There are many similarities between financial statement presentation under IFRS Accounting Standards and U.S. GAAP, although there are more requirements under IFRS Accounting Standards governing line items and comparative information than under U.S. GAAP. Specific presentation of particular financial statement line items is required by individual accounting guidance and SEC rules and regulations under U.S. GAAP. Under IFRS Accounting Standards, particular financial statement line items and one year of comparative financial information are required, with certain exceptions. While there is no requirement to present comparative financial information under U.S. GAAP, SEC regulations require comparative financial information for public registrants. Under both IFRS Accounting Standards and U.S. GAAP, a complete set of financial statements consists of the following: a statement of financial position, a statement of profit or loss and OCI, a statement of cash flows, a statement of changes in shareholders’ equity, and accompanying notes. The table below shows the key differences between the presentation of financial statements under IFRS Accounting Standards and under U.S. GAAP. Other differences that affect the presentation of financial statements are included in Section 4.4, which discusses changes in accounting principles, changes in accounting estimates, and error corrections.
| Topic | IFRS Accounting Standards (IAS 1) | U.S. GAAP (ASC 205-10, ASC220-10, ASC 470-10, ASC 505-10, ASC 810-10) and SECRegulation S-X |
|---|---|---|
| Comparative financial statements | An entity must provide one year of comparative financial information. | No specific requirement under U.S. GAAP to present comparative financial statements. Generally, at least one year of comparative financial information is presented. Public companies are subject to SEC rules and regulations, which usually require two years of comparative financial information for the income statement and the statements of equity and cash flows. |
| Debt classification — subsequent events | Events that take place after the reporting date (refinancing, covenant violation waiver, and so forth) are generally not considered in the classification of debt as of the reporting date. A short-term obligation is classified as current even if the debtor refinances it on a long-term basis (or a long-term financing arrangement is executed) after the balance sheet date. | Events that take place after the reporting date (refinancing, covenant violation waiver, and so forth) are generally considered in the classification of debt as of the reporting date. A short-term obligation is classified as noncurrent if it is refinanced on a long-term basis (or a long-term financing arrangement is in place) by the time the financial statements are issued (or available to be issued). |
| Debt classification — violation of loan covenants as of the reporting date whereby a long-term loan becomes payable on demand | Debt is classified as a current liability. | Such debt is classified as a noncurrent liability if the lender provides a qualifying covenant waiver before the financial statements are issued. |
| Classification — expenses | An entity may present its expenses either by function or nature. Certain disclosures are required if the entity chooses to present the expenses by function. | An entity may present its income statement in (1) a single-step format (all expenses are classified by function and deducted from total income to arrive at income before tax) or (2) a multiple-step format (operating and nonoperating expenses are separated before presenting income before tax). |
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