views
March 2016
Leases: Not Just for the Footnotes Anymore
Adam Roark, Senior Manager | DHG Assurance Services
Overview
On February 25, 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 201602 Leases (Topic 842), a new standard that will govern the accounting for lease contracts beginning with the 2019 calendar
year-end for public companies and the 2020 calendar year-end for all other entities1. To affect these changes, this ASU
amends the existing FASB Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) and creates a new Topic 842, Leases.
Contents
Overview................................................................. 1
Key concepts......................................................... 2
Lessee accounting.................................................
4
Lessor accounting.................................................. 7
Sale-Leaseback transactions................................. 7
Presentation and disclosure...................................
8
Scope, effective dates, and transition.................... 8
Appendix A – Identifying a lease.......................... 10
Appendix B – Examples.......................................
11
Assurance | Tax | Advisory | dhgllp.com
Lease assets and liabilities will be recorded on the
balance sheet
The key difference between existing standards and ASU
2016-02 is the requirement for lessees to recognize on their
balance sheet all lease contracts with lease terms greater
than 12 months, including operating leases. Specifically,
lessees are required to recognize on the balance sheet at
lease commencement, both:
• A right-of-use (ROU) asset, representing the lessee’s right
to use the leased asset over the term of the lease; and,
• A lease liability, representing the lessee’s contractual
obligation to make lease payments over the term of the
lease.
Reporting considerations relating specifically to private
company matters are denoted with this symbol
. views
The new lease standard requires lessees to classify leases
as either operating or finance leases, which are similar to the
current operating and capital lease classifications. However,
the distinction between these two classifications under the
new standard does not relate to balance sheet treatment,
but relates to treatment and recognition in the statements of
income and cash flows.
As discussed later in this document, the standard requires a
modified retrospective application, which requires companies
to apply the new guidance as of the beginning of the earliest
comparative period presented in the period in which the
standard is adopted. As a result, companies should begin
now to familiarize themselves with the new standard,
particularly how it differs from existing guidance, and assess
how these changes could impact their compensation plans,
loan covenants and other business dynamics.
Lessor accounting is largely unchanged from current
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States
(U.S. GAAP), with the exception of some revisions made to
ensure consistency with the revised lessee guidance of ASU
2016-02 and with FASB ASC 606, Revenue from Contract
with Customers.
Key concepts
Identifying a lease
A company is required to determine whether a contract is,
or contains, a lease at the inception of the contract.
Once
the initial determination has been made, the company cannot
reassess, unless the terms and conditions of the contract are
modified.
Big changes, bigger impact expected
It has been speculated that the release of this standard could
result in as much as $2 trillion in assets and liabilities being
added to the balance sheets of U.S companies.2 Certain
industries where it is common practice to hold numerous
equipment and real estate leases, such as retail stores,
telecommunications, restaurant chains, airlines, and banks,
are expected to be most impacted. All companies with leases
will be impacted to some degree, however, the final impact of
the new leasing standard will vary, depending on the size and
scope of a company’s leasing activities.
Appendix A of this document includes a flowchart to
assist with the determination of identifying a lease.
A contract is defined as being, or containing, a lease if it
conveys the right to control the use of identified property,
plant, or equipment (an identified asset) for a period of time in
exchange for consideration. Assets can be either explicitly or
implicitly specified by a contract.
Although the final economic impact is undetermined, the
changes within the new standard will effect multiple aspects of
a business’s operations.
For instance, the addition of leases to
the balance sheet is likely to impact commonly used financial
indicators, such as debt covenants ratios, regulatory capital
requirements, and other contracts (e.g. some management
compensation plans may have performance based metrics,
which may be impacted).
Control over the use of the asset means that for a period of
time the customer has both:
• The right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits
from the use of the asset, and
• The right to direct the use of the asset.
The assessment of whether a company has the right to direct
the use of the asset requires judgement. However, a company
would have the right to direct the use of the asset in either of
the following situations:
Implications for Key Metrics and Debt Covenants
The new lease standard could have a significant impact on
the key metrics companies report to their investors as well
as on a company’s debt covenant computations.
