Chapter 3 — Identifying a Lease
Chapter 3 — Identifying a Lease
3.1 Introduction
As indicated in the decision tree in Section 2.2, whether a contract is within the
scope of ASC 842 is only a gating question. Once an entity determines that the
contract is within the scope, it must then proceed through the analysis in ASC
842-10-15 to determine whether the contract is or contains a lease.
Although a contract is not recognized and measured until commencement if it is a lease (see Chapters 8 and 9 for a detailed discussion of lessee and lessor accounting, respectively), the lease identification analysis must be performed at inception. If an arrangement is determined not to be, or not to contain, a lease, an entity must look to other U.S. GAAP (e.g., ASC 606) to determine the appropriate accounting and must apply the appropriate recognition and measurement guidance in such GAAP at whatever time is required, which could be at a contract’s inception.
Changing Lanes
Definition of a Lease Is the New Line
Between On- and Off-Balance-Sheet Treatments
Under ASC 842, the determination of whether an
arrangement is or contains a lease is critical. A lessee’s failure to
identify leases, including those embedded in service arrangements, is likely
to lead to a financial statement error given that ASC 842 requires lessees
to reflect all leases, other than short-term leases, on the balance sheet
(see Chapter 8
for further discussion of the lessee accounting model). On the other hand,
if a customer concludes that a contract is a service arrangement and does
not contain an embedded lease, the customer is not required to reflect the
contract on its balance sheet (unless it is required to do so by other U.S.
GAAP).
The assessment of the arrangement may be more critical under
ASC 842 than under ASC 840 because, under ASC 840, the balance sheet and
income statement treatment of operating leases was often the same as that of
service arrangements. In other words, under ASC 840, the difference between
on- and off-balance-sheet treatments often depended on whether the lease is
classified as operating or capital. Under ASC 842, however, all leases
(other than short-term leases) are on the balance sheet. Therefore, an
off-balance-sheet treatment will often depend on whether an arrangement
meets the definition of a lease.
3.2 Definition of a Lease
ASC 842-10
15-3 A contract is or contains a lease if the contract 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. A period of time
may be described in terms of the amount of use of an identified asset (for example, the number of production
units that an item of equipment will be used to produce).
Pending Content (Transition
Guidance: ASC 842-10-65-7)
15-3A As a practical
expedient, an entity that is not 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; or an employee benefit
plan that files or furnishes financial statements
with or to the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission may use the written terms and
conditions of a related party arrangement between
entities under common control to determine whether
that arrangement is or contains a lease. For
purposes of determining whether a lease exists
under this practical expedient, an entity shall
determine whether written terms and conditions
convey the practical (as opposed to enforceable)
right to control the use of an identified asset
for a period of time in exchange for
consideration. If an entity determines that a
lease exists, the entity shall classify and
account for that lease on the basis of those
written terms and conditions. An entity may elect
the practical expedient on an
arrangement-by-arrangement basis.
15-3B If no written terms or
conditions exist, an entity shall not apply the
practical expedient in paragraph 842-10-15-3A.
Rather, the entity shall determine whether the
related party arrangement between entities under
common control is or contains a lease in
accordance with paragraph 842-10-15-3 and, if so,
classify and account for that lease on the basis
of its legally enforceable terms and conditions in
accordance with paragraph 842-10-55-12.
15-3C If after an entity has
applied the practical expedient in paragraph
842-10-15-3A an arrangement is no longer between
entities under common control, the entity shall
determine whether a lease exists in accordance
with paragraph 842-10-15-3.
-
If the arrangement was previously determined to be a lease and continues to be a lease, the entity shall classify and account for the lease on the basis of the enforceable terms and conditions. If the enforceable terms and conditions differ from the written terms and conditions previously used to apply paragraph 842-10-15-3A, the entity shall apply the modification requirements in paragraphs 842-10-25-9 through 25-17 using the enforceable terms and conditions. If the enforceable terms and conditions are the same as the written terms and conditions previously used to apply paragraph 842-10-15-3A, the modification requirements in those paragraphs are not applicable.
-
If the arrangement was previously not determined to be a lease and is determined to be a lease, the entity shall account for the arrangement as a new lease.
-
If the arrangement was previously determined to be a lease and the lease ceases to exist:
-
A lessee shall apply the derecognition requirements for fully terminated leases in paragraph 842-20-40-1.
-
A lessor with a lease previously classified as a sales-type lease or a direct financing lease shall apply the derecognition requirements for terminated leases in paragraph 842-30-40-2.
-
A lessor with a lease previously classified as an operating lease shall derecognize any amounts that would not exist if the arrangement was not accounted for as a lease and account for the arrangement in accordance with other generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
-
15-4 To determine whether a contract conveys the right to control the use of an identified asset (see
paragraphs 842-10-15-17 through 15-26) for a period of time, an entity shall assess whether, throughout the
period of use, the customer has both of the following:
- The right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of the identified asset (see paragraphs 842-10-15-17 through 15-19)
- The right to direct the use of the identified asset (see paragraphs 842-10-15-20 through 15-26). . . .
15-5 If the customer has the right to control the use of an identified asset for only a portion of the term of the
contract, the contract contains a lease for that portion of the term.
ASC 842-10-15-3 indicates that a lease is a contract — or part of a contract —
in which a supplier conveys to a customer “the right to control the use of
identified [PP&E] for a period of time in exchange for consideration.” The
graphic below illustrates this relationship.
Although the definition of a lease in ASC 842-10-15-3 includes the phrase “in exchange for
consideration,” the identification of a lease does not depend on whether the contract contains stated
or cash consideration. See Chapter 6 for a detailed discussion of lease payments and what constitutes
consideration.
3.2.1 Process for Identifying a Lease
To help entities determine whether a
contract is or contains a lease in accordance with ASC
842-10-15-3 and 15-4, the FASB included a flowchart in
its implementation guidance. Each piece of this
flowchart will be further discussed throughout the
remainder of this chapter.
|
ASC 842-10
15-8 Paragraph 842-10-55-1 includes a flowchart that depicts the decision process for evaluating whether a
contract is or contains a lease.
Identifying a Lease
55-1 The following flowchart depicts the decision process to follow in identifying whether a contract is or contains a lease. The flowchart does not include all of the guidance on identifying a lease in this Subtopic and is not intended as a substitute for the guidance on identifying a lease in this Subtopic.
Connecting the Dots
Not a Step-by-Step
Process
The FASB’s flowchart in ASC 842-10-55-1 appears to suggest that the lease identification
assessment comprises a series of steps. For example, the flowchart seems to imply that, in
determining whether it has the right to control the use of an asset, an entity must determine
whether there is an identified asset in the contract before it can move on to assessing the right
to control the use in the following sequential manner:
- Whether there is an identified asset.
- Whether the customer has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of the identified asset.
- Whether the customer has the right to direct the use of the identified asset.
However, Example 10, Case A, in ASC 842-10-55-124 through 55-126 (reproduced in Section
3.7.10) states that when the customer in a contract does not have the right to control the use
of PP&E, an entity does not need to assess whether the PP&E is an identified asset. Accordingly,
we do not think that it is necessary for lease identification to be performed on a step-by-step
basis. (However, a step-by-step assessment is required for the specific evaluation of whether the
customer has the right to direct the use of the asset — see Section 3.4.2 for further discussion.)
One way to think about identifying a lease is that the definition of a lease
sits on a three-legged stool. Each leg represents one of the three
requirements in ASC 842-10-15-4: (1) the contract depends on an
identified asset, (2) the customer has the right to obtain substantially
all of the economic benefits from use of the PP&E, and (3) the
customer has the right to direct the use of the PP&E. If you were to
kick out any one of the three legs (i.e., if you were to determine that
a contract does not meet any one of the requirements), the stool falls
over and the definition of a lease is not met.
The flowchart below illustrates an entity’s determination of whether a contract
is or contains a lease and ties into the discussion in the remainder of this
chapter.
Connecting the Dots
It’s All About
Control
The notion of control is critical in ASC 842. The concept is used to identify a lease as well as to classify one when it is identified (see Chapters 8 and 9 for a discussion of the lessee’s and lessor’s classification, respectively). Accordingly, there is effectively a two-step process related to the control concepts behind the FASB’s ROU model in ASC 842:
- Step 1 — Determine whether the customer has the right to control the use of an identified asset. If so, the contract is or contains a lease. If not, the supplier has the right to control the use of the asset.
- Step 2 — Determine the extent of the customer’s control over the use of the asset. There is a range of outcomes from this step. However, if enough control of the use rests with the customer, the customer effectively obtains control of the entire asset. The extent to which the customer has control of the use of the asset governs the classification of the lease and its accounting.
In paragraphs BC124 and BC125 of ASU 2016-02, the FASB notes that the control concept in the
definition of a lease (i.e., step 1 as described above) should be compatible with the same concept
articulated in the revenue standard (i.e., ASC 606) and the consolidation guidance (i.e., ASC 810). Further,
paragraph BC134 of ASU 2016-02 indicates that, in the determination of whether a customer has the
right to control the use of an asset under ASC 842, the concept of control should have “power” and
“benefits” (or “economics”) elements, just as ASC 606 or ASC 810 do for control of a good (or service) or
another entity, respectively.
The table below compares the control principles from the leasing, revenue, and
consolidation standards.
|
Consolidation
|
Revenue
|
Leasing
|
---|---|---|---|
ASC Reference
|
810-10-25-38A
|
606-10-25-25
|
842-10-15-4
|
Control principle (power and economics
elements)
|
“A reporting entity shall be deemed to
have a controlling financial interest in a VIE if it has
both of the following characteristics:
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“Goods and services are assets, even if
only momentarily, when they are received and used (as in
the case of many services). Control of an asset refers
to the ability to direct the use of [power element], and
obtain substantially all of the remaining benefits from,
the asset [economics element].”
|
“To determine whether a contract conveys
the right to control the use of an identified asset . .
. for a period of time, an entity shall assess whether,
throughout the period of use, the customer has both of
the following:
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3.2.2 Embedded Leases
Section
3.1 clarifies the balance sheet impact of properly
differentiating between a lease and a service under ASC 842. Further, certain
contracts may not be wholly a lease or wholly a service; in fact, it is not
uncommon for some service arrangements to contain a right to control the use of
an asset. An entity may enter into a service arrangement that involves PP&E
necessary to deliver the contract’s promised services. The importance of the
PP&E to the overall delivery of the service may vary depending on the type
of arrangement. For example, a customer contracting for transportation services
to ship a package from Munich to Milwaukee may care little about the PP&E
used to perform the services. In contrast, a customer contracting a vessel and
crew for a specified period to transport its goods where and when it chooses is
likely to be more concerned with the PP&E used in the arrangement. Both
arrangements, however, involve a significant service component provided by the
supplier to operate the PP&E used to fulfill its transportation
obligations.
In accordance with ASC 842-10-15-2, entities must evaluate
service arrangements that involve the use of PP&E to determine whether the
arrangements contain a lease at contract inception. Often, the assessment of
whether a contract is or contains a lease will be straightforward. However, the
evaluation will be more complicated when a service arrangement involves a
specified physical asset or when both the customer and the supplier make
decisions about the use of the underlying asset. Examples of these more
ambiguous and complex arrangements include those that involve cloud computing
services (i.e., if there is a lease of the supporting equipment, such as
mainframes and servers) and cable television services (i.e., if the cable box
provided to the customer is a leased asset).
Further, not all leases will be labeled as such, and leases may
be embedded in larger arrangements. For example, supply agreements, power
purchase agreements (PPAs), and oil and gas drilling contracts may contain
leases (i.e., there may be an embedded lease of a manufacturing facility,
generating asset, or drill rig, respectively). If an entity identifies PP&E
in an arrangement (either explicitly or implicitly), the customer and supplier
must both determine whether the customer controls the use of the PP&E
throughout the period of use.
3.2.2.1 Embedded Leases and Service Providers
In a manner consistent with the discussion in Section
3.2.2, it is important to review contracts (particularly
service contracts) to determine whether they are or contain a lease. When
the service provider also conveys control of PP&E to a customer, an
embedded lease (to the customer) is likely to exist. On the other hand, when
the customer conveys control of PP&E to the service provider to
facilitate the delivery of the service, it is less likely that there is an
embedded lease in the arrangement.
In certain industry sectors, it is common for a customer to
provide a vendor with the use of an asset (e.g., a piece of customer-owned
equipment) so that the vendor can provide goods or services to the customer
(i.e., the “vendor’s revenue contract”). The vendor’s use of the equipment
is typically limited to activities defined in the contract that by their
nature only benefit the customer. Further, the vendor would not have the
right to opt out of using the customer-owned equipment (i.e., the vendor
could not choose to bring vendor-owned or vendor-leased equipment). In
summary, the vendor typically must use the customer-furnished asset and the
asset’s use is contractually limited to fulfilling the terms of the vendor’s
revenue contract with the customer (i.e., the asset cannot be used to
satisfy the terms of other contracts of the vendor and may not be assigned
to third parties).
Arrangements in which customer-furnished assets are used
exclusively to fulfill the vendor’s contract with the customer typically
include either of the following:
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One or more embedded leases that should be accounted for separately (i.e., a lease from the customer to the vendor and then a corresponding lease back from the vendor to the customer); some may describe such accounting as accounting for the arrangement on a gross basis.
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No leases (such accounting is sometimes described as accounting on a net basis, suggesting an equal and offsetting exchange of rights because the substance of the transaction is that no leases exist).
We believe that, in accounting for such arrangements, an
entity should carefully evaluate the facts and circumstances to determine
whether control of an asset is transferred through the rights to use the
asset as conveyed in the arrangement. In some cases, it will be appropriate
to recognize a lease; however, we believe that when the three criteria
outlined below are met, control of the asset is not conveyed to one party
(vendor) and then transferred back to the owner (customer).
When the three criteria are met, the substance of the
transaction is that there are no leases (i.e., neither inbound nor outbound)
and the accounting should therefore be on a net basis (i.e., there are no
separate accounting effects related to the customer-furnished assets).
However, if these criteria are not met or are only met for a portion of the
term of the use of the customer-furnished asset, the vendor and customer
should further evaluate whether the customer has leased its asset to the
vendor.
The vendor (potential lessee/sublessor) and customer
(potential lessor/sublessee) should not treat customer-furnished assets as
embedded leases (and recognize the gross effects of such leases) only if all
of the following three criteria are met:
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Linked contracts — The right to use the asset is directly linked to the revenue arrangement. That is, the arrangement is executed as part of one contract or each part of two or more contracts is deemed to be combined and accounted for as a single transaction since the contracts are interdependent.
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Coterminous period — Some or all of the period of use of the asset is coterminous with the revenue arrangement. As discussed further below, if the period of use for the asset begins before or ends after the revenue arrangement, this condition would only be satisfied (and therefore net treatment would only be appropriate) for the overlapping period.
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Restricted use — During the coterminous period identified in criterion 2, the vendor’s use of the asset is either restricted contractually or limited practically to solely transferring the goods or services promised in the revenue arrangement, including restricting the vendor from assigning or transferring the rights of the asset without the customer’s consent.
Accordingly, when all of the above criteria are met, there
are no leases of the asset and there would be no gross-up of revenue and
related expense (i.e., both the customer and the vendor would account for
the arrangement as a typical service contract) for the period in which the
vendor’s use of the identified asset coincides with the related revenue
contract (including renewal/extension options). If the vendor can use the
identified asset for a period longer than the related revenue contract,
there may be a lease for the excess period (i.e., use of the asset before or
after the related revenue contract begins or ends, respectively, provided
that control is conveyed to the vendor before or after the revenue contract
begins or ends, respectively). Therefore, the counterparties would need to
determine whether a lease commences when the related revenue contract
expires (or before it starts) because the output from the use of the
identified asset is no longer limited to satisfying the related revenue
contract.
The examples below illustrate situations in which the three
criteria are met and the arrangements would be accounted for on a net
basis.
Example 3-1
Customer-Furnished Equipment
Contractor C enters into a
three-year arrangement with Governmental Agency G,
the customer. Under the arrangement, C provides G
with military base operations related to mail and
food services while G owns and will provide C with
exclusive use of its mail sorting and delivery
equipment and food service equipment over the
three-year term to execute the services. That is, G
owns and will provide the use of all equipment that
C would need to deliver its services to G. The terms
of the contract explicitly limit C’s use of the
equipment to activities defined in the contract as
“contract activities,” and such contract activities
directly benefit G through the services provided by
C under the arrangement. Further, C cannot assign or
transfer its rights under the contract or further
sublease the equipment.
In this example, the three criteria
are met as follows:
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Linked contracts — The right to use the equipment is directly linked to the revenue arrangement. That is, the military base operations arrangement is executed as a single contract that includes C’s use of G’s equipment to execute the contract activities that directly benefit G.
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Coterminous period — The period of use of the equipment is coterminous with the three-year arrangement for military base mail and food services.
-
Restricted use — The right to use the equipment is contractually restricted to solely transferring the services promised in the military base operations arrangement. That is, C cannot use the equipment to derive other economic benefits (through offering services to other customers or for C’s internal use). In addition, the contract explicitly restricts C from assigning or transferring its rights under the contract or further subleasing the equipment.
Accordingly, there is no lease of
the mail sorting and delivery equipment or the food
service equipment. Therefore, G will not recognize
lease income as a lessor for C’s right to use its
assets and a separate lease expense associated with
the embedded lease in the services it receives from
C. Similarly, C will not recognize lease expense as
a lessee for its right to use G’s assets and
separate lease income for its provision of an
embedded lease within its service revenue
agreement.
Example 3-2
Customer-Furnished Property
Vendor V enters into a five-year
arrangement with a customer, Freight Carrier F, to
provide the maintenance services on F’s railcars.
The maintenance facility that V will use to execute
its services is owned by F. That is, F owns and will
provide exclusive use of its maintenance facility to
V to perform all the maintenance work over the
five-year term. The terms of the contract explicitly
limit V’s use of the maintenance facility to
activities defined in the contract as “contract
activities.” Accordingly, V cannot use the
maintenance facility (1) to service any customer
other than F or (2) for its internal use. Vendor V
cannot assign or transfer its rights under the
contract or further sublease the maintenance
facility.
In this example, the three criteria
are met as follows:
-
Linked contracts — The right to use the maintenance facility is directly linked to the revenue arrangement. That is, the maintenance services arrangement is executed as a single contract that includes V’s use of F’s maintenance facility to execute the contract activities that directly benefit F.
-
Coterminous period — The period of use of the maintenance facility is coterminous with the five-year arrangement for maintenance services.
-
Restricted use — The right to use the maintenance facility is contractually restricted to solely transferring the services promised in the maintenance services arrangement. That is, V cannot use the maintenance facility to derive other economic benefits (through offering services to other customers or for V’s internal use). In addition, the contract explicitly restricts V from assigning or transferring its rights under the contract or further subleasing the maintenance facility.
Accordingly, there is no lease of
the maintenance facility.1 Therefore, F will not recognize lease income
as a lessor for V’s right to use its maintenance
facility and a separate lease expense associated
with the embedded lease in the maintenance services
it receives from V. Similarly, V will not recognize
lease expense as a lessee for its right to use F’s
maintenance facility and separate lease income for
its provision of an embedded lease within its
service revenue agreement.
3.2.3 Joint Operations or Joint Arrangements
ASC 842-10
15-4 . . . If the customer in the contract is a joint operation or a joint arrangement, an entity shall consider whether the joint operation or joint arrangement has the right to control the use of an identified asset throughout the period of use.
Companies in a number of industries enter into joint arrangements to achieve a common commercial objective. These arrangements may include the use of specified PP&E for a stated time frame. Accordingly, under ASC 842-10-15-4, entities should evaluate such arrangements to determine whether they have the right to control the use of an asset.
Bridging the GAAP
No Joint Definitions
The terms “joint arrangement” and “joint operation” are defined in IFRS
Accounting Standards but not in U.S. GAAP. Under IFRS 11, a joint
arrangement is “an arrangement of which two or more parties have joint
control” and a joint operation is a type of joint arrangement
“whereby the parties that have joint control of the arrangement have
rights to the assets, and obligations for the liabilities, relating to
the arrangement.”
Although ASC 842 does not define these two terms, their use in U.S. GAAP is
aligned with that in IFRS Accounting Standards. The terms appear in ASC
842-10-15-4 for two reasons:
-
The FASB and IASB decided that the definition of a lease in ASC 842 would be converged with that in IFRS 16.
-
The FASB wanted to close a structuring opportunity so that entities cannot come together in a joint arrangement or joint operation structure to avoid identifying a lease and recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities.
Connecting the Dots
Joint Operating Agreements in the
Oil and Gas Industry
Entities in the oil and gas industry often enter into joint operating agreements (JOAs) in which
two or more parties (i.e., operators and nonoperators), without setting up a separate or new
legal entity, collaboratively explore for and develop oil or natural gas properties by using the
experience and resources of each party. These agreements often require the use of leased
equipment. Questions have arisen regarding ASC 842’s lease assessment requirements for
parties to JOAs. While we expect that the analysis of JOAs will be largely based on facts and
circumstances, the example and analysis below should be helpful to companies as they consider
these arrangements.
Example 3-3
Three companies — A, B, and C — form a JOA to execute an offshore drilling program. For the companies
to fulfill the JOA’s objective, a specific asset (e.g., a drill rig) will be necessary. Company A will act as the
counterparty to major contracts of the JOA, including a five-year contract to lease a specific drill rig from its
owner (Lessor X).
Question 1: Which Party, if Any, Is Leasing the Rig?
Given A’s role as primary obligor in the drill rig lease (the rig’s owner may
not be aware of the JOA and the parties that constitute
it), A will generally be deemed the lessee in the
arrangement. Accordingly, A will record the entire lease
on its balance sheet. Even though other parties will
receive economic benefits from the rig, those benefits
arise from the JOA and do not affect the
economic-benefits analysis of the contract between A and
the rig’s owner, X.
Question 2: What Is the Effect of the JOA?
The JOA’s terms may represent a sublease of the rig from A to the JOA. That is, ASC 842 requires the parties
to the JOA to consider the terms and determine whether the JOA is, or includes, a “virtual” lessee of the rig.
Although the JOA is typically not a legal entity that prepares financial statements, a conclusion that the JOA is a
lessee of the rig would have the following implications:
- Company A, as sublessor, would separately account for its sublease to the JOA (apart from its head lease with X, the rig’s owner).
- Each party to the JOA would need to consider other GAAP (e.g., proportionate consolidation guidance) that may require it to record its pro rata portion of lease assets and lease liabilities.
Note that the “other GAAP” mentioned in Question 2 of the example above may vary by industry (e.g.,
proportionate consolidation guidance is not applicable in many industries). Also note that the analysis
should be performed at the appropriate level, which may not always be the JOA. The “joint operation” or
“joint arrangement” mentioned in ASC 842-10-15-4 could be a subset of a JOA to the extent that multiple
parties have agreed to jointly use an identified asset for a defined time frame. For example, in a five-year
JOA involving five parties, if three of the parties agree to jointly develop a property by using a specified
drill rig for the first two years, it may be necessary to evaluate that two-year agreement to determine
whether it contains a lease.
The above example is not meant to suggest that most JOAs will contain leases but to highlight and explain the analysis that ASC 842-10-15-4 requires for joint arrangements involving the use of specified PP&E. We encourage entities affected by this issue to check with their auditors and accounting advisers for input on the accounting for specific arrangements.
Footnotes
1
While this example focuses on
the maintenance facility itself, a similar
analysis would apply to the land on which the
maintenance facility resides. Furthermore, we
believe that there are scenarios involving
vendor-owned assets attached to customer-owned
land (e.g., vendor-owned solar panels attached to
customer-owned land) whereby the land use rights
would be subject to the interpretive guidance in
this section.
3.3 Identified Asset
In accordance with the definition of a lease in
ASC 842, fulfillment of the contract must depend
on the use of an identified asset. This is an
important concept, as the Board notes in paragraph
BC128 of ASU 2016-02, because the customer must
know the asset over which it is agreeing to have a
right to control the use. Similarly, paragraph
BC105(a)(1) of the 2013 leasing exposure draft
(ED) explained that in contracts that do not
involve an identified asset (e.g., a service), the
customer does not have the right to control the
use of an asset.
Effectively, the FASB recognized that if an arrangement does not contain an identified asset, it is unlikely that the customer has the right to control the use of an asset. Accordingly, the Board decided against broadening the concept of identified assets to include, for example, assets of a particular specification. The Board stated as much in paragraph BC105(a)(2) of the 2013 leasing ED:
In most contracts for which there is no identified asset, the customer does not have the right to control the use of an asset. Consequently, widening the definition in that respect would possibly have forced some entities to go through the process of assessing whether the customer obtains the right to control the use of an asset, only to conclude that it does not. That would potentially have increased costs for little benefit.
Connecting the Dots
Explicit and Implicit Identification Are
Consistent With ASC 840
Paragraph BC128 of ASU 2016-02 states, in part, that the “requirement that there
be an identified asset is substantially the same as the requirement in previous GAAP
that a lease depends on the use of a specified asset.” In addition, ASC 840-10-15-5
noted that a specified asset may be either explicitly or implicitly specified in the
arrangement, which is consistent with ASC 842-10-15-9. Therefore, we do not expect ASC
842 to significantly differ from ASC 840 with respect to the explicit or implicit
identification of an asset.
