Module05 Leases
Module05 Leases
Module05 Leases
htm
Module 5: Leases
Overview
The previous four modules address liability and equity issues. This module introduces another common form of financing
the lease agreement.
In Module 5, lease agreements are analyzed in relation to financial statement elements, and leasing an asset is compared to
owning an asset outright. The module explains lease classification from the point of view of the lessee, and looks at lease
amortization. The module concludes by analyzing accounting treatments for lease agreements from the point of view of the
lessor.
5.2
5.3
Classifying leases
Classify leases as operating or financing leases for the lessee, and explain how the classification
criteria may relate to the substance of the lease agreement. (Level 1)
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7
International accounting standards governing the topics in this module and PEGAAP, along with existing Canadian standards,
are converged, with the following exceptions:
1. The terminology is different; leases that transfer the risks and rewards of ownership to the lessee are called capital
leases under PEGAAP, and under existing Canadian GAAP, and financing leases under IFRS. These terms have the
same meaning.
2. The criteria identified to decide whether a lease is financing or operating are the same, but are applied on a more
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judgmental basis under IFRS and are more of a line under PEGAAP and existing Canadian GAAP.
3. IFRS specify that the lessee should use the interest rate implicit in the lease for present value calculations if it is
known; the lessees incremental borrowing rate is only used if the implicit rate is unknown. Canadian rules
require that the lessee use the lower of the incremental borrowing rate or the interest rate in the lease if it can be
determined.
4. The terminology is different for leases from the perspective of the lessor. While the accounting is the same,
PEGAAP and existing Canadian GAAP refer to sales-type leases and direct-financing type leases, while IFRS does not
use these terms.
5. Under IFRS, if there is a sale and leaseback transaction that is covered by an operating lease, profit on the sale is
recognized up front; under PEGAAP and existing Canadian GAAP, deferral is required.
6. IFRS disclosure requirements are more extensive than under PEGAAP.
Lease accounting is under active study in the international sphere. The IASBs research study suggests much broader
capitalization than is now the case.
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Explain how property rights are obtained and obligations assumed under lease agreements, and analyze the
substance of a lease agreement with reference to the criteria for recognition of assets and liabilities in financial
statements. (Level 1)
Required reading
Chapter 17, pages 1006-1013 up to "Long-term Leases: Pros and Cons". The term capital lease in the text is
synonymous with financing lease under IFRS.
LEVEL 1
A lease is an agreement that conveys the right to use an asset for a certain period of time for an agreed payment or series
of payments. If the rights are minor or temporary, a simple rental relationship is recorded in the financial statements of both
parties. If the substance of the agreement conveys substantially all of the risks and rewards of ownership to the lessee, an
asset and a liability and any related expenses must be recorded in the lessee financial statements. The lessors financial
statements must then show the lease payments receivable, and measure revenues according to the substance of the lease
agreement.
A lease is one way to acquire an asset and assume a liability. When are such assets and liabilities recognized and how does
such recognition affect the financial statements?
Substance of a lease
A financial statement element is recognized (recorded) when all of the following criteria are met:
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is the substance of a lease agreement? Is it a rental contract, allowing the lessee use of a tangible asset for a period of
time in exchange for rent paid to a lessor, who has legal title to the asset? Or is it a purchase transaction, transferring both
an asset and a liability to the lessee?
Consider a rental contract requiring fixed payments over 10 years the entire life span of the given tangible leased asset. At
the end of the contract, the leased equipment is ready for the scrap heap. The lessee has had all the risks and benefits of
ownership, and the lessor has only had a (guaranteed) financial interest in the asset. The asset has, in substance, been the
security on a fixed-interest loan made by the lessor to the lessee. The definition of an asset does not require that the lessee
has legal title just that control be established.
Review the recognition criteria for a financial statement element, considering a leased asset. The leased item appears to
meet the definition of an asset. The basis of measurement would be the present value of the lease payments, readily
estimated because payments are specified in the lease contract. The existence of the contract makes the payments probable.