Below are
a some of the key ratios that may be impacted by the new
lease accounting standard.
Key Metric
Expected Effect
Leverage Ratio:
Debt/Equity
Increases
Current Ratio:
Current Assets/Current Liabilities
Decreases
Debt to EBITDA:
Debt/EBITDA
Increases
Return on Assets:
Net Income/Assets
• The customer has the right to operate the asset throughout
the period of use, without the supplier having the right to
change the operating instructions.
Decreases
Assurance | Tax | Advisory | dhgllp.com
• The customer designed the asset in a way that
predetermines how, and for what purpose, the asset will
be used throughout the period of use.
If a supplier has substantive substitution rights (i.e., the right
to substitute the identified asset for another asset) then the
customer does not have the right to use an identified asset.
For substitution rights to be considered substantive, both of
the following must be true:
• The supplier has the practical ability to substitute
alternative assets throughout the period of use,
2
. views
The identification of a lease in a contract, in most cases, will decide whether or not leases
are recognized on the balance sheet. This decision caries similar weight to the determination
of whether a lease was a capital lease or an operating lease under the existing standard.
In determining whether it is ‘reasonably certain’ that a renewal
option (or termination option) will be exercised, a company
must consider all relevant factors that create an economic
incentive for the lessee to exercise the option, including
contract, asset, entity, and market based factors. Examples
of these factors include:
• The economic benefits for the supplier to substitute the
asset are expected to exceed the costs of substitution.
The consideration of whether or not substitution rights are
substantive should occur at inception of the contract. Further,
future events, not deemed likely to occur, are to be excluded
from the evaluation of whether or not substitution rights are
substantive.
ASC 842-10-15-11 includes specific examples
of future events that would be excluded.
• Contractual terms and conditions for optional periods
compared with current market rates.
• Leasehold improvements that are expected to have
significant value to the lessee when the option becomes
exercisable.
Short-term leases and lease term
As an exception to the general requirement that all leases be
recognized on balance sheet, the new lease standard allows
companies to account for leases whose lease term is 12
months or less off the balance sheet – similar to operating
leases under existing accounting guidance. However, if a
company elects an accounting policy to apply this short-term
lease exception, it must do so for all similar qualifying leases
within the same asset class (e.g., all qualifying short-term
laptop leases).
• Costs related to the termination of the lease and the signing
of a new lease, such as negotiation costs and relocation
costs.
• The importance of the underlying asset to the lessee’s
operations.
Under existing accounting guidance,
companies only consider renewal
periods as part of the lease term if it is
reasonably assured the renewal option
will be exercised. While the new standard
uses the term “reasonably certain”,
the standard explains that “the [FASB]
views reasonably certain and reasonably
assured as synonyms that should be
applied in the same way.”
Under the new standard, lease term is defined as:
The non-cancellable period for which a lessee has the
right to use an underlying asset, together with all of the
following:
a. Periods covered by an option to extend the lease
if the lessee is reasonably certain to exercise that
option;
b. Periods covered by an option to terminate the lease
if the lessee is reasonably certain not to exercise that
option; and
c. Periods representing renewals or extensions of the
lease at the option of the lessor.
Refer to Appendix B-1, Example – Lease term, for an explanation of how a company could determine if a lease contract
qualifies for the short-term lease scope exception.
Assurance | Tax | Advisory | dhgllp.com
3
.
views
Lease components
• The lease grants the lessee an option to purchase the
underlying asset that the lessee is reasonably certain to
exercise.
It is common for many lease contracts to contain both
lease and non-lease components. For example, a contract
containing the lease of specialized equipment, may also
include provisions for maintenance services to be provided by
the lessor. These maintenance services would be considered
non-lease components and would be separated from the
lease components under the existing standards. Similarly,
the new standard requires separation of the lease and nonlease components.
The new standard also contains additional
guidance on the identification of non-lease components,
as this determination is more significant given that lease
components of a contract will now be accounted for on the
balance sheet.
• The lease term is for the major part of the remaining
economic life of the underlying asset. However, if the
commencement date falls at or near the end of the
economic life of the underlying asset, this criterion shall
not be used for the purposes of classifying the lease.
