The New England Not-For-Profit Accounting Advisor

Not-for-profit entities have a new, optional accounting alternative for evaluating goodwill impairment triggering events. The accounting alternative is intended to simplify and eliminate the requirement to monitor for triggering events throughout the reporting period that would cause an entity to perform a test for goodwill impairment. Rather than performing a continuous assessment of triggering events, an entity electing the alternative would evaluate the existence of a goodwill impairment triggering event as of an interim or annual reporting date. The new alternative is available for not-for-profit entities that account for goodwill as an indefinite-lived asset as well as not-for-profit entities that have elected to amortize goodwill. It is available for entities that have not yet issued their Dec. 31, 2020 financial statements and could cause some entities that experienced significant, but short-lived impacts from COVID-19 to forgo performing a test of goodwill impairment during 2020. The policy election to apply the alternative can also be made at a future date.

Topics: accounting, goodwill, goodwill impairment, GAAP, not-for-profit, FASB, NFP, intangible assets, COVID19, reporting, accounting alternative, FDIC, indefinite-lived asset

On May 20, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) voted to move forward with a deferral of the effective date for the new revenue recognition for private not-for-profits and a leasing standard delay for private and public not-for-profit organizations. Changes to the effective date are designed to provide some relief for organizations and to a not-for-profit sector that may be particularly hard hit by the repercussions from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Topics: ASU, GAAP, not-for-profit, FASB, NFP, Financial Accounting Standards Board, ASC Topic 606, U.S. GAAP, COVID-19

Complex standards and organizations’ implementation efforts related to those standards will continue to dominate the accounting conversations for not-for-profits throughout the year. Organizations that follow a fiscal year-end should now be putting the finishing touches on their revenue recognition and contribution accounting adoption efforts. Not-for-profits that follow a calendar year-end will soon be tackling the leasing standard. Below is a preview of what organizations can expect from their 2020 accounting.

Topics: Revenue Recognition Standard, not-for-profit, Revenue recognition, Lease Standards, leasing standard, revenue recognition for nonprofits, ASC Topic 606

Not-for-profit organizations, you cleared the biggest hurdle to revenue recognition adoption and busted some of the important myths. Now comes the hard part: a formal, initial impact assessment.

In the race for ASC Topic 606 adoption, your assessment of how revenue recognition affects your organization serves as your course map. It highlights the contracts and arrangements that will experience some of the biggest changes under the new accounting standard, so that you can see other potential barriers between your organization and the finish line.

Topics: Revenue Recognition Standard, not-for-profit, Revenue recognition, revenue recognition for nonprofits, ASC Topic 606

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) recently extended relief for goodwill and intangible asset accounting to not-for-profit organizations. Accounting Standard Update (ASU) 2019-06 will allow not-for-profit organizations to access the same simplified approach to these two issues that private companies have been granted.

Topics: goodwill, goodwill impairment, not-for-profit, FASB, Financial Accounting Standards Board, Accounting Standard Update

Not-for-profit organizations that hold collections received some much-needed clarification from the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) that will eliminate a diversity in practice. The clarification arrives in the recently issued Accounting Standards Update 2019-03, Not-for-Profit Entities (Topic 958): Updating the Definition of Collections (ASU 2019-03).

Topics: not-for-profit, FASB, Financial Accounting Standards Board, U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, collections, American Alliance of Museums, U.S. GAAP

Even though the pace of new standard setting has appeared to have slowed, not-for-profit organizations will have no shortage of accounting considerations in the next year. Entities with fiscal year ends will be implementing the changes to their financial statement presentation for the first time, and all organizations will be tackling changes to contribution and revenue recognition accounting. On the horizon are the changes to the leasing standard, which will require analysis of all existing lease agreements. It’s never too early to start working on accounting changes. Getting a jump start on these and other updates may make year-end reporting significantly easier.

Topics: not-for-profit, Financial Statement

The FASB met Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018, and discussed how companies should account for the effects of the new tax law, introduced as H.R. 1 (Tax Cuts and Jobs Act). The discussion addressed six different financial reporting issues related to the new tax law and has already resulted in the issuance of a FASB Staff Q&A.

Topics: FASB, Tax Reform, Tax Reform Act, tax reform bill

The close of the calendar year provides a good opportunity for not-for-profit organizations with June 30 fiscal year ends to plan ahead. Many accounting standard changes went into effect for 2017 fiscal years. The updates could affect financial statements in multiple places, from adding or changing disclosures to modifications in internal controls over financial reporting.

Topics: ASU, not-for-profit, FASB, 2017 fiscal year end, Equity Method of Accounting, Consolidation

As part of its efforts to simplify financial statement reporting, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) recently streamlined its treatment of extraordinary items. Entities will no longer have to separately classify, present and disclose extraordinary events or transactions.

Topics: ASU, not-for-profit, FASB