Performance Obligation
Definition
Under IFRS 15 and ASC 606, the distinct promise to transfer a good or service to a customer. Revenue can only be recognised when, or as, a performance obligation is satisfied, not when a contract is signed or cash received in advance.
- Standards
- IFRS 15 and ASC 606
- Definition
- Distinct promise to transfer a good or service
- Revenue timing
- Recognised when or as the obligation is satisfied
- Not triggered by
- Contract signing or advance cash receipt alone
Common questions
How does mis-identifying performance obligations create fraud risk?+
A company can inflate current revenue by treating a bundled contract as fewer, larger obligations satisfied early, or by recognising revenue for a service not yet delivered, both of which forensic accountants specifically test for.
What is a common red flag investigators look for around this concept?+
Revenue booked immediately on contract signing or cash receipt, before any good or service has actually transferred to the customer, since that timing is inconsistent with both IFRS 15 and ASC 606.
Can a single contract contain more than one performance obligation?+
Yes, a contract bundling a product with installation, training, or ongoing support typically must be split into separate performance obligations, each recognised as it is individually satisfied rather than all at once.
Related terms
- Bill-and-Hold
- An arrangement where title passes and revenue is recorded even though the seller retains physical possession of the goods at the buyer's...
- Bill-and-Hold Arrangement
- A transaction in which a seller invoices a customer for goods that remain physically on the seller's premises at the customer's request....
- Channel Stuffing
- A scheme in which a company ships excess inventory to distributors or retailers near a reporting period's end to record revenue, knowing...
- Days Sales Outstanding (DSO)
- A ratio measuring how long, on average, a company takes to collect payment after a sale: (accounts receivable / revenue) x 365....
- Fictitious Revenue
- Revenue recorded for a transaction that did not occur at all, or that involved a related party cycling funds to simulate customer...
- IFRS 15 / ASC 606
- The converged international (IFRS 15) and US (ASC 606) standards that replaced predecessor revenue rules from 2018. Both apply a five-step model:...
- Premature Revenue Recognition
- Recording revenue in an earlier period than the standards permit, typically by treating an uncompleted performance obligation as satisfied. The transaction is...
- Round-Tripping
- A circular transaction in which cash or assets flow between two or more related parties so that each records revenue without any...
- Side Letter
- An informal or undisclosed written agreement between a buyer and seller that modifies the terms of the primary contract. Side letters are...