However, the identified-asset notion in ASC 842’s definition of a lease differs
from ASC 840 regarding the assessment of substitution rights. See Section 3.3.3 for a detailed
discussion of this issue.
In many cases, the PP&E being leased will be
identified by an address, serial number, VIN, GPS
coordinates, etc. However, the assessment
sometimes may be more complex. The decision tree
below illustrates the process an entity should
consider when determining whether PP&E is
identified in the contract:
The remainder of this section walks through this decision tree in greater
detail.
3.3.1 Explicitly and Implicitly Specified Assets
ASC 842-10
15-9 An asset typically is identified by being explicitly specified in a contract. However, an asset also can be identified by being implicitly specified at the time that the asset is made available for use by the customer.
The most observable forms of identified assets are those that are explicitly specified in the arrangement. Typically, an asset is explicitly specified through the inclusion of a serial number or part number in the contract. For example, if a customer enters into an arrangement to lease a computer server and the contract states that the customer has the right to use Server ABC123, the server is explicitly specified. Alternatively, if the contract states that the customer has a right to use any of the company’s servers that meet certain specification and functionality requirements, the server is not explicitly specified.
If an asset is not explicitly specified in the contract, an entity should consider whether an asset is implicitly specified in the arrangement. As stated in ASC 842-10-15-9, an asset that is implicitly specified can qualify as an identified asset. This concept is further expanded in paragraph BC128 of ASU 2016-02:
Nonetheless, when assessing whether there is an identified asset, an entity does not need to be able to identify the particular asset that will be used to fulfill the contract to conclude that there is an identified asset. Instead, the entity simply needs to know whether an asset is needed to fulfill the contract from commencement. If that is the case, an asset is implicitly specified.
The examples below illustrate cases in which assets are implicitly
specified.
Example 3-4
Railcars
Customer JB enters into a contract with Supplier TK to use a railcar to transport hazardous liquids over a three-year period. The contract does not explicitly specify the railcar that will be used to transport JB’s products but does stipulate that the railcar used must be capable of transporting hazardous bulk commodities (e.g., hazardous liquids and gases). Supplier TK has a large fleet of railcars but only one railcar that is designed to transport hazardous bulk commodities. Therefore, although the railcar is not explicitly specified in the contract, it is implicitly specified because TK has only one railcar that can be used to fulfill the contract.
If other, similar railcars are readily available to TK in the marketplace, substitution rights may need to be considered in the analysis as well. See Section 3.3.3 for further discussion of substitution rights.
Example 3-5
Servers
Customer TP, a health care provider, enters into a contract to store sensitive customer information subject to HIPAA regulations in a server farm. The contract does not explicitly specify the server farm that will be used by TP. However, because of the highly sensitive nature of the information that will be stored in the servers, the contract states that the server farm used must meet specific security and encryption requirements. Although the supplier has various server farms across the country, it only has one server farm with servers outfitted to match the security and encryption requirements outlined in the contract. Therefore, although that server farm is not explicitly specified in the contract, the server farm is implicitly specified as a result of the contractual provisions. To determine whether there is an identified asset, the parties must next assess whether the contract involves a capacity portion of the implicitly specified server farm that represents substantially all of the capacity of the server farm (see Section 3.3.2).
Example 3-6
Satellites
Supplier KB enters into a contract with Customer NL for satellite services so that the end users of NL’s services
can communicate across the globe. Supplier KB operates and maintains several satellites in orbit. However,
the services NL offers include global communication with specific compression and encryption. Accordingly,
NL needs a satellite that can transmit a unique signal that is specifically compressed and encrypted. Supplier
KB only has one satellite in orbit that can transmit this signal. Therefore, although this satellite is not explicitly
specified in the contract, it is implicitly specified because of the terms of the contract with NL. To determine
whether there is an identified asset, the parties must next assess whether the contract involves a capacity
portion of the implicitly specified satellite that represents substantially all of the capacity of the satellite (see
Section 3.3.2).
Connecting the Dots
Identified Assets When the Customer Has the
Right to Select and Use Parcels of Land Within a Larger Plot
Certain contracts grant customers the right to select and use a parcel of land within a larger plot
of land for a period of time. In these situations, the customer would need to assess whether it
has exclusive use of the parcels selected and whether the landowner retains the right to use
the remainder of the land that has not been selected by the customer. Questions have arisen
regarding whether the specified asset in these arrangements is the specific parcel(s) of land
selected by the customer or the larger plot of land. This determination is based on facts and
circumstances, and reasonable judgment may need to be applied. The example below illustrates
such scenarios. Also see Section 2.4 for a similar discussion related to land easements.
Although an asset may be explicitly or implicitly specified in the arrangement,
an entity must also evaluate whether (1) the
specified asset is a portion of a larger asset and
whether that portion is physically distinct or
substantially all of the larger asset’s capacity
and (2) the supplier has the right to substitute
the underlying asset throughout the period of use
and, if so, whether the supplier’s substitution
right is substantive. See the next section and
Section 3.3.3 for further discussion
of portions of assets and substantive substitution
rights, respectively.
3.3.2 Portions of Assets (Capacity and Physical Distinctness)
ASC 842-10
15-16 A capacity portion of
an asset is an identified asset if it is
physically distinct (for example, a floor of a
building or a segment of a pipeline that connects
a single customer to the larger pipeline). A
capacity or other portion of an asset that is not
physically distinct (for example, a capacity
portion of a fiber optic cable) is not an
identified asset, unless it represents
substantially all of the capacity of the asset and
thereby provides the customer with the right to
obtain substantially all of the economic benefits
from use of the asset.
An entity will need to use judgment in distinguishing between a lease and a capacity contract. ASC 842-10-
15-16 clarifies that a “capacity portion of an asset is an identified asset if it is physically distinct” (e.g., a
floor of a building).
Example 3-7
Use of a Portion of a Fiber-Optic Cable
Customer M, a telecommunications provider, enters into a 10-year contract with Supplier R for the right to use two fibers in a fiber-optic cable to transport data from New York City to London. Each fiber within the fiber-optic cable is physically distinct, and the contract explicitly specifies the two fibers that will be provided to M; therefore, the arrangement contains an identified asset.
On the other hand, a capacity portion of a larger asset that is not physically
distinct (e.g., a percentage of the capacity of a
pipeline) is not an identified asset unless the
portion represents substantially all of the
asset’s capacity.
Although ASC 842 does not
define “substantially all,” it uses the term in
the context of determining whether a capacity
portion of an asset represents an identified asset
as well as in discussion of the lease
classification test (i.e., determining whether the
present value of the lease payments represents
substantially all of the fair value of the
underlying asset). To help entities determine
whether the “substantially all” criterion is met
in the lease classification test, the FASB
included implementation guidance that allows
entities to use a 90 percent threshold.
Specifically, paragraph BC73 of ASU 2016-02
states, in part:
Nevertheless, the Board
understands that entities need to ensure the
leases guidance is operational in a scalable
manner, which often requires the establishment of
internal accounting policies and controls. As a
result, the Board included implementation guidance
in Topic 842 that states that one reasonable
application of the lease classification guidance
in that Topic is to conclude, consistent with
previous GAAP, that . . . 90 percent or greater is
“substantially all” the fair value of the
underlying asset.
Likewise, we believe that 90
percent should generally be used to determine
whether a capacity portion of an asset meets the
“substantially all” threshold. Therefore, under
this guidance, if the capacity portion being used
by the customer is 90 percent or more of the
asset’s total capacity, the customer is using
substantially all of the capacity of the asset. In
such a scenario, the entire asset would represent
an identified asset (subject to the guidance on
substantive substitution rights, discussed in
Section 3.3.3). Companies should
consult with their auditors, accounting advisers,
or both if they are considering the use of a
different percentage threshold for this
purpose.
Again, the FASB’s decisions
regarding portions of larger assets reflect the
importance of the control concept and establishing
which party to the arrangement controls the right
to use an asset. Paragraph BC133 of ASU 2016-02
states, in part, the following:
The Board concluded that a
customer is unlikely to have the right to control the use of a capacity portion of a
larger asset if that portion is not physically distinct (for example, if it is a 20
percent capacity portion of a pipeline). The customer is unlikely to
have the right to control the use of its portion because decisions about the use of
the asset are typically made at the larger asset level. [Emphasis added]
The examples below illustrate
the application of the guidance in ASC
842-10-15-16.
Example 3-8
Use of a
Portion of a Pipeline
Customer C enters into a
five-year contract with Supplier S for the right
to transport natural gas through S’s pipeline from
the Marcellus shale supply region in Pennsylvania
to the New York/New Jersey demand region. The
contract specifies the amount of the pipeline’s
capacity that C may use throughout the five-year
period. In each case, S has the right to contract
with other customers for the remaining capacity
not being used by C.
Case A
— Capacity Is Substantially All
The contract gives C the right
to use 93 percent of the capacity of S’s pipeline. In this case, because 93
percent represents substantially all of the pipeline’s capacity, the arrangement
contains an identified asset (i.e., S’s pipeline).
Case B
— Capacity Is Not Substantially All
The contract gives C the right
to use 26 percent of the capacity of S’s pipeline.
In this case, C does not have the right to use
substantially all of the pipeline’s capacity;
therefore, the arrangement does not contain an
identified asset.
Example 3-9
Use of a
Portion of a Warehouse
Case A
— Contract Does Not Contain an Identified
Asset
Customer LH enters into a
contract with a warehouse operator to store up to
1,000 pallets of spare-parts inventory at one of
the operator’s warehouse locations for a
three-year period. The operator’s warehouse can
store up to 10,000 pallets of inventory. During
the contract period, the warehouse operator can
use the remaining space in its warehouse for other
storage needs. In addition, the warehouse operator
can relocate LH’s pallets within the warehouse at
any time without incurring significant costs.
Because LH does not have
exclusive use of a specified portion of the
warehouse and the portion being used is not
substantially all of the warehouse capacity, there
is no identified asset. Although the contract
specifies the amount of spare-parts inventory that
will be held, the warehouse operator can change
the inventory’s location within its warehouse at
any time.
Case B
— Contract Contains an Identified
Asset
Assume the same facts as in
Case A, except that the operator’s warehouse can
only store up to 1,100 pallets, rather than
10,000. In addition, assume that the operator
cannot relocate the inventory to a different
facility.
Since Customer LH’s storage
requirement accounts for substantially all of the
capacity of the operator’s warehouse (more than 90
percent), the arrangement contains an identified
asset (i.e., the operator’s warehouse).
Connecting the Dots
Arrangements Involving Rights to Use Portions
of Larger Assets
We have received questions
about so-called secondary-use arrangements in
which a customer shares the use of part of a
larger asset for a defined period. Examples of
such arrangements include advertising placed on
the side of a fixed asset and nonutility
customers’ attachment of distribution wires (e.g.,
cable wires) to utility poles. Often, we have been
asked (1) how to assess economic benefits when two
parties contemporaneously use the same asset and
(2) what unit of account to use for the evaluation
of control (the larger asset or the portion being
shared).
ASC 842-10-15-16 provides
guidance on evaluating whether a portion of an
asset would be considered an “identified asset”
and could be subject to ASC 842. Under this
guidance, a “capacity or other
portion of an asset that is not physically
distinct . . . is not an identified asset, unless
it represents substantially all of the capacity of
the asset and thereby provides the customer with
the right to obtain substantially all of the
economic benefits from use of the asset” (emphasis
added).
Questions sometimes arise
regarding physical distinction, particularly in
scenarios involving a larger asset, a specific
portion of which is shared by one or more parties
over a defined period for use in different ways.
An example would be a building’s exterior wall to
which one party is granted the exclusive right for
advertising while the occupants of the building
continue to use the wall for support of their
residence, protection from the elements, and so
forth. Unlike situations involving the lease of
one floor of a multistory building, which is
functionally independent and unique, these
scenarios involve simultaneous but different uses
of a portion of a larger asset. Other examples
include the placement of solar panels on a
specific section of rooftop and the attachment of
cable wires to a specific spot on a utility pole
(in both cases, the owner continues to use the
entire asset while allowing another party to use a
portion of the asset for a different purpose over
a defined period). To the extent that there are
substantive substitution rights in these
arrangements, a lease will generally not be
present. However, we understand that many of the
scenarios found in practice do not allow for
substitution. (See Section 3.3.3
for a detailed discussion of substitution
rights.)
Some considerations that may
ultimately be relevant to the determination of
whether a lease exists include whether:
-
The arrangement involves a shared use of the larger asset, including the portion specified in the arrangement.
-
The portion being used by the customer is functionally independent and therefore separable from the larger asset.
-
The portion being used by the customer is commercially significant to the asset owner by design.
Shared
Use
Shared-use arrangements will
typically involve the contemporaneous use of the
same asset (or the same portion of a larger asset)
for different purposes. For example, many
advertising scenarios feature shared use (e.g., an
ad displayed on top of a baseball dugout, on the
side of a bus, or on the floor of a grocery
store). On the other hand, if the owner of the
asset is not contemporaneously using the asset (or
is not contractually allowed to use the asset),
shared use may not exist (e.g., a cell tower
operator that allows a customer to use a specific
hosting site on the tower for a defined period or
a satellite owner that allows a customer to use a
specific transponder on the satellite for a period
of time). Shared-use arrangements are less likely
to contain leases, while exclusive-use
arrangements (i.e., arrangements in which a
customer has exclusive use of a portion of a
larger asset) are more likely to contain leases.
An entity may need to use judgment in determining
whether a particular arrangement features shared
or exclusive use of the portion of the larger
asset.
Functional Independence
It may be useful to evaluate
the functional independence of the portion being
used by the customer, including the functional use
and design of the asset that is subject to the
arrangement. To the extent that the portion being
used by the customer has a discrete functional use
(e.g., a specific floor of a building), it could
be more likely that the portion being used is
physically distinct and an identified asset. On
the other hand, if the portion being used is not
functionally distinguishable from the larger asset
(e.g., a spot on a utility pole), there may be a
reasonable basis for viewing the larger asset as
the identified asset in the arrangement.
Commercial Significance by Design
It may also be useful to
consider commercial significance by design — that
is, the commercial objectives of the asset owner
when it built or purchased the asset. To the
extent that the asset was built or purchased with
the commercial objective of leasing a specific
portion or portions to others (e.g., specific
hosting locations on a cell tower), it could be
more likely that the portion being used for these
purposes is physically distinct and therefore an
identified asset. On the other hand, if the asset
was built or purchased without such a commercial
objective (e.g., a utility pole), there may be a
reasonable basis to view the larger asset as the
identified asset in the arrangement.
Determining Whether a Lease Exists
The above indicators may help
entities assess circumstances in which the use of
a portion of an asset might reasonably be viewed
as a secondary, or incidental, use of that portion
of the asset such that the owner retains
substantive economic benefits from the use of the
portion. Sometimes, it may be reasonable to view
the larger asset as the identified asset in the
arrangement and to assess control (including
economic benefits) on that basis. Such an approach
would generally make it more likely that the
arrangement does not contain a lease since the
customer may not obtain substantially all of the
economic benefits from the use of the larger asset
(the customer’s economic benefits are limited to
the portion it uses). The right to control the use
of an identified asset is discussed in detail in
Section 3.4, while the
economic-benefits element of control is discussed
in Section
3.4.1.
Our current views on this
topic are expressed in the examples and table
below. The SEC staff has indicated that it would
respect an entity’s conclusion regarding such
arrangements provided that it was based on
reasonable judgment. Therefore, arrangements
involving rights to use portions of larger assets
should be based on a careful assessment that takes
into account all relevant facts and
circumstances.
Example 3-10
Contract
for the Use of Space on a Cell Tower
Customer A enters into a
five-year contract with Supplier B to use space on
a cell tower. Customer A is assigned a
specifically identified hanger (hosting spot) on
the cell tower on the basis of its needs to
install its antennae and other telecommunications
equipment. Each hosting spot is commercially
designed to be leased by B’s customers, and each
comprises its own functionally independent
infrastructure that allows B’s customers to
install their equipment at the hosting spots.
Accordingly, A is not the only party with
equipment installed on the overall tower; rather,
A shares the use of the tower with third
parties.
Supplier B is not permitted to
move A’s equipment to a different hosting spot or
cell tower. In addition, A is the only party that
may install equipment on its identified hosting
spot. Customer A may install whatever antennae or
equipment it wants, subject to certain maximum
weight and height restrictions.
The arrangement contains an
identified asset because (1) the hosting spot is
explicitly identified in the contract and is
physically distinct from the larger asset (i.e.,
from the cell tower) and (2) B may not substitute
the asset (i.e., it may not move A’s equipment to
a different hosting spot or tower). Alternatively,
if B had the right to substitute hosting spots or
towers, the parties must assess whether that right
is a substantive substitution right (see Section
3.3.3).
Example 3-11
Contract
for the Use of a Portion of a Satellite
Customer A enters into a
five-year contract with Supplier B to use space on
a satellite. In a manner similar to the assigning
of the hanger on the cell tower in the example
above, A is assigned a specifically identified
transponder on the satellite. Each transponder is
commercially designed to be leased to B’s
customers, and each comprises its own functionally
independent infrastructure that allows B’s
customers to transmit data signals to and from the
transponder. Accordingly, A shares the use of the
overall satellite with third parties.
Supplier B is not permitted to
transfer A to a different transponder or satellite
for reasons other than warranty-related
considerations. In addition, A is the only party
that may transmit data signals to and from its
identified transponder. Customer A may transmit
whatever data it wants, subject to certain
frequency limitations that stem from the nature of
the transponder and satellite.
The arrangement contains an
identified asset because (1) the transponder is
explicitly identified in the contract and is
physically distinct from the larger asset (i.e.,
from the satellite) and (2) B does not have a
substantive substitution right (i.e., it may not
transfer A to a different transponder or
satellite, except for warranty-related
considerations).
Asset (Use)
|
Identified Asset?
|
Basis
|
---|---|---|
Wall space (e.g., painting an advertisement on the side of
a building)
|
No
|
The advertising is a secondary use of the wall. That is,
the wall’s primary purpose — the reason it was commercially designed — is to
hold up the building structure and protect the building’s occupants from the
elements. In addition, the advertiser is unlikely to obtain substantially
all of the capacity (or economic benefits from use) from the wall by using
its portion, which indicates that there is not an identified asset with
respect to the portion.
|
Retail floor advertising space (e.g., painting an
advertisement on the floor of a grocery store)
|
No
|
Similar to the basis articulated for wall space.
|
Side of a bus shelter or commuter train shelter (e.g.,
placing an advertisement on one wall of the shelter)
|
No
|
Similar to the basis articulated for wall space.
|
Billboard (e.g., placing an advertisement on a stand-alone
billboard or a billboard attached to another structure)
|
Yes
|
A billboard is commercially designed to be contracted to
customers for displaying advertisements. In addition, billboards attached to
other, larger structures (e.g., when hung on the side of a building) are
physically distinct from the larger structure.
|
Taxi tent (e.g., placing an advertisement on the sides of
a removable, magnetic tent on top of a taxi)
|
Yes
|
Similar to the basis articulated for a billboard (i.e., a
taxi tent is effectively a mobile billboard).
|
Pole attachments (e.g., either (1) a utility attaching its
lines to a pole owned by a phone company, or (2) a phone company attaching
its wires to a pole owned by a utility)
|
No
|
All spots on the pole where a customer would hang its
wires are functionally dependent on the rest of the structure, and none are
physically distinct.
|
Space on a rooftop to construct a bar or restaurant
|
Yes
|
In this case, the rooftop functions independently as a
floor in a building would. In accordance with ASC 842-10-15-16, the floor of
a building is a physically distinct portion of a larger asset.
|
Space on a rooftop for an advertisement (e.g., for when
commercial airplanes fly overhead)
|
No
|
Similar to the basis articulated for wall space, retail
floor advertising space, and the side of a bus shelter or commuter train
shelter.
|
Space on a rooftop to install solar panels (e.g., that
serve tenants of the building or a utility’s larger customer base)
|
It depends
|
Judgment is required. Space on a rooftop to install solar
panels may be similar to (1) space on a rooftop to construct a bar or
restaurant, (2) space on a rooftop for an advertisement, or (3) both of
these.
|
Kiosk in a mall (e.g., used by a customer for retail
purposes)
|
Yes
|
As long as there are no substitution rights akin to those
in Example 2 in ASC 842-10-55-52 through 55-54 (reproduced in Section 3.7.2), the
kiosk is physically distinct, functionally independent, and commercially
designed to be contracted to customers as retail space.
|
3.3.2.1 Pipeline Laterals and First-Mile/Last-Mile Connections (Identified Asset)
Pipelines are generally
constructed and operated in sprawling and integrated networks that transport natural
gas, oil, and refined products from supply regions to demand regions. Some customers are
connected to, and receive deliveries of transported commodities through, the larger
pipeline system via dedicated laterals. In addition, a pipeline system must, by its
nature, have starting and ending points. Therefore, these customers are connected to the
pipeline system through laterals, because they are connected to the first mile or last
mile of the larger pipeline system.
Customers connected to a
lateral or first mile/last mile of a pipeline system enter into contracts with the
pipeline system owner for transportation services through the network to their
connection point. Those contracts should be assessed to determine whether they are or
contain leases of the lateral or first mile/last mile.
ASC 842-10-15-16 (reproduced in Section 3.3.2) states
that a “capacity portion of an asset is an
identified asset if it is physically distinct (for
example, a floor of a building or a segment of
a pipeline that connects a single customer to the
larger pipeline)” (emphasis added). Pipeline
laterals and first-mile/last-mile connections
therefore are physically distinct from the larger
asset (i.e., the integrated pipeline system) and
are identified assets.
The FASB addressed this topic
at its May 10, 2017, Board meeting on implementation issues related to ASC 842. The
Board agreed that under ASC 842-10-15-16, a pipeline lateral is an identified asset and
that the assessment of whether it is a lease must focus on whether the customer has the
right to control the use of the identified asset in accordance with ASC 842-10-15-4
(reproduced in Section
3.2). See Section
3.4.2.1.2.2 for further discussion of the analysis related to whether the
customer has the right to control the use of the identified asset (i.e., the pipeline
lateral).
First-mile/last-mile
connections to other types of assets and infrastructural systems are generally
identified assets. In accordance with ASC 842-10-15-16, a portion of a larger asset is
physically distinct, and thus an identified asset, if it connects a single customer to
the larger asset or system. Even when the portion is part of a contiguous asset and is
not separable from the larger system, that portion may only serve a single customer and
thus is physically distinct.
Portions of assets to which
the guidance in ASC 842-10-15-16 may apply include, but are not limited to:
- Train tracks that connect a customer’s facility to the larger rail network.
-
Electric distribution lines that run (either overhead or underground) from the street, transformer, etc., to a customer’s home or facility.
-
Telephone wires that run (either overhead or underground) from the street to a customer’s home.
-
Coaxial and fiber-optic cables (i.e., for cable television and Internet) that run (either overhead or underground) from the street to a customer’s office building.
In line with the above
discussion, even if the arrangement depends on an identified asset because the first
mile/last mile is considered physically distinct, the customer may not have the right to
direct the use of the first mile/last mile (see Section 3.4.2.1.2.2 for detailed discussion).
3.3.3 Substantive Substitution Rights
ASC 842-10
15-10 Even if an asset is
specified, a customer does not have the right to
use an identified asset if the supplier has the
substantive right to substitute the asset
throughout the period of use. A supplier’s right
to substitute an asset is substantive only if both
of the following conditions exist:
-
The supplier has the practical ability to substitute alternative assets throughout the period of use (for example, the customer cannot prevent the supplier from substituting an asset, and alternative assets are readily available to the supplier or could be sourced by the supplier within a reasonable period of time).
-
The supplier would benefit economically from the exercise of its right to substitute the asset (that is, the economic benefits associated with substituting the asset are expected to exceed the costs associated with substituting the asset).
15-11 An entity’s evaluation of whether a supplier’s substitution right is substantive is based on facts and
circumstances at inception of the contract and shall exclude consideration of future events that, at inception,
are not considered likely to occur. Examples of future events that, at inception of the contract, would not be
considered likely to occur and, thus, should be excluded from the evaluation include, but are not limited to, the
following:
- An agreement by a future customer to pay an above-market rate for use of the asset
- The introduction of new technology that is not substantially developed at inception of the contract
- A substantial difference between the customer’s use of the asset, or the performance of the asset and the use or performance considered likely at inception of the contract
- A substantial difference between the market price of the asset during the period of use and the market price considered likely at inception of the contract.
Once an entity has determined that PP&E is specified in a contract, it must also evaluate whether
the supplier has the right to substitute the underlying asset throughout the period of use and, if so,
whether the supplier’s substitution right is substantive. If the supplier has a substantive substitution
right, the underlying asset does not represent an identified asset and the contract does not contain a
lease. Paragraph BC128 of ASU 2016-02 notes that the FASB’s reason for establishing this requirement
was that if a supplier has a substantive right to substitute the asset throughout the period of use, “the
supplier (and not the customer) controls the use of the asset . . . , thereby deciding for what purpose the
asset is used.”