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Now review the recognition criteria considering a 10-year lease contract obligation. Again, it is important that all four criteria
for liability recognition be met. Remember that a 10-year lease contract is little different from a 10-year loan that requires
annual blended payments. With a loan, you receive a monetary asset (cash) up front (the principal or loan amount), which
you might use to buy a capital asset. In a lease, you get the asset itself in substance, a minor difference.
Lease capitalization
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, standard setters tried to mandate lease capitalization for leases that were, in substance,
the purchase of an asset. They relied on standards that were judgment oriented, not rule oriented. These standards were
systematically avoided by lessees, who were resisting lease capitalization. The current standard, effective since the late
1970s, has had more success in forcing capitalization by lessees.
There are still many leases that are not capitalized. In fact, many lease contracts are written to avoid the capitalization
criteria. (This can be accomplished by inserting cancellation clauses in lease arrangements, using third party guarantees, and
shifting payments to contingent rent conditions.)
Why try to avoid capitalization? For the lessee, aversion to capitalization has been based on the desire to keep the lease
liability off the balance sheet. Leases are big business; most firms are involved in some kind of lease arrangements, and they
are frequently material.
Residual value
When evaluating the need to include a residual value in lease calculations, you always use a pessimistic assumption. For
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instance, suppose there was an estimated $1,000 residual value. If it was guaranteed by the lessee and the equipment was
sold for $750, the lessee would have to pay an extra $250 to the lessor. When capitalizing the lease, assume that the
equipment will be sold for nothing and thus you include the whole $1,000 (worst case scenario) in the MLPs. This will
increase the lease liability and the recorded value of the leased asset. If the residual is not guaranteed, it has nothing to do
with the lessee it is only important to the lessor and is not part of the MLPs.
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Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of leasing compared to owning a capital asset. (Level 1)
Required reading
LEVEL 1
Pay special attention to the pros and cons of lease arrangements in the text. Financing an acquisition with a lease
arrangement should always be compared to other alternatives (buy and borrow, for instance).
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Classify leases as operating or financing leases for the lessee, and explain how the classification criteria may reflect
the substance of the lease agreement. (Level 1)
Required reading
Chapter 17, pages 1009-1013, 1015-1020, and 1026-1027 to Sale and Leaseback"
LEVEL 1
Capitalization criteria
From the perspective of the lessee, a lease can be one of two types, as shown in Exhibit 5.3-1.
Exhibit 5.3-1: Lease classification for the lessee
Financing leases are recorded as assets and liabilities (see pages 1015-1016), while operating leases are simply rental
contracts (see pages 1026-1027).
Decision 1 is based on whether substantially all of the benefits and risks of ownership related to the leased property are
transferred from the lessor to the lessee.
This decision is made judgmentally, based around certain criteria. These criteria for classifying leases are explained and
defined on pages 1009-1010:
1. Transfer of title through contract or through the presence of a bargain purchase option.
2. Lease term covers the major economic life of the asset; under IFRS major is to be defined judgmentally, but
under PEGAAP, the line is 75% of economic life.
3. PV of minimum lease payments is substantially all the fair value of the leased asset; under IFRS substantially all
is defined judgmentally, but under PEGAAP the line is 90%.
4. In addition to the criteria listed in the text, IFRS identifies an additional factor to consider: is the leased
asset one that is of such a specialized nature that only the lessee can use it without major
modifications? If so, the lease is more likely to be a financing lease. If the asset is a general use asset, the lease is
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When is a purchase option a bargain purchase option? If the lease term covers 73.5% of the economic life, is that
sufficient to warrant capitalization? If the present value of the lease is 88% of fair value, is this high enough to
warrant capitalization?
The lessee may not know the economic life of the asset at the inception of the lease. This must be estimated.
In some circumstances, the fair value of the asset leased may not be ascertainable, if there is no active market for
this kind of asset, and if there is a material unguaranteed residual value unknown by the lessee.
Under IFRS, the interest rate to use when determining the present value of the lease is the interest rate implicit in the lease.
If the lessee does not know this rate, the lessee would use the lessees incremental borrowing rate.