• The present value of the sum of the lease payments and
any residual value guaranteed by the lessee equals or
exceeds substantially all of the fair value of the underlying
asset.
• The underlying asset is of such specialized nature that it
is expected to have no alternative use to the lessor at the
end of the lease term.
In general, contract consideration and any initial direct costs
should be allocated to lease and non-lease components
based on the relative standalone price of the separate
components. However, the new standard allows lessees, as
a practical expedient, to make an accounting policy election
to account for lease and non-lease components as a single
lease component.
This accounting policy election should be
made by class of underlying assets – similar to the short term
lease exception.
Although the finance lease classification
criteria is substantially the same as the
pre-existing capital lease criteria, the
new standard adds the criterion that a
lease of specialized assets for which
there is no alternative use at the end of
the lease term would qualify as a finance
lease. This criterion was added to reflect
the economic reality that if an asset has
no alternative use at the end of a lease,
then the lessee has substantially used all
of the benefits of that asset.
Related party leases
Related party leases are to be accounted for and classified
under the new standard on the basis of the legally enforceable
terms and conditions of the lease. Further, in the separate
financial statements of related parties, the accounting and
classification of leases should be the same as for leases
between unrelated parties.
This differs from current guidance,
which requires related party leases to be accounted for and
classified on the basis of the economic substance of the
arrangement. The guidance in the new standard may remove
some of the current challenges encountered when there are no
legally enforceable terms and conditions (e.g. month to month
related party leases, or related party leases with undefined
payment terms).
Any leases not meeting the criteria for a finance lease shall be
classified as an operating lease.
The new classification criteria are substantially the same as
the existing operating vs.
capital lease classification criteria
with the addition of the specialized assets criterion listed
above. And while the new criteria do not reference the “brightline” tests included in existing guidance (i.e., the “75%” and
“90%” hurdles), the new lease standard allows companies to
use those existing “bright lines” as one reasonable approach
for assessing the criteria listed above. Consequently,
companies should not experience significant changes in lease
classification conclusions under the new standard.
Lessee accounting
Classification
Leases are required to be classified by lessees as either
operating leases or finance leases.
A lease contract is a
finance lease for a lessee if any of the following are met:
• The lease transfers ownership of the underlying asset to
the lessee by the end of the lease term.
Assurance | Tax | Advisory | dhgllp.com
4
. views
Private Company Matters
Private companies, those companies that do not meet the FASB definition of a Public
Business Entity, are permitted to make an accounting policy election for all leases to
use a risk-free discount rate when calculating the lease liability. The risk-free rate used
for any particular lease should be determined using a period that is comparable with the
lease term. This option may make the additional calculations under the standard easier
to implement for some private companies. However, since the risk free rate is most often
lower than applicable borrowing rates, this option is likely to result in a larger liability.
Initial measurement
The new standard requires lessees to recognize on the
balance sheet at commencement for all leases both:
If a lessee cannot readily determine the rate implicit in the
lease, it should use its incremental borrowing rate to discount
the lease.
In addition, private companies4 will have the option
to use the risk-free rate in calculating the present value of
lease payments.
• A ROU asset, representing the lessee’s right to use the
leased asset over the term of the lease; and,
• A lease liability, representing the lessee’s contractual
obligation to make lease payments over the term of the
lease.
As illustrated below, the ROU asset is initially recorded at an
amount equal to:
The lease liability is initially recorded at an amount equal to
the present value of the remaining lease payments3 due over
the lease term, discounted at the rate implicit in the lease.
• The initial lease liability; plus
The rate implicit in the lease is the rate that causes the present
value of the net investment in the lease to equal the sum of:
• Any initial direct costs incurred by the lessee; less
• Any lease payments made at or before lease
commencement; plus
• Any lease incentives received from the lessor.
• The fair value of the underlying asset minus any related
investment tax credit retained and expected to be realized
by the lessor, and
• Any capitalized initial direct costs incurred by the lessor.
The following illustrates the initial balance sheet measurement concepts under the new lease accounting standard.