Accordingly, the FASB developed guidance in ASC 842-10-15-10 through 15-15 to help entities determine whether a substitution right is substantive. The Board explains in paragraph BC129 of ASU 2016-02 that its purpose in establishing this guidance was to differentiate between the following:
- Substitution rights that result in there being no identified asset because the supplier, rather than the customer, controls the use of an asset
- Substitution rights that do not change the substance or character of the contract because it is either not practically or economically feasible for the supplier to exercise those rights or not likely the supplier will be able to exercise those rights.
When developing the framework for the identified-asset notion in the 2013 leasing ED, the Board received significant feedback from stakeholders indicating that substitution rights and clauses in contracts could be used to structure arrangements so that they did not meet the definition of a lease (and, thus, so that lessees could avoid recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet). The Board acknowledged this in paragraph BC105(b) of the 2013 leasing ED, which stated, in part:
The [Board has] included additional language to help determine when substitution rights are substantive. [Its] intention in doing so is to discourage the insertion of a substitution clause in a contract, which does not change the substance or character of the contract, solely to achieve a particular accounting outcome.
For a substitution right to be considered substantive, the following two conditions must be met:
- The supplier must have the “practical ability” to substitute the identified asset (see Section 3.3.3.1).
- The supplier must economically benefit from the substitution (see Section 3.3.3.2).
Connecting the Dots
Economically Beneficial Substitution Is a
Higher Hurdle Than Under ASC 840
ASC 840-10-15-10 through 15-14 addressed substitution rights. Generally, if an
arrangement gives the supplier a substitution right and the supplier has the practical
ability to exercise that right, the fulfillment of the arrangement does not depend on
the specified PP&E. Under ASC 840, “practical ability” took into account
contractual, legal, and economic constraints but does not require that a supplier
economically benefit from a substitution.
Accordingly, ASC 842’s requirement that a substitution right be economically beneficial to a supplier is a higher threshold than the requirements in ASC 840. We therefore expect that fewer entities will be able to avoid lease identification as a result of substitution rights in their arrangements. In other words, we expect that more arrangements will be subject to lease accounting under ASC 842.
The next section and Section
3.3.3.2 address how an entity would
assess the two conditions in ASC 842-10-15-10 to
conclude that a substitution right is substantive.
See also Example 2 in ASC 842-10-55-52 through
55-54 (reproduced in Section 3.7.2),
which illustrates the assessment of these
conditions in the context of concession space in
an airport.
3.3.3.1 Practical Ability to Substitute Alternative Assets
ASC 842-10
15-13 If the supplier has a right or an obligation to substitute the asset only on or after either a particular date or the occurrence of a specified event, the supplier does not have the practical ability to substitute alternative assets throughout the period of use.
Common indicators that the supplier has the practical ability to substitute alternative assets throughout
the period of use include the following:
- The customer cannot prevent the supplier from substituting an asset (i.e., the customer cannot block the substitution). See further discussion below.
- Alternative assets are readily available to the supplier or could be sourced by the supplier within a reasonable period. However, in accordance with ASC 842-10-15-11, the supplier may not consider future events that, at inception, are considered unlikely to occur. If such events are considered unlikely to occur, the supplier may not assume in its assessment that alternative assets will be readily available to the supplier because of circumstances such as future manufacturing economies of scale, future technological developments, or assets otherwise becoming available in the future that are not available at inception.
- There are no contractual restrictions on when a supplier may substitute the asset. ASC 842-10-15-13 states that the supplier does not have the practical ability to substitute the asset when substitution rights are only exercisable on, or after, a particular date or are only exercisable upon the occurrence of a certain event or the resolution of a contingency.
These common indicators are further considered below.
Connecting the Dots
When Contractual Provisions Specify That
Customer Approval Is Needed Before Substitution
Certain contracts may specify that the supplier must obtain
approval from the customer before substituting the underlying asset. In such
circumstances, because the customer can block the supplier from substituting the
underlying asset, the supplier does not have the practical ability to substitute the
asset. Therefore, the supplier’s substitution right is not substantive.
To have the practical ability to substitute the asset in
accordance with ASC 842-10-15-10(a), the supplier must be able to substitute the
asset without the customer’s approval. Customer consent or approval rights may come
in different forms. For example, the customer may be contractually granted a right
that allows it to block the substitution itself or may be able to prevent the
supplier from accessing the customer’s premises to substitute the asset when the
underlying asset is located there. An entity should consider the substance and
nature of any rights granted in the contract that may give the customer the right to
prevent substitution.
Substantive Substitution Rights Less Relevant for Implicitly
Specified Assets
We think that the assessment of whether a supplier has a
substantive substitution right in contracts that explicitly specify the asset to be
used to fulfill the contract is generally more relevant than that in arrangements
for which fulfillment depends on the use of an implicitly specified asset. As
discussed in Section
3.3.1, an implicitly specified asset typically exists when the supplier
has only one asset (or very few assets) that may be used to fulfill the supplier’s
obligation under the contract (e.g., a railcar that can carry hazardous commodities,
a server farm with specific security features, or a satellite that can transmit a
unique signal). If a supplier only has one asset that can be used to fulfill its
obligations under the contract, the supplier most likely does not have the practical
ability to substitute the underlying asset. For that reason, a supplier generally
does not have a substantive substitution right for implicitly identified assets.
Example 3-12
Supplier Does Not Have the
Practical Ability to Substitute
Company BC enters into an arrangement with Supplier LP
under which LP will provide a customized Model 5000 copier to BC for two
years. Supplier LP only has one customized Model 5000 copier. The
arrangement allows LP to replace the copier at will. However, LP would
need several months to manufacture such a replacement. Accordingly, no
alternative assets are available for substitution. Because LP only has
one asset that can be used to honor the agreement with BC and does not
have the practical ability to substitute it, LP’s substitution right is
not substantive.
Evaluating the Period of Use When a Substitution Right
Exists
ASC 842-10-15-13 states that when a “supplier has a right or an
obligation to substitute [PP&E] only on or after either a particular date or the
occurrence of a specified event, the supplier does not have the practical ability to
substitute alternative assets throughout the period of use”
(emphasis added). (See Section
3.5 for further discussion of determining the period of use.)
Accordingly, in such cases, the substitution right is not substantive because the
contract restricts when the supplier can substitute the asset. Therefore, the
supplier may not use the substitution right to conclude that the contract is not, or
does not contain, a lease because there is no identified asset.
However, questions have arisen regarding the effect of timed
substitution rights. The next sections address front-loaded and back-loaded
substitution rights.
Front-Loaded Substitution Rights
Assume that a customer enters into a contract with a supplier for
the right to use an asset for 10 years. The supplier has a front-loaded substitution
right to substitute the asset in years 1 and 2. Although that right expires at the
end of year 2, the right is substantive within years 1 and 2. The contract otherwise
meets the definition of a lease, and no other contractual terms would prevent a
conclusion that there is an identified asset in the contract.
-
View A — One view is that a contract that would otherwise meet the definition of a lease in ASC 842, but that contains a front-loaded substitution right, is a forward-starting lease. According to this view, both the customer and the supplier have a forward-starting lease that commences at the beginning of year 3 when there is an identified asset.In performing a lease assessment, an entity must identify whether a contract is, or contains, a lease. In addition, ASC 842-10-15-9 indicates that an asset can be identified once it is made available for the customer’s use. Effectively, in a manner consistent with the definition of “commencement date of the lease” in ASC 842 (see Section 5.1), a lease does not commence until an identified asset is made available for the customer’s use. Therefore, a contract may contain a lease for the period after the expiration of the substitution right.View A is consistent with ASC 842-10-15-5, which indicates that a contract that gives the customer the right to control the use of an identified asset for only a portion of a contract term contains a lease for that portion of the contract term.
-
View B — Another view is that there is an identified asset, and thus a lease, at the beginning of year 1.Proponents of this view subscribe to a literal reading of ASC 842-10-15-13, which requires that, for a supplier to “have the practical ability to substitute alternative assets,” the substitution right must exist throughout the period of use. In a manner consistent with the definition of “period of use” in ASC 842 (see Section 3.5), an asset is used to fulfill the contract — in this case for 10 years. The substitution right does not exist for all 10 years and is therefore not substantive.
Back-Loaded Substitution Rights
Assume that a customer enters into a contract with a supplier for
the right to use an asset for 10 years. The supplier has a back-loaded substitution
right under which it can substitute the asset in years 9 and 10. Although that right
does not exist until the beginning of year 9, the right is substantive during years
9 and 10. The contract otherwise meets the definition of a lease, and no other
contractual terms would prevent a conclusion that there is an identified asset in
the contract.
-
View A — One view is that the contract contains an eight-year lease that commences at the beginning of year 1 and expires at the end of year 8.In a manner similar to the concepts articulated in ASC 842-10-15-23 (reproduced in Section 3.4.2.2), the substitution rights in years 9 and 10 define the scope of the customer’s right to control the use of an identified asset. Accordingly, within that scope, the contract contains an identified asset — and thus a lease — for the first eight years of the contract term.In addition, View A is consistent with ASC 842-10-15-5, which indicates that a contract that gives the customer the right to control the use of an identified asset for only a portion of a contract term contains a lease for that portion of the contract term.In this view, substitution rights are approached in a manner consistent with View A on front-loaded substitution rights (articulated above).
-
View B — Another view is that there is an identified asset, and thus a lease, for all 10 years of the contract.In this view, substitution rights are approached in a manner consistent with View B on front-loaded substitution rights (articulated above).
In both the front-loaded and back-loaded substitution right
scenarios described above, we believe that it would be acceptable for an entity to
apply either view. However, since ASC 842 does not provide clear guidance on this
topic and we are aware that views on the issue differ, we encourage affected
stakeholders to consult with their accounting advisers and auditors.
3.3.3.2 Economic Benefit From Exercise of Substitution Rights
ASC 842-10
15-12 If the asset is located at the customer’s premises or elsewhere, the costs associated with substitution
are generally higher than when located at the supplier’s premises and, therefore, are more likely to exceed the
benefits associated with substituting the asset.
In addition to having the practical ability to substitute the asset, a
supplier must benefit economically from the substitution for the substitution right to
be substantive. ASC 842-10-15-10(b) states that the “supplier would benefit economically
[if] the economic benefits associated with substituting the asset are expected to exceed the costs associated with substituting the asset”
(emphasis added). As indicated in ASC 842-10-15-12, when the underlying PP&E is
located “at the customer’s premises or elsewhere,” it is more likely that the costs of
substituting the asset will exceed the benefits to the supplier of doing so. This, in
effect, creates a presumption that the costs of substitution will exceed the benefits
when the asset is not located at the supplier’s premises. Accordingly, an entity may
need to perform a quantitative analysis of the costs and benefits of substitution before
concluding that the supplier would benefit economically from the exercise of its right
to substitute the asset.
In evaluating whether a supplier would economically benefit from
substituting an asset, and thus whether the supplier’s substitution right is
substantive, an entity should consider all costs that would be associated with the
substitution. Such costs may include, but are not limited to, the following:
-
Costs of (1) removing the existing asset and transporting it to a new location or (2) disposing of the asset.
-
Costs of gaining access to the customer’s premises when the underlying asset is located there.
-
Costs of transporting, installing, and testing the alternative assets.
-
Additional costs of configuring and operating the alternative assets, as necessary.
-
Customer losses associated with reduced production and increased downtime during the substitution process.
Costs that would have been incurred regardless of the substitution
should not be considered in the evaluation of whether the supplier would benefit
economically from the substitution.
Connecting the Dots
Economic Benefit Depends on Future Events
That Are Not Likely to Occur
ASC 842-10-15-11 states, in part, that an entity’s assessment of
“whether a supplier’s substitution right is substantive is based on facts and
circumstances” that exist as of contract inception and should ignore the effects of
future events that “are not considered likely to occur.” Therefore, when evaluating
whether a supplier would benefit economically from substituting the asset, entities
should not take into account the effects of future events that are not likely
to occur. Typically, such future events are outside the supplier’s control or the
supplier does not have historical evidence to support that the events will occur.
ASC 842-10-15-11 gives the following examples of such future events:
-
A new customer agrees to “pay an above-market rate for use of the asset.”
-
New technology is introduced.
-
There is a “substantial difference between the customer’s use of the asset, or the performance of the asset,” compared with that at contract inception.
-
There is a substantial change in the market price of the asset from the market price considered likely at inception.
The examples below illustrate the evaluation of whether a supplier
would benefit economically from exercising its right to substitute the underlying asset.
In addition, Example 4 in ASC 842 (ASC 842-10-55-63 through 55-71, reproduced in
Section 3.7.4)
illustrates the evaluation of a substitution right for which the supplier has the
practical ability to exercise its right but would not economically benefit from doing
so.
Example 3-13
Storage Locker
Company SM owns a storage facility comprising individual
storage lockers that it rents to customers for an annual fee. Each storage
locker is identified with a unique locker number, and each contract
explicitly specifies the locker number that has been assigned to the
customer. The contract also states that SM has the right to relocate, at its
sole discretion at any point during the annual rental period, the customer’s
belongings to any other locker that is the same size in the storage
facility. Company SM has a large number of available storage lockers within
the storage facility to accommodate other customers. Company SM’s cost of
relocating a customer’s belongings are less than the benefits that SM
receives by accommodating new customers.
Company SM has a practical ability to relocate each
customer’s belongings because the customer cannot block the substitution and
other storage lockers with the same specifications are readily available.
Because the economic benefits of providing storage lockers to new customers
outweigh the costs of relocating an existing customer’s belongings to
another storage locker, SM would also benefit economically from the
substitution. Therefore, SM has a substantive substitution right and an
identified asset does not exist. Accordingly, the contract does not contain
a lease and should be accounted for in accordance with other applicable U.S.
GAAP.
Example 3-14
Copier/Printer
Company A enters into an arrangement with Supplier B under
which B will provide a Model 5000 copier to A for two years. Company A will
use the Model 5000 copier on its own premises throughout the two-year
contract term. The contract explicitly specifies the copier that will be
provided to A but stipulates that B may replace the copier at will. Supplier
B has multiple Model 5000 copiers similar to the copier provided to A.
However, if a replacement copier were needed, B would incur significant
installation and transportation costs to substitute the copier. In addition,
B would incur costs associated with gaining access to A’s premises and may
be responsible for recouping A’s losses associated with downtime. The costs
that would be incurred outweigh the related benefits of substitution.
Supplier B has the practical ability to substitute the
copier because the customer cannot block the substitution and replacement
copiers with similar specifications are readily available to B. Although B
has the practical ability to substitute the copier, B would not benefit
economically from the substitution because the costs of substitution
outweigh the related benefits. Therefore, B does not have a substantive
substitution right. Because the copier is explicitly specified in the
contract and B does not have a substantive substitution right, an identified
asset exists.
3.3.3.3 Warranty or Upgrade Considerations
ASC 842-10
15-14 The supplier’s right or obligation to substitute an asset for repairs or maintenance, if the asset is not
operating properly, or if a technical upgrade becomes available, does not preclude the customer from having
the right to use an identified asset.
Notwithstanding the requirements in ASC 842-10-15-10, certain substitution
rights do not preclude the underlying asset from
being an identified asset. Specifically, a
substitution right is not substantive if a
supplier’s right (or obligation) to substitute an
alternative asset is limited to either operational
failure (i.e., a replacement asset must be used
while the original asset is undergoing repairs or
maintenance) or technical upgrade (i.e., a newer
version of the same asset becomes available).
Further, paragraph BC131 of ASU 2016-02 states, in
part, that “if a supplier has the right or
obligation to substitute an asset for the purpose
of repair or maintenance, . . . those substitution
rights . . . are not substantive regardless of
whether those circumstances are specified in the
contract.” It is thus important for entities to
understand both whether the supplier has the right
to substitute the asset and the reason for the
substitution provision when evaluating whether an
identified asset exists.
Entities should also assess whether the supplier has agreed to transfer a good
or service (a nonlease component) for the warranty
or upgrade provisions. For a detailed discussion
of the separation of lease and nonlease
components, see Chapter 4 of
this Roadmap. Suppliers in such arrangements
should also consider Section 5.5 of
Deloitte’s Roadmap Revenue
Recognition.
3.3.3.4 Presumption That Substitution Right Is Not Substantive
ASC 842-10
15-15 If the customer cannot readily determine whether the supplier has a substantive substitution right, the customer shall presume that any substitution right is not substantive.
It may be difficult (or nearly impossible, in some circumstances) for the customer to determine whether the supplier’s substitution right is substantive. For example, the customer may not know whether the substitution right gives the supplier an economic benefit.
A customer should presume that a substitution right is not substantive if it is impractical to prove otherwise; this determination involves significant judgment. Paragraph BC132 of ASU 2016-02 explains that the FASB’s reasoning for including this provision was to provide customers with some practical relief:
[T]he Board decided to add guidance stating that if a customer cannot readily determine whether a supplier has a substantive substitution right, the customer should presume that any substitution right is not substantive. It is intended that a customer should assess whether substitution rights are substantive if it is reasonably able to do so; if substitution rights are substantive, the Board noted that this should be relatively clear from the facts and circumstances. However, the requirement also is intended to clarify that a customer is not expected to exert undue effort to provide evidence that a substitution right is not substantive.
Connecting the Dots
Guidance on Substantive Substitution Rights
Is Anti-Abusive and May Result in Accounting Asymmetry
We view the guidance in ASC 842-10-15-15 as anti-abusive. That is, a lessee must
clear a high hurdle to conclude that substitution rights in an arrangement are
substantive and may need to perform a quantitative analysis in doing so (as
discussed in Section
3.3.3.2).
However, ASC 842-10-15-15 is only anti-abusive from the perspective of the lessee since it is written with only the customer in mind (i.e., the party that would potentially be recognizing an ROU asset and a lease liability). The supplier, on the other hand, is expected to have enough information at its disposal to readily determine whether its substitution rights are substantive.
Therefore, ASC 842’s guidance on substitution rights may result in asymmetry between the supplier’s and customer’s assessments. That is, the supplier may be able to readily determine that its substitution rights are substantive, in which case the contract would (1) not depend on the use of an identified asset and (2) not be identified as a lease. The customer, on the other hand, may not be able to readily determine whether the supplier’s substitution rights are substantive, in which case the guidance in ASC 842-10-15-15 would apply and the contract (1) would depend on the use of an identified asset and (2) could be identified as a lease.
3.3.3.5 Exercise of Nonsubstantive Substitution Rights
When a supplier’s substitution right is not substantive, an entity
does not consider the substitution right in determining whether the contract contains an
identified asset. If the customer has a right to control the use of the identified asset
(see Section 3.4), the
contract contains a lease and is subject to the measurement and recognition guidance in
ASC 842. However, although a supplier’s substitution right may have been deemed
nonsubstantive, instances may still arise in which the supplier actually ends up
substituting the asset for various reasons.
We generally believe that either of the following two accounting
approaches can be applied when a supplier exercises a substitution right that was not
deemed substantive at inception (provided that no other rights in the contract are
changed as a result of the substitution):
-
Approach A — The parties to the arrangement should account for the substitution as a termination of the original lease. (Sections 8.6 and 9.3.4 discuss in detail the lessee’s and lessor’s accounting, respectively, for lease modifications and terminations.) For example, under this approach, the lessee would write off the existing lease liability and ROU asset, which may result in the recording of a gain or loss in the lessee’s income statement. Upon substitution of an alternative asset, the parties would evaluate the arrangement as a potentially new lease in accordance with ASC 842’s guidance on lease identification. If the new arrangement contains a lease, the appropriate classification and subsequent accounting for the lease should be considered.
-
Approach B — The parties to the arrangement should account for the substitution as a lease modification that does not change the lessee’s right of use. In applying Approach B, an entity effectively would treat the actual substitution as a “non-substantive lease modification” for which no gain or loss would be recognized in the lessee’s income statement (i.e., for which there is no accounting whatsoever).
Note that the modification guidance in ASC 842-10-25-11(c) applies to
a full termination. Therefore, both approaches technically result in the application of
ASC 842’s modification guidance. However, the outcome of applying that guidance under
Approach A will differ from that under Approach B.
Generally, we think that the determination of whether to apply
Approach A (lease termination) or Approach B (lease modification) to the actual
substitution will be based on facts and circumstances and should involve consideration
of various factors, including whether the original asset and alternative asset are the
same (or similar) and whether the parties modify other terms in the contract upon
substitution. However, we would expect that if the asset substituted is similar to the
previous asset and there are no other changes to the contract, the actual substitution
should be considered a “nonsubstantive lease modification” and accounted for under
Approach B.
3.4 Right to Control the Use of the Identified Asset
As discussed in Section 3.2.1, the FASB carried forward into ASC 842 the control concepts it had been developing in other areas of U.S. GAAP (e.g., ASC 810 and ASC 606). Accordingly, to have the right to control the use of PP&E in a contract in which the PP&E is an identified asset (see Section 3.3), the customer must have both of the following:
- The right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from the use of the PP&E (i.e., the benefits or economics element, discussed in detail in Section 3.4.1).
- The right to direct the use of the PP&E (i.e., the power element, discussed in detail in Section 3.4.2).
Connecting the Dots
Control in ASC 842 Versus That in ASC
606 and ASC 810
ASC 606-10-25-25 states, in part, that “[c]ontrol of an asset refers to the
ability to direct the use of, and obtain substantially all of the remaining
benefits from, the asset.” This guidance is consistent with ASC 842-10-15-4
on the right to control the use of an identified asset. That is, for a lease
to exist, the customer must have the right to direct the use of, and obtain
substantially all of the economic benefits from, the identified asset during
the period of use.
ASC 842 is also consistent with ASC 606 with respect to determining when an arrangement should be accounted for as a sale. When the amount of control that a lessee has over the right to use an asset is so significant that the lessee has, effectively and economically, obtained control of the entire asset (i.e., not just control during the period of use), the lessor would account for that arrangement as a sale (i.e., as a sales-type lease; see Chapter 9 for a detailed discussion of the lessor’s lease classification and accounting).
However, the economics element of control in ASC 842 differs from that under the VIE consolidation guidance (i.e., ASC 810). Specifically, under ASC 842, the customer must have the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from the use of the asset. The threshold of “substantially all the economic benefits” is different from and higher than that in ASC 810, which only requires the primary beneficiary of a VIE to absorb losses or receive benefits, either of which must only potentially be significant. Accordingly, the primary beneficiary in ASC 810 may control a VIE even when it is not exposed to substantially all of the economics of that entity.
The power element in ASC 842 differs from that in the ASC 810 VIE consolidation
model as well. ASC 842 does not specifically address the concept of “shared
power”; that is, ASC 842 does not address situations in which the most
relevant decision-making rights related to how and for what purpose (HAFWP)
the asset is used throughout the period of use are shared (see Section 3.4.2.4 for further discussion of
shared power). Consolidation principles, on the other hand, do allow for the
concept of shared power. Under the ASC 810 VIE consolidation model, when
shared power exists, neither of the parties that share in directing the
activities that most significantly affect economic performance has control
(provided that they are not related parties). However, when multiple,
different activities affect the economics, the control concepts in ASC 842
align more closely with those in the consolidation guidance. Specifically,
in such circumstances, an entity would need to determine which of those
different activities most significantly affects the economics and thus would
generally conclude that one party has control under both ASC 842-10-15-20
and ASC 810-10-25-38E.
The effect of design on the control analysis under ASC 842 also differs from that under the ASC
810 VIE consolidation model. That is, under the ASC 810 VIE consolidation model, the design
of the entity must be considered to determine the significant activities of the entity and who
has the power to control them (and thus controls the entity). However, by itself, design does
not give one party control of a legal entity, provided that ongoing operations have an effect on
the economics of the legal entity. Under ASC 842, on the other hand, the customer may have
power over an identified asset if it was significantly involved in the design of the asset, even if the
supplier operates the asset. Design and its role in the lease identification assessment are further
discussed in Section 3.4.2.
Link Between Power and
Economics
The FASB makes an important point when describing the
concept of the right to control the use in paragraph BC134 of ASU
2016-02:
[A] customer must have decision-making rights over
the use of the asset that give it the ability to influence the
economic benefits derived from use of the asset throughout the
period of use. Without any such decision-making rights, the customer
would have no more control over the use of the asset than any
customer purchasing supplies or services. If that were the case, the
customer would not control the use of the asset.
That is, with respect to the power element, the customer is
making decisions about the use of the asset so that it may maximize (or
minimize) the economic benefits that it will receive. ASC 842-10-15-24 makes
this clear in stating that “[d]ecision-making rights are relevant when they
affect the economic benefits to be derived from use.” In other words, the
customer cannot just have substantially all of the economics and some rights
over the use of the asset — the customer’s decision-making rights must
influence the economic benefits it has the right to obtain.
Changing Lanes
Control Over the Output of PP&E
Is No Longer Solely Determinative
Under ASC 840-10-15-6(c) (formerly EITF Issue 01-8), an arrangement may qualify as a lease because (1) the customer takes all (or substantially all) of the output of the PP&E and (2) the
contract is priced like a lease. That is, ASC 840 differentiated between a lease contract and a
service (or supply) contract on the basis of whether the supplier was pricing the contract to
recover, and earn a return on, the cost of either (1) the PP&E (in which case the contract is a
lease) or (2) each unit of output (in which case the contract is a service).