Focus on PEGAAP
Under PEGAAP, lease capitalization criteria are treated less judgmentally, and exclude the nature of the leased asset; refer to
the list on page 1009. The criteria 75% of lease term and 90% of fair value are considered lines.
Under PEGAAP, a lessee performs present value calculations using the lower of the interest rate implicit in the lease, if
known, and the lessees incremental borrowing rate.
Assume Apollo Companys lease has an initial term of 3 years, with payments of $10,000 per year, starting at the beginning
of the lease term. This is followed by 2 additional years with lease payments of $8,000 per year, also at the beginning of the
year. Finally, at the end of the 5th year, there is a purchase option that is considered to be a bargain purchase option; it
requires a payment of $500. The interest rate implicit in the lease is 10%; the lessee knows this rate. What is the present
value of this payment stream?
The lease term is 5 years, as the lease term includes all periods up to the exercise of a bargain purchase option (BPO). (This
calculation can be done on most financial calculators.) The payments can be illustrated on a timeline:
Beginning of:
Year 1
Year 2
|
|
$10,000 $10,000
End of:
Year 3
|
$10,000
Year 4
|
$8,000
Year 5
|
$8,000
Year 5
|
$500
All these payments must be taken back, through present value calculations, to the beginning of Year 1. The interest rate to
be used is the lower of the rates provided: 10%. Calculate the PV now:
PV = __________
Solution
There are a number of alternative calculation methods that can be used to get the correct answer; as long as you are able to
consistently get the correct answer, your methodology is correct. (If you need a refresher in calculating present values, refer
to the examples and summary of formulas provided in the foundation review.)
Lease classification
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Lease number
Title passes
Bargain purchase option
no
no
no
no
no
no
10 years
3 years
$120,000
12%
unknown to
lessee
$17,5471
no
7 years
5 years
$55,000
12%
10%
9 years
8 years
$115,000
12%
10%
$13,190
no
no
$1,000, end of
Year 6
9 years
6 years
$150,000
12%
unknown to
lessee
$33,734
no
unknown
No
normal
none
$100,000
unknown
No
normal
none
$55,000
unknown
No
normal
none
$106,000
no
Yes
normal
none
$97,000
_______
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_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
$19,199
$5,000
Determination:
Criteria 1
Title passes or BPO
Criteria 2
economic life
Criteria 3
PV
FMV
PV
% of FMV
Criteria 4
Specialized asset
Lease classification:
1 The lessor based rental on recovery of 40% of the fair market value over the three-year lease term and an interest rate of
10%. The lessee does not know this.
Solution
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Record leases from the perspective of the lessee, and analyze the impact of leasing agreements on lessee financial
statements. (Level 1)
Required reading
Chapter 17, pages 1015-1026 up to "Non-capital Leases," 1027-1029 ("Sale and Leaseback"), and 1034-1036 (Review
Problem and Solution)
LEVEL 1
Lease liabilities may be analyzed through an amortization table, illustrated below. (You will learn how to prepare this
amortization table in Excel later in this module.)
Example 5.4-1: Lease liability schedule
Refer to the information on the Apollo Company lease in Activity 5.3-1. The present value of the payment stream was
$39,140. Over the life of the lease, the liability will be reduced to zero as follows:
Lease
year
1
2
3
4
5
5*
Totals
$ 7,360
$ 46,500
Ending
balance
$ 29,140
22,054
14,259
7,685
454
(0)
($ 39,140)
Interest expense
46
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Lease liability
The balance in the lease liability account is now $500 ($454 + $46)
Lease liability
Cash
46
500
500
Fiscal years
The amortization table for the lease payments will not necessarily correspond to the fiscal year. To relate the table to fiscal
years, dates must be carefully examined. Return to the data in the Apollo Company example. Assume that the lease was
signed on January 1, 20X2. How much interest expense is recorded in 20X2? It is tempting to answer "zero" because there is
no interest on the first line of the table. However, this is not correct. Remember, all during 20X2, there was a liability of
$29,140 outstanding. Interest must be accrued on this amount. Interest expense is $2,914 for 20X2; it appears on the
second line of the table.
