Revenue resources

The FRC noted in its Annual Review of Corporate Reporting 2022/23 that the frequency of substantive queries on revenue recognition and related disclosures were lower than in preceding years, indicating that entities have become more familiar with application of the IFRS 15 recognition model.  The most common areas of challenge included variable consideration, principal/agent considerations and contract balances. Queries were mostly centred around insufficient information to demonstrate compliance with certain requirements.

For their forthcoming reporting the FRC expects companies to ensure that:

  • when material variable consideration exists, sufficient company-specific information is provided to explain how it arises and how it is estimated and constrained.
  • accounting policies are provided for all significant performance obligations and address in sufficient detail:
    • the timing of revenue recognition.
    • the basis for recognising any revenue over time.
    • the methodology applied.
  • significant judgements made in relation to revenue recognition are disclosed (for example, in relation to whether the company is acting as agent or principal, the allocation of the transaction price and the timing of satisfaction of performance obligations).
  • that inflationary features in contracts with customers and accounting for such clauses (that is whether the feature is an embedded derivative or variable consideration) are adequately disclosed and clearly explained.

The FRC encourages companies to refer to its previously issued IFRS 15 thematic review for further guidance as to its expectations in this area.

This page includes all of our resources on IFRS 15.  It includes links to:

Latest IFRS 15 Resources

FRC calls for improvements in the reporting of revenue and leases

25 Sep, 2020

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has published the results of two thematic reviews covering the current reporting on IFRS 15 ‘Revenue from Contracts with Customers’ and IFRS 16 ‘Leases’ following the first year of its application. The reviews identify a number of areas where companies need to improve their reporting.

IAAER grants for research informing the IASB's work

30 Jun, 2020

The 'Research Informing the IASB Decision Process programme' of the International Association for Accounting Education and Research (IAAER) has awarded grants to academics from Canada, Sweden, the UK, and the USA to conduct research that will be relevant to the IASB's work.

IPSASB extends comment letter deadline for its three recent exposure drafts

23 Apr, 2020

On 24 February 2020, the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) released three interconnected exposure drafts: ED 70 'Revenue with Performance Obligations', ED 71 'Revenue without Performance Obligations', and ED 72 'Transfer Expenses'.

ESMA publishes 24th enforcement decisions report

03 Apr, 2020

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has published further extracts from its confidential database of enforcement decisions taken by European national enforcers. This batch deals with decisions in relation to IFRS 15 (three decisions), IFRS 7, IFRS 9/IAS 12, IFRS 10, IAS 34, and IFRS 15/IFRS 16.

IPSASB publishes three exposure drafts

24 Feb, 2020

The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) has released three interconnected exposure drafts: ED 70 'Revenue with Performance Obligations', ED 71 'Revenue without Performance Obligations', and ED 72 'Transfer Expenses'.

HM Treasury publishes results of the post implementation review of IFRS 9 and IFRS 15 for central government

05 Feb, 2020

HM Treasury has published the results of an early post-implementation review focusing on the way that IFRS 9 and IFRS 15 were implemented in central government.

FRC announces thematic reviews for 2020/2021

16 Dec, 2019

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has announced the corporate reporting and audit quality thematic reviews that it will undertake in 2020/21.

We comment on five IFRS Interpretations Committee tentative agenda decisions

25 Nov, 2019

We have published our comment letters on IFRS Interpretations Committee tentative agenda decisions related to IAS 21, IAS 29, IFRS 15, and IFRS 16, as published in the September 2019 IFRIC Update.

Deloitte comment letter on tentative agenda decision on IFRS 15 — Training costs to fulfil a contract

25 Nov, 2019

We have commented on the IFRS Interpretations Committee's publication in the September 2019 IFRIC Update of the tentative decision not to take onto the Committee's agenda the request for clarification on whether an entity recognises training costs incurred to fulfil a contract with a customer as an asset or an expense when incurred.

Governance in brief — FRC issues advice on annual reports for 2019/20 reporting season

14 Nov, 2019

The FRC has issued its Annual Review of Corporate Reporting and annual open letter to finance directors and audit committee chairs covering its perspectives on key developments and areas of focus for 2019/20 annual reports. The report sets out the FRC’s “expectations for corporate reporting to improve trust in business”, emphasising the annual report is a vehicle of trust and stewardship.

FRC publishes findings on the quality of corporate reporting in 2018/2019

30 Oct, 2019

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has published its Annual Review of Corporate Reporting 2018/2019, which provides the FRC's assessment of corporate reporting in the UK based on evidence from a variety of sources, including the work of the FRC's own Corporate Reporting Review (CRR) team.

ESMA announces enforcement priorities for 2019 financial statements

22 Oct, 2019

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has announced the priority issues that the assessment of listed companies' 2019 financial statements will focus on.

FRC publishes thematic review findings of IFRS 9, IFRS 15, and IAS 36 company disclosures

10 Oct, 2019

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has published three thematic reviews to help companies improve the quality of their corporate reporting in relation to IFRS 9 'Financial Instruments', IFRS 15 'Revenue from Contracts with Customers' and the impairment of non-financial assets.

We comment on seven IFRS Interpretations Committee tentative agenda decisions

20 Aug, 2019

We have published our comment letters on IFRS Interpretations Committee tentative agenda decisions related to IAS 1, IAS 7, IAS 41, IFRS 9, IFRS 15, and IFRS 16, as published in the June 2019 IFRIC Update.

Deloitte comment letter on tentative agenda decision on IFRS 15 — Compensation for delays or cancellations

20 Aug, 2019

We have commented on the IFRS Interpretations Committee's publication in the June 2019 IFRIC Update of the tentative decision not to take onto the Committee's agenda the request for clarification on compensation for delays or cancellations.

IASB presentation slides

08 Jul, 2019

The IASB has posted to its website the slides of two full presentations and one breakfast talk given by IASB members at the recent annual congress of the European Accounting Association (EAA).

A Closer Look — Revenue recognition - evaluating whether an entity is acting as a principal or as an agent

25 Jun, 2019

In April 2016, the IASB issued Clarifications to IFRS 15 which amended the principal-versus-agent implementation guidance and illustrations in IFRS 15 to clarify how the principal-versus-agent indicators should be evaluated to support an entity’s conclusion that it controls a specified good or service before it is transferred to a customer. However, given the complexities of some arrangements, including those involving three or more parties, the evaluation of whether an entity is acting as a principal or as an agent continues to require significant judgement, and conclusions reached under IAS 18 may not be the same as those reached under IFRS 15.

IASB posts webcast on borrowing costs and revenue recognition

24 Jun, 2019

The IASB has posted a webcast, by IASB technical staff Jawaid Dossani and Nicolette Lange, that discusses conclusions reach at by the IFRS Interpretation Committee related to the application of IAS 23, ‘Borrowing Costs’ and its interaction with IFRS 15, ‘Revenue from Contracts with Customers’.

We comment on four IFRS Interpretations Committee tentative agenda decisions

15 May, 2019

We have published our comment letters on IFRS Interpretations Committee tentative agenda decisions related to IAS 19, IFRS 15, IFRS 16, and cryptocurrencies, as published in the March 2019 IFRIC Update.

Deloitte comment letter on tentative agenda decision on IFRS 15 — Costs to fulfil a contract

15 May, 2019

We have commented on the IFRS Interpretations Committee's publication in the March 2019 IFRIC Update of the tentative decision not to take onto the Committee's agenda the request for clarification on the recognition of costs incurred to fulfil a contract as an entity satisfies a performance obligation in the contract over time.

Correction list for hyphenation

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