However, the pricing of an arrangement is not indicative of whether the customer has “power” under ASC 842. Paragraph BC134 of ASU 2016-02 explains that the pricing condition in ASC 840, which defined control on the basis of only “economics” and who controlled the output of the asset, is no longer indicative of control since the Board decided to align the new control concept with that in the revenue and consolidation guidance:
In previous leases guidance, a customer could have the right to control the use of an asset solely on the basis of obtaining substantially all of the output from that asset, assuming that the contract is priced in a particular way. This defined control on the basis of only a “benefits” element. Topics 606 and 810, however, define control to require both a “power” element and a “benefits” element. The Board decided that, to control the use of an asset, a customer is required to have not only the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of an asset throughout the period of use (a “benefits” element), but also the ability to direct the use of that asset (a “power” element). [Emphasis added]
Moreover, the Board noted in paragraph BC105(d) of the 2013 leasing ED that removing the effect of pricing from the control concept would be advantageous because this condition had proved difficult to apply in practice.
Therefore, contracts that were or contained leases under ASC 840 solely because
the customer controls the output of the underlying asset no longer meet the
definition of a lease under ASC 842. We expect that the contracts most
likely to be affected by this change will be off-take and purchase
arrangements, such as PPAs and manufacturing supply contracts. Unless those
arrangements somehow also grant the customer power through decision-making
rights over the use of the asset (e.g., through dispatch rights, under which
the customer determines whether, when, and how much the asset is producing),
they are unlikely to be leases going forward.
Example 3-15
Power Purchase
Agreement
Supplier X, a power generation
company, executed a five-year PPA with Customer Z, a
utility. Customer Z will purchase 100 percent of the
electricity produced at X’s natural gas–fired
generating facility, to be delivered on an
as-available basis, because 100 percent of the
facility’s production capacity is not expected to
exceed the demand of Z’s end-use customers.
Accordingly, Z agrees to accept whatever volume of
electricity is produced at the facility.
Pricing under the PPA is a fixed
capacity payment of $300,000 per month (which
compensates X for reserving the facility to provide
energy to Z), plus $25 per unit of electricity
produced.
Under ASC 840, the contract
contained a lease because (1) facts and
circumstances at contract inception indicate that it
is remote that parties other than Z will take more
than a minor amount of the output (i.e., the
electricity) produced by X’s facility during the
five-year contract term and (2) the price paid by Z
per unit of electricity varies with the volume of
production (rather than being contractually fixed or
equal to the current market price of the
electricity).
However, under ASC 842, the parties
will need to assess whether Z both has the power
over and benefits from the economics of (i.e.,
whether it has the right to control the use of) the
facility. Although Z obtains substantially all of
the economic benefits from the facility through its
purchase of 100 percent of the electricity, Z may
not have the right to direct the use of the facility
(i.e., it may not have power over the use of the
facility).
Changing Lanes
Physical Access Is No Longer Solely
Determinative
Under ASC 840-10-15-6(b) (formerly EITF Issue 01-8), an arrangement may qualify as a lease because the customer (1) takes more than a minor amount of the output of the PP&E and
(2) controls physical access to the PP&E. That is, under ASC 840, the right to control the use of
PP&E may be conveyed through the right to control physical access to the PP&E.
However, under ASC 842, control of physical access is not solely determinative
of whether the customer has power over (i.e., whether the customer has the
right to direct the use of) the PP&E. The party that controls physical
access to the PP&E in an arrangement will generally have at least some
(but maybe not all) decision-making rights related to when and how the
PP&E is used.
Accordingly, while some contracts that are or contain leases under ASC 840 on
the basis of the control over physical access may still meet the definition
of a lease under ASC 842, others may not. The example below addresses one
contract type that may no longer meet the definition of a lease under ASC
842.
Example 3-16
Rooftop Solar
Developer Y executes a 25-year PPA with Resident Z under which Y will install solar panels on the roof
of Z’s home. In exchange, Z will purchase 100 percent of the electricity produced by the solar panels at
a price that is fixed per unit of electricity. The rooftop solar panels are expected to meet 50 percent of
Z’s demand for electricity.
Developer Y retains ownership of the solar panels and is responsible for any operation and
maintenance that is needed throughout the contract term. However, because the panels are installed
on Z’s home, Z controls physical access to them.
Under ASC 840, the contract is a lease because Z (1) will take more than a minor amount of the output
(i.e., the electricity) produced by the solar panels during the 25-year contract term and (2) controls
physical access to the solar panels.
However, under ASC 842, the parties need to assess whether Z has both power and
economics (i.e., whether it has the right to control
the use of the solar panels). Although Z obtains
substantially all of the economic benefits from the
use of the solar panels through its purchase of 100
percent of the electricity, Z may not have the right
to direct the use of the panels (i.e., it may not
have power over the use of the panels). (See
Section 3.4.2.3 for additional
discussion that would generally be relevant to this
example.)
3.4.1 Right to Obtain Substantially All of the Economic Benefits
In accordance with the definition of a lease — and the concept of control —
in ASC 842, the customer must have the right to obtain substantially all of
the economic benefits from the use of the PP&E throughout the period of
use. This is the “economics” element of the control concept, as discussed
above. It is an important piece of the concept, because a customer would not agree to pay for a right to
use PP&E unless it received the benefits resulting from that use.
This analysis is not confined to assets that physically produce outputs, and it
will often be relatively simple to determine whether the customer has the right
to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of PP&E. For
example, in a lease of an office building, it is likely to be clear whether the
customer has the right to obtain substantially all of the benefits from using
the office building. However, in other situations, the assessment may be more
complex. The decision tree below illustrates the process an entity should
consider when determining whether the customer has the right to obtain
substantially all of the economic benefits from use of the PP&E.
The remainder of this section walks through this decision tree in greater
detail.
3.4.1.1 Economic Benefits That Result From Use of the Asset
ASC 842-10
15-17 To control the use of an identified asset, a customer is required to have the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of the asset throughout the period of use (for example, by having exclusive use of the asset throughout that period). A customer can obtain economic benefits from use of an asset directly or indirectly in many ways, such as by using, holding, or subleasing the asset. The economic benefits from use of an asset include its primary output and by-products (including potential cash flows derived from these items) and other economic benefits from using the asset that could be realized from a commercial transaction with a third party.
The concept of “economic benefits” in ASC 842-10-15-4(a) is described very broadly in ASC 842-10-15-17.
That is, ASC 842-10-15-17 identifies all of the following as potential economic benefits that may be obtained from the use of PP&E:
- Primary outputs (e.g., physical receipt of the widgets produced by or at a widget factory).
- By-products (e.g., physical receipt of the steam produced as a by-product of the manufacturing process in the widget factory).
- Cash flows derived from primary outputs and by-products (e.g., cash flows derived from the supplier’s selling, on the customer’s behalf, of widgets produced by or at the widget factory).
- Other “economic benefits . . . that could be realized from a commercial transaction with a third party” (e.g., SO2 or other emissions credits granted by the government when the widget factory runs because it is an environmentally efficient factory, provided that those credits can be sold to others).
Economic benefits can also be obtained from nonproductive assets. For example, the economic benefits
derived from the use of a warehouse include its storage capacity.
Further, ASC 842-10-15-17 indicates that economic benefits may be obtained either directly or indirectly,
such as in the following ways:
- Exclusive use of the asset (e.g., direct operation by the customer of the widget factory).
- Holding the asset (e.g., preventing others from operating the widget factory).
- Subleasing the asset (e.g., the customer subcontracts its rights to the capacity at the widget factory to another counterparty).
Because the concept of economic benefits in ASC 842-10-15-17 is broad, parties to an arrangement
should first identify all economic benefits that result from use of the asset. In doing so, the parties are
not considering the effects of contract terms (e.g., limitations) but are focusing on the nature of the
asset. The parties can thus ensure that they are considering all of the economic benefits before they
narrow the analysis to those benefits that are within the scope of the customer’s right to use the asset in
the contract (see Section 3.4.1.2).
3.4.1.1.1 Tangible and Intangible Economic Benefits
The economic benefits of PP&E often may be physical,
tangible outputs. For example, a PPA may give the customer the right to
purchase electricity from a particular generating facility, or the
customer may have the right to purchase widgets produced at a
manufacturing facility.
In the context of determining whether the customer has
the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use
of the asset, economic benefits can be both intangible and tangible.
Benefits that result from the use of the asset and that
can be realized through a commercial transaction with a third party
should be considered economic benefits in the context of ASC
842-10-15-17, regardless of whether they are tangible or intangible.
One example of an intangible economic benefit is
renewable energy credits (RECs), which are addressed in two places in
ASC 842:
-
In Example 9, Case A, in ASC 842-10-55-111(a) (reproduced in Section 3.7.9), RECs are identified as a by-product of the production of electricity by a solar farm (i.e., of the use of a solar farm).
-
Paragraph BC135 of ASU 2016-02 states, in part, that “a customer should consider benefits relating to the use of the asset (for example, renewable energy credits received from the use of an asset or by-products resulting from the use of an asset)” (emphasis added).
RECs are used to comply with renewable portfolio
standards (RPSs) within a particular jurisdiction (generally, RPSs are
established by state). They serve as evidence of the use of “green”
electricity that is produced by a renewable generating facility. RECs
have no physical substance and are transacted only by electronic
transfer among tracking accounts that are specific to each party in the
RPS jurisdiction. Although they are therefore intangible, RECs have
clear economic value (and sometimes an observable fair market value,
depending on the jurisdiction). In addition, they are conveyed and
exchanged in commercial transactions on the open market (e.g., as
opposed to being claimed in an owner’s tax return).
We think that ASC 842’s discussion of RECs as intangible
economic benefits demonstrates that the FASB believes intangible
benefits (or outputs), which may be realized through a commercial
transaction with a third party, should be considered in the analysis of
whether a customer has the right to obtain substantially all of the
economic benefits from use of the asset. In other words, we do not view
RECs to be an “exception” or the only intangible form of economic
benefit that should be considered in the analysis.
3.4.1.1.2 Economic Benefits From the Use of the Asset Versus Ownership of the Asset (e.g., Tax Attributes)
Economic benefits may be obtained directly or indirectly
from the asset (e.g., by using, holding, or subleasing the asset) and
may include the asset’s primary output and by-products. They may be
tangible or intangible (e.g., RECs, as discussed in Section 3.4.1.1.1).
Certain types of underlying assets may provide unique
tax benefits or tax attributes to the owner. Often, such tax benefits or
tax attributes are provided because a government has decided to
incentivize investments in the development of the assets. These benefits
or attributes may be critical to a buyer’s investment decision and often
economically justify an investment in an otherwise uneconomic asset or
technology.
An entity should not consider any tax attributes
associated with the ownership of the underlying asset — regardless of
whether they arise from investment (e.g., investment tax credits [ITCs])
or the asset’s production (production tax credits [PTCs]) — when
evaluating whether a customer has the right to obtain substantially all
of the economic benefits from the use of the asset. Some have questioned
whether the newly created transferable PTCs could be treated as economic
benefits from use of the asset. While we continue to support excluding
all tax credits from the evaluation, we understand that diversity may
exist with respect to transferable PTCs. For further discussion, see the
Connecting the Dots below on
tax credit considerations after the transferability feature added by the
Inflation Reduction Act.
ASC 842-10-15-17 indicates that economic benefits can be
realized from a commercial transaction with a third party. Tax
attributes, by nature, cannot be sold separately in a commercial
transaction because they are related to the ownership of the asset.
Further, paragraph BC135 of ASU 2016-02 clearly
differentiates between economic benefits resulting from use and those
resulting from ownership:
[O]nly the economic benefits arising from use of
an asset rather than the economic benefits arising from
ownership of that asset should be considered when assessing
whether a customer has the right to obtain the benefits from use
of an asset. A lease does not convey ownership of an underlying
asset; it conveys only the right to use that underlying asset .
. . . Accordingly, the Board concluded that,
when considering whether a contract contains a lease, a
customer should not consider economic benefits relating to
ownership of an asset (for example, tax benefits as a result
of owning an asset). [Emphasis added]
This approach is consistent with how outputs are
determined under ASC 840-10-15-6 and therefore is not expected to change
practice upon the adoption of ASU 2016-02.
Connecting the Dots
Identifying Intangible
Economic Benefits From Use
Section 3.4.1.1.1
clarifies the view that intangible benefits (or outputs)
can be economic benefits from use of the asset as
long as the intangible benefits (or outputs) can be realized
from a commercial transaction with a third party. Further,
Section
3.4.1.1.2 clearly differentiates between economic
benefits from use of the asset and
economic benefits from ownership of the
asset. However, in practice, entities in various industries have
raised questions about which intangible benefits (outputs)
constitute “economic benefits from use of the asset.”
Specifically, in various scenarios, either the
supplier or the customer may assert that a contract is not, or
does not contain, a lease on the basis that the supplier is
obtaining more than an insignificant portion of the economic
benefits from use of the asset because it retains certain
intangible benefits. As noted in this section, ASC 842-10-15-17
appears to create a broad concept for what may be considered
economic benefits from use. Entities in these scenarios rely on
that broad concept to include intangible benefits in the
analysis and thus to conclude that the customer does not obtain
substantially all of the economic benefits from use.
Examples of intangible benefits (or outputs)
that we have seen characterized as economic benefits from use
include, but are not limited to, the following:
-
Advertising rights or benefits that are associated with the display of a brand or image on the asset or are based on the asset’s use (e.g., advertising space on a professional race car).
-
Data captured by the asset about how it is used. For instance, data may be sent back to an automaker by using certain smart technology installed in a new car model. Examples of such data may include information about customer demographics, GPS information showing where the customer drives, accident information, frequency of use, or time of use.
-
Data generated by the asset regarding the health and function of the larger network of PP&E to which the asset is connected (e.g., data sent back by a utility meter connected to a ratepayer’s home about the speed and quality of electricity moving from the distribution line).
-
Remote access capabilities of the supplier so that the supplier may minimize the deployment of field technicians to diagnose and repair the asset (e.g., the supplier can log into a printer remotely, through the Internet, to troubleshoot a printer at a customer site that is not functioning properly).
At this time, stakeholders continue to consider
whether certain intangible benefits (or outputs) — including
those above — represent economic benefits from use. The more
economic benefits from use there are for a particular underlying
asset, the greater the likelihood that a supplier or customer
may conclude that the customer does not obtain
substantially all of the economic benefits from use of that
asset. Entities that are involved in these types of arrangements
should consult with their accounting advisers and monitor
developments on the topic.
We think that it would be helpful for entities
to consider the following questions when evaluating whether such
intangible benefits (or outputs) are economic benefits from use
(i.e., in determining whether such benefits have substance):
-
Are the benefits (or outputs) created by — or do they result from — the use of the PP&E? That is, can it be confirmed that they are not benefits solely associated with ownership of the asset?
-
Can the benefits (or outputs) from use be realized in a commercial transaction with a third party?
-
Is the generation or creation of the benefits (or outputs) passive? That is, if the customer is not actively using the asset, is the benefit still created in such a way that the benefit may not depend on the use of the asset?
-
How may the benefit (or output) be realized? If the benefit can only be realized by the supplier in the form of cost savings, the benefit (or output) may not be an economic benefit from use.
If such intangible benefits (or outputs) are
determined to be economic benefits from use, an entity will also
need to (1) identify which parties obtain the benefit(s) and (2)
determine whether the amount of benefits obtained by parties
other than the customer is sufficient to conclude that the
customer does not obtain substantially all of the economic
benefits from use of the asset. In performing the latter
assessment, an entity may need to quantify the amount of
benefits received by the parties in cases in which intangible
benefits (or outputs) are identified. See Section
3.4.1.3 for detailed discussion.
Economic Benefits Under ASC 842 — Tax Credit Considerations
Based on Transferability Feature Introduced by the
Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
Tax benefits, including ITCs and PTCs, are
prevalent in various industries and are often critical to the
economics of the underlying project (e.g., a solar or wind
farm). An ITC is a percentage-based tax credit based on the
installed cost of a qualifying facility, while a PTC is based on
productive output, offering credit linked to measurable electric
output from a qualifying facility.
Historically, under both ASC 840 and ASC 842, tax credits
available to owners of PP&E have not been considered in the
evaluation of whether an arrangement contains a lease. Under ASC
840, an entity did not consider tax credits to be an “output”
when assessing whether a customer obtained or controlled
substantially all of the output or utility expected to be
produced or generated by the PP&E. The treatment under ASC
840 was based, in part, on legacy discussions with the FASB and
the SEC, which indicated that tax attributes are different from
other intangible by-products of production (e.g., renewable
energy credits or RECs) and should not affect the lease
evaluation. ASC 842-10-15-17 states that the“economic benefits
from use of an asset include its primary output and by-products
(including potential cash flows derived from these items) and
other economic benefits from using the asset that could be
realized from a commercial transaction with a third party.” Upon
public-company adoption of ASC 842, this definition effectively
carried forward the legacy ASC 840 treatment of tax credits
since, at the time, all tax credits had to be claimed on the
owner’s tax return to be realized. That is, the tax credits were
not a benefit from using the asset that could be realized in a
commercial transaction with a third party.
In 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act introduced a transferability
feature that allows for the one-time sale of eligible tax
credits (including both ITCs and PTCs) to a third party that
then uses the credits in its federal tax return to reduce its
income tax liability. Because of this feature, questions have
arisen about whether transferable PTCs should be viewed as
economic benefits from using the asset under ASC 842. The focus
has been on transferable PTCs since those credits are linked
directly to production and therefore depend on asset usage. This
issue can have significant accounting implications given the
value of the tax credits in the context of overall project
value.
As of the date of this publication, we do not believe that
entities are required to view transferable tax credits as
economic benefits from using the asset, irrespective of whether
the credits are associated with developing and placing the asset
in service (ITCs) or are based on production (PTCs). This view
applies to both parties in an arrangement that involves
qualifying PP&E.
On the basis of our discussions with entities in the power and
utilities industry, we understand that a consensus on this issue
has not yet been reached and, accordingly, that diversity in
practice most likely already exists. Companies that believe
transferable tax credits should be identified as an economic
benefit from using the related asset are encouraged to consult
with their auditors or accounting advisers.
3.4.1.2 Identifying Which Economic Benefits From Use Are Within the Scope of the Customer’s Right to Use the Asset in the Contract
Once the parties to the arrangement identify, on the basis of the nature of the asset, all of the economic benefits from use of the asset, they must identify which of those benefits are within the scope of the customer’s right to use the asset in the contract. These economic benefits are subject to the “substantially all” criterion in ASC 842-10-15-4(a) (see Section 3.4.1.3 for detailed discussion).
ASC 842-10
15-18 When assessing the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of an asset, an entity shall consider the economic benefits that result from use of the asset within the defined scope of a customer’s right to use the asset in the contract (see paragraph 842-10-15-23). For example:
- If a contract limits the use of a motor vehicle to only one particular territory during the period of use, an entity shall consider only the economic benefits from use of the motor vehicle within that territory and not beyond.
- If a contract specifies that a customer can drive a motor vehicle only up to a particular number of miles during the period of use, an entity shall consider only the economic benefits from use of the motor vehicle for the permitted mileage and not beyond.
The graphic above illustrates the example in ASC 842-10-15-18(b).
In this example, the supplier’s and customer’s assessments take into
account the economic benefits related to only the mileage the contract
permits the customer to drive a motor vehicle “during the period of use”
(represented by the blue area of the circle to the left) and not the entire
mileage that the vehicle may be driven on the basis of the nature of the
asset (represented by the entire circle). This makes sense in light of the
first paragraph of ASC 842-10-15-18, which indicates that, of the universe
of economic benefits derived from the use of the underlying asset —
identified in accordance with ASC 842-10-15-17 (and Section 3.4.1.1) —
parties to the arrangement should only consider benefits that are within
the scope of the customer’s right to use the asset in the contract. ASC
842-10-15-18 points readers to ASC 842-10-15-23 (discussed in Section
3.4.2.2) for guidance on determining the scope of the customer’s right to
use the asset in the contract.
Generally, the scope of the customer’s right to use the asset will be limited by the supplier’s protective
rights. With respect to the example in ASC 842-10-15-18(b), the supplier may limit the number of miles
that the customer may drive the leased vehicle during the period of use so that the supplier may better
protect its interest in the residual asset. The supplier’s protective rights, in this case, help ensure that the
supplier can market the residual asset for a minimum value to third parties after the conclusion of the
customer’s lease.
The supplier’s protective rights do not prevent the customer from obtaining substantially all of the
economic benefits from use of the asset because the “substantially all” assessment is performed with
respect to the economic benefits that are within the scope that is bound by those protective rights. Any
economic benefits that can only be realized by going “beyond” the scope of the customer’s right to use
the asset in the contract are not obtained by any party to the arrangement during the period of use.
3.4.1.3 Obtaining Substantially All of the Economic Benefits From Use
Once an entity has identified the economic benefits from use that are within the
scope of the contract, the parties to the arrangement must determine whether
the customer obtains substantially all of them. ASC 842-10-15-4(a) states
that, to have “the right to control the use of an identified asset,” the
customer must have the “right to obtain substantially all of the economic
benefits from use.”
Although ASC 842 does not define “substantially all,” it
uses the term frequently. The term is used, for instance, in the context of
(1) whether a capacity portion of a larger asset is an identified asset (see
Section
3.3.2 for detailed discussion of portions of assets and
whether they are identified assets) and (2) the lease classification test
(i.e., determining whether the present value of the lease payments
represents substantially all of the fair value of the underlying asset).
Paragraph BC73 of ASU 2016-02 indicates that entities should
be allowed to use a 90 percent threshold in determining whether the
“substantially all” criterion is met in the lease classification test:
Nevertheless, the Board understands that entities
need to ensure the leases guidance is operational in a scalable
manner, which often requires the establishment of internal
accounting policies and controls. As a result, the Board included
implementation guidance in Topic 842 that states that one reasonable
application of the lease classification guidance in that Topic is to
conclude, consistent with previous GAAP, that . . . 90 percent or
greater is “substantially all” the fair value of the underlying
asset.
Likewise, we think that 90 percent should generally be used
to determine whether the customer has the right to obtain substantially all
of the economic benefits from use. Accordingly, if the customer has the
right to obtain 90 percent or more of the economic benefits from use of the
identified asset, it has met the “substantially all” criterion in ASC
842-10-15-4(a). Companies should consult with their auditors, accounting
advisers, or both if they are considering the use of a different percentage
threshold for this purpose.
This is consistent with interpretations of the condition in
ASC 840-10-15-6(c), under which control is defined on the basis of only
economics (see the Changing Lanes discussion in Section 3.4). That is, the language
“it is remote that one or more parties other than the purchaser will take
more than a minor amount” in ASC 840-10-15-6(c) is generally interpreted as
meaning that another party will not take more than 10 percent, which is
consistent with the customer’s taking 90 percent.
Example 3-17
Outsourcing
Arrangement for Basketballs
Customer X enters into a contract
with Supplier Y to purchase a particular size, type,
quality, and quantity of basketball over a four-year
period. Supplier Y has only one factory that can
meet X’s needs and is unable to supply the
basketballs from another factory or source them from
a third-party supplier. Because Y does not have the
practical ability to source the basketballs from
another facility, the facility is implicitly
identified in the contract.
Case A —
Capacity of the Factory Exceeds the Output for
Which the Customer Has Contracted
Assume that the capacity of the
factory exceeds the output for which X has
contracted in such a way that X only has rights to
75 percent of the capacity of the factory. In
addition, Y can use the factory to manufacture
basketballs for other customers. In this case, X
does not have the right to obtain substantially all
of the economic benefits from the use of the factory
because Y can use the factory to fulfill its
obligations under contracts with other customers
(i.e., thereby retaining 25 percent of the economic
benefits). Accordingly, X does not have the right to
control the use of the facility and the contract
does not contain a lease.
Case B —
Output for Which the Customer Has Contracted
Represents Substantially All of the Capacity of
the Factory
In this case, assume that the
factory was specifically designed to manufacture
basketballs for X and that Y is practically limited
from using the facility to manufacture any other
products for any other customers. Because the
factory can only be used to manufacture basketballs
for X, X has the right to obtain substantially all
of the economic benefits from the use of the
factory. To determine whether the contract contains
a lease, the parties should evaluate whether X has
the right to direct the use of the factory. See
Section 3.4.2 for additional
information on the right to direct the use of an
identified asset.
In accordance with ASC 842-10-15-4(a) and ASC 842-10-15-17
for a contract to be or contain a lease, the customer must have the right to
obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of the asset. As
discussed above, “substantially all” in this context is generally
interpreted as referring to 90 percent or more of the economic benefits from
use.
An entity does not necessarily have to perform a
quantitative analysis to conclude that the customer has the right to obtain
90 percent or more (i.e., substantially all) of the economic benefits from
use, since ASC 842 does not require such an analysis in all circumstances.
If the contractual terms and conditions, as well as the related facts and
circumstances, are clear on whether the customer has the right to obtain
substantially all of the economic benefits from use, a quantitative analysis
is not needed.
However, when it is not qualitatively clear whether the
customer has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits
from use, a quantitative analysis may be required. We think that a
quantitative analysis of the economic benefits from use might be necessary
in the following situations (not all-inclusive):
-
The identified economic benefits from use include intangible benefits (or outputs), and those intangible benefits could be more than insignificant. (See Section 3.4.1 for more information about intangible economic benefits.) Because of the intangible nature of such benefits, a qualitative assessment alone may be insufficient for determining whether they are more than insignificant.