Interest is accrued at the end of the year as follows:
Interest expense
2,914
Lease liability
2,914
At the end of 20X2, the balance in the lease liability account will be $32,054 ($29,140 + $2,914). This includes the lease
liability and interest payable. While some companies will use a separate interest payable account to keep track of the interest
accruals, this practice makes recording the subsequent lease payment less straightforward. However, there is a fair bit of
variation in practice. The table identifies the interest portion of each payment; its up to you to record it in the correct fiscal
year.
What will be the interest expense for 20X4, the year in which the third payment is made? Reason your way through the table
again. You should have said $1,426.
The table sorts out the lease payments, but you must be careful when applying it to fiscal years. Preparing the entries often
helps establish the proper time frames. See also the text example on pages 1020-1025, which accrues interest in the
appropriate fiscal year.
Lease number
Title passes
yes
no
no
Lease term
5 years
7 years
7 years
10 years
10 years
10 years
BPO
no
yes
no
no
no
yes
Useful life
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Solution
What if the lessee plans to use the asset for a period less than the lease term? (for example, its a five-year lease, but the
useful life is three years). The amortization period would be the (shorter) period of use (three years, in this example).
However, this is a very unlikely scenario what lessor will allow a lessee to pay for an asset over a period that exceeds its
useful life? If the lessee stopped paying in Year 4, and the lessor were to repossess the asset, the asset would likely be
worthless. The lease term is rarely, if ever, greater than the life of the asset.
Lease term
Economic life of asset
Fair value of asset at inception
8 years
10 years
$ 114,000
no
Transfer of title
no
Residual value
Lessees incremental borrowing rate
$ 10,000, unguaranteed
12%
unknown
Payment date
January 1
Payment amount
$ 20,894
Solution
The following two activities illustrate interest rate calculations.
Activity 5.4-3: Implicit interest rate
Once the fair value is used as a ceiling, the interest rate must be adjusted upward. This interest rate is used in subsequent
interest calculations. If the asset is recorded at $114,000 (Activity 5.4-2), what is the correct interest rate?
Solution
Activity 5.4-4: Irregular payment streams
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If the payment stream is not regular (that is, involves a lump sum at the end or different annual payments), the look-up
tables cannot easily be used; trial and error must be used, and it is tedious. An IRR calculation is the best approach. This can
also be done on a financial calculator.
All the minimum lease payments must be included in the list of cash flows. For example, if the lease described in Activity 5.42 also required a $10,000 guaranteed residual at the end of the eighth year, what is the correct interest rate?
Solution
Land leases
If land is subject to a lease, it can only be a financing lease if title passes or there is a BPO (Criterion 1). Otherwise, the land
lease is an operating lease. This is because of land's indefinite life. If a lease is signed that is partially for a building and
partially for the land on which the building sits, the lease payment is divided on the basis of the relative fair market values of
the two assets. Each portion of the lease is then independently classified. Land leases may impact on the amortization terms
of assets that are permanently affixed to the land: a building with a 30-year life, situated on a piece of land under a 10-year
non-renewable lease, will clearly only be used for 10 years unless there is some way to remove it when the land is returned
to the lessor. The amortization period would therefore be 10 years.
Review problem
Lease questions involve some complex numbers and decisions. Practice by working through the review problem on pages
1034-1036.
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LEVEL 1
The advantage of using a worksheet to calculate a lease liability amortization is that once a generalized lease liability
amortization model is built, it is easy to calculate different lease liability amortization schedules for different situations.
Material provided
There are five annual January 1 payments, to be made in 20X4, 20X5, 20X6, 20X7, and 20X8.
The annual lease payment is $41,831.
At the end of the lease, on December 31, 20X8, the lessee will purchase the asset by paying a bargain purchase
option price of $1,000.
The fair market value of the leased equipment is $178,000.
The lessors implicit interest rate is 10%.
Required
Complete the data table and enter the necessary formulas to calculate the lease liability amortization.
Procedure
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Category and IRR under Function Name. Click OK. In the values box, select cells B19 to B24 and click OK.
For students using Excel 2007, click the Formulas tab then select Fx from the ribbon. Select financial from the dropdown list then click on IRR under Select a function. Click OK. In the Function Arguments window select cells B19 to
B24 in the values box and click ok.
