Things never stay the same. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is a leading example of change . . . and more change. “Updates” is its middle name.
Recently the FASB released an update to the regulations for accounting standards (ASU). The latest update is entitled Not-for-Profit Entities (Topic 958): Clarifying the Scope and the Accounting Guidance for Contributions Received and Contributions Made. The FASB intends for this change to standardize how the nonprofit sector categorizes grants and other contracts as either an exchange or a contribution.
Meant to Help
The FASB has the best intentions of helping nonprofit organizations identify grants as revenue. This update should assist your organization in pinning down the accounting process for contributions received and distributed. But just like my cousin Eddie, he always has the best of intentions yet somehow it always turns into a mess. Let’s try and straighten this out.
Your organization needs to classify contributions as reciprocal, nonreciprocal, or as exchange transitions under the ruling of Topic 958. You also need to recognize whether the transaction is conditional or unconditional.
Some stakeholders have mentioned that they are challenged by matching grants with resource providers and discerning if the contribution has a condition under Subtopic 958-605 Not-for-Profit Entities -- Revenue Recognition. Individual interpretations of this update and the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) can lead to confusion.
Many stakeholders noted difficulty in characterizing grants and similar contracts with resource providers as either exchange transactions or contributions and in determining whether a contribution is conditional when applying the guidance in Subtopic 958-605, Not-for-Profit Entities—Revenue Recognition.
These challenges, which cause variations in practice when applying GAAP, include new disclosure requirements and delete some limited transaction actions. Your organization must differentiate between the guidance requirements.
New Changes
Donors, stakeholders, and your organization face changes with this new guidance. This new update comes at the same time as your chief financial officer, controller, and other financial pundits are preparing the the deadline for new revenue recognition requirements in Topic 606.
The revenue standard aims to improve accounting for contracts with customers.
Key Points of the New Standard
You can find the current guidance rulings in subtopic 958-605, not-for-Profit Entities -- Revenue Recognition. The largest impact from the new standards deals with revenues generated through contracts with customer or exchange transactions. Some of the old guidance about contributions still remains.
Your organization probably gets most of its program income from membership fees, income from product sales and services, sponsorships, and special events.
The new Standard defines revenue recognition as the “transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services” (ASC 606-10-05-3).
Your organization needs to consider 5 elements when reporting these actions:
Point-out the contract with the customer
Indicate the guaranteed obligations in the contract
State the transaction price
Link the price to the specific obligations in the contract
Acknowledge revenue as the entity satisfies a performance obligation
Example of Reporting
Let’s consider the reporting differences under the new standard for a Community Children’s Orchestra. There is a membership fee of $120 annually in exchange for loan of instruments, lessons, and recitals and performances. Also, this amount includes parking at special events.
The Community Children’s Orchestra has concluded that the fair value of the benefits is $120. Following the current standard, the Orchestra has been reporting the entire $120 as membership revenue over the one-year membership period. This is based on the idea that the receipt does not include a contribution and represents a reciprocal transfer.
Consider the new standard. With the new rulings, The benefits of membership includes loan fee for instruments, training and lessons, and productions that the Orchestra has promised to transfer to its members. These commitments are recognized as goods and services the Orchestra pledged to transfer to its members. These agreements are “performance obligations”.
Under the new standard, the $120 transaction costs shall be allocated to every item or activity. Each aspect of this agreement is considered individually, or as a cluster of performance obligations.
Allocations
Matching the performance obligations to the transaction price can be challenging. Continuing with the Community Children’s Orchestra example, the Orchestra Board votes to increase its financial base by promoting a summer membership drive that includes two new benefits -- one free admission to the July celebration at the local high school, the usual cost $18, and a $40 discount on participating in the Fall Pumpkin Festival.
The new standard views this membership contract now includes two additional performance obligations that require allocation of the $120 transaction price.
Complexity joins the situation. What if the contracts overlap two fiscal periods? For example, the member pays the Orchestra $120 for membership in November 2020 and uses his $18 free admission to the January Snow Gala in 2021.