-
The economic benefits from use include by-products or co-products that may be transacted with third parties.
When economic benefits from use, including by-products or
co-products, can be transacted in a secondary market with third parties, a
quantitative analysis may be easier to perform. In such situations, market
pricing may be both (1) readily accessible and (2) used by the parties to
the arrangement in their negotiations and economic decision-making related
to entering into, or not entering into, the arrangement.
Example 3-18
Sale of Energy
and Renewable Energy Credits Produced by a Solar
Facility
Off-Taker U enters into a PPA with
Supplier G to purchase 100 percent of the
electricity produced by a solar facility for 20
years. Supplier G owns the solar facility. Off-Taker
U will pay $40 per unit of electricity produced.
Besides electricity, the solar
facility produces one REC for every unit of
electricity produced. Supplier G has separately
entered into two contracts to sell RECs produced by
the solar facility to third parties: 25 percent of
the RECs produced are sold to Polluter A for 20
years, and 50 percent of the RECs produced are sold
to Polluter B for 20 years. Supplier G retains 25
percent of the RECs produced, either for its own
account or to sell in the spot market to other
market participants.
Off-Taker U and G determine that if
the PPA had also included the purchase of 100
percent of the RECs, G would have charged a bundled
price of $50 per unit of electricity produced.
Although U has the right to obtain
100 percent of the electricity produced by the solar
facility, a minimum of three additional parties have
the right to obtain the RECs produced by the solar
facility. As discussed in Section 3.4.1.1.1, both the
electricity and the RECs are economic benefits from
use of the solar facility.
On the basis of the stand-alone
value of the RECs and the electricity, U and G
determine that the RECs represent more than an
insignificant portion of the economic benefits from
use of the solar facility. Accordingly, U does not
have the right to obtain substantially all of the
economic benefits from use. The PPA neither is, nor
does it contain, a lease for either party to the
arrangement.
Connecting the Dots
Contracts in Which the
Customer’s Rights to Economic Benefits Change
It is common in off-take or other supply
arrangements for the economic benefits obtained by the customer to
change or fluctuate, contractually, throughout the period of use.
For example, a customer may obtain 100 percent of the
widget-production capacity at a manufacturing facility for the first
five years and then 50 percent of the widget-production capacity at
that facility for the next five years. Alternatively, for an asset
with a primary output and a by-product (both of which are identified
as economic benefits from use), a customer may obtain 100 percent of
the primary output throughout the period of use but only 50 percent
of the by-product in the first five years. Questions have arisen
about the period over which economic benefits should be assessed in
such situations (e.g., over the full period of use, on a yearly
basis, on a monthly basis).
Example 3-19
Assume that W through Z below
are supply arrangements in which the contracts
provide for a mix of goods that change over time
and result in the customer’s obtaining the
following percentage of economic benefits by year
of the contract:2
Two views have emerged
regarding how to assess the economic benefits in W
through Z.
View
A
Description
According to this view, an
entity first assesses the period of use (see
Section 3.5) and then determines
whether the customer has substantially all of the
economic benefits from use of the asset on the
basis of that period. This view is based on a
literal reading of ASC 842-10-15-4, which states,
in part:
To determine whether a
contract conveys the right to control the use of
an identified asset . . . for a period of time, an
entity shall assess whether, throughout the period of use, the customer
has both of the following:
-
The right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of the identified asset . . . . [Emphasis added]
In other words, View A places
significant weight on the order in which the words
in ASC 842-10-15-4 are written and thus suggests
that an assessment of the period of use must come
first.
Outcomes
View A would result in a
conclusion that the customer, in each of W through
Z, does not obtain substantially all of the
economic benefits from use of the asset. This is
because, on an aggregate basis over all 10 years,
the customer does not obtain at least 90 percent
(i.e., substantially all) of the economic benefits
from use of the asset during the period of use.
The period of use is 10 years according to this
view because, as indicated in ASC 842-10-20, that
is the “total period of time that an asset is used
to fulfill a contract with a customer (including
the sum of any nonconsecutive periods of
time).”
View A is consistent with
application of the guidance in ASC
840-10-15-6(c).
Shortcomings
View A potentially opens up
structuring opportunities for parties to an
arrangement to avoid identifying a lease. That is,
in applying View A, the parties to an arrangement
could avoid lease accounting by tacking on
nonsubstantive periods at the end of the contract
term so that the customer obtains a low percentage
of the economic benefits from use.
However, some proponents of
View A acknowledge that the assessment would need
to contain an anti-abuse override under which, for
example, the parties to an arrangement have a
disincentive to structure contracts to look like X
in the example above. Depending on the facts and
circumstances, some proponents of View A may
conclude that if there is an anti-abuse override,
the period of use in X is eight years in the
assessment of the economic benefits from use.
View
B
Description
According to this view, an
entity looks to the assessment of whether the
customer has substantially all of the economic
benefits from use of the asset to determine what
the period of use is. This view is based on the
guidance in ASC 842-10-15-5, which states the
following:
If the customer has the right
to control the use of an identified asset for only a portion of the term of
the contract, the contract contains a lease for
that portion of the term. [Emphasis added]
View B is also an
interpretation of the order in which the
assessments should be performed that minimizes (as
compared with View A) opportunities for parties to
an arrangement to use structuring to avoid
identifying a lease (i.e., for lessees to avoid
recognizing lease assets and lease
liabilities).
Outcomes
With respect to identifying
the period of use, View B would result in
bifurcation of the contract term into the periods
during which the customer obtains at least 90
percent (i.e., substantially all) of the economic
benefits from use of the asset. Effectively,
according to View B, (1) the period of use is more
closely aligned with the period during which the
customer gets the benefits from use and (2) the
period of use, as defined above and in ASC
842-10-20, may include nonconsecutive periods.
On the basis of this view, the
customer obtains substantially all of the economic
benefits from use during the following periods:
-
W: Years 3–10.
-
X: Years 1–8.
-
Y: Years 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10.
-
Z: Years 1–2, 4–5, and 7–8.
Accordingly, for each of W
through Z, the parties to the arrangement would
incorporate the periods identified above into the
assessment to determine whether the customer has
the right to direct the use of the asset during
those periods.
Shortcomings
View B could create challenges
related to applying the lessee and lessor
accounting models (e.g., if Y is determined to be
an operating lease, it would be more complex to
determine how to recognize lease expense or lease
income on a straight-line basis over
nonconsecutive periods). See Section
8.4.3.4 and Chapter 9 for
detailed discussion of lessee and lessor
accounting, respectively.
In addition, the supply
arrangements W through Z above focus on
economic-benefit percentages determined annually.
However, proponents of View B acknowledge that
there is no basis in ASC 842 for saying that the
annual level is the correct and lowest level at
which the assessment should be performed. For
example, if the customer can further break down
the percentages of economic benefits on the basis
of months, days, or even hours, there could be
further bifurcation of the period of use into
nonconsecutive periods. Accordingly, if the
arrangement is determined to be a lease, the
assessment and subsequent accounting would become
more complex.
Next
Steps
The issue, as well as the
views, continue to evolve. Companies involved in
these types of arrangements should consult with
their accounting advisers and monitor developments
on the topic.
3.4.1.3.1 Portion of Cash Flows Derived From Use Paid to Supplier or Third Party
ASC 842-10
15-19 If a contract requires a customer to pay the supplier or another party a portion of the cash flows derived
from use of an asset as consideration, those cash flows paid as consideration shall be considered to be part
of the economic benefits that the customer obtains from use of the asset. For example, if a customer is
required to pay the supplier a percentage of sales from use of retail space as consideration for that use, that
requirement does not prevent the customer from having the right to obtain substantially all of the economic
benefits from use of the retail space. That is because the cash flows arising from those sales are considered to
be economic benefits that the customer obtains from use of the retail space, a portion of which it then pays to
the supplier as consideration for the right to use that space.
ASC 842-10-15-19 clarifies that cash flows derived from the use of the asset are economic benefits from
use, even if a portion of those cash flows is paid to the supplier in the form of (variable) lease payments.
That is, the cash flow structure in the contract should not dictate which cash flows derived from use are
considered economic benefits from use or which party obtains those benefits.
In other words, a supplier generally prices a contract — and charges the customer — to earn a return
of and on its investment in the underlying PP&E. It may structure the cash flows it must receive to earn
that return in a number of ways. In the example in ASC 842-10-15-19, the supplier structures the cash
flows to share in the customer’s benefits from using the PP&E (i.e., to share in the upside). Alternatively,
it could have forecasted the customer’s sales and derived a fixed payment to achieve what is effectively
the same result. In either case, the supplier would have designed the payment terms to achieve a
necessary return.
Accordingly, whether the consideration in the arrangement is based on the customer’s performance in
using the asset or on a fixed basis (or some other variable basis) should not affect the assessment of
whether the customer obtains substantially all of the economic benefits from use. Example 4 in ASC 842
(ASC 842-10-55-63 through 55-71, reproduced in Section 3.7.4) illustrates this notion.
3.4.2 Right to Direct the Use
In accordance with the definition of a lease — and the concept of control — in ASC 842, the customer must have the right to direct the use of the PP&E throughout the period of use. This is the “power” element of the control concept, as discussed in Section 3.4. It is an important piece of the concept because a customer would not agree to pay for a right to use PP&E unless it could actually exercise that right and direct how it uses the PP&E.
ASC 842-10
15-20 A customer has the right to direct the use of an identified asset throughout the period of use in either of the following situations:
- The customer has the right to direct how and for what purpose the asset is used throughout the period of use (as described in paragraphs 842-10-15-24 through 15-26).
- The relevant decisions about how and for what purpose the asset is used are predetermined (see paragraph 842-10-15-21) and at least one of the following conditions exists:
- The customer has the right to operate the asset (or to direct others to operate the asset in a manner that it determines) throughout the period of use without the supplier having the right to change those operating instructions.
- The customer designed 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.
A customer has the right to direct the use of an asset if it can determine HAFWP
that asset is used throughout the period of use. The extent to which the
customer directs HAFWP the asset is used will depend on whether the contract
grants the customer decision-making rights over that asset. Therefore, a
customer should (1) identify the decision-making rights that most affect HAFWP
the asset is used during the period of use (i.e., which decision-making rights
most affect the economic benefits from use of the asset) and (2) determine which
party controls those rights.
In many cases, it is relatively simple to determine whether the customer has the right to direct the use of the PP&E. For example, in a lease of an office building, it is likely to be clear that the customer has the right to direct HAFWP the office building is used throughout the period of use.
However, in other situations, the assessment may be more complex. When neither party to the arrangement (i.e., neither the supplier nor the customer) controls the decision-making rights that most affect HAFWP the asset is used throughout the period of use, then HAFWP the asset is used throughout the period of use may be predetermined. In those situations, the customer only directs the use of the asset when it either (1) operates the asset throughout the period of use or (2) designed the asset so that HAFWP the asset is used throughout that period is predetermined. Alternatively, when neither party controls the decision-making rights that most affect HAFWP the asset is used throughout the period of use, then power over those rights may be shared between the supplier and the customer.
The decision tree below illustrates the process an entity should consider when
determining whether the customer has the right to direct the use of the
PP&E.
3
See Section 3.4.2.4 for further
discussion of when power over the decision-making rights related to
HAFWP PP&E is used throughout the period of use is shared.
As noted in Section 3.2.1, the determination of whether the customer has the right to direct the use of the asset is generally a two-step process:
- Evaluate whether the customer or the supplier has the right to direct HAFWP the asset is used throughout the period of use.
- If no party has the right to direct HAFWP the asset is used throughout the period of use, HAFWP the asset is used throughout that period may be predetermined. In such cases, an entity evaluates whether the customer (1) can operate the asset or (2) designed the asset in a manner that predetermined HAFWP the asset is used throughout the period of use. (However, if no party has the right to direct HAFWP the asset is used throughout the period of use, an entity may need to consider whether power over that right is shared.)
The remainder of this section addresses the above decision tree in greater
detail.
3.4.2.1 How and for What Purpose the Asset Is Used Throughout the Period of Use
ASC 842-10
15-24 A customer has the right to direct how and for what purpose an asset is used throughout the period of use if, within the scope of its right of use defined in the contract, it can change how and for what purpose the asset is used throughout that period. In making this assessment, an entity considers the decision-making rights that are most relevant to changing how and for what purpose an asset is used throughout the period of use. Decision-making rights are relevant when they affect the economic benefits to be derived from use. The decision-making rights that are most relevant are likely to be different for different contracts, depending on the nature of the asset and the terms and conditions of the contract.
15-25 Examples of decision-making rights that, depending on the circumstances, grant the right to direct how and for what purpose an asset is used, within the defined scope of the customer’s right of use, include the following:
- The right to change the type of output that is produced by the asset (for example, deciding whether to use a shipping container to transport goods or for storage, or deciding on the mix of products sold from a retail unit)
- The right to change when the output is produced (for example, deciding when an item of machinery or a power plant will be used)
- The right to change where the output is produced (for example, deciding on the destination of a truck or a ship or deciding where a piece of equipment is used or deployed)
- The right to change whether the output is produced and the quantity of that output (for example, deciding whether to produce energy from a power plant and how much energy to produce from that power plant).
15-26 Examples of decision-making rights that do not grant the right to direct how and for what purpose an asset is used include rights that are limited to operating or maintaining the asset. Although rights such as those to operate or maintain an asset often are essential to the efficient use of an asset, they are not rights to direct how and for what purpose the asset is used and often are dependent on the decisions about how and for what purpose the asset is used. Such rights (that is, to operate or maintain the asset) can be held by the customer or the supplier. The supplier often holds those rights to protect its investment in the asset. However, rights to operate an asset may grant the customer the right to direct the use of the asset if the relevant decisions about how and for what purpose the asset is used are predetermined (see paragraph 842-10-15-20(b)(1)).
As noted above in ASC 842-10-15-24, a customer can direct HAFWP an asset is used
throughout the period of use (and thus meets the criterion in ASC
842-10-15-20(a)) when the customer has “decision-making rights that are most
relevant to changing [HAFWP] an asset is used” throughout that period. The
most relevant decision-making rights are those that can affect the economic
benefits that result from use of the asset (i.e., there is a direct link
between the “power” and “economics” elements of the right to control the use
of the asset, as discussed in Section 3.4). Paragraph BC137 of ASU
2016-02 clarifies that those are the decision-making rights that are most
important to determining whether the customer has the right to control the
use of the asset.
Paragraph BC137 of ASU 2016-02 also clarifies that HAFWP is a “single concept.” That is, parties to the
arrangement should not assess how an asset is used separately from the asset’s intended purpose in
the arrangement. Decision-making rights that affect the economic benefits derived from the use of an
asset will differ depending on the nature of the asset. However, ASC 842-10-15-25 gives the following
common examples of decision-making rights that affect the economic benefits derived from the use of
the asset and, therefore, that govern HAFWP an asset is used:
- The customer’s ability to change what type and amount of output the asset produces (e.g., the type of widget — widget X or widget Y — the PP&E produces and the volume of each).
- The customer’s right to change when the asset is used (e.g., when the PP&E produces widget X).
- The customer’s ability to change where the asset is used (e.g., where a truck delivers goods).
- The customer’s right to change whether the asset is used (e.g., whether PP&E is operating to produce widgets and how many widgets the PP&E produces when it does operate).
In paragraph BC137 of ASU 2016-02, the Board observes that “decisions about how and for what
purpose an asset is used can be viewed as similar to considering the decisions made by a board of
directors when assessing control of an entity.” Specifically, under the consolidation guidance, the
choices made in the execution of — or the actions taken to carry out — the decisions made by a
board of directors are subordinate to the decisions themselves. Therefore, the control analysis in the
consolidation guidance focuses on the power of the board to direct the most significant activities of the
entity, not on who may determine how to execute those significant activities.
Similarly, ASC 842 focuses on which party may make decisions about HAFWP an asset is used
throughout the period of use. The execution of (i.e., the operation and maintenance activities related to)
a party’s decisions about HAFWP an asset is used is subordinate. Accordingly, ASC 842-10-15-26 clarifies
that any rights to determine how the asset will be operated or maintained during the period of use are
subordinate to decision-making rights about HAFWP an asset is used throughout the period of use.
Further, paragraph BC137 of ASU 2016-02 notes, for instance, that “a supplier’s operational decisions
would have no effect on the economic benefits derived from use of an asset if the customer decides
that the asset should not be used.” Therefore, while operation and maintenance decisions are essential
to ensuring the efficient use of the asset, they are subject to, and can be overridden by, the rights to
change HAFWP the asset is used.
The graphic below illustrates this notion.
Connecting the Dots
Differentiating Between
Rights Over Operation and Decisions About HAFWP an Asset Is
Used
Paragraph BC137 of ASU 2016-02 explains that rights related to the operation and maintenance of an asset are subordinate to decision-making rights associated with HAFWP that asset is used:
In the Board’s view, the decisions about how and for what purpose an asset is used are more important in determining control of the use of an asset than other decisions to be made about use, including decisions about operating and maintaining the asset. That is because decisions about how and for what purpose an asset is used determine how and what economic benefits are derived from use.
In addition, rights over operation and maintenance are rights that are both (1) essential to the efficient use of the asset and (2) potentially protective if they are held by the supplier (i.e., because they would allow the supplier to ensure operation and maintenance practices that would protect the supplier’s investment in the asset). Therefore, it may be helpful to view rights over operation and maintenance as those that are most likely to have smaller effects on the operating margins (or the net cash flows) derived from using the asset.
By holding operation rights, the supplier may be able to lower the costs of operating the asset on the basis of its experiences in operating that asset and similar types of assets. For example, assume that a supplier knows which route is quickest when driving a delivery truck from Minneapolis to Milwaukee and therefore is able to minimize fuel costs. If the customer in this example holds decision-making rights related to when the route from Minneapolis to Milwaukee will be driven but decides not to exercise that right, no economic benefits (i.e., cash flows) will be derived. That is, the supplier’s right to choose the quickest route and thus lower operating costs is contingent on (subordinate to) the customer’s decisions.
The above example illustrates the difference between (1) the rights to operate an asset and (2) decision-making rights related to HAFWP an asset is used. That is, the latter rights have significantly more influence over the economic benefits to be derived from using the asset and, therefore, the former rights are subordinate to the latter.
Also illustrated above is another way in which the power notion in ASC 842 differs from that in
the consolidation guidance in ASC 810. The party that controls operation and maintenance has
power under ASC 810 in circumstances in which (1) there are ongoing operation and maintenance decisions to
be made for a legal entity and (2) it is determined that those decisions reflect the activities that
most significantly affect the economic performance of the legal entity. However, under ASC 842,
the supplier’s control of operation and maintenance decisions may not prevent the customer
from having the right to direct the use of the underlying asset throughout the period of use.
Further, ASC 842 requires that when HAFWP the asset is used throughout the period of use is
predetermined and the supplier controls operation and maintenance decisions, the analysis
must take into account whether the customer designed the asset (see Section 3.4.2.3.2 for
further discussion of design).
3.4.2.1.1 Dispatch Rights
“Dispatch rights” are rights that may be granted to a
customer in an arrangement to direct the asset to be used for its
intended purpose. In the power and utilities industry, such rights are
common and may be granted to an off-taker (i.e., the customer) in a PPA
to allow the off-taker to tell a power plant owner and operator whether
to use the plant to produce electricity, when to use the plant to
produce electricity, and what amount of electricity to produce.
However, dispatch rights can refer to similar rights
associated with any type of asset. For example, an emergency services
operator that is outsourcing to a third party can dispatch an ambulance
or helicopter owned by the third party to provide the services. In
addition, a customer in a manufacturing supply arrangement may have
dispatch rights in connection with a widget factory (or a discrete
manufacturing line within that factory) such that it can tell the owner
and operator of the factory whether to produce widgets and how many
widgets to produce.
Dispatch rights, when granted to the customer in an
arrangement, generally convey the right to direct HAFWP an asset is
used. Such rights allow the customer in an arrangement to change
whether, when, and to what extent an asset is used, which generally are
the decision-making rights that most affect the economic benefits to be
derived from the asset’s use and thus represent the rights to determine
HAFWP the asset is used throughout the period of use. Therefore, in
accordance with ASC 842-10-15-24 through 15-26 and the Connecting the
Dots discussion above, dispatch rights would override any
rights of the asset’s owner to operate and maintain the asset. Example
9, Case C, in ASC 842-10-55-117 through 55-123 (reproduced in Section 3.7.9)
illustrates the use of dispatch rights in a PPA.
In some industries, dispatch rights may be conveyed
through another right (e.g., an effective dispatch right). For example,
in some markets in the power and utilities industry, dispatch decisions
are ultimately made by an independent system operator on the basis of a
consideration of bid prices and any transmission system constraints
(i.e., if there are no constraints, generating units will be dispatched
economically by accepting the lowest bids first); therefore, in such
cases, neither the owner nor the off-taker can mandate physical
production. While the bid-in process in the power and utilities industry
is not entirely the same as a dispatch right held by a customer as
described above, companies should consider whether control over the
bidding process in such scenarios conveys to the customer the right to
direct HAFWP the asset is used, since that is the right an owner would
normally exercise in these markets to influence whether, when, and to
what extent the owner’s asset is used.
In a tolling arrangement, the right to provide the
inputs the asset needs to produce outputs may also constitute an
effective dispatch right. When a customer obtains a tolling right in an
arrangement, the asset may generally only produce outputs when the
customer provides the inputs that the asset needs to convert those
inputs to a refined or finished product (i.e., the asset produces
outputs upon the receipt of the necessary inputs). Further, the asset
will generally only produce to the extent of the inputs provided; that
is, the amount of outputs the asset produces is a function of the amount
of inputs provided and the efficiency of the asset in converting those
inputs. Therefore, in tolling arrangements, the customer will generally
control the rights that most affect the economic benefits to be derived
from the asset’s use — and thus the right to direct HAFWP the asset is
used — by virtue of the customer’s right to provide the inputs and
request conversion to outputs. Tolling arrangements are found not only
in the power and utilities industry but also in basic manufacturing as
well as in the metal, agriculture, and oil and gas industries.
3.4.2.1.2 Applying the Guidance in ASC 842-10-15-24 Through 15-26
The three examples below illustrate the guidance in ASC 842-10-15-24 through
15-26 and the discussion above.
Example 3-20
Exclusive
Limousine Service
Customer D, a politician, enters
into a contract with Company R, a limousine
service provider, for transportation during the
four-year term of D’s political assignment. The
contract explicitly specifies the VIN of the
limousine that will be used to transport D, and R
is contractually restricted from substituting the
limousine for reasons other than repairs or
maintenance. Therefore, the parties have
determined that the fulfillment of the contract
depends on an identified asset.
The limousine in question is
stored on R’s premises when not in use, but R may
not use the limousine to transport any other
customers during the four-year contract term. In
addition, R provides a dedicated driver for the
entire four-year contract term. The limousine will
be used to transport D to various speaking and
charity events according to a schedule that D
provides to R on a biweekly basis. However, once
the schedule is provided, the dedicated driver —
an employee of R — plans the routes to and from
each scheduled event.
Customer D has the right to
obtain substantially all of the economic benefits
from the limousine throughout the four-year period
of use because it is the only customer that will
be transported in the limousine during that
period. In addition, although R is responsible for
operating the limousine and has some discretion in
route planning, D has the right to direct the use
of the limousine because it is responsible for
determining whether and,
if so, when the limousine
will operate and where it
will travel.
For these reasons, D has the
right to control the use of the limousine and the
contract contains a lease.
Example 3-21
Refrigerated Storage Unit
Customer A enters into a contract with Company B for the exclusive use of a refrigerated storage unit for a
15-month period. Company B constructed the storage unit and is responsible for operating and maintaining
it. The contract explicitly identifies the storage unit via its serial number, and B is contractually restricted from
substituting the refrigerated storage facility during the contract term. Therefore, the parties have determined
that the fulfillment of the contract depends on an identified asset.
Throughout the 15-month period of use, A has the right to take products out of, or put them into, the storage
unit at any time without B’s consent. However, B controls physical access to the storage unit and only B’s
employees are allowed inside; therefore, B is responsible for physically moving the products as A requests.
Customer A has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from the storage unit throughout
the 15-month period of use because of its exclusive use of the storage unit. Although B controls physical
access to the storage unit and is responsible for operating it, B does so according to A’s decisions about what
products will be stored in the storage unit as well as whether and, if so, when they will be stored. Customer A
therefore has the right to direct the use of the storage unit.
Because A obtains substantially all of the economic benefits from the storage unit (an identified asset) and has
the right to direct its use, the contract contains a lease.
Example 3-22
Natural Gas Processing Facility
Customer U enters into a three-year contract for the exclusive use of Supplier M’s processing plant. Supplier M
agrees to separate “wet” natural gas that U extracts from shale rock formations into its component products of
“dry” natural gas and natural gas liquids (e.g., ethane, butane, propane).
