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Accounting Standards for Private Enterprises

Revenue

Summary

The Accounting Standards Board (AcSB) has consulted with stakeholders about its relative priorities for Part II as per its 2017-2018 Annual Plan. As part of this consultation, the AcSB conducted a survey for stakeholders who account for revenue using Part II or Part III of the Handbook.

Staff Contact(s)

Ingrid McDonald, CPA, CA Associate Director, Accounting Standards Board

Phone number  +1 416 204 3279
Email address  [email protected]

Project Status

  • Information gathering

    Completed prior to July 2018

  • Approving project

    The AcSB approved the project in July 2018

  • Consulting stakeholders

    Exposure Draft issued in May 2019

    Public outreach took place from May to July 2019

  • Deliberating feedback

    Amendments were approved by the AcSB in October 2019

  • Final pronouncement

    The final amendments were issued in the CPA Canada Handbook – Accounting in December 2019

Implementation

Read CPA Canada’s briefing detailing the amendments and what factors to consider when applying them.

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News

November 15, 2022 News
Handbook Update – Revenue – Upfront Non-refundable Fees or Payments

The AcSB has issued an amendment to Section 3400, Revenue, to defer the effective date for previously issued amendments relating to upfront non-refundable fees or payments from fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2022, to fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2025. Earlier application is permitted.

July 15, 2022 Document for Comment
AcSB Exposure Draft – Revenue – Upfront Non-refundable Fees or Payments

The AcSB wants your feedback on its proposed amendments to Section 3400, Revenue, applicable to private enterprises and not-for-profit organizations. The Board is proposing to defer the effective date of the amendments relating to upfront non-refundable fees or payments to January 1, 2025, while it researches the effects of previously issued amendments. Submit your comments by August 15, 2022.

Meeting & event summaries

November 29, 2022 Private Enterprise Advisory Committee Notes – November 10, 2022

The Private Enterprise Advisory Committee received an update on stakeholder comments on the AcSB’s Exposure Draft “Revenue – Upfront Non-refundable Fees or Payments.” This Exposure Draft proposed deferring the effective date of the previously issued amendments for upfront non-refundable fees or payments to periods beginning on or after January 1, 2025.

The Committee then discussed possible alternatives to address stakeholder concerns about the amendments. Committee members considered whether additional illustrative examples, application guidance or an exception to the guidance would result in more decision-useful financial reporting outcomes for financial statement users.

The Committee also discussed whether any potential exception to the upfront, non-refundable fees guidance should apply to for-profit entities and non-for-profit organizations that have transactions with similar characteristics.

The AcSB will consider the feedback from its Private Enterprise Advisory Committee and its Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee at a future Board meeting in Q1 2023.

October 11, 2022 AcSB Decision Summary – September 14-15, 2022

The AcSB completed its deliberations of stakeholder feedback on the Exposure Draft, “Revenue – Upfront Non-refundable Fees or Payments.” The Board approved the issuance of the proposal to defer the effective date of the previously issued amendments to Section 3400, Revenue related to upfront non-refundable fees or payments subject to drafting and a written ballot. The Board plans to issue the amendments in mid-November 2022.

June 22, 2022 AcSB Decision Summary – June 22-23, 2022

The AcSB continued its discussion on feedback received from its Private Enterprise Advisory Committee and Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee on recent amendments to Section 3400, Revenue, related to accounting for upfront non-refundable fees or payments. Stakeholders indicated that the amendments sometimes result in information that is not decision-useful, particularly for entities collecting non-refundable initiation or life membership fees. The Board decided to issue an exposure draft to defer the effective date of these amendments while the Board analyzes the issues raised by stakeholders and determines what, if any, action is required to address these concerns. The Board expects to issue an exposure draft on July 15, 2022, with a 30-day comment period. 

Disclaimer

This project summary has been prepared for information purposes only. Decisions reported are tentative and reflect only the current status of discussions on this project, which may change after further Board deliberations. Decisions to publish Handbook material are final only after a formal ballot process.