Under the current GAAP rulings, the Orchestra maintains that the revenue associated with the promotional benefits is not earned unless the member uses them: no revenue is recognized in the year 2020 from this benefit.
Under the new standards, the organization recognizes performance obligations when they are satisfied. This would mean January recognition.
Impact on Financial Statements
The new guidance rules will report finances differently than the current GAAP procedure. The new standards have you report revenue as performance obligations when they occur, such as at the time the organization transfers goods and services to members. When addressing the revenue received for dues from members, the transfer happens throughout the year with a one-year membership.
For revenue that deals with the free admission to an event or the discount on participation, transfer occurs when the admission is granted and when the individual participants in the event.
The contract implications for each of the performance obligations in the membership agreement means that the Orchestra reports higher total liabilities in its statement of financial position at the 2021 year-end.
The new standard considers the admission a measurable performance obligation for which allocated elements have been received. The organization must report this action as a contract liability that remains recognized until the transfer of services occurs in January.
The total amount that overlaps the reporting periods is the same; however, the timing of the recognition is different in the current GAAP and the new standard. The new standard shows the Orchestra’s transfer of goods and services that reflects the consideration it was entitled to in exchange.
Auditing Suggestions
Your accounting team will immediately recognize the new revenue standard as thought-provoking. Your auditor will have to closely scrutinize all your sources of revenue. The auditor will verify how your organization gathers revenue information, analyze the meaning and purpose of each revenue item, and keep accurate records of every revenue unit.
Your auditor may wish to reevaluate the sources of your organization’s revenues. From where do they come? How often do you receive revenue? Most nonprofits expend energy throughout the year to find more revenue sources. The nonprofits are always seeking new ways to supplement the gifts from donors.
With the new standard, a revenue arrangement does not have to be written. The standard accepts oral and implied obligations. It is up to the auditor to determine who in the organization is approved to obligate revenues.
Assertions
The new standard puts some assertion demands on the auditors to understand revenue-related controls. The assertions are imperative under the new guidance. Some of the major assertions are the following:
Rights and obligations. The interpretation of the standard’s understanding of a contract states an agreement between two or more entities that generates enforceable rights and obligations (ASC 606-10-05-4). Your organization must identify all contracts and their performance obligations. This reporting includes agreements that contain contract liabilities or assets.
Occurrence. The new standard links revenue recognition to fulfillment of performance obligations and the transfer of goods and services. The new standard sets forth precise directives for deciding when transfers happen and when to acknowledge revenue.
Completeness. It is important not to underestimate revenue. The new standard impacts the information required for other financial statements. The figures can impact the financial details computing assets and liabilities and the statement of financial position.
Cutoff. Deadlines may change with the new standard. Your organization may recognize revenue at a different time from the current standard. The new standard may cause allocation of revenue falling between two periods to appear differently from current GAAP rulings. Auditors must pay close attention to revenue agreements that span two fiscal periods or that include fulfilled performance obligations that span a range of time, such as member benefits.
Accuracy. With the many changes under the new standard, it can be easy to misstate amounts. Audits are always accurate and endeavor to be exact. Several new methods of obtaining estimates can initiate challenges when calculating financial amounts.
Presentation and disclosure. There are changes to the look of financial statements. More space is allocated to showing the amounts and types of revenue. The new form will “enable users of financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts” (ASC 606-10-50-1). Auditors should ensure that your organization separately present or disclose revenue from contracts with customers, disaggregated according to its timing and supplemented with descriptions of the economic factors affecting it and the performance obligations giving rise to it.
Standards Transition
For public business entity NFP’s the entity should apply the amendments in this Update on contributions received to annual periods beginning after June 15, 2018.
All other entities should apply the amendments for transactions in which the entity serves as the resource recipient to annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Therefore if you are a calendar year end this is effective now.
If you have questions about interpreting the new standard, let us help. Contact our not-for-profit team leader at trent@tbfosteraccounting.com and please join our facebook group the “Nonprofit Accounting Spot”.
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