The contract explicitly names M’s plant by address. Although M has, at times, contracted to provide varying
amounts of capacity to multiple customers simultaneously, U has contracted for 100 percent of the capacity of
the plant. This is the only plant M owns that is connected via a pipeline to U’s natural gas wellhead gathering
system, so M does not have an alternative plant that it could substitute to fulfill its obligations under the
contract. Accordingly, the parties have determined that the fulfillment of the contract depends on an identified
asset.
During the three-year contract period, M’s own employees will operate and maintain the plant. Although U
never has physical access to the plant, it may provide the wet gas for processing whenever it chooses and will
receive 100 percent of all products yielded (i.e., 100 percent of the dry gas and natural gas liquids produced).
Customer U has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from the processing plant
throughout the three-year period of use because it will receive 100 percent of the outputs (i.e., dry gas and
natural gas liquids) produced by the plant. Although M is entirely responsible for operating and maintaining the
plant, this contract is, in effect, a tolling agreement. That is, U determines whether and, if so, when the plant
is used, as well as what amount of output it will produce, by virtue of its right to provide 100 percent of the
plant’s inputs. For example, if U does not provide any wet gas, the plant does not produce dry gas and natural
gas liquids. Customer U therefore has the right to direct the use of the processing plant.
Because U obtains substantially all of the economic benefits from the processing plant (an identified asset) and
has the right to direct its use, the contract contains a lease.
Note that in all three of the above examples, the PP&E is kept on the supplier’s premises but the
customer has the right to direct HAFWP the asset is used throughout the period of use. These three
examples illustrate that the analysis should focus on the parties’ decision-making rights rather than on
the location of the PP&E.
Importantly, while the customer may have the right to direct HAFWP the asset is used throughout the period of use when the asset is kept on the supplier’s premises, the inverse can also be true. That is, as the FASB staff has indicated to us, the supplier may have the right to direct HAFWP the asset is used throughout the period of use even when assets dedicated to the customer are kept on the customer’s premises.
Example 10, Case A, in ASC 842-10-55-124 through 55-126 (reproduced in Section 3.7.10)
illustrates this notion, and the Connecting the Dots below discusses it
in greater detail.
Connecting the Dots
Assessing Which Party Has
the Right to Direct the Use of Dedicated Assets on the
Customer’s Premises
We have received a number of questions regarding the outcome of Example 10, Case
A, in ASC 842-10-55-124 through 55-126 (reproduced in Section 3.7.10). That example
involves a contract for network services under which a
telecommunications company (the supplier) installs and
configures multiple servers at a customer site to support the
customer’s network needs (primarily the storage and
transportation of data). During the term of the arrangement, the
supplier makes decisions about how to deploy the fleet of
servers to satisfy customer requests. Although the arrangement
involves dedicated equipment, some of which is maintained on the
customer’s premises, the conclusion reached in the example is
that the arrangement does not contain a lease since the customer
does not (but the supplier does) have the right to direct HAFWP
the individual servers are used.
Some may find this outcome counterintuitive since the servers are dedicated
solely to the customer for the term of the arrangement. However,
the conclusion highlights an important change from ASC 840.
Specifically, for a lease to exist under ASC 842, the customer
must obtain the right to control the use of the asset(s) in the
arrangement and the right to control the use is not limited to
having the right to all of the asset’s productive output (one of
the circumstances in which an entity could conclude that an
arrangement is a lease under ASC 840, as discussed in the
Changing
Lanes discussion in Section 3.4). Rather, the right to control the
use under ASC 842 is determined in a two-part test that focuses
on (1) economic benefits and (2) the right to direct the use of
the identified asset(s). In the example, the second condition is
not met; therefore, the arrangement does not contain a
lease.
A number of stakeholders have asked about the key factors related to why the
customer in the example does not have the right to direct the
use of the servers. For instance, questions have been raised
regarding why, if the right to dispatch a power plant (i.e., to
tell the owner-operator when to produce electricity — see
Section 3.4.2.1.1)
conveys to the customer the right to direct the use of the plant
(as illustrated in Example 9, Case C, in ASC 842-10-55-117
through 55-123, reproduced in Section 3.7.9), the right
to determine when and which data to store or transport by using
the network would not likewise convey to the customer the right
to direct the use of the underlying servers.
We understand the following regarding the key
factors behind the conclusion in Example 10, Case A:
-
The analysis is focusing on whether each individual server, as opposed to the entire network, is a lease. In the example, the supplier is providing a service (a network of a certain capacity and quality) by using dedicated assets. Therefore, the analysis to determine which party has the right to direct the use of the asset(s) should be performed at the asset level (i.e., at the individual server level).
-
The consideration of HAFWP the asset is used, as described in ASC 842-10-15-25, likewise focuses on decisions related to each individual server — not the output produced by the overall network.
-
The scenario involves multiple assets (multiple individual servers), and the supplier retains the discretion to deploy each individual server in whatever manner the supplier decides will best fulfill the overall network service.
-
Since each server on its own can perform different functions (e.g., storing data, transporting data), the supplier has the right to make meaningful decisions about which server(s) should be used to satisfy a particular customer request.
-
The customer cannot decide HAFWP each individual server is used and cannot prevent the supplier from making those decisions. The customer’s decisions are limited to how the customer uses the network and do not extend to the individual servers.
We think that these key factors, though they are
not all-inclusive, help differentiate the conclusion in Example
10, Case A, from the conclusion in Example 10, Case B, in ASC
842-10-55-127 through 55-130 (reproduced in Section
3.7.10). In Case B, the arrangement involves a
single server, and the customer makes the critical decisions
about which data to store or transport by using that single
server as well as about how (or whether) to integrate that
single server into its broader operations. Therefore, we believe
that Case B is more analogous than Case A to Example 9, Case C,
which involves dispatch rights over a power plant (also a single
asset).
Understanding the key distinguishing factors in
the above examples should help preparers identify leases under
ASC 842. However, the illustrative examples represent an
application of the framework to certain stated facts and
circumstances. An entity must perform a detailed analysis of its
own specific facts and circumstances in such scenarios. We
recommend that entities that have questions about their
arrangements and whether they should be analyzed in a manner
similar to the analysis in Example 10, Case A, should discuss
those questions with their auditors or accounting advisers.
3.4.2.1.2.1 Assessing the Right to Direct the Use of Multiple Assets in a Single Arrangement
In an arrangement involving the use of multiple
assets, the parties to the arrangement should assess whether the
customer has the right to direct the use of those assets. This
assessment should be performed at the individual asset level rather
than at the asset group level.
As discussed in the Connecting the Dots above, this
analysis should focus on decision-making rights related to each of
those assets. Feedback received from the FASB and IASB staffs has
indicated that this is a key element of the analysis in Example 10,
Case A.
This may seem counterintuitive given the order of
operations indicated by ASC 842. That is, in accordance with ASC
842-10-15, an entity should first determine whether a contract is or
contains a lease before it breaks that contract into its units of
account consisting of separate lease (and nonlease) components. (For
additional information about separating components in a contract,
see Chapter
4.) However, the guidance in ASC 842-10-15-24 through
15-26 continually uses the singular, referring to the right to
direct the use of an asset or HAFWP the asset is
used.
In addition, the decisions that affect the economic
benefits to be derived from use of an asset are most easily
identifiable at the level of the individual asset. We think that
this will be especially true when each individual asset has multiple
functionalities, as in Example 10, Case A (e.g., the supplier, at
its discretion, may individually deploy each server for such tasks
as filing, e-mail, or printing to provide the customer with a
network of a certain capacity and quality). It would follow, then,
that the customer has the right to direct HAFWP an asset is used
when it has decision-making rights that affect the economic benefits
derived from the use of the individual asset.
Example 3-23
Contract
for Construction-Related Services
Homebuilder B enters into a
contract with Vendor GC to provide demolition and
construction services for two years. Under the
arrangement, GC will use three pieces of heavy
construction equipment — an excavator, a crane,
and a skid loader — in the razing of real estate
purchased by B and the construction of a new
suburban housing development at B’s direction.
Assume that it is clear from
the contract that the equipment represents
identified assets and that B obtains substantially
all of the economic benefits from use of each of
these assets.
Each piece of equipment has
multiple functionalities. For example, the crane
can be used to lift heavy materials when a hook is
attached or to raze existing structures when a
wrecking ball is attached. Vendor GC’s own
employees are deployed to operate the equipment,
and B is contractually precluded from operating
the equipment itself or from hiring a third party
to do so.
Homebuilder B issues
instructions to Vendor GC each week with a stated
project. For example, B may instruct GC in the
first week to raze an existing structure on a
northwest parcel of the purchased land and, in the
second week, it may instruct GC to lay the
foundation for a new home on the southwest parcel
of the purchased land.
Vendor GC retains the
discretion to deploy each individual piece of
equipment in whatever manner it decides will best
fulfill the demolition and construction services
it is providing to B. For example, to accomplish
the first week’s project, GC may choose not to use
the skid loader and instead save its fuel; GC may
be able to complete the first week’s project
solely by using the demolition-related functions
of the crane and the excavator. Because each piece
of equipment on its own can perform different
functions, GC has the right to make meaningful
decisions about which pieces of equipment should
be used to satisfy each week’s project. Therefore,
GC’s decision-making rights go beyond basic
decisions about operating and maintaining the
equipment.
Homebuilder B cannot decide
HAFWP each individual piece of equipment is used
to complete each week’s project, and B cannot
prevent GC from making those decisions.
Homebuilder B’s decisions are limited to how it
will use the services provided by GC and do not
extend to the individual pieces of equipment.
Accordingly, GC retains the
right to direct HAFWP each piece of equipment is
used. The contract does not contain a lease.
When an arrangement involves the use of a single
asset that is made up of individual component assets (e.g., a power
plant with two turbines that is constructed to function as a single
asset), the parties to the arrangement should not break the single
asset into its individual component assets to assess whether the
customer has the right to direct the use of those assets (e.g., the
individual turbines). Rather, such an analysis should be performed
with respect to the single asset. Because the asset is built or
constructed to function as a single asset, the most relevant
decision-making rights will be those that affect the economic
benefits to be derived from use of the single asset.
For example, it is common in the power and utilities
industry for a power plant to contain two or more turbines that
produce electricity (in the case of a wind facility, there may be
many turbines). Those turbines will generally perform the same
function (i.e., producing electricity), and the individual turbines
will benefit jointly from the installation of other individual
PP&E within the power plant for efficiency purposes (e.g., a
single transformer). Because the individual turbines are constructed
to be a part of a larger, single asset for the intended use of
generating electricity as a single asset, it would be inappropriate
to assess the right to direct the use of each individual
turbine.
However, if the power plant was constructed to
contain two or more turbines, each capable of generating electricity
separately, it would be appropriate to assess the right to direct
the use of each individual turbine.
These concepts would also apply to a manufacturing
facility with multiple manufacturing lines that are constructed to
function as a single asset. That is, it would generally be
inappropriate to assess the right to direct the use of each
manufacturing line separately.
As discussed above, the right to direct HAFWP an
asset is used can be complex when the use of the asset is heavily
influenced by activities the supplier performs (e.g., in Example 10,
Case A, reproduced in Section 3.7.10). The analysis
can be equally complex when the use of the asset is heavily
influenced by, or depends on, infrastructure that is owned,
operated, and controlled by the supplier. Section 3.4.2.1.2.2 and the Connecting the
Dots discussion below discuss this complexity with
respect to pipeline laterals and the first miles and last miles of
tangible, integrated infrastructure systems.
3.4.2.1.2.2 Pipeline Laterals (Right to Control the Use)
Pipelines are generally constructed and operated in
sprawling and integrated systems that transport natural gas, oil,
and refined products from supply regions to demand regions. Some
customers are connected to, and receive deliveries of transported
commodities through, the pipeline system via dedicated laterals. In
addition, a pipeline system must, by its nature, have starting and
ending points. Therefore, other customers may be connected to the
pipeline system through effective laterals, because they are
connected to the first mile or last mile of the larger pipeline
system.
Section
3.3.2.1 explains that laterals and
first-mile/last-mile connections are physically distinct portions of
the larger pipeline system. Therefore, in transportation agreements,
they are identified assets in accordance with ASC 842-10-15-16.
Certain of these agreements are firm; accordingly, the customer is
guaranteed a certain amount of transportation capacity on the
pipeline system and is given priority above other customers that do
not have firm rights. At the May 10, 2017, Board meeting, the FASB
and its staff discussed whether the customer in a firm
transportation agreement has the right to control the use of a
pipeline lateral or a first-mile/last-mile connection to the larger
pipeline system.
While highlighting that the specific facts and
circumstances of each arrangement must be considered, the FASB staff
discussed two types of pipeline laterals on the basis of information
it obtained via outreach to entities in the midstream oil and gas
industry sector:
-
Type 1 — These “typically are connected to an integrated pipeline system”4 and are the most common type of pipeline laterals. While they cannot operate on their own, they share “supply sources with the main line and other customers.” The pipeline owner retains the ability to change the compression in the lateral to manage pressure in the lateral and on the larger system. Pressure moves commodity within the system, so changing the pressure in the lateral can affect the pressure in the larger system, thus affecting the speed at which other customers’ inventory moves through the system (and the speed at which the pipeline owner is able to provide its transportation services to others). Further, the pipeline owner retains the ability to store its own commodity in the lateral (i.e., line pack). Doing so also manages the pressure in the lateral and on the larger system.Accordingly, the pipeline owner retains both (1) economic benefits from the asset’s use that are more than insignificant through its rights to store commodity in the lateral and to use the compression in the lateral to manage the pressure in the larger system, even though the customer decides when to receive service and at what volumes, and (2) the right to direct the use of the asset throughout the period of use because of its rights to change when, whether, and to what extent the lateral is used to manage the pipeline owner’s larger system. Depending on the significance of retained rights, the Board agreed with the staff’s analysis that Type 1 pipeline lateral contracts do not contain a lease. Type 1 pipeline laterals are expected to be the most common type.
-
Type 2 — These laterals “are fully capable of operating using their own dedicated assets,” and “the customer has the right to substantially all the pipeline lateral’s capacity.” The customer is able to close off this type of lateral from the remainder of the pipeline system (by closing a valve or a similar mechanism), thus preventing the pipeline owner from directing the use of the asset. In addition, closing the lateral off from the larger system allows the customer to use the lateral independently from the larger system.The Board agreed with the staff’s analysis that a lease exists in this case, since the customer has “the right to obtain substantially all the economic benefits . . . and the right to direct the use of the pipeline lateral throughout the period of use.”
The Board agreed with the staff’s analyses, as noted
above, and did not believe that any additional standard setting was
required at that time.
Connecting the Dots
Right to Direct the
Use of Other First-Mile/Last-Mile Assets
As indicated in Section 3.3.2.1, other first-mile/last-mile
connections are identified assets in accordance with ASC
842-10-15-16. Therefore, entities must assess whether the
customer has the right to control the use of such assets. We
think that the FASB’s May 10, 2017, meeting discussion
regarding pipeline laterals (see above) is helpful to this
assessment.
The above discussion describes two types of
pipeline laterals, one of which — Type 2 — can be
functionally and tangibly closed off (e.g., by closing a
valve or a similar mechanism) from the remainder of the
larger pipeline system even though the lateral is not
physically disconnected from the system. The Board generally
expects that, for Type 2 laterals, the customer therefore
will have the right to use the lateral independently from
the larger system. The customer will thus have the right to
control the use of the lateral, and the related arrangement
will contain a lease.
We think that the same analysis can be
applied to other types of first-mile/last-mile connections.
That is, unless the customer is able to functionally and
tangibly close off the first-mile/last-mile asset from the
larger system, the customer will be unable to control the
use of this asset. In other words, when there is no such
“cut-off point,” or when the cut-off point is so near to the
customer’s facility that no substantive first-mile/last-mile
asset remains after that point, the related arrangement will
not contain a lease.
Note that just because an asset is connected
to, and requires the use of, a distribution system
controlled by the owner of the system, an entity should not
automatically conclude that there cannot be a lease. The
first-mile/last-mile issues address specific sections or
parts of the physical distribution network itself, and we
generally do not expect that portions of the larger network
will contain leases on the basis of the guidance above.
However, arrangements related to assets that are attached to distribution networks
(e.g., storage tanks, power plants) may still be identified
as leases or as containing leases.
Section
3.3.2.1 includes a list (not all-inclusive)
of examples that would be identified assets under the
guidance in ASC 842-10-15-16. Our understanding of the most
common facts and circumstances, as well as how they are
related to the lateral framework discussed above, is as
follows:
-
Electric and telecommunications (i.e., wire and cable that deliver telephone, cable television, and Internet services) — Wires and cables of this nature less commonly function as Type 2 pipeline laterals because (1) they are less likely to have a cut-off point after which the customer has the right to use the wires and cables independently from the larger system and (2) a cut-off point, if one exists, is most likely to be very close to the customer’s facility. While they may not function as Type 1 laterals because the supplier generally cannot use the first-mile/last-mile connection to manage its larger network, the important point is that they rarely function alone, without the assistance of the larger system. Accordingly, we think that it will be rare for the customer to have the right to control the use of first-mile/last-mile connections of electric and telecommunications wires and cables.
-
Rail — Such first-mile/last-mile connections may more closely function as Type 1 pipeline laterals if the owner of the larger rail network is able to store cars on the first mile/last mile (or miles) that connects to the customer’s facility. However, a rail may also function as a Type 2 lateral if the customer is able to functionally and tangibly close off from the rest of the rail network the portion of track that connects to its facility. In such cases, an entity should carefully consider the relevant facts and circumstances as well as the customer’s and the supplier’s decision-making rights in related arrangements.
3.4.2.1.3 Excluding Predetermined Use
ASC 842-10
15-22 In assessing whether a customer has the right to direct the use of an asset, an entity shall consider only rights to make decisions about the use of the asset during the period of use unless the customer designed the asset (or specific aspects of the asset) in accordance with paragraph 842-10-15-20(b)(2). Consequently, unless that condition exists, an entity shall not consider decisions that are predetermined before the period of use. For example, if a customer is able only to specify the output of an asset before the period of use, the customer does not have the right to direct the use of that asset. The ability to specify the output in a contract before the period of use, without any other decision-making rights relating to the use of the asset, gives a customer the same rights as any customer that purchases goods or services.
An entity should consider only decisions made during the period of use — and not before — in determining whether the customer has the right to direct HAFWP the asset is used throughout the period of use. For example, if the customer’s only decision-making right related to the use of the asset was to specify the amount, type, and quality of output to be produced by the asset as part of negotiating the contract (i.e., before the period of use), the customer cannot direct HAFWP the asset is used throughout the period of use. Example 8 in ASC 842-10-55-100 through 55-107 (reproduced in Section 3.7.8) illustrates a scenario in which the customer’s only right is to specify the output of an identified manufacturing facility.
When considered in this context, the phrase “throughout the period of use” is meant to create a break in
the timeline of the use of the asset between (1) the time before the beginning of the period of use (i.e.,
predetermination) and (2) the time during the period of use (“period of use” is defined in Section 3.5).
That is, “throughout the period of use” is synonymous with “during the period of use” in this respect. The
FASB further articulated this notion in paragraph BC140 of ASU 2016-02:
Topic 842 clarifies that only decisions made during the period of use (and not before the period of
use) should be considered in the control assessment, unless the customer designed the asset in a way that
predetermines how and for what purpose the asset will be used. In the Board’s view, if a customer specifies
the output from an asset at or before the beginning of the period of use (for example, within the terms of the
contract) and cannot change those specifications during the period of use, it generally does not control the use
of an asset. In that case, it would have no more decision-making rights than any customer in a typical supply or
service contract. [Emphasis added]
Some decisions about HAFWP the asset will be used during the period of use may be predetermined
by the nature of the asset. For example, in a lease of real estate, the decisions about where the asset
may be used during the period of use are predetermined: real estate is affixed permanently to a unique
space on the earth and, thus, no party to the arrangement may make such decisions.
However, even when some decisions about HAFWP the asset will be used during the period of use are
predetermined, other significant decision-making rights related to HAFWP the asset will be used can
most likely still be made during the period of use (e.g., when the asset is used during the period of use
to produce an output that the customer specified before the period of use). Those are the decision-making
rights that an entity should consider when assessing which party determines HAFWP the asset is
used throughout the period of use.
The diagram below illustrates how significant decision-making rights could be
granted in an arrangement. According to the diagram, an entity
performing the analysis would focus on which party controls the
decision-making rights in the green portion of the circle to determine
whether the customer can direct HAFWP the asset is used throughout the
period of use.
However, if all decisions about HAFWP the asset will be used throughout the period of use are predetermined and, therefore, no other significant decision-making rights about HAFWP the asset is used can be made during the period of use, the parties to the arrangement would consider whether the customer operates the asset throughout the period of use or designed the asset in a manner that predetermined HAFWP the asset will be used throughout the period of use in accordance with ASC 842-10-15-20(b). See Section 3.4.2.3 for a detailed discussion of those circumstances.
3.4.2.2 Protective Rights Define the Scope of the Contract
ASC 842-10
15-23 A contract may include terms and conditions designed to protect the supplier’s interest in the asset or other assets, to protect its personnel, or to ensure the supplier’s compliance with laws or regulations. These are examples of protective rights. For example, a contract may specify the maximum amount of use of an asset or limit where or when the customer can use the asset, may require a customer to follow particular operating practices, or may require a customer to inform the supplier of changes in how an asset will be used. Protective rights typically define the scope of the customer’s right of use but do not, in isolation, prevent the customer from having the right to direct the use of an asset.
Once entities identify the decision-making rights that are most relevant to changing HAFWP the asset is used throughout the period of use (i.e., the decision-making rights that can affect the economic benefits that result from use of the asset), they must identify which of those decision-making rights are within the scope of the contract. The decision-making rights that are within the scope of the contract are the rights that an entity should consider when determining whether the customer or the supplier has the right to direct HAFWP the asset is used throughout the period of use.
This concept is similar to that discussed in Section 3.4.1.2 with respect to the economic benefits that result from use of the asset. In a manner similar to the discussion for economic benefits, the scope of the contract will generally be limited by protective rights, as indicated in ASC 842-10-15-23.
The diagram in Section 3.4.1.2, therefore,
is equally applicable to the determination of which party has the right to
direct HAFWP the asset is used throughout the period of use. In that
diagram, the economic benefits that are within the scope of the contract are
bound by the blue portion of the circle. It would follow, then, that only
the decision-making rights that affect those economic benefits should
be factored into the analysis of which party has the right to direct HAFWP
the asset is used.
Accordingly, in line with the example from ASC 842-10-15-18 and Section 3.4.1.2, it would be inappropriate
to conclude that the customer is prevented from directing HAFWP the asset is
used on the basis of the fact that the customer does not have all possible
rights to decide where and to what extent the vehicle is used (i.e., because
the customer does not have the rights to decide to drive the vehicle in all
territories and for unlimited miles, respectively). Rather, the analysis
would include decision-making rights related to when, whether, where, and to
what extent the vehicle is driven, as limited by the protective rights in
the contract.
The following examples from ASC 842 illustrate the effect of protective rights on the scope of the contract in the determination of whether the customer has the right to direct HAFWP the asset is used throughout the period of use:
- Example 4 in ASC 842-10-55-63 through 55-71 (see Section 3.7.4).
- Example 6, Case B, in ASC 842-10-55-85 through 55-91 (see Section 3.7.6).
- Example 7 in ASC 842-10-55-92 through 55-99 (see Section 3.7.7).
The example below further illustrates this notion.
Example 3-24
Truck Rental
Subject to Certain Restrictions
Customer Bucky enters into a
contract with Supplier Badger for the use of a
specific truck for a two-year period. Supplier
Badger is not permitted to substitute the truck
during the contract term. Because the truck is
explicitly specified in the contract and Badger does
not have a substantive substitution right, the truck
represents an identified asset in the contract.
The contract stipulates that Bucky
decides whether and, if so, what cargo will be
transported; when cargo will be transported; and
where (e.g., to which cities) the truck will deliver
throughout the period of use. Bucky is required to
provide a properly licensed driver and is
responsible for the safe delivery of the cargo that
is carried. Certain restrictions prohibit Bucky’s
driver from using the truck beyond the maximum hours
permitted by law or from carrying hazardous
materials as cargo. Moreover, the contract prohibits
Bucky from driving the truck out of the United
States. Therefore, although Bucky has significant
demand for its products in Alaska, it is restricted
from driving the truck through Canada to get
there.
Customer Bucky has the right to
control the use of the identified truck for the
following reasons:
-
Although contractual restrictions limit to what extent the truck may be driven (i.e., a maximum number of hours allowable by regulation), where the truck may be driven (i.e., only within the continental United States), and what types of cargo may be transported (i.e., no hazardous cargo), these restrictions represent protective rights that define the scope of the contract.
-
Because Bucky has exclusive use of the truck, Bucky has the right under the contract to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from the use of the truck during the period of use.
-
Within the scope of the contract, Bucky has the right to direct HAFWP the truck is used because it decides whether the truck will be used to transport cargo, what cargo will be transported, when the truck will be driven, and where the truck will be driven.
Because Bucky has the right to
control the use of the identified truck throughout
the period of use, the contract contains a lease for
the truck despite the existence of certain use
restrictions to protect the owner’s investment in
the truck.
