the UK and Ireland' ('draft FRS 102'). The comment letter sets out Deloitte responses to the specific questions raised by the ASB and some additional matters that they wished to raise that were not specifically addressed within the ASB questions.

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