IAS 37 Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets outlines the accounting for provisions (liabilities of uncertain timing or amount), together with contingent assets (possible assets) and contingent liabilities (possible obligations and present obligations that are not probable or not reliably measurable). Provisions are measured at the best estimate (including risks and uncertainties) of the expenditure required to settle the present obligation, and reflects the present value of expenditures required to settle the obligation where the time value of money is material. IAS 37 was issued in September 1998 and is operative for periods beginning on or after 1 July 1999.
The objective of IAS 37 is to ensure that appropriate recognition criteria and measurement bases are applied to provisions, contingent liabilities and contingent assets and that sufficient information is disclosed in the notes to the financial statements to enable users to understand their nature, timing and amount. The key principle established by the Standard is that a provision should be recognised only when there is a liability i.e. a present obligation resulting from past events. The Standard thus aims to ensure that only genuine obligations are dealt with in the financial statements – planned future expenditure, even where authorised by the board of directors or equivalent governing body, is excluded from recognition. IAS 37 excludes obligations and contingencies arising from: [IAS 37.1-6]
Provision: a liability of uncertain timing or amount. Liability:
Contingent liability:
Contingent asset:
An entity must recognise a provision if, and only if: [IAS 37.14]
An obligating event is an event that creates a legal or constructive obligation and, therefore, results in an entity having no realistic alternative but to settle the obligation. [IAS 37.10] A constructive obligation arises if past practice creates a valid expectation on the part of a third party, for example, a retail store that has a long-standing policy of allowing customers to return merchandise within, say, a 30-day period. [IAS 37.10] A possible obligation (a contingent liability) is disclosed but not accrued. However, disclosure is not required if payment is remote. [IAS 37.86] In rare cases, for example in a lawsuit, it may not be clear whether an entity has a present obligation. In those cases, a past event is deemed to give rise to a present obligation if, taking account of all available evidence, it is more likely than not that a present obligation exists at the balance sheet date. A provision should be recognised for that present obligation if the other recognition criteria described above are met. If it is more likely than not that no present obligation exists, the entity should disclose a contingent liability, unless the possibility of an outflow of resources is remote. [IAS 37.15] The amount recognised as a provision should be the best estimate of the expenditure required to settle the present obligation at the balance sheet date, that is, the amount that an entity would rationally pay to settle the obligation at the balance sheet date or to transfer it to a third party. [IAS 37.36] This means:
In reaching its best estimate, the entity should take into account the risks and uncertainties that surround the underlying events. [IAS 37.42] If some or all of the expenditure required to settle a provision is expected to be reimbursed by another party, the reimbursement should be recognised as a separate asset, and not as a reduction of the required provision, when, and only when, it is virtually certain that reimbursement will be received if the entity settles the obligation. The amount recognised should not exceed the amount of the provision. [IAS 37.53] In measuring a provision consider future events as follows:
A restructuring is: [IAS 37.70]
Restructuring provisions should be recognised as follows: [IAS 37.72]
Restructuring provisions should include only direct expenditures necessarily entailed by the restructuring, not costs that associated with the ongoing activities of the entity. [IAS 37.80] When a provision (liability) is recognised, the debit entry for a provision is not always an expense. Sometimes the provision may form part of the cost of the asset. Examples: included in the cost of inventories, or an obligation for environmental cleanup when a new mine is opened or an offshore oil rig is installed. [IAS 37.8] Provisions should only be used for the purpose for which they were originally recognised. They should be reviewed at each balance sheet date and adjusted to reflect the current best estimate. If it is no longer probable that an outflow of resources will be required to settle the obligation, the provision should be reversed. [IAS 37.61] Since there is common ground as regards liabilities that are uncertain, IAS 37 also deals with contingencies. It requires that entities should not recognise contingent liabilities – but should disclose them, unless the possibility of an outflow of economic resources is remote. [IAS 37.86] Contingent assets should not be recognised – but should be disclosed where an inflow of economic benefits is probable. When the realisation of income is virtually certain, then the related asset is not a contingent asset and its recognition is appropriate. [IAS 37.31-35] Reconciliation for each class of provision: [IAS 37.84]
A prior year reconciliation is not required. [IAS 37.84] For each class of provision, a brief description of: [IAS 37.85]
|