3.4.2.3 How and for What Purpose the Asset Is Used Throughout the Period of Use Is Predetermined
HAFWP the asset is used during the period of use is predetermined when there are no decisions that
are available to be made, by either the supplier or the customer, during the period of use about HAFWP
the asset is used. In these instances, a “tiebreaker” notion applies under ASC 842. That is, under ASC
842-10-15-20(b), the analysis is forced toward a conclusion that one of the parties to the arrangement
must have the right to direct the use of the asset.
When HAFWP the asset is used during the period of use is predetermined, the customer has the
right to direct the use of the asset when it either (1) has the right to operate (or to direct others to
operate) the asset throughout the period of use without the supplier having the right to change those
operating instructions or (2) designed the asset (or the relevant aspects of the asset) in a manner that
predetermined HAFWP the asset is used during the period of use.
In paragraph BC139 of ASU 2016-02, the FASB explains that the guidance in ASC 842-10-15-20(b) is intended to identify situations in which the customer, even when it does not have the right to direct HAFWP the asset is used, still has rights beyond those of a customer in a service arrangement:
The approach to determining whether a customer has the right to direct the use of an identified asset changes if the decisions about how and for what purpose an asset is used are predetermined. Topic 842 clarifies that if decisions about how and for what purpose an asset is used are predetermined, a customer can still direct the use of an asset if it has the right to operate the asset, or if it designed the asset in a way that predetermines how and for what purpose the asset will be used. In either of these cases, the customer controls rights of use that extend beyond the rights of a customer in a typical supply or service contract (that is, the customer has rights that extend beyond solely ordering and receiving output from the asset). In those cases, the customer has the right to make (or has made in the case of design) decisions that affect the economic benefits to be derived from use of the asset throughout the period of use.
Accordingly, even though the decisions that are most relevant to changing HAFWP the asset is used may be predetermined, the customer may still be able to make (or may have made) some decisions that affect the economic benefits to be derived from use of the asset. Therefore, it may still obtain control through both the “power” and the “economics” elements.
ASC 842-10
15-21 The relevant decisions about how and for what purpose an asset is used can be predetermined in a number of ways. For example, the relevant decisions can be predetermined by the design of the asset or by contractual restrictions on the use of the asset.
As explained in ASC 842-10-15-21, HAFWP an asset is used during the period of use may be predetermined through the following:
- Design — The design of the asset may predetermine where, when, whether, to what extent, and for what type of output the asset is used. In addition, the nature of the asset will often play a role. For example, the design of a wind farm predetermines where (wherever it is installed) and for what type of output (electricity) the asset is used. In addition, because of the nature of the asset (e.g., an electricity-generating asset that depends on the wind blowing), when, whether, and to what extent the asset is used are beyond the control of any party to the arrangement (e.g., they are subject to the weather).Example 9, Case A, in ASC 842-10-55-108 through 55-111 (reproduced in Section 3.7.9) illustrates this concept with respect to a contract to purchase electricity produced by a solar farm.
- Contractual restrictions — Restrictions in the contract may predetermine where, when, whether, to what extent, and for what type of output the asset is used. Such restrictions are most likely to exist when dedicated machinery is used in certain supply arrangements or in situations in which the protective rights enforced by the supplier in the contract (see Section 3.4.2.2) are so severe that no decisions about HAFWP the asset is used can be made during the period of use.Example 6, Case A, in ASC 842-10-55-79 through 55-84 (reproduced in Section 3.7.6) illustrates this concept with respect to a contract to transport goods via ship.
Further, the FASB discusses a manner of predetermination — predetermination through contractually
negotiated terms and conditions — in paragraph BC138 of ASU 2016-02:
Nonetheless, decisions about how and for what purpose an asset is used can be predetermined. In that
case, those decisions cannot be made by either the customer or the supplier during the period of use. This
could happen if, for example, in negotiating the contract, the customer and supplier agree on all the relevant
decisions about how and for what purpose an asset is used and those decisions cannot be changed after the
commencement date.
We think that this manner of predetermination differs from the predetermination by contractual
restrictions discussed in ASC 842-10-55-21. Predetermination by contractual restrictions implies that the
arrangement becomes more like a service arrangement as a result of the supplier’s efforts to protect its
investment in the asset. That is, the supplier is willing to provide services to the customer but unwilling
to give the customer any rights to direct the use of the asset.
On the other hand, predetermination by negotiation implies that both parties
agree to the terms and conditions of the arrangement in such a way that the
use of the asset is predetermined. In this case, neither party is deemed to
control the agreed-upon terms, since the arrangement represents an
arm’s-length exchange. The example below illustrates this concept.
Example 3-25
Refrigerated
Storage Unit
Assume the same facts as in
Example 3-21, except that Customer A
and Supplier B, when negotiating and writing the
contract, agree that A will only store a certain
type of carbonated beverage in the refrigerated
storage unit and a specific quantity (e.g., in
gallons) of the beverage. Customer A is not allowed
to change the type or quantity of beverage to be
stored in the storage unit during the 15-month
contract term. Further, A and B agree that A will
provide the beverages for storage on the
commencement date and retrieve them from storage at
the end of the contract term.
In this case, the contract
predetermines HAFWP the storage unit will be used
throughout the period of use. That is, A and B
contractually agreed to what
products will be stored in the storage unit, what amount will be stored,
when the products will be
stored, and whether anything
will be stored. No decisions about HAFWP the storage
unit is used during the period of use can be made by
A or B during this period.
Even though these stipulations meet
A’s business requirements, A is not deemed to
control these aspects during the period of use
because they were agreed to up front and cannot be
changed. Rather, these HAFWP decisions are deemed to
be contractually predetermined. Therefore, A must
determine whether it either (1) has the right to
operate the storage unit throughout the period of
use or (2) was involved in the design of the storage
unit. As stated in Example 3-21, B
operates the storage unit. In addition, B had
already constructed the storage unit when the
contract was executed and A was not involved in the
design of the storage unit. Because neither of the
“tiebreaker” conditions are met, A does not have the
right to direct the use of the storage unit.
Therefore, even though A obtains
substantially all of the economic benefits from its
exclusive use of the storage unit over the 15-month
contract term, A does not have the right to control
the use of the storage unit. Accordingly, B controls
the use of the storage unit and, as a result, the
contract does not contain a lease.
Connecting the Dots
Predetermination Is Expected
in “Relatively Few Cases”
In the Background Information and Basis for Conclusions of ASU 2016-02, the FASB is careful to explain that it expects the analysis in ASC 842-10-15-20(b) to apply to “relatively few” contracts. Specifically, the Board twice indicates that it expects, in most leases, that either the customer or the supplier will have decision-making rights over HAFWP the asset is used during the period of use:
BC138. . . . The Board noted that it would expect decisions about how and for what purpose an asset is used to be predetermined in relatively few cases.
BC139. [The Board] expects that, for most leases, the assessment of whether a
customer directs the use of an asset will be based on
identifying the party that decides how and for what purpose
an asset is used.
As a result, we expect that it will be uncommon for an entity to use the tiebreaker tests in ASC 842-10-15-20(b) to determine whether a contract is, or contains, a lease.
3.4.2.3.1 Customer Has the Right to Operate the Asset
Although rights of operation do not factor into the assessment of who directs
HAFWP the asset is used, those rights can vest control of the asset to
the customer in accordance with ASC 842-10-15-20(b)(1) when HAFWP the
asset is used during the period of use is predetermined. The examples
and discussion below provide additional insight into this condition.
Example 3-26
Shipping Charter
Customer Y enters into an arrangement with Supplier Z for the exclusive use of an explicitly identified ship.
Customer Y indirectly chooses the type of ship to be used by selecting a shipping service package. In this case, Y receives the ship at designated Port City A. The ship is predetermined to go from Port City A to Port City B during a specific time frame. Customer Y’s own crew will man, steer, and otherwise operate the ship. Customer Y and Supplier Z agree up front on the contents and amount of cargo to be shipped.
The parties conclude that the arrangement constitutes a lease of the ship for the following reasons:
- The ship is explicitly specified in the arrangement, and Z does not have a substantive substitution right.
- Because of its exclusive use of the ship, Y obtains all of the economic benefits from the ship during the period of use.
- Because the output of the ship (i.e., the cargo and transportation capacity) is specified in the contract, the relevant decisions about HAFWP the ship is used are predetermined. However, Y has the right to operate the ship during the period of use (e.g., Y’s own operating personnel will man, steer, and otherwise operate the ship) and thus has the right to direct the use.
With respect to the “tiebreaker” conditions, rights to
kick out the operator of an asset are sufficient to give the customer
the right to direct the use of the asset in accordance with ASC
842-10-15-20(b). If HAFWP the asset is used during the period of use is
predetermined and the supplier operates the asset, but the customer has
the right to remove the supplier and hire a new operator, the customer
has the right to direct others to operate the asset in accordance with
ASC 842-10-15-20(b)(1). When the kick-out right is substantive (i.e.,
when the customer can remove and replace the operator without cause at
any time), the customer — not the supplier — is the decision maker with
respect to the operation of the asset.
Example 3-27
Ship
Assume the same facts as in
Example 6, Case A, in ASC 842-10-55-79 through
55-84 (reproduced in Section 3.7.6).
Supplier operates and maintains the ship and is
responsible for the safe passage of the onboard
cargo. However, in this scenario, Customer may
remove Supplier at will and without cause so that
it can hire another operator for the ship, or
operate the ship itself, during the term of the
contract.
As in ASC 842-10-55-82 and
55-83, the contract depends on the use of an
identified asset and Customer has the right to
obtain substantially all of the economic benefits
from use of the ship, respectively. In addition,
HAFWP the ship will be used is predetermined in
the contract. However, in this case, Customer has
the right to operate the asset throughout
the period of use in accordance with ASC
842-10-15-20(b)(1).
Accordingly, the contract
contains a lease of the ship.
3.4.2.3.2 Customer Has Designed the Asset
HAFWP an asset is used during the period of use can be predetermined by the design of an asset.
If the customer is the party that designed the asset — or is the party that designed aspects with the
most influence on HAFWP the entire asset is used — the customer had decision-making rights that
extend beyond those of a typical customer in a supply or service arrangement. In those instances, in
accordance with ASC 842-10-15-20(b)(2), the customer has the right to direct the use of the asset.
Example 9, Case A, in ASC 842-10-55-108 through 55-111 (reproduced in Section 3.7.9) illustrates an
application of the guidance in ASC 842-10-15-20(b)(2). However, as is evident from the discussion and
examples below, the complexity of applying ASC 842-10-15-20(b)(2) will often be related to determining
how much involvement in the design of the asset is enough to give the customer the right to direct the
use of the asset.
Connecting the Dots
Entities Need to Use
Significant Judgment in Evaluating Design
We expect that entities in certain industries will need to use significant judgment in evaluating
who has the right to direct the use of an asset under ASC 842, especially when HAFWP the asset
is used throughout the period of use is predetermined. Although an entity may not have trouble
determining whether the customer or supplier has control over the operating decisions related
to the asset, the assessment of whether the customer designed the asset will often be more
difficult given the different levels of influence a customer may have over the design decisions
(e.g., where the asset will reside/operate, determining the technology to be used). Accordingly,
we expect that this assessment will be one of the aspects of ASC 842 that will require entities to
use the greatest judgment.
The example below illustrates the difficulty in applying judgment in such cases.
Example 3-28
Renewable Power Purchase Agreement
Customer X, a utility company, enters into a 20-year PPA with Supplier Y, a power generation company, to buy all of the electricity produced by a new wind farm that Supplier Y will own. Assume the following:
- The wind farm is explicitly specified in the contract, and Y has no substitution rights.
- The electricity cannot be provided by another asset.
- Customer X hired an expert engineer to help determine the location of the wind farm and its size (i.e., the maximum electricity production capacity).
- Supplier Y is responsible for constructing, operating, and maintaining the wind farm during the contract term.
- All the relevant decisions about where, whether, when, and what amount of electricity will be produced are predetermined as a result of the design decisions and the nature of the asset. That is, the customer cannot change these decisions and, once the asset is constructed, the outputs derived from its use depend largely on weather.
- The wind farm is in a state with an RPS, and X will receive all RECs that accrue from using the wind farm.
- Supplier Y will receive PTCs that result from the operation of the wind farm.
The agreement meets the following conditions to be considered a lease:
- The wind farm is an identified asset because it is explicitly identified and Y does not have substitution rights.
- Customer X has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of the wind farm because it receives 100 percent of the electricity and RECs produced by the wind farm. PTCs do not represent economic benefits because they are an ownership attribute and cannot be monetized by sale to a third party (see Section 3.4.1.1.2).
Neither X nor Y may decide HAFWP the wind farm is used during the period of use. All relevant decisions about HAFWP the wind farm is used are predetermined by the nature and design of the wind farm. Because Y operates and maintains the wind farm throughout the period of use, X does not meet the condition in ASC 842-10-15-20(b)(1). However, X was involved in the design of the wind farm, so X must also consider whether it has the right to direct the use of the wind farm under ASC 842-10-15-20(b)(2).
We think that more information is needed before the extent of X’s involvement in the design of the wind farm can be assessed. For example, the following questions may be considered:
- In determining the maximum capacity of the wind farm, did X also determine how many wind turbines would be installed, or did Y make that design decision?
- How did X select the location? Did X determine that the wind farm should be constructed in Logan County, Oklahoma, within 10 miles of X’s interconnection point, or did it determine that the wind farm should be constructed on a specific plot of land in Oklahoma? Who was responsible for ultimately selecting the exact acreage where the wind farm would be constructed?
- Is X’s “involvement” in the design only with respect to a competitive request for a proposal that it issued and that Y won?
- Does X decide what technology to use (i.e., manufacturer and model type of turbine blades or drivetrain), and does X configure the wind farm (e.g., determine the placement of the individual turbines within the wind farm)?
Connecting the Dots
Design of a Renewable
Generating Asset
As indicated in Example 9, Case A (reproduced in Section 3.7.9), as well as the examples in this
section, contracts related to renewable generating assets are expected to often be subject
to ASC 842-10-15-20(b)(2). That is, once a weather-dependent renewable generating asset is
constructed, generally no HAFWP decisions can be made by any party during the period of
use. Certain HAFWP decisions are subject to the weather and are thus outside the control
of any party; otherwise, maintenance is essential to the continued operating efficiency of the
generating assets once they are installed.
As illustrated in Example
3-28, the evaluation of whether a customer
predetermined HAFWP a renewable generating asset is used because
of the extent of its involvement in the design of the asset
involves significant judgment. A customer may often be involved
in some, but not all, design decisions. In such cases, the
evaluation should focus on whether the customer made the design
decisions that most significantly affect the economic benefits
to be derived from use of the asset.
The design decisions that most significantly affect the economic benefits from use will differ
depending on the nature of the asset (i.e., wind, solar) and may change as these technologies
continue to develop. However, we expect that the most significant design decisions will often
comprise some combination of the following:
- Selecting the specific generating equipment (e.g., the wind turbines or photovoltaic cells) to be installed.
- Determining the technical design and site layout (e.g., determining whether solar panels will be static or rotate with the sun).
- Determining the specific location of the facility.
We understand that the power and utilities industry is working with stakeholders to develop
an interpretive framework for how to assess ASC 842-10-15-20(b)(2) with respect to renewable
generating assets. We continue to monitor those developments. In the meantime, we
recommend that entities discuss these scenarios with their auditors or accounting advisers.
3.4.2.4 Power Over How and for What Purpose the Asset Is Used Throughout the Period of Use Is Shared
As discussed in Section 3.4, ASC 842 does not address the concept of “shared power.” That is, ASC
842 does not specifically address situations in which the power over decision-making rights related to
HAFWP the asset is used throughout the period of use is shared.
Power over HAFWP the asset is used during the period of use is only considered shared when both
parties to the arrangement are involved in the decision-making rights that most affect the economic
benefits derived from the use of the asset. When power is shared, no single party (i.e., neither the
customer nor the supplier) has the right to direct the use of the asset.
For example, assume that the ability to change when and whether an asset is used represents the
decision-making rights that most affect the economic benefits derived from the use of that asset. If both
the customer and the supplier must approve an order that would call that asset into use for a specific
time frame, neither party controls those decision-making rights.
Connecting the Dots
Concluding That Power Is Shared
We think that, in practice, there is a high threshold for concluding that power is shared. Such a conclusion can only be reached if the customer and the supplier consent to all the decisions that most affect the economic benefits derived from the use of the asset.
Therefore, in a manner similar to that under the ASC 810 VIE consolidation model
(see Section 7.2 of Deloitte’s
Roadmap Consolidation — Identifying a Controlling Financial
Interest), it is important to differentiate
situations in which power is shared from those in which the supplier
and the customer have power over multiple, different
activities. As noted in Section 3.4, we think that, in
such situations, the guidance in ASC 842 would be aligned with the
ASC 810 VIE consolidation model, specifically the provisions in ASC
810-10-25-38E. That is, we think that ASC 842 requires an entity to
determine which of the different decision-making rights most affects
the economic benefits derived from the use of the asset. The party
with the power over that decision-making right has the right to
direct HAFWP the asset is used throughout the period of use.
Shared Power Is a Blind Spot
ASC 842-10-15-20 through 15-26 do not specifically
address circumstances in which both the customer and supplier must
consent to direct HAFWP the asset is used during the period of use.
Rather, ASC 842-10-15-20 only focuses on whether the customer
has the right to direct the use of the asset. Accordingly, we think
it may be reasonable to conclude that, when power is truly shared
between the parties, the customer does not have the right to direct
the use of the asset and thus there is no lease.
However, we note that when neither the customer nor
the supplier has the right to direct HAFWP the asset is used during
the period of use, the decision tree in ASC 842-10-55-1 (reproduced
in Section
3.2.1) would indicate that HAFWP the asset is used
during the period of use is predetermined. That is, the decision
tree would point an entity toward applying the tiebreaker test in
ASC 842-10-15-20(b) in these situations (see Section
3.4.2.3 for detailed discussion of this
guidance).
We therefore think that, when an entity is
concluding that power is shared, the entity should consider this
path in the decision tree. In these situations, an entity that also
performs the analysis in ASC 842-10-15-20(b) can confirm that the
entity does not have rights beyond those of a customer in a service
arrangement.
Footnotes
2
Note that none of the examples
W through Z have a contract year in which 0
percent of the economic benefits are conveyed to
the customer. In such situations, we think that
the arrangement would be indicative of having
nonconsecutive periods of use, which are discussed
in detail in Section 3.5.
3
See Section 3.4.2.4 for further
discussion of when power over the decision-making rights related to
HAFWP PP&E is used throughout the period of use is shared.
4
Quoted material in this section
is from the Board’s May 10, 2017, meeting
handout.
3.5 Period of Use
ASC 842-10-20 (reproduced in Appendix A) defines the term “period of use” as the “total period of time that an asset is used to fulfill a contract with a customer (including the sum of any nonconsecutive periods of time).”
The term is used throughout this chapter as well as in the Codification examples in Section 3.7. In several places in this chapter, we discuss interpretive issues related to the effect of the term “period of use” on the lease identification assessment, including the following:
- Evaluating the period of use when a substitution right exists in the assessment of whether the supplier has the practical ability to substitute alternative assets (see Section 3.3.3.1).
- Determining whether the customer has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of an asset in contracts in which the customer’s rights to economic benefits change (see Section 3.4.1.3).
“Period of use” is an added term in ASC 842-10-20 and clarifies an important
concept: a right to use an asset for nonconsecutive periods can be identified as a
lease. In these cases, the periods of nonuse should effectively be ignored in the
assessment of the right to direct the use and the right to obtain substantially all
of the economic benefits from use. The example below illustrates this point.
Example 3-29
Nonconsecutive
Periods
Two unrelated parties, Party X and Party Y,
enter into separate arrangements with the owner of an
explicitly identified parking garage. The first arrangement
gives X the right to use the parking garage from Monday
through Friday each week for 10 years. The second
arrangement gives Y the right to use the parking garage on
Saturday and Sunday each week for the same 10-year
period.
Assume that, during the periods stated in
the contract, X (for Monday through Friday each week) and Y
(for Saturday and Sunday each week) each (1) can obtain
substantially all of the economic benefits of the parking
garage through their exclusive use and (2) have the right to
direct the use of the parking garage. In addition, assume
that the owner of the parking garage does not have any
substitution rights, so the parking garage is an identified
asset.
Although nonconsecutive, the periods of use
are as follows:
-
Party X — 2,600 days in total, calculated as 5 days per week for 52 weeks each year for 10 years.
-
Party Y — 1,040 days in total, calculated as 2 days per week for 52 weeks each year for 10 years.
Party X would assess whether, throughout the
2,600 days, it has the right to control the use of an
identified asset. On the basis of the facts presented above,
X has a lease of the parking garage for nonconsecutive
periods.
Party Y would perform the same assessment
throughout its 1,040 days and, like X, would conclude that
it has a lease of the same parking garage for nonconsecutive
periods.
Party X and Y, as lessees, would account for
the lease in accordance with Section 8.4.3.4. The
owner of the parking garage would also account for two
leases as a lessor (see Chapter 9 for a
discussion of lessor accounting).
3.6 Reassessment of Whether a Contract Is or Contains a Lease
ASC 842-10
15-6 An entity shall reassess whether a contract is or contains a lease only if the terms and conditions of the
contract are changed.
Lease identification is performed at contract inception in accordance with ASC
842-10-15-2. However, in accordance with ASC 842-10-15-6, the reassessment of
“whether a contract is or contains a lease” is not revisited unless “the terms and
conditions of the contract are changed.” See Section
8.6.1.1 for additional information.
3.7 Codification Examples
The examples below from ASC 842-10-55-42 through 55-130, which have been
reproduced in their entirety, reflect
implementation considerations related to the
guidance in ASC 842-10-15-2 through 15-26 on
identifying a lease. Although some of these
examples may illustrate a specific point with
respect to the guidance in ASC 842-10-15-2 through
15-26, each example walks through, at a minimum,
the entirety of the analysis of either (1) whether
there is an identified asset or (2) whether the
customer has the right to control the use of
PP&E.
3.7.1 Example 1 — Rail Cars
ASC 842-10
Example 1 — Rail Cars
Case A — Contract Contains a Lease
55-42 A contract between Customer and a freight carrier (Supplier) provides Customer with the use of 10 rail cars of a particular type for 5 years. The contract specifies the rail cars; the cars are owned by Supplier. Customer determines when, where, and which goods are to be transported using the cars. When the cars are not in use, they are kept at Customer’s premises. Customer can use the cars for another purpose (for example, storage) if it so chooses. However, the contract specifies that Customer cannot transport particular types of cargo (for example, explosives). If a particular car needs to be serviced or repaired, Supplier is required to substitute a car of the same type. Otherwise, and other than on default by Customer, Supplier cannot retrieve the cars during the five-year period.
55-43 The contract also requires Supplier to provide an engine and a driver when requested by Customer. Supplier keeps the engines at its premises and provides instructions to the driver detailing Customer’s requests to transport goods. Supplier can choose to use any one of a number of engines to fulfill each of Customer’s requests, and one engine could be used to transport not only Customer’s goods, but also the goods of other customers (for example, if other customers require the transport of goods to destinations close to the destination requested by Customer and within a similar timeframe, Supplier can choose to attach up to 100 rail cars to the engine).
55-44 The contract contains leases of rail cars. Customer has the right to use 10 rail cars for 5 years.
55-45 There are 10 identified cars. The cars are explicitly specified in the contract. Once delivered to Customer, the cars can be substituted only when they need to be serviced or repaired. The engine used to transport the rail cars is not an identified asset because it is neither explicitly specified nor implicitly specified in the contract.
55-46 Customer has the right to control the use of the 10 rail cars throughout the 5-year period of use because:
- Customer has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of the cars over the five-year period of use. Customer has exclusive use of the cars throughout the period of use, including when they are not being used to transport Customer’s goods.
- Customer has the right to direct the use of the cars. The contractual restrictions on the cargo that can be transported by the cars are protective rights of Supplier and define the scope of Customer’s right to use the cars. Within the scope of its right of use defined in the contract, Customer makes the relevant decisions about how and for what purpose the cars are used by being able to decide when and where the rail cars will be used and which goods are transported using the cars. Customer also determines whether and how the cars will be used when not being used to transport its goods (for example, whether and when they will be used for storage). Customer has the right to change these decisions during the five-year period of use.
55-47 Although having an engine and driver (controlled by Supplier) to transport the rail cars is essential to the
efficient use of the cars, Supplier’s decisions in this regard do not give it the right to direct how and for what
purpose the rail cars are used. Consequently, Supplier does not control the use of the cars during the period of
use.
Case B — Contract Does Not Contain a Lease
55-48 The contract between Customer and Supplier requires Supplier to transport a specified quantity of
goods by using a specified type of rail car in accordance with a stated timetable for a period of five years. The
timetable and quantity of goods specified are equivalent to Customer having the use of 10 rail cars for 5 years.
Supplier provides the rail cars, driver, and engine as part of the contract. The contract states the nature and
quantity of the goods to be transported (and the type of rail car to be used to transport the goods). Supplier
has a large pool of similar cars that can be used to fulfill the requirements of the contract. Similarly, Supplier
can choose to use any one of a number of engines to fulfill each of Customer’s requests, and one engine could
be used to transport not only Customer’s goods, but also the goods of other customers. The cars and engines
are stored at Supplier’s premises when not being used to transport goods.