6. Enter in cell E14 the appropriate discount rate to use for the lease liability.
7. Enter in cell E11 the formula to calculate the present value of the bargain purchase option.
8. For cell F7 use the PV formula to verify the fair market value of the asset. Your formula should consider two
components: present value of the annuity due and the present value of the BPO:
= PV (interest, term, payment, -BPO, 1)
9. Complete the formulas in cells B29 to F34. Use the table on page 1021 of the text as a reference. The total formulas
in row 35 are already entered for you.
10. Save the file.
11. Print a copy of the completed worksheet and compare it to the review solution on the sheet tab M5P1S.
12. If you did not get the same answer, study the formulas given in the M5P1S worksheet and then make the necessary
changes to your worksheet M5P1.
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Prepare financial statement disclosure for a lease from the perspective of the lessee (including note disclosure), and
assess QOE concerns. (Level 1)
Required reading
LEVEL 1
Disclosure
The disclosures for lessees listed on page 1030 should seem like logical disclosures for an interest-bearing debt.
All the disclosure listed in the text is required under IFRS, but, in addition, a lessee must provide a general description of their
leasing arrangements, along with conditions in lease arrangements.
The required future minimum lease payments (cash flow) disclosure warrants a careful look, as illustrated in Example 5.6-1.
Example 5.6-1: Minimum lease payments disclosure
Refer back to the data in Activity 5.3-2, lease number 4, a lease for a $115,000 asset that involved annual January 1
payments of $19,199 for 8 years, then a guaranteed residual payment of $5,000.
The entries that the lessee would make in the first year of the lease are as follows:
January 1
Leased asset
Lease liability
Lease liability
Cash
December 31
Interest expense ($115,000 $19,199) 0.10
Lease liability
Amortization expense ($115,000 $5,000)* 8
Accumulated amortization
115,000
115,000
19,199
19,199
9,580
9,580
13,750
13,750
* This assumes the lessee plans to sell the equipment at the end of the lease term and will receive proceeds of $5,000.
At the end of December, the lease liability on the balance sheet would have a balance of $105,381 ($115,000 $19,199 +
$9,580). This would be shown as a $19,199 current liability, the portion due in the next fiscal year (all at the beginning of the
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$115,000
Accumulated amortization
(13,750)
101,250
Short-term liabilities
Lease liability
$ 19,199
Long-term liabilities
Lease liability
86,182
$ 19,199
Year 2
19,199
Year 3
19,199
Year 4
19,199
62,597
139,393
(34,012)
105,381
(19,199)
$ 86,182
The company has made one lease payment to date; the other seven, and the guaranteed residual, are listed in the schedule.
If payments last longer than five years, remaining payments are lumped on the "Year 5 and after" line. The interest
deduction is the sum of interest amounts implicit in the payments, obtained from the liability amortization table (not
reproduced here). Finally, the current portion is subtracted to reconcile the minimum lease payments to the long-term lease
liability. Since the next lease payment is due January 1 (tomorrow), the entire amount is current. If the payment was due
December 31, only the principal portion (obtainable from an amortization table) would be current, since the interest portion
would accrue over the next 12 months.
Quality of earnings
Earnings quality can also be used as a substance over form assessment. Earnings, and the financial statements in general,
should portray the substance of the companys activities. Therefore, if lease contracts are in substance a borrowing
arrangement and are NOT reflected as such in the financial statements, then the quality of earnings is low.
Many companies in many different industries utilize operating leases as a permanent part of their capital structure. Operating
leases are not capitalized. They are accordingly called off-balance sheet financing. As a result, quality of earnings
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assessment includes assessing the extent of the companys operating lease commitments. High incidence of operating leases
is viewed as a negative factor. This evaluation is done in relation to the commitments of similar companies. In some
industries, where operating leases prevail, quality of earnings might be suspect.
Future directions
The topic of lease accounting is under study in the international sphere. Study pages 1032-1033 of the text. The IASBs
research study suggested much broader capitalization than is now the case. That is, all leases with an initial lease term of
more than one year would have to be capitalized. If the IASB moves in this direction, this will represent a significant change
to Canadian practice.