=
Initial Lease
Liability
Initial ROU
Asset
=
Assurance | Tax | Advisory | dhgllp.com
Initial Lease
Liability
+
Present value of
lease payments due
over the lease term
• Lease payments made at or
before lease commencement
• Initial direct costs
5
-
Lease incentives received
from the lessor
. views
Subsequent measurement – finance leases
The initial liability for a finance lease will subsequently be
adjusted to reflect interest expense incurred (increase of the
liability), and lease payments made (decrease of the liability).
Interest should be recognized equal to an amount that
produces a constant periodic discount rate on the remaining
balance of the liability during the lease term (i.e. the effective
interest method).
commencement of the lease to the end of the useful life of the
ROU asset.
The income and cash flow statement impact of accounting for
finance leases is similar to current requirements for accounting
for capital leases. Companies will recognize interest expense
(from the lease liability) and amortization expense (from the
ROU asset) separately in the income statement, which is
similar to the presentation for today’s capital leases. On the
statement of cash flows, interest paid will be presented as a
component of operating activities, and principal payments on
the lease liability will be presented as component of financing
activities.
The ROU asset should be amortized on a straight-line basis5
from the commencement date6 to the earlier of the end of
the useful life of the ROU asset or the end of the lease term.
If, however, ownership of the ROU asset is transferred to
the lessee at the end of the lease term or it is reasonably
certain the lessee will exercise a purchase option for the ROU
asset, then the lessee should amortize the ROU asset from
Leasehold Improvements
Similar to an ROU asset for a finance lease, leasehold improvements should be amortized
over the shorter of the useful life of the leasehold improvements and the remaining lease
term, unless the lease transfers ownership of the underlying ROU asset to the lessee or it
is reasonably certain the lease will exercise a purchase option of the underlying ROU asset.
Subsequent measurement – operating leases
A lease liability for an operating lease will generally be
measured at the present value of the lease payments not
yet paid, calculated using the discount rate determined at
commencement of the lease.
As illustrated in the graphic below, the income and cash
flow statement impact of accounting for operating leases is
unchanged from current U.S.
GAAP. Companies will recognize
a single lease expense figure in the income statement,
and cash paid on operating leases will be presented as a
component of operating activities on the statement of cash
flows.
As mentioned, ROU assets associated with financing leases
are treated the same as any other nonfinancial asset. They
are measured at cost, net of accumulated amortization, and
are systematically amortized.
ROU assets related to operating
leases, however, are treated differently.
Lessee reporting
Finance lease
ROU assets for operating leases are measured by reference
to the lease liability. The ROU asset for an operating lease
will generally be measured at an amount equal to the lease
liability, adjusted for the following:
Income
Statement
• Prepaid or accrued lease payments (the lessee should
generally recognize lease expense over the lease term on
a straight-line basis),
• The remaining balance of any lease incentives received,
Statement of
Cash Flows
• Unamortized initial direct costs
• Impairment of the asset.
Assurance | Tax | Advisory | dhgllp.com
6
• Interest expense
(Lease liability)
• Depreciation
expense (ROU
asset)
• Interest expense –
operating activities
• Principal payment
– financing
activities
Operating lease
• Total lease
expense
• Total lease
expense –
operating activities
. views
There will be a number of different approaches to
implement and account for leases under the new standard.
The selection of policies and procedures to account
for adopting the standard will require consideration of
internal controls and other financial reporting requirements
Appendix B-2, Example lessee accounting, demonstrates
multiple ways in which a company would record a lease for
both a finance and operating lease. These lease accounting
examples include both a comprehensive methodology and
a high-level “display approach”, which would likely be more
appropriate for private companies with relatively few leases.
Impairment
• If a lease does not meet the criteria of a sales-type lease, a
lessor would classify the lease as a direct financing lease if
both 1) the present value of the sum of the lease payments
and any residual value guaranteed by the lessee exceeds
the fair value of the underlying asset, and 2) it is probable
the lessor will collect the lease payment plus any amount
necessary to satisfy a residual value guarantee.
The ROU asset for both finance and operating leases is
subject to the same impairment considerations as is required
of other long-lived assets.7 If a ROU asset is impaired, the
asset will be measured at its carrying amount immediately
after the impairment less any accumulated amortization.