55-49 The contract does not contain a lease of rail cars or of an engine.
55-50 The rail cars and the engines used to transport Customer’s goods are not identified assets. Supplier has
the substantive right to substitute the rail cars and engine because:
- Supplier has the practical ability to substitute each car and the engine throughout the period of use. Alternative cars and engines are readily available to Supplier, and Supplier can substitute each car and the engine without Customer’s approval.
- Supplier would benefit economically from substituting each car and the engine. There would be minimal, if any, cost associated with substituting each car or the engine because the cars and engines are stored at Supplier’s premises and Supplier has a large pool of similar cars and engines. Supplier benefits from substituting each car or the engine in contracts of this nature because substitution allows Supplier to, for example, (1) use cars or an engine to fulfill a task for which the cars or engine are already positioned to perform (for example, a task at a rail yard close to the point of origin) or (2) use cars or an engine that would otherwise be sitting idle because they are not being used by a customer.
55-51 Accordingly, Customer does not direct the use and does not have the right to obtain substantially all of
the economic benefits from use of an identified car or an engine. Supplier directs the use of the rail cars and
engine by selecting which cars and engine are used for each particular delivery and obtains substantially all of
the economic benefits from use of the rail cars and engine. Supplier is only providing freight capacity.
3.7.2 Example 2 — Concession Space
ASC 842-10
Example 2 — Concession Space
55-52 A coffee company (Customer) enters into a contract with an airport operator (Supplier) to use a space in
the airport to sell its goods for a three-year period. The contract states the amount of space and that the space
may be located at any one of several boarding areas within the airport. Supplier has the right to change the
location of the space allocated to Customer at any time during the period of use. There are minimal costs to
Supplier associated with changing the space for the Customer: Customer uses a kiosk (that it owns) that can be
moved easily to sell its goods. There are many areas in the airport that are available and that would meet the
specifications for the space in the contract.
55-53 The contract does not contain a lease.
55-54 Although the amount of space Customer uses is specified in the contract, there is no identified asset. Customer controls its owned kiosk. However, the contract is for space in the airport, and this space can change at the discretion of Supplier. Supplier has the substantive right to substitute the space Customer uses because:
- Supplier has the practical ability to change the space used by Customer throughout the period of use. There are many areas in the airport that meet the specifications for the space in the contract, and Supplier has the right to change the location of the space to other space that meets the specifications at any time without Customer’s approval.
- Supplier would benefit economically from substituting the space. There would be minimal cost associated with changing the space used by Customer because the kiosk can be moved easily. Supplier benefits from substituting the space in the airport because substitution allows Supplier to make the most effective use of the space at boarding areas in the airport to meet changing circumstances.
3.7.3 Example 3 — Fiber-Optic Cable
ASC 842-10
Example 3 — Fiber-Optic Cable
Case A — Contract Contains a Lease
55-55 Customer enters into a 15-year contract with a utilities company (Supplier) for the right to use 3 specified, physically distinct dark fibers within a larger cable connecting Hong Kong to Tokyo. Customer makes the decisions about the use of the fibers by connecting each end of the fibers to its electronic equipment (for example, Customer “lights” the fibers and decides what data and how much data those fibers will transport). If the fibers are damaged, Supplier is responsible for the repairs and maintenance. Supplier owns extra fibers but can substitute those for Customer’s fibers only for reasons of repairs, maintenance, or malfunction (and is obliged to substitute the fibers in these cases).
55-56 The contract contains a lease of dark fibers. Customer has the right to use the 3 dark fibers for 15 years.
55-57 There are three identified fibers. The fibers are explicitly specified in the contract and are physically distinct from other fibers within the cable. Supplier cannot substitute the fibers other than for reasons of repairs, maintenance, or malfunction.
55-58 Customer has the right to control the use of the fibers throughout the 15-year period of use because:
- Customer has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of the fibers over the 15-year period of use. Customer has exclusive use of the fibers throughout the period of use.
- Customer has the right to direct the use of the fibers. Customer makes the relevant decisions about how and for what purpose the fibers are used by deciding when and whether to light the fibers and when and how much output the fibers will produce (that is, what data and how much data those fibers will transport). Customer has the right to change these decisions during the 15-year period of use.
55-59 Although Supplier’s decisions about repairing and maintaining the fibers are essential to their efficient use, those decisions do not give Supplier the right to direct how and for what purpose the fibers are used. Consequently, Supplier does not control the use of the fibers during the period of use.
Case B — Contract Does Not Contain a Lease
55-60 Customer enters into a 15-year contract with Supplier for the right to use a specified amount of capacity within a cable connecting Hong Kong to Tokyo. The specified amount is equivalent to Customer having the use of the full capacity of 3 strands within the cable (the cable contains 15 fibers with similar capacities). Supplier makes decisions about the transmission of data (that is, Supplier lights the fibers and makes decisions about which fibers are used to transmit Customer’s traffic and about the electronic equipment that Supplier owns and connects to the fibers).
55-61 The contract does not contain a lease.
55-62 Supplier makes all decisions about the transmission of its customers’ data, which requires the use of only
a portion of the capacity of the cable for each customer. The capacity portion that will be provided to Customer
is not physically distinct from the remaining capacity of the cable and does not represent substantially all of the
capacity of the cable. Consequently, Customer does not have the right to use an identified asset.
3.7.4 Example 4 — Retail Unit
ASC 842-10
Example 4 — Retail Unit
55-63 Customer enters into a contract with property owner (Supplier) to use Retail Unit A for a five-year period.
Retail Unit A is part of a larger retail space with many retail units.
55-64 Customer is granted the right to use Retail Unit A. Supplier can require Customer to relocate to another
retail unit. In that case, Supplier is required to provide Customer with a retail unit of similar quality and
specifications to Retail Unit A and to pay for Customer’s relocation costs. Supplier would benefit economically
from relocating Customer only if a major new tenant were to decide to occupy a large amount of retail space at
a rate sufficiently favorable to cover the costs of relocating Customer and other tenants in the retail space that
the new tenant will occupy. However, although it is possible that those circumstances will arise, at inception of
the contract, it is not likely that those circumstances will arise. For example, whether a major new tenant will
decide to lease a large amount of retail space at a rate that would be sufficiently favorable to cover the costs of
relocating Customer is highly susceptible to factors outside Supplier’s influence.
55-65 The contract requires Customer to use Retail Unit A to operate its well-known store brand to sell its
goods during the hours that the larger retail space is open. Customer makes all of the decisions about the use
of the retail unit during the period of use. For example, Customer decides on the mix of goods sold from the
unit, the pricing of the goods sold, and the quantities of inventory held. Customer also controls physical access
to the unit throughout the five-year period of use.
55-66 The contract requires Customer to make fixed payments to Supplier as well as variable payments that
are a percentage of sales from Retail Unit A.
55-67 Supplier provides cleaning and security services as well as advertising services as part of the contract.
55-68 The contract contains a lease of retail space. Customer has the right to use Retail Unit A for five years.
55-69 Retail Unit A is an identified asset. It is explicitly specified in the contract. Supplier has the practical ability
to substitute the retail unit, but could benefit economically from substitution only in specific circumstances.
Supplier’s substitution right is not substantive because, at inception of the contract, those circumstances are
not considered likely to arise.
55-70 Customer has the right to control the use of Retail Unit A throughout the five-year period of use because:
- Customer has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of Retail Unit A over the five-year period of use. Customer has exclusive use of Retail Unit A throughout the period of use. Although a portion of the cash flows derived from sales from Retail Unit A will flow from Customer to Supplier, this represents consideration that Customer pays Supplier for the right to use the retail unit. It does not prevent Customer from having the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of Retail Unit A.
- Customer has the right to direct the use of Retail Unit A. The contractual restrictions on the goods that can be sold from Retail Unit A and when Retail Unit A is open define the scope of Customer’s right to use Retail Unit A. Within the scope of its right of use defined in the contract, Customer makes the relevant decisions about how and for what purpose Retail Unit A is used by being able to decide, for example, the mix of products that will be sold in the retail unit and the sale price for those products. Customer has the right to change these decisions during the five-year period of use.
55-71 Although cleaning, security, and advertising services are essential to the efficient use of Retail Unit A, Supplier’s decisions in this regard do not give it the right to direct how and for what purpose Retail Unit A is used. Consequently, Supplier does not control the use of Retail Unit A during the period of use, and Supplier’s decisions do not affect Customer’s control of the use of Retail Unit A.
3.7.5 Example 5 — Truck Rental
ASC 842-10
Example 5 — Truck Rental
55-72 Customer enters into a contract with Supplier for the use of a truck for one week to transport cargo from New York to San Francisco. Supplier does not have substitution rights. Only cargo specified in the contract is permitted to be transported on this truck for the period of the contract. The contract specifies a maximum distance that the truck can be driven. Customer is able to choose the details of the journey (speed, route, rest stops, and so forth) within the parameters of the contract. Customer does not have the right to continue using the truck after the specified trip is complete.
55-73 The cargo to be transported and the timing and location of pickup in New York and delivery in San Francisco are specified in the contract.
55-74 Customer is responsible for driving the truck from New York to San Francisco.
55-75 The contract contains a lease of a truck. Customer has the right to use the truck for the duration of the specified trip.
55-76 There is an identified asset. The truck is explicitly specified in the contract, and Supplier does not have the right to substitute the truck.
55-77 Customer has the right to control the use of the truck throughout the period of use because:
- Customer has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from the use of the truck over the period of use. Customer has exclusive use of the truck throughout the period of use.
- Customer has the right to direct the use of the truck. How and for what purpose the truck will be used (that is, the transport of specified cargo from New York to San Francisco within a specified time frame) are predetermined in the contract. Customer directs the use of the truck because it has the right to operate the truck (for example, speed, route, and rest stops) throughout the period of use. Customer makes all of the decisions about the use of the truck that can be made during the period of use through its control of the operations of the truck.
55-78 Because the duration of the contract is one week, this lease meets the definition of a short-term lease.
3.7.6 Example 6 — Ship
ASC 842-10
Example 6 — Ship
Case A — Contract Does Not Contain a Lease
55-79 Customer enters into a contract with a ship owner (Supplier) for the transport of cargo from Rotterdam
to Sydney on a specified ship. The ship is explicitly specified in the contract, and Supplier does not have
substitution rights. The cargo will occupy substantially all of the capacity of the ship. The contract specifies the
cargo to be transported on the ship and the dates of pickup and delivery.
55-80 Supplier operates and maintains the ship and is responsible for the safe passage of the cargo onboard
the ship. Customer is prohibited from hiring another operator for the ship or operating the ship itself during
the term of the contract.
55-81 The contract does not contain a lease.
55-82 There is an identified asset. The ship is explicitly specified in the contract, and Supplier does not have the
right to substitute that specified ship.
55-83 Customer has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of the ship over the
period of use. Its cargo will occupy substantially all of the capacity of the ship, thereby preventing other parties
from obtaining economic benefits from use of the ship.
55-84 However, Customer does not have the right to control the use of the ship because it does not have the
right to direct its use. Customer does not have the right to direct how and for what purpose the ship is used.
How and for what purpose the ship will be used (that is, the transport of specified cargo from Rotterdam to
Sydney within a specified time frame) are predetermined in the contract. Customer has no right to change how
and for what purpose the ship is used during the period of use. Customer has no other decision-making rights
about the use of the ship during the period of use (for example, it does not have the right to operate the ship)
and did not design the ship. Customer has the same rights regarding the use of the ship as if it were one of
multiple customers transporting cargo on the ship.
Case B — Contract Contains a Lease
55-85 Customer enters into a contract with Supplier for the use of a specified ship for a five-year period. The
ship is explicitly specified in the contract, and Supplier does not have substitution rights.
55-86 Customer decides what cargo will be transported and whether, when, and to which ports the ship will
sail, throughout the five-year period of use, subject to restrictions specified in the contract. Those restrictions
prevent Customer from sailing the ship into waters at a high risk of piracy or carrying hazardous materials as
cargo.
55-87 Supplier operates and maintains the ship and is responsible for the safe passage of the cargo onboard
the ship. Customer is prohibited from hiring another operator for the ship or operating the ship itself during
the term of the contract.
55-88 The contract contains a lease. Customer has the right to use the ship for five years.
55-89 There is an identified asset. The ship is explicitly specified in the contract, and Supplier does not have the right to substitute that specified ship.
55-90 Customer has the right to control the use of the ship throughout the five-year period of use because:
- Customer has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of the ship over the five-year period of use. Customer has exclusive use of the ship throughout the period of use.
- Customer has the right to direct the use of the ship. The contractual restrictions about where the ship can sail and the cargo to be transported by the ship define the scope of Customer’s right to use the ship. They are protective rights that protect Supplier’s investment in the ship and Supplier’s personnel. Within the scope of its right of use, Customer makes the relevant decisions about how and for what purpose the ship is used throughout the five-year period of use because it decides whether, where, and when the ship sails, as well as the cargo it will transport. Customer has the right to change these decisions throughout the five-year period of use.
55-91 Although the operation and maintenance of the ship are essential to its efficient use, Supplier’s decisions in this regard do not give it the right to direct how and for what purpose the ship is used. Instead, Supplier’s decisions are dependent on Customer’s decisions about how and for what purpose the ship is used.
3.7.7 Example 7 — Aircraft
ASC 842-10
Example 7 — Aircraft
55-92 Customer enters into a contract with an aircraft owner (Supplier) for the use of an explicitly specified aircraft for a two-year period. The contract details the interior and exterior specifications for the aircraft.
55-93 There are contractual and legal restrictions in the contract on where the aircraft can fly. Subject to those restrictions, Customer determines where and when the aircraft will fly and which passengers and cargo will be transported on the aircraft.
55-94 Supplier is responsible for operating the aircraft, using its own crew. Customer is prohibited from hiring another operator for the aircraft or operating the aircraft itself during the term of the contract.
55-95 Supplier is permitted to substitute the aircraft at any time during the two-year period and must substitute the aircraft if it is not working. Any substitute aircraft must meet the interior and exterior specifications in the contract. There are significant costs involved in outfitting an aircraft in Supplier’s fleet to meet Customer’s specifications.
55-96 The contract contains a lease. Customer has the right to use the aircraft for two years.
55-97 There is an identified asset. The aircraft is explicitly specified in the contract, and although Supplier can substitute the aircraft, its substitution right is not substantive. Supplier’s substitution right is not substantive because of the significant costs involved in outfitting another aircraft to meet the specifications required by the contract such that Supplier is not expected to benefit economically from substituting the aircraft.
55-98 Customer has the right to control the use of the aircraft throughout the two-year period of use because:
- Customer has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of the aircraft over the two-year period of use. Customer has exclusive use of the aircraft throughout the period of use.
- Customer has the right to direct the use of the aircraft. The restrictions on where the aircraft can fly define the scope of Customer’s right to use the aircraft. Within the scope of its right of use, Customer makes the relevant decisions about how and for what purpose the aircraft is used throughout the two-year period of use because it decides whether, where, and when the aircraft travels as well as the passengers and cargo it will transport. Customer has the right to change these decisions throughout the two-year period of use.
55-99 Although the operation of the aircraft is essential to its efficient use, Supplier’s decisions in this regard
do not give it the right to direct how and for what purpose the aircraft is used. Consequently, Supplier does
not control the use of the aircraft during the period of use, and Supplier’s decisions do not affect Customer’s
control of the use of the aircraft.
3.7.8 Example 8 — Contract for Shirts
ASC 842-10
Example 8 — Contract for Shirts
55-100 Customer enters into a contract with a manufacturer (Supplier) to purchase a particular type, quality,
and quantity of shirts for a three-year period. The type, quality, and quantity of shirts are specified in the
contract.
55-101 Supplier has only one factory that can meet the needs of Customer. Supplier is unable to supply the
shirts from another factory or source the shirts from a third-party supplier. The capacity of the factory exceeds
the output for which Customer has contracted (that is, Customer has not contracted for substantially all of the
capacity of the factory).
55-102 Supplier makes all decisions about the operations of the factory, including the production level at which
to run the factory and which customer contracts to fulfill with the output of the factory that is not used to fulfill
Customer’s contract.
55-103 The contract does not contain a lease.
55-104 The factory is an identified asset. The factory is implicitly specified because Supplier can fulfill the
contract only through the use of this asset.
55-105 However, Customer does not control the use of the factory because it does not have the right to obtain
substantially all of the economic benefits from use of the factory. This is because Supplier could decide to use
the factory to fulfill other customer contracts during the period of use.
55-106 Customer also does not control the use of the factory because it does not have the right to direct the
use of the factory. Customer does not have the right to direct how and for what purpose the factory is used
during the three-year period of use. Customer’s rights are limited to specifying output from the factory in the
contract with Supplier. Customer has the same rights regarding the use of the factory as other customers
purchasing shirts from the factory. Supplier has the right to direct the use of the factory because Supplier can
decide how and for what purpose the factory is used (that is, Supplier has the right to decide the production
level at which to run the factory and which customer contracts to fulfill with the output produced).
55-107 Either the fact that Customer does not have the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits
from use of the factory or the fact that Customer does not have the right to direct the use of the factory would
be sufficient in isolation to conclude that Customer does not control the use of the factory.
3.7.9 Example 9 — Contract for Energy/Power
ASC 842-10
Example 9 — Contract for Energy/Power
Case A — Contract Contains a Lease
55-108 A utility company (Customer) enters into a contract with a power company (Supplier) to purchase all of the electricity produced by a new solar farm for 20 years. The solar farm is explicitly specified in the contract, and Supplier has no substitution rights. The solar farm is owned by Supplier, and the energy cannot be provided to Customer from another asset. Customer designed the solar farm before it was constructed — Customer hired experts in solar energy to assist in determining the location of the farm and the engineering of the equipment to be used. Supplier is responsible for building the solar farm to Customer’s specifications and then operating and maintaining it. There are no decisions to be made about whether, when, or how much electricity will be produced because the design of the asset has predetermined these decisions. Supplier will receive tax credits relating to the construction and ownership of the solar farm, while Customer receives renewable energy credits that accrue from use of the solar farm.
55-109 The contract contains a lease. Customer has the right to use the solar farm for 20 years.
55-110 There is an identified asset because the solar farm is explicitly specified in the contract, and Supplier does not have the right to substitute the specified solar farm.
55-111 Customer has the right to control the use of the solar farm throughout the 20-year period of use because:
- Customer has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of the solar farm over the 20-year period of use. Customer has exclusive use of the solar farm; it takes all of the electricity produced by the farm over the 20-year period of use as well as the renewable energy credits that are a by-product from use of the solar farm. Although Supplier will be receiving economic benefits from the solar farm in the form of tax credits, those economic benefits relate to the ownership of the solar farm rather than the use of the solar farm and, thus, are not considered in this assessment.
- Customer has the right to direct the use of the solar farm. Neither Customer nor Supplier decides how and for what purpose the solar farm is used during the period of use because those decisions are predetermined by the design of the asset (that is, the design of the solar farm has, in effect, programmed into the asset any relevant decision-making rights about how and for what purpose the solar farm is used throughout the period of use). Customer does not operate the solar farm; Supplier makes the decisions about the operation of the solar farm. However, Customer’s design of the solar farm has given it the right to direct the use of the farm (as described in paragraph 842-10-15-20(b)(2)). Because the design of the solar farm has predetermined how and for what purpose the asset will be used throughout the period of use, Customer’s control over that design is substantively no different from Customer controlling those decisions.
Case B — Contract Does Not Contain a Lease
55-112 Customer enters into a contract with Supplier to purchase all of the power produced by an explicitly specified power plant for three years. The power plant is owned and operated by Supplier. Supplier is unable to provide power to Customer from another plant. The contract sets out the quantity and timing of power that the power plant will produce throughout the period of use, which cannot be changed in the absence of extraordinary circumstances (for example, emergency situations). Supplier operates and maintains the plant on a daily basis in accordance with industry-approved operating practices. Supplier designed the power plant when it was constructed some years before entering into the contract with Customer; Customer had no involvement in that design.
55-113 The contract does not contain a lease.
55-114 There is an identified asset because the power plant is explicitly specified in the contract, and Supplier does not have the right to substitute the specified plant.
55-115 Customer has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of the identified
power plant over the three-year period of use. Customer will take all of the power produced by the power plant
over the three-year term of the contract.
55-116 However, Customer does not have the right to control the use of the power plant because it does not
have the right to direct its use. Customer does not have the right to direct how and for what purpose the plant
is used. How and for what purpose the plant is used (that is, whether, when, and how much power the plant will
produce) are predetermined in the contract. Customer has no right to change how and for what purpose the
plant is used during the period of use, nor does it have any other decision-making rights about the use of the
power plant during the period of use (for example, it does not operate the power plant) and did not design the
plant. Supplier is the only party that can make decisions about the plant during the period of use by making the
decisions about how the plant is operated and maintained. Customer has the same rights regarding the use of
the plant as if it were one of many customers obtaining power from the plant.
Case C — Contract Contains a Lease
55-117 Customer enters into a contract with Supplier to purchase all of the power produced by an explicitly
specified power plant for 10 years. The contract states that Customer has rights to all of the power produced
by the plant (that is, Supplier cannot use the plant to fulfill other contracts).
55-118 Customer issues instructions to Supplier about the quantity and timing of the delivery of power. If the
plant is not producing power for Customer, it does not operate.
55-119 Supplier operates and maintains the plant on a daily basis in accordance with industry-approved
operating practices.
55-120 The contract contains a lease. Customer has the right to use the power plant for 10 years.
55-121 There is an identified asset. The power plant is explicitly specified in the contract, and Supplier does not
have the right to substitute the specified plant.
55-122 Customer has the right to control the use of the power plant throughout the 10-year period of use
because:
- Customer has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of the power plant over the 10-year period of use. Customer has exclusive use of the power plant; it has rights to all of the power produced by the power plant throughout the 10-year period of use.
- Customer has the right to direct the use of the power plant. Customer makes the relevant decisions about how and for what purpose the power plant is used because it has the right to determine whether, when, and how much power the plant will produce (that is, the timing and quantity, if any, of power produced) throughout the period of use. Because Supplier is prevented from using the power plant for another purpose, Customer’s decision making about the timing and quantity of power produced, in effect, determines when and whether the plant produces output.
55-123 Although the operation and maintenance of the power plant are essential to its efficient use, Supplier’s
decisions in this regard do not give it the right to direct how and for what purpose the power plant is used.
Consequently, Supplier does not control the use of the power plant during the period of use. Instead, Supplier’s
decisions are dependent on Customer’s decisions about how and for what purpose the power plant is used.
3.7.10 Example 10 — Contract for Network Services
ASC 842-10
Example 10 — Contract for Network Services
Case A — Contract Does Not Contain a Lease
55-124 Customer enters into a contract with a telecommunications company (Supplier) for network services for two years. The contract requires Supplier to supply network services that meet a specified quality level. To provide the services, Supplier installs and configures servers at Customer’s premises; Supplier determines the speed and quality of data transportation in the network using the servers. Supplier can reconfigure or replace the servers when needed to continuously provide the quality of network services defined in the contract. Customer does not operate the servers or make any significant decisions about their use.
55-125 The contract does not contain a lease. Instead, the contract is a service contract in which Supplier uses the equipment to meet the level of network services determined by Customer.
55-126 Customer does not control the use of the servers because Customer’s only decision-making rights relate to deciding on the level of network services (the output of the servers) before the period of use — the level of network services cannot be changed during the period of use without modifying the contract. For example, even though Customer produces the data to be transported, that activity does not directly affect the configuration of the network services and, thus, it does not affect how and for what purpose the servers are used. Supplier is the only party that can make decisions about the use of the servers during the period of use. Supplier has the right to decide how data are transported using the servers, whether to reconfigure the servers, and whether to use the servers for another purpose. Accordingly, Supplier controls the use of the servers in providing network services to Customer. There is no need to assess whether the servers are identified assets because Customer does not have the right to control the use of the servers.
Case B — Contract Contains a Lease
55-127 Customer enters into a contract with an information technology company (Supplier) for the use of an identified server for three years. Supplier delivers and installs the server at Customer’s premises in accordance with Customer’s instructions and provides repair and maintenance services for the server, as needed, throughout the period of use. Supplier substitutes the server only in the case of malfunction. Customer decides which data to store on the server and how to integrate the server within its operations. Customer can change its decisions in this regard throughout the period of use.
55-128 The contract contains a lease. Customer has the right to use the server for three years.
55-129 There is an identified asset. The server is explicitly specified in the contract. Supplier can substitute the server only if it is malfunctioning.
55-130 Customer has the right to control the use of the server throughout the three-year period of use because:
- Customer has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of the server over the three-year period of use. Customer has exclusive use of the server throughout the period of use.
- Customer has the right to direct the use of the server. Customer makes the relevant decisions about how and for what purpose the server is used because it has the right to decide which aspect of its operations the server is used to support and which data it stores on the server. Customer is the only party that can make decisions about the use of the server during the period of use.
3.8 Decision Tree Related to Identifying a Lease
The decision tree below, which combines the decision trees from Sections
3.3, 3.4.1, and
3.4.2, gives an overview of the
analysis related to identifying whether a contract
is or contains a lease.