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Classify leases as operating or financing for the lessor, and analyze and explain the impact of various categories of
leases in lessor financial statements. (Level 1)
Required reading
Chapter 17, pages 1037-1041, 1044 (Disclosure), 1044-1047 (When you study the disclosure indicated on page 1044,
the first item is just the balance of the lease receivable account, recorded at its present value.) The terms salestype lease and direct financing lease are not used in IFRS, but the accounting treatment is identical.
LEVEL 1
There are two kinds of companies involved in leases as lessors: finance companies, which are interested in earning interest
revenue over the life of a lease contract, and manufacturers or dealers, interested in selling their product and earning a gross
profit but also earning interest revenue. The decision to become a lessor is complex and sometimes has significant cash flow
implications for an operating company.
For the lessor, you are responsible for the following items:
1. Lease classification
2. Description of the financial statement impact of an operating lease,
3. Description of the financial statement impact of a financing lease on the books of a finance company and for a
manufacturer/dealer.
Lease accounting from the lessors perspective is a complicated and specialized area. In FA3, your responsibility is to be able
to discuss classification and the financial statement impact; you are NOT responsible for journal entries for the lessor. Exhibit
5.7-1 illustrates lease classification for the lessor.
Exhibit 5.7-1: Lease classification for the lessor
Capitalization criteria
Decision 1 is much the same for the lessor and the lessee. The lease is a financing lease for the lessor if the risks and
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rewards of ownership have passed to the lessee. This is evaluated judgmentally around the same criteria:
1. Transfer of title through contract or through the presence of a bargain purchase option.
2. Lease term covers the major economic life of the asset; under IFRS major is to be defined judgmentally, but
under PEGAAP the line is 75% of economic life.
3. PV of minimum lease payments is substantially all the fair value of the leased asset; under IFRS substantially all
is defined judgmentally, but under PEGAAP the line is 90%. Use the interest rate implicit in the lease for this
calculation.
4. In addition to the criteria listing the text, IFRS identifies an additional factor to consider: is the leased asset
one that is of such a specialized nature that only the lessee can use it without major modifications? If
so, the lease is more likely to be a financing lease. If the asset is a general use asset, the lease is more likely to be an
operating lease.
Two additional criteria are listed on page 1037 for the lessor. To consider the lease a financing lease:
1. Collectability of lease payments is assured.
2. There are no significant unestimable, unreimbursable costs associated with the lease.
Failure to meet either of these last two criteria results in the lease being classified as an operating lease for the lessor,
regardless of the accounting treatment adopted by the lessee. These criteria are not explicitly listed in the IFRS lease
standard, but are supported by the general revenue recognition criteria as appropriate in a classification decision.
Operating lease
If a lease is an operating lease for the lessor, the impact on the financial statements is as follows:
The asset under the lease contract will remain on the books of the lessor, as a capital asset. It will be amortized over
its period of useful life to the lessor.
Lease/rent revenue will be recorded on the income statement of the lessor.
Is the lessor a finance company? In general, if the lessor has apparently bought the asset at fair market value and
leased it out immediately, the lease is only a financing mechanism. The lessor typically does not actually take delivery
of the asset in these leases, but rather orders the asset to be delivered to the lessee. The lessor reports only finance
revenue over the life of the lease.
Is the lessor in the business of buying or manufacturing the leased asset in order to make a profit by "selling" it in
some form? The lessor recognizes an initial gross profit on sales and finance revenue over the life of the lease.
Classification rests on the facts of the question. If you need an objective criterion, look at the cost, or carrying value, of the
asset on the lessors books. If it is carried at fair value, then the lease only involves finance revenue; the lessor obviously just
bought this asset to lease it. If the carrying value is higher or lower than fair value, the lease will trigger an initial profit or
loss, followed by regular finance revenue.