ROU assets relating to finance leases should continue to be
amortized on a straight-line basis, as described above, from
the date of impairment to the earlier of the end of the useful life
of the ROU asset or the end of the lease term. If impairment of
an ROU asset associated with an operating lease is recorded,
then subsequent to impairment the single lease cost will be
calculated as the sum of the following:
• Leases that do not meet the definition of either a salestype lease or a direct financing lease are operating leases.
• The new lease classification criteria remove the incremental
tests that now exist for leases involving real estate to
achieve better alignment with the new revenue recognition
standard.
• Amortization of the remaining right-of-use asset after the
impairment on a straight-line basis, and
• The accounting model for leveraged leases in current U.S.
GAAP was not retained for leases that commence after the
effective date of the new standard.
• Accretion of the lease liability, determined for each
remaining period during the lease term as the amount
that produces a constant periodic discount rate on the
remaining balance of the liability.
Sale-leaseback transactions
While the new lease standard retains the notion of a saleleaseback transaction, it modifies how the lessee and lessor
determine the appropriate accounting for such a transaction.
Lessor accounting
Lessor accounting is largely unchanged from current U.S.
GAAP. A majority of operating leases should remain classified
as operating leases, and lessors should continue to recognize
income, generally, on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
The changes made to the lessor accounting model within the
new lease standard were primarily related to aligning the lessor
guidance with the revised lessee guidance and with the new
revenue standard, FASB ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts
with Customers.
Key aspects of the lessor guidance include
the following:
Under the new standard, the seller-lessee first assesses
whether the transfer of the underlying asset to the buyerlessor qualifies as a sale under the new revenue standard.
This analysis focuses on whether the buyer-lessor has
obtained control over the asset. The new lease standard
clarifies that the leaseback arrangement does not preclude
the buyer-lessor from obtaining control (thus accounting as
a sale) unless the lease is determined to be a finance lease.
If the transfer does not qualify as a sale, the transaction is
accounted for as a financing arrangement. The seller-lessee
continues to record the underlying asset on its balance sheet
and recognizes a liability for any proceeds received from the
buyer-lessor.
• Retains the current lease classifications – operating
leases, direct-finance leases and sales-type leases – and
generally how each lease type is accounted for.
• The standard does change how a lessor determines
the appropriate lease classification for each lease to
better align the lessor guidance with the revised lessee
classification guidance noted above.
In contrast, if the transfer qualifies as a sale, then the sellerlessee derecognizes the underlying asset and recognizes
a gain or loss on sale.
The leaseback would be accounted
in accordance with the new lease standard as an operating
lease. (i.e. accounted for as an operating lease by the lessee).
• A sales-type lease is subject to the same classification
criteria as a finance lease in the lessee model.
Assurance | Tax | Advisory | dhgllp.com
7
.
views
Presentation and disclosure
The new lease standard includes expanded presentation and
disclosure requirements to provide additional quantitative
and qualitative information, including significant judgments
involved in the accounting for leases and the amounts
recognized in the financial statements from leases. The
objective of the disclosures is to enable users of the financial
statements to assess the amount, timing and uncertainty of
cash flows arising from leases. Among these requirements,
companies will present separately financing ROU assets and
liabilities from operating ROU assets and liabilities. Certain
other disclosures required under the new lease standard
include:
Disclosure requirements
Lessor
Lessee
• Information about the nature of its leases
• Information about the nature of its leases
• Maturity analysis of lease liabilities
• Maturity analysis of lease investments
• Lease expense, split between operating and capital leases
• Profit or loss recognized at lease commencement (for
sales-type leases)
• Short-term lease expense
• Lease income
• Variable lease expense
• Qualitative and quantitative information about significant
changes in residual values of leased assets
• Sublease income
• Weighted average remaining lease term
• Weighted average discount rate
Scope, effective dates, and transition
Scope
Effective dates
ASU 2016-02 applies to all leases, including subleases, with
the following exceptions:
The effective date for public companies8 is fiscal years
beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods
therein.
For all other companies the standard is effective for
fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 and interim
periods within those fiscal years beginning after December
15, 2020. Early adoption is permitted for all companies and
organizations.
