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IASB finalises amendment to IFRS 16 regarding COVID-19-related rent concessions

IASB finalises amendment to IFRS 16 regarding COVID-19-related rent concessions

28 May 2020
The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has published 'Covid-19-Related Rent Concessions (Amendment to IFRS 16)' amending the standard to provide lessees with an exemption from assessing whether a COVID-19-related rent concession is a lease modification. Concurrently, the IASB also published a proposed Taxonomy Update to reflect this amendment.
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to some lessors providing relief to lessees by deferring or relieving them of amounts that would otherwise be payable. In some cases, this is through negotiation between the parties, but can be as a consequence of a government encouraging or requiring that the relief be provided. Such relief is taking place in many jurisdictions in which entities that apply IFRSs operate.
When there is a change in lease payments, the accounting consequences will depend on whether that change meets the definition of a lease modification, which IFRS 16 Leases defines as “a change in the scope of a lease, or the consideration for a lease, that was not part of the original terms and conditions of the lease (for example, adding or terminating the right to use one or more underlying assets, or extending or shortening the contractual lease term)”.
On 24 April 2020, the Board published an exposure draft with a proposed amendment intended to provide practical relief to lessees in accounting for rent concessions arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the urgency of the matter, the exposure draft was published with a 14-day comment period. On 15 May 2020, the Board considered the feedback received and decided to finalise the amendment with some changes.
Changes
The changes in Covid-19-Related Rent Concessions (Amendment to IFRS 16) amend IFRS 16 to
  1. provide lessees with an exemption from assessing whether a COVID-19-related rent concession is a lease modification;
  2. require lessees that apply the exemption to account for COVID-19-related rent concessions as if they were not lease modifications;
  3. require lessees that apply the exemption to disclose that fact; and
  4. require lessees to apply the exemption retrospectively in accordance with IAS 8, but not require them to restate prior period figures.
The main change from the proposal in the exposure draft is that the IASB had proposed that the practical expedient should only be available for lease payments originally due in 2020. However, after having considered the feedback to the exposure draft, the IASB decided to extend this period to June 2021 to also capture rent concessions granted now and lasting for 12 months.
The IASB considered but decided not to provide any additional relief for lessors as the current situation is not as equally challenging for them and the required accounting is not as complicated.
Effective date
The amendment is effective for annual reporting periods beginning on or after 1 June 2020. Earlier application is permitted, including in financial statements not yet authorised for issue at 28 May 2020. The amendment is also available for interim reports.
Proposed Taxonomy Update
The IASB has also published a proposed Taxonomy Update to reflect the amendment to IFRS 16. Comments on the proposed Taxonomy update are requested by 29 June 2020.
Additional information
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