How to identify a lease contract as per the lease accounting standard

General

At inception of a contract, an entity should assess whether the contract is a lease or contains a lease

• The contract should convey the right to control the use of 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).
• Should reassess only if the terms and conditions of the contract are changed

Where Lessee is Joint arrangement

A contract to receive goods or services may be entered into by a joint arrangement, or on behalf of a joint arrangement

• The joint arrangement is considered to be the customer in the contract
• An entity should assess whether the joint arrangement has the right to control the use of an identified asset throughout the period of use

Assessing right to control the asset

To assess whether a contract conveys the right to control the use of an identified asset  for a period of time, an entity should assess whether, throughout the period of use, the customer has both of the following:

1. the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of the identified asset and
2. the right to direct the use of the identified asset
3. 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.

Identified asset

• An asset is typically identified by being explicitly specified in a contract. However, an asset can also be identified by being implicitly specified at the time that the asset is made available for use by the customer

Question

Analyse the following contract:

Mr. X enters into a contract for a period of ten years with a logistics company; Entity A, for use of the latter’s trucks. As per the contract terms, Entity A has a large pool of similar trucks, any one or more of which can be used to fulfil the requirements of the contract. Entity A provides trucks and drivers as part of the contract.

Option A- Contract does not contain a lease as the trucks are not explicitly or implicitly mentioned

Correct – An asset is typically identified by being explicitly specified in a contract. In the given case, trucks are not identified explicitly or implicitly and hence the arrangement does not contain a lease.

Option B – Contract contains a lease as an asset can also be identified by being implicitly specified at the time that the customer make the asset available for use  

Incorrect – In the given case, trucks are not identified explicitly or implicitly and hence the arrangement does not contain a lease.

Substantive substitution rights

If the supplier has the substantive right to substitute the asset throughout the period of use then a customer does not have the right to use even if an asset is specified.

• A supplier’s right to substitute an asset is substantive only if all the following conditions exist:
• the supplier has the practical ability to substitute alternative assets throughout the period of use
• The customer cannot prevent the supplier from substituting the 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. This means that the economic benefits associated with substituting the asset are expected to exceed the costs associated with substituting the asset
• 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’s substitution right is not substantive because the supplier does not have the practical ability to substitute alternative assets throughout the period of use.

Question

Customer enters into a contract with a Supplier for a period of five years for the right to use a vehicle. The vehicle is specified in the contract. Whether Supplier has substantive substitution rights in case supplier has no substitution rights for first two years from the commencement of the contract. However, after two years, supplier can substitute the vehicle at any time.

Option A – The substitution right is not substantive because supplier does not have the practical ability to substitute alternative assets throughout the period of use.

Correct – 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’s substitution right is not substantive because the supplier does not have the practical ability to substitute alternative assets throughout the period of use.

Option B – Since the right to substitute the asset is not on occurrence of a specified event, substitution right is substantive

Incorrect – Here the supplier has a right or an obligation to substitute the asset only on or after either a particular date the supplier’s substitution right is not substantive because the supplier does not have the practical ability to substitute alternative assets throughout the period of use.

Future events not considered in examining substitution rights

• 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 should exclude consideration of future events that, at inception of the contract, 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:

• 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; and
• 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.

Other considerations for examining substitution rights

• 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.
• The supplier’s right or obligation to substitute the asset for repairs and 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.
• If the customer cannot readily determine whether the supplier has a substantive substitution right, the customer should presume that any substitution right is not substantive.

Portions of assets

• A capacity portion of an asset is an identified asset if it is physically distinct (for example, a floor of a building).
• A capacity or other portion of an asset that is not physically distinct (for example, a capacity portion of a fibre 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.

Right to obtain economic benefits from use

• 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 sub-leasing 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 realised from a commercial transaction with a third party.

Economic benefits within scope of right to use

• an entity should consider the economic benefits that result from use of the asset within the defined scope of a customer’s right to use the asset:

Example:

• if a contract limits the use of a motor vehicle to only one particular territory during the period of use, an entity should 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 should consider only the economic benefits from use of the motor vehicle for the permitted mileage, and not beyond.

Other terms of the lease contract

• 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 should be considered to be part of the economic benefits that the customer obtains from use of the asset.
• For example, if the 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.
• This 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.

Right to direct the use

A customer has the right to direct the use of an identified asset throughout the period of use only if either:

• the customer has the right to direct how and for what purpose the asset is used throughout the period of use or
• the relevant decisions about how and for what purpose the asset is used are predetermined and:

1. 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; or
2. 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.

How and for what purpose the asset is used

• A customer has the right to direct how and for what purpose the asset is used 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 the period of use.
• In making this assessment, an entity considers the decision-making rights that are most relevant to changing how and for what purpose the 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.

Example of decision-making rights that grant right

• Examples of decision-making rights that, depending on the circumstances, grant the right to change how and for what purpose the asset is used, within the defined scope of the customer’s right of use, include:
• rights to change the type of output that is produced by the asset (for example, to decide whether to use a shipping container to transport goods or for storage, or to decide upon the mix of products sold from retail space);
• rights to change when the output is produced (for example, to decide when an item of machinery or a power plant will be used);
• rights to change where the output is produced (for example, to decide upon the destination of a truck or a ship, or to decide where an item of equipment is used); and
• rights to change whether the output is produced, and the quantity of that output (for example, to decide whether to produce energy from a power plant and how much energy to produce from that power plant).

Example of decision-making rights that do not grant right

1. Examples of decision-making rights that do not grant the right to change how and for what purpose the asset is used include rights that are limited to operating or maintaining the asset. Such rights can be held by the customer or the supplier.
2. Although rights such as those to operate or maintain an asset are often essential to the efficient use of an asset, they are not rights to direct how and for what purpose the asset is used and are often dependent on the decisions about how and for what purpose the asset is used.
3. 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

Decisions determined during and before the period of use

• The relevant decisions about how and for what purpose the 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.
• In assessing whether a customer has the right to direct the use of an asset, an entity should consider only rights to make decisions about the use of the asset during the period of use, unless the customer designed the asset.
• Consequently, an entity should 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.

Protective rights

• 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.

Examples:

1. specify the maximum amount of use of an asset or limit where or when the customer can use the asset,
   1. require a customer to follow particular operating practices, or
   2. 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.