• Leases of intangible assets,
• Leases to explore or use minerals, oil, natural gas, and
similar nonregenerative resources,
• Leases of biological assets, including timber,
• Leases of inventory, and
• Leases of assets under construction.
Companies need to start now to assess the capabilities of their financial reporting systems
and controls, as they relate to the adoption of this new standard. The new lease standard
requires a modified retrospective implementation approach, which means when companies
adopt they will need to apply the new lease guidance to each comparable period
presented.
For instance, a public company who adopts for the 2019 calendar year-end and
reports three years of comparable information will need to evaluate how the standard will
impact the presentation of the 2017 and 2018 calendar year-end financial statements.
Assurance | Tax | Advisory | dhgllp.com
8
. views
Transition
The first three practical expedients must be elected together
(i.e., all or none). In contrast, the fourth practical expedient may
be elected separately; however, if elected, it must be treated
as an accounting policy election (i.e., it cannot be elected on
a lease-by-lease basis). Further, the policy election for the
short-term lease exemption would also apply to comparable
periods presented upon adoption. For companies that avail
themselves of the practical expedients, the primary effect of
adoption will be the grossing up of the balance sheet for any
existing operating leases.
ASU 2016-02 requires companies to adopt its provisions
using a modified retrospective approach, which requires
the application of the new standard as of the beginning of
the earliest comparative period presented.
This requirement
is irrespective of whether or not a company elects to early
adopt the standard. Therefore, whenever a company adopts
the new standard, it will be required to consider the impact of
the new standard for all comparable periods presented in the
financial statements issued during the year of adoption.
Upon adoption, a lessee will be required to recognize a ROU
asset and a lease liability for operating leases at the later of
the beginning of the earliest period presented on the balance
sheet and the commencement date of the lease. Further, the
lessee will measure the lease liability at present value using
a discount rate established at the later of the beginning of
the earliest period presented and the lease commencement
date.
For instance, consider the case of a calendar year-end
reporting company who presents three comparable periods
and adopts the standard in 2019. This company would need
to present an ROU asset and a lease liability as of the later
of beginning of 2017, or the lease commencement date for
leases that had not commenced as of the beginning of 2017.
The lease liability for each lease will be calculated using the
discount rate in effect as of the beginning of 2017, or the lease
commencement date for leases that had not commenced as
of the beginning of 2017.
The new standard also provides certain “practical expedients”
that companies may elect at the date of transition to ease the
burden of adoption. The practical expedients are as follows:
1. A company need not reassess whether any expired or
existing contracts are or contain leases.
2. A company need not reassess the lease classification for
any expired or existing leases (i.e., all existing leases that
were classified as operating leases in accordance with
Topic 840 will be classified as operating leases and all
existing leases that were classified as capital leases in
accordance with Topic 840 will be classified as finance
leases).
3. A company need not reassess initial direct costs for any
existing leases.
4. A company also may elect a practical expedient to use
hindsight in determining the lease term when considering
lessee options to extend or terminate the lease and to
purchase the underlying asset.
1. ASU 2016-02 applies to all entities that enter into a lease, with some specified scope exceptions.
Throughout this document the term “company” is used to refer to the
entity entering into a lease. This term “company” is used as a general term to aid in the readability of the document. As such, the guidance is equally as applicable to
not-for-profit organizations and other entities that enter into a lease.
For the purpose of this transition guidance the following are included in the definition of a public company: a public business entity, a not-for-profit entity that has issued
or is a conduit bond obligor for securities that are traded, listed, or quoted on an exchange or an over-the-counter market, and an employee benefit plan that files or
furnishes financial statements with or to the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission.
2. Rapoport, Michael (2015, November 10) Coming to Balance Sheet Near You: $2 Trillion in Leases. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com.
3. Lease payments exclude contingent rental payments (e.g., rent based on percent of sales).
4. Entities that are not public business entities.
5. Under the new lease standard the straight-line basis is used “unless another systematic and rational basis is more representative of the pattern in which benefit is
expected to be derived from the right to use the underlying asset” (ASC 842-20-35-7).