Interest rates
At some point in time, the lessor must recover the fair market value of the leased asset from someone. Most of it will come
from annual rental payments, but there is the potential for a lump-sum payment at the end of the lease in the form of a
bargain purchase option, some kind of a cancellation penalty that the lessee pays, or a salvage value (either guaranteed or
unguaranteed). The lessor takes on risk if the residual value is unguaranteed; the lessee takes on risk if the lessee
guarantees the residual. Many finance companies will not assume this kind of risk (selling used equipment); they pass this
risk on to the lessee or contract it out to a third party insurer. If a third party is the guarantor, then the lessee does not take
on the risk.
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For example, return to the data in Activity 5.3-2 in Topic 5.3. How does the lessor recoup the fair value of the asset in each
case? The figures used for PV are based on the interest rates implicit in the lease:
FMV
PV rent
PV BPO or PV UngR or PV GR
Lease #1
$ 120,000
$ 48,000
Lease #2
$ 55,000
$ 55,000
Lease #3
$ 150,000
$ 149,545
$ 455 (BPO)
Lease #4
$ 115,000
$ 112,667
* The unguaranteed residual is unknown to the lessee. The lessor would be planning to recover this amount by sale of the
used asset at the end of the lease term or by re-leasing the asset to another party.
The structure of a lease is shown in Exhibit 5.7-2. An unguaranteed residual is included in the calculations made for the
lessor.
Exhibit 5.7-2: Structure of a lease
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The split between these two kinds of revenue is judgmental, and occasionally problematic. For example, assume that a lessor
enters into a five-year financing lease with payments of $100,000 per year, for a total of $500,000. The asset was
manufactured for $275,000. A total of $225,000 ($500,000 $275,000) of profit will be recognized over the life of the lease.
But how much is recognized now (gross profit) versus as time passes (finance revenue)? This split is determined by the fair
value of the asset on the day the lease is signed. For example, if the fair value of the asset is $400,000, then there is
$125,000 of gross profit and $100,000 of finance revenue. If the fair value is $450,000, then the split becomes $175,000 of
gross profit and $50,000 of finance revenue.
Sometimes, fair values are hard to determine. Perhaps the asset is rarely sold outright, only leased. In that circumstance, fair
value is not readily ascertainable. This makes the profit split highly judgmental. Of course, the total revenue reported over
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time is the same in all circumstances; its only the allocation that is problematic.
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Module 5 summary
You will find summaries of key points on pages 1033-1034 and 1047.
Explain how property rights are obtained and obligations assumed under lease
agreements, and analyze the substance of a lease agreement with reference to the
criteria for recognition of assets and liabilities in financial statements
Lease agreements may represent, in substance, the purchase/sale of an asset, and a corresponding obligation/lease
receivable.
This happens when the risks and rewards of ownership pass to the lessee.
If this is the case, the lessor takes the asset off its books, and replaces it with a loan receivable.
The lessee records both an asset and a liability.
Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of leasing compared to owning a capital asset
Leasing is an attractive form of financing, providing flexible access to assets, protection from interest rate changes,
100% financing, off-balance sheet financing for operating leases, and some possible tax advantages.
A lease may be more expensive than traditional lending arrangements and may lock the lessee into a long-term
obligation.
Classify leases as operating or financing leases for the lessee, and explain how the
classification criteria may relate to the substance of the lease agreement
A lease transfers the risks and rewards of ownership based on a qualitative judgment of factors:
The lease covers the major portion of the economic life of the asset (>75%?).
The present value of the lease payments is substantially all of the fair value of the asset at inception of the
lease (>90%?).
The leased asset is a specialized asset, only useful in current form to the lessee.
Leases that are not financing leases are classified as operating leases.
For operating leases:
Contingent rent
Record leases from the perspective of the lessee, and analyze the impact of leasing
agreements on lessee financial statements
A leased asset and a lease liability are recognized at the PV of lease payments.
A leased asset is used by the lessee over the lease term and is amortized like any other owned asset.
A lease obligation, like any other interest-bearing obligation, is increased by interest each period and reduced by
payments made.
The lease year will not coincide with the fiscal year, and interest will have to be accrued for a part year.
The leased asset is amortized over the lease term, but if the lessee keeps the asset at the end of the lease term and
uses it, the longer useful life is used for amortization.
