REVENUE REVISITED （Part 2）

　　ACCA P2 考試：REVENUE REVISITED （Part 2）

　　Step one in the five-step model requires the identification of the contract with the customer. Contracts may be in different forms （written, verbal or implied）, but must be enforceable, have commercial substance and be approved by the parties to the contract. The model applies once the payment terms for the goods or services are identified and it is probable that the entity will collect the consideration. Each party's rights in relation to the goods or services have to be capable of identification. If a contract with a customer does not meet these criteria, the entity can continually reassess the contract to determine whether it subsequently meets the criteria.

　　Two or more contracts that are entered into around the same time with the same customer may be combined and accounted for as a single contract, if they meet the specified criteria. The standard provides detailed requirements for contract modifications. A modification may be accounted for as a separate contract or as a modification of the original contract, depending upon the circumstances of the case.

　　Step two requires the identification of the separate performance obligations in the contract. This is often referred to as 'unbundling', and is done at the beginning of a contract. The key factor in identifying a separate performance obligation is the distinctiveness of the good or service, or a bundle of goods or services. A good or service is distinct if the customer can benefit from the good or service on its own or together with other readily available resources and it is separately identifiable from other elements of the contract.

　　IFRS 15 requires that a series of distinct goods or services that are substantially the same with the same pattern of transfer, to be regarded as a single performance obligation. A good or service which has been delivered may not be distinct if it cannot be used without another good or service that has not yet been delivered. Similarly, goods or services that are not distinct should be combined with other goods or services until the entity identifies a bundle of goods or services that is distinct. IFRS 15 provides indicators rather than criteria to determine when a good or service is distinct within the context of the contract. This allows management to apply judgment to determine the separate performance obligations that best reflect the economic substance of a transaction.

　　Step three requires the entity to determine the transaction price, which is the amount of consideration that an entity expects to be entitled to in exchange for the promised goods or services. This amount excludes amounts collected on behalf of a third party - for example, government taxes. An entity must determine the amount of consideration to which it expects to be entitled in order to recognise revenue.

　　The transaction price might include variable or contingent consideration. Variable consideration should be estimated as either the expected value or the most likely amount. The expected value approach represents the sum of probability-weighted amounts for various possible outcomes. The most likely amount represents the most likely amount in a range of possible amounts.

　　Management should use the approach that it expects will best predict the amount of consideration and it should be applied consistently throughout the contract. An entity can only include variable consideration in the transaction price to the extent that it is highly probable that a subsequent change in the estimated variable consideration will not result in a significant revenue reversal. If it is not appropriate to include all of the variable consideration in the transaction price, the entity should assess whether it should include part of the variable consideration. However, this latter amount still has to pass the 'revenue reversal' test.