6. The date on which a lessor makes an underlying asset available for use by an lessee.
7. Refer to ASC 360-10-35 for additional information on the impairment guidance for long-lived assets.
8. For the purpose of this transition guidance the following are included in the definition of a public company: a public business entity, a not-for-profit entity that has
issued or is a conduit bond obligor for securities that are traded, listed, or quoted on an exchange or an over-the-counter market, and an employee benefit plan that files
or furnishes financial statements with or to the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission.
Assurance | Tax | Advisory | dhgllp.com
9
. views
Appendix A – Identifying a Lease
The following illustration, excerpted from ASC 842-10-55-1, Leases - Implementation Guidance, demonstrates the
determination of whether or not a contract is or contains a lease.
Is there an identified asset?
No
Yes
Does the customer have the right to obtain
substantially all of the economic benefits from the
use of the asset throughout the period of use?
No
Yes
Customer
Does the customer or the supplier have the right
to direct how and for what purpose the identified
asset is used throughout the period of use?
Supplier
Neither; how and for what purpose the
asset will be used is predetermined.
Yes
Does the customer have the right to operate
the asset throughout the period of use, without
the supplier having the right to change those
operating instructions?
No
Yes
Does the customer design the asset (or specific
aspects of the asset) in a way that predetermines
how and for what purpose the asset will be used
throughout the period of use?
The contract
contains a lease.
Assurance | Tax | Advisory | dhgllp.com
No
The contract
does not contain a lease.
10
. views
Appendix B – Examples
B-1 – Lease terms – short-term determination
Conclusion:
Facts:
Based on a review of the relevant factors that create
an economic incentive (e.g., the significant leasehold
improvements involved, the material tax incentive being
offered), Darling Widgets concludes it is reasonably certain
that it will exercise the renewal option. As a result, the lease
does not qualify as a short-term lease (because the lease
term exceeds 12 months).
• Darling Widgets enters into a lease agreement with RE
Rental Inc. to lease a building for an initial period of 10
months.
• At the end of 10 months, Darling Widgets has the option
to renew the lease contract for an additional 36-month
period.
• Darling Widgets intends to use the building for the location
of its new corporate headquarters, which requires the
installation of significant leasehold improvements.
• Additionally, Darling Widgets has been offered a material
tax incentive from the local government for relocating
its headquarters. However, to receive the tax incentive,
Darling must remain in the locality for at least two years.
Darling intends to meet that requirement.
B-2 – Lessee accounting
The following example walks through the initial and subsequent accounting treatment of the same lease for both the operating
and finance lease classifications.
The purpose of this example is to illustrate how the same basic lease terms would look under
the recognition guidance for each classification.
Accounting at inception of the lease:
Facts:
• Beau’s makes the first $50,000 payment and incurs the
$15,000 in initial direct costs.
• Beau’s Baseball Cards (Beau’s) enters into a lease
agreement with RE Rental Inc. to lease a printing press
for 10 years, with an option to extend for an additional 5
years.
• The lease liability is measured as the present value of the
remaining 9 payments, discounted at 5.87%, which is
calculated to be $342,017.
• Lease payments are $50,000 per year during the initial
term and $55,000 per year during the optional period.
Payments are made at the beginning of each year.
• The ROU asset is measured at $407,017, which is equal to
the lease liability of $342,017 plus the first lease payment
of $50,000 and the $15,000 in initial direct costs.
• Beau’s incurs $15,000 in initial direct costs.
• At inception Beau’s concludes it is NOT reasonably certain
the option to extend the lease will be exercised. The 10%
increase in cost is not considered to be a significant
economic incentive to extend.
Therefore the lease term
is 10 years.
Journal entry at inception
Debit
ROU asset
Lease liability
$407,017
$342,017
Cash (lease payment)
11
$50,000
Cash (initial direct costs)
• Beau’s incremental borrowing rate is 5.87%. (Beau’s was
unable to determine the rate implicit in the lease.)
Assurance | Tax | Advisory | dhgllp.com
Credit
$15,000
. views
Finance lease – subsequent accounting in year one:
Finance lease – year one
• For the purpose of this illustration the lease is deemed to
be a finance lease because the lease term accounts for
substantially all of the useful life of the asset.
