{"id":23011,"date":"2021-08-19T13:54:43","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T13:54:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businessyield.com\/?p=23011"},"modified":"2021-08-19T14:39:06","modified_gmt":"2021-08-19T14:39:06","slug":"revenue-recognition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businessyield.com\/accounting\/revenue-recognition\/","title":{"rendered":"Revenue Recognition: How GAAP & ASC 606 Works","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If your company employs accrual accounting, you should be familiar with and comprehend the revenue recognition principle, also known as the revenue principle.
Why not spend a few minutes learning more about the revenue recognition principle, ASC 606 principle and why it is crucial to your company?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Revenue Recognition?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Revenue recognition is the process of determining when a company’s revenue has been earned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your company employs the cash basis of accounting, it’s simple: you make revenue when cash enters your cash register or bank account. It is not the same for organizations that employ accrual accounting. Revenue is only recognized on an accrual basis when it is earned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the reasons we have Generally Accepted Accounting Principles<\/a> is to help us understand when to recognize revenue (GAAP). GAAP specifies when and how to recognize revenue, as well as how to present it on your income statements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may have heard of International Financial Reporting Standards in addition to US GAAP (IFRS).<\/a> Consider this revenue recognition system to be the metric version of GAAP; whereas the United States employs GAAP, the majority of the rest of the world utilizes IFRS. The International Accounting Standards Board is in charge of it (IASB).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what’s the distinction? In a nutshell, GAAP is a set of regulations that must be followed, whereas IFRS is a set of principles that must be followed. This standard’s most recent version is known as IFRS 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don’t need to be concerned about the IFRS revenue recognition standard unless you operate outside of the United States. However, if you plan to expand beyond the limits of the United States, you should consult with a trained accountant about abiding by IFRS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People outside your organization, such as investors, will frequently demand that your financial statements follow GAAP or IFRS. The fundamental reason for this is that they want you to identify revenue in a method that is familiar, standard, and not deceptive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the Revenue Recognition Principle?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The revenue recognition principle remains the same regardless of the style of accounting used by your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the revenue recognition principle, revenue should be recognized when it is earned rather than when it is received. The notion of revenue recognition is part of accrual accounting, which means that when you produce an invoice for a customer for products or services, the amount of that invoice is recorded as revenue at that point, rather than when the money is received from the customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is one of the primary distinctions between accrual and cash basis accounting because, in cash accounting, revenue is recognized when payment is received rather than when it is produced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Principles of Revenue Recognition Under GAAP<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), which establishes U.S. GAAP standards, has established the following five revenue recognition principles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n