If the PV is higher than fair market value of the leased asset, the asset is recorded at fair market value and the
interest rate increases.
If the lessee sells an asset to the lessor and leases it back with a financing lease, any gain on the sale is deferred and
amortized over the lease term.
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Construct a generalized lease liability amortization table for different lease terms.
Calculate the interest rate implicit in the lease, if necessary.
Prepare financial statement disclosure for a lease from the perspective of the lessee
(including note disclosure), and assess QOE concerns.
Financial statement disclosure for the lessee includes segregating assets under financing leases from other assets and
disclosing accumulated amortization.
The lease liability is shown for both short- and long-term portions.
Amortization and interest expense are disclosed.
Notes include amortization policy, terms of the liability, five-year cash flow schedule, and an explanation of the
significance of leases.
On the statement of cash flow:
Classify leases as operating or financing leases for the lessor; analyze and explain the
impact of various categories of leases in lessor financial statements
A lease is a financing lease for the lessor using similar criteria as for the lessee.
If a financing lease is present for a financing company, finance income is recognized over the lease.
If a financing lease is present for a manufacturer/dealer, gross profit is recognized at the inception of the lease, and
then finance income is recognized over the lease.
The lessor records the net present value of lease payments receivable from the lessee, and removes the leased asset
from its books.
Cash received reduces the receivable, and interest earned on the net balance is recognized as time passes.
For the lessor, the balance sheet reflects net receivables and the income statement, finance revenue and/or gross
profit; extensive disclosure is required.
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$39,140.41
The present value of an annuity due is used, as the annual payments are made at the beginning of the period. The second
annuity must be multiplied by two PV factors: the first calculates present value as of the beginning of Year 4 (end of Year 3),
the second takes this present value back to the beginning of the lease (the beginning of Year 1).
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Determination:
Criteria 1
Title passes or BPO
Criteria 2
economic life
Criteria 3
PV
no
3/10 = 30%
short
no
5/7=71%
medium
yes1
6/9 = 67%
medium
no
yes; 8/9 = 89%
long
$120,000
$47,2022
39%
No
$55,000
$55,0013
100%
No
$150,000
$155,8444
103%
No
$115,000
$115,0005
100%
Yes
Lease classification:
Operating
Finance
Finance
Finance
FMV
PV
% of FMV
This $150,000 asset has a nine-year life and a six-year lease term. Acquiring three years of
use for $1,000 is assumed to be a bargain in this case.
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Lease number
Amortization period
10 years
10 years
7 years
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For the lessee, the present value of the MLPs is calculated using the incremental borrowing rate, because the implicit rate is
unknown. Even if it were known, the lessee would still use the lower IBR in this calculation:
PV of MLPs = $20,894 (P/AD, 12%, 8)
= $116,249
The maximum value to be recorded as an asset is the FMV, $114,000. The lessee would make the following entry:
Asset under financing lease
Lease liability
114,000
114,000
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You can obtain the answer by using the IRR function in Excel. You should get approximately 12.75%.
To use IRR in Excel, set up a worksheet with the cash flows in the following cells:
A1
A2
A3
A4
A5
A6
A7
A8
* Since the lease payment date is January 1, the initial cash flows must be lumped together. That is, if two payments are
made on the same date, include their net amount in the IRR scheme.
The IRR function works as IRR (values, guess); therefore, enter =IRR(A1:A8,12%) in A9.
You should get 0.12758. The interest rate can also be calculated on a financial calculator.
This interest rate is used to calculate the interest expense in subsequent journal entries. (This exact rate needs to be used in
doing the interest calculation, or rounding errors will be introduced.)
If you were to use the look-up tables to solve this problem, you would take the fair value of the asset and divide by the
payments to get 5.45611 ($114,000 $20,894). You would then look for this number in the annuity due table on the eightyear line. It falls between 12% and 14%, and you would interpolate to get a more exact interest rate.
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Notice that the beginning of year lease payment for year 8 is entered in cell A8, but the end of year payment is not lumped
with it: it goes on its own in cell A9. In this case, you should get 0.14000 or 14%.