Debit
Amortization expense
$40,702
Interest expense
• Beau’s amortizes the ROU asset on a straight-line basis
over 10 years. Thus, Beau’s will recognize amortization
expense of $40,702.
Credit
$20,076
ROU asset
$40,702
Lease liability
$20,076
Balance Sheet
• Beau’s recognizes interest expense of $20,076, which is
equal to the lease liability x the discount rate of 5.87%.
ROU asset
$366,315
Lease liability
$362,093 (342,017+20,076)
(407,017-40,702)
Operating lease – year one
Operating lease – subsequent accounting in year one:
Debit
• For the purpose of this illustration the lease is deemed to
be an operating lease because the useful life of the asset
is substantially greater than the term of the lease.
Lease expense
Credit
$51,500
Lease liability
$20,076
ROU asset
• Beau’s recognizes lease expense of $51,500, which
is equal 1/10th of the total cash payments to be made
during the lease term ($50,000) plus 1/10th of the initial
direct costs ($1,500).
$31,424
Balance Sheet
ROU asset
Lease liability
• The portion of the lease expense attributable to interest
expense ($20,076 as calculated in the finance lease
example above) is credited to the lease liability, and the
remaining expense amount is credited against the ROU
asset.
$375,593
$362,093 (342,017+20,076)
(407,017-31,424)
Note the difference in the value of the ROU asset at the end of year one in the finance lease example versus the operating lease
example. Under the finance lease scenario, the ROU asset is amortized evenly over the 10 year lease period. However, under
the operating lease scenario, the ROU asset is measured at the end of each year based on the value of the lease liability plus the
remaining initial direct costs ($362,093 + $13,500).
Assurance | Tax | Advisory | dhgllp.com
12
.
views
The “display approach” – operating lease –
subsequent accounting in year one:
During the first year of the lease Beau’s recognizes lease
expense of $51,500, which is equal 1/10th of the total cash
payments to be made during the lease term ($50,000) plus
1/10th of the initial direct costs ($1,500).
The “display approach” concept allows companies the
option to record operating lease liabilities and ROU assets
via a year end closing entry (made for financial statement
purposes only). This approach to implementing the new
standard is not a one-size fits all solution. Companies should
assess the significance and scope of their leasing activities,
in addition to considering internal controls and other financial
reporting requirements before implementing this or any other
methodology for recording operating leases on the balance
sheet. Nonetheless, for certain private companies with
relatively few operating leases, this approach may present
a practical methodology for applying the standard.
This
approach also demonstrates how a company may begin to
take their current lease tracking schedules and calculate the
lease liabilities and ROU assets under the new standard.
At year end, Beau’s calculates the present value of the
remaining lease payments, discounted at the incremental
borrowing rate of 5.87%. This calculation could be done
on Beau’s existing lease tracking schedule used for current
lease maturity disclosures. The calculated lease liability is
$362,093.
(Note: as a private company, Beau’s would also
have the option to elect to an accounting policy to use the
risk free rate as of the inception of the lease.)
When preparing the financial statements, a closing journal
entry is made to record the lease liability and ROU asset, as
follows. No income statement adjustments are necessary, as
the single lease cost under the new standard, is the same as
it is under current U.S. GAAP.
This example assumes all of the same facts as the operating
lease example presented above, however, under this scenario
Beau’s does not record a lease liability or ROU asset at
inception.
Lease maturities schedule
Year
Printing press lease
Discount
rate
5.87%
20X0
20X1
20X2
Deferred lease costs
$13,500
Lease expense
$51,500
Closing journal entry
Debit
Credit
$375,593
Lease liability
$362,093
Deferred lease costs
$13,500
Balance sheet - after lease entry
ROU asset
$375,593
Lease liability
$362,093
Assurance | Tax | Advisory | dhgllp.com
20X4
20X5
20X6
20X7
20X8
50,000 50,000 50,000 50,000 50,000 50,000 50,000 50,000 50,000
Trial balance accounts - before lease entry
ROU asset
20X3
13
Present
Value
$362,093
.