Not-for-profit

ASC 205-954 sets the basic financial statement presentation requirements for health care entities, both not-for-profit business-oriented and investor-owned. It requires a complete set of statements — balance sheet, statement of operations, statement of changes in equity (or net assets), statement of cash flows, and notes (205-954-45-1) — and permits descriptive alternative titles except that the cash flow statement should be titled "Statement of Cash Flows" (205-954-45-2). Presentation is essentially the same for both ownership forms except for items that are inapplicable, such as shareholders' equity for NFPs and contributions for investor-owned entities (205-954-05-1).

ASC 958-205 governs the presentation of a not-for-profit entity's general-purpose financial statements. A complete set consists of a statement of financial position, a statement of activities, a statement of cash flows, and notes (958-205-45-4), with net assets classified in two minimum classes—net assets with donor restrictions and net assets without donor restrictions (958-205-45-2(b)). It also prescribes when donor restrictions expire, how endowment funds (including those under UPMIFA) are classified, and the required endowment and underwater endowment disclosures.

This subtopic governs how health care entities, including not-for-profit business-oriented health care entities, present their balance sheets. The general rule is a classified (current/noncurrent) balance sheet under Section 210-10-45, except that a continuing care retirement community may instead sequence assets by nearness of conversion to cash and liabilities by nearness of maturity. It also specifies that contractually limited (non-donor) assets stay in net assets without donor restrictions, that interfund balances are eliminated, and that restricted or segregated cash is excluded from current assets.

This subtopic governs the not-for-profit statement of financial position (the NFP equivalent of a balance sheet). At a minimum the statement must report totals for assets, liabilities, net assets, net assets with donor restrictions, and net assets without donor restrictions, focusing on the entity as a whole (958-210-45-1). It also requires liquidity-related presentation and disclosure, including qualitative information about how the NFP manages liquid resources and quantitative information about financial assets available for general expenditures within one year (958-210-50-1A).

This Subtopic governs how not-for-profit, business-oriented health care entities present their statement of operations and statement of changes in net assets. Its central requirement is a clearly labeled "performance indicator" (e.g., revenues over expenses) reported in a statement that also shows total changes in net assets without donor restrictions, with a specified list of items — such as equity transfers, donor-restricted contributions, other comprehensive income items, and unrealized gains/losses on non-trading debt securities — required to be reported outside that indicator.

ASC 220-958 governs the not-for-profit statement of activities — the NFP substitute for a business entity's income statement. It requires the statement to focus on the entity as a whole and report the change in total net assets, the change in net assets with donor restrictions, and the change in net assets without donor restrictions, with revenues, expenses, gains, losses, and reclassifications classified among those net asset classes. It addresses how to report these elements (including gross versus net display, investment return net of investment expenses, and optional intermediate measures of operations), but not when to recognize or how to measure them.

ASC 225-958 was the income statement subtopic for not-for-profit entities, but every paragraph in it (Sections 05, 15, 45, 50, and 55) was superseded by Maintenance Update 2017-19. The subtopic contains no remaining substantive guidance; its former content on presenting a not-for-profit entity's statement of activities was relocated as part of the Codification's reorganization of not-for-profit presentation guidance.

This subtopic provides implementation guidance for how not-for-profit entities (NFPs) prepare a statement of cash flows under Topic 230. It addresses when otherwise-qualifying short-term investments cannot be treated as cash equivalents because of donor restrictions, how donor-restricted contributions for long-term purposes must be reclassified as financing inflows, and how agency transactions, noncash contributions, and collection items are reported.

This subtopic governs contributions (promises to give) receivable — a receivable unique to not-for-profit entities — focusing on subsequent measurement, presentation, and disclosure after initial recognition under 958-605. Unconditional promises are recognized as an asset and revenue when received (with verifiable documentation), measured initially under 958-605-30-4 through 30-8, and thereafter either at fair value under the 825-10 fair value option or under the change-in-value rules in Section 35 (interest accretion is contribution revenue; decreases in expected assets are bad debt expense/loss; increases generally are not recognized except as recovery of previously recognized bad debts).

This Subtopic (codified as 958-320) governs how not-for-profit entities account for investments in debt securities and sets disclosure rules for most NFP investments. The core rule is simple and different from the business-entity model: all debt securities held by an NFP are carried at fair value in the statement of financial position, with no held-to-maturity, trading, or available-for-sale classification. Purchased securities are initially measured at acquisition cost (excluding brokerage and other transaction fees); contributed securities and those received in agency transactions are initially measured at fair value.

This subtopic (codified as 958-321) sets the incremental rules for how not-for-profit entities account for investments in equity securities and other ownership interests, layering on top of the general guidance in Topic 321. Equity securities purchased are initially measured at acquisition cost excluding brokerage and transaction fees; those received as contributions or through agency transactions are initially measured at fair value, with subsequent measurement following Topic 321. Investments held by an NFP as agent with little or no discretion over use of the income and gains are reported as agency transactions—changes in assets and liabilities, not changes in net assets.

ASC 325-958 governs how not-for-profit entities account for "other investments"—those that are neither debt nor equity securities, derivatives, equity-method or consolidated investees, nor investments held by a financially interrelated entity—such as real estate, non-security mortgage notes, and oil and gas interests. Purchased other investments are initially measured at acquisition cost (including transaction fees) and contributed or agency-acquired ones at fair value. Subsequent measurement depends on the type of NFP: higher education institutions and voluntary health and welfare entities may elect carrying value or fair value, while other NFPs elect fair value or the lower of cost or fair value, applied consistently to all other investments.

This subtopic governs long-lived tangible assets held by not-for-profit entities, including contributed property, plant, and equipment and collection items. Its core rules are that all NFPs must recognize depreciation on long-lived tangible assets (360-958-35-1), that contributed PP&E is recognized under the Contributions Received Subsections of 958-605 with initial measurement including all costs to place the asset in use (360-958-30-1), and that an NFP holding a "collection" may elect one of three policies—full capitalization, prospective capitalization, or no capitalization—but capitalizing selected items is precluded (360-958-25-3).

This Subtopic addresses how a not-for-profit entity accounts for its own liabilities, principally unconditional promises to give (grants/pledges the NFP makes to others). It fixes the discount rate used in a present-value measurement at initial recognition (no revision unless the fair value option under 825-10 is elected), requires discount amortization to be reported in the same functional expense classification as the original promise, and requires a maturity schedule disclosure. It also cross-references guidance for donated assets transferred to intermediaries/agents and for refundable membership interests of social and country clubs.

This Subtopic applies the general loss contingency model of Topic 450 to not-for-profit entities. It identifies two NFP-specific triggers — noncompliance with donor-imposed restrictions on contributed assets and problems with (or absence of a determination letter for) tax-exempt status — that may require accrual of a loss contingency under Subtopic 450-20 and disclosure under Section 450-20-50.

This subtopic applies the general guarantee accounting model in Topic 460 to health care entities, following the scope of Subtopic 954-10. Its only substantive content points to Topic 460's guidance on minimum revenue guarantees, illustrated by a health care entity's guarantee of minimum revenue to a recruited physician.

This subtopic addresses how a not-for-profit entity accounts for debt, in particular conduit financing obtained through state and local financing authorities. The core rule is that because the NFP is responsible for repaying tax-exempt bonds or other obligations issued on its behalf, the NFP recognizes that financing as a liability on its statement of financial position (470-958-25-1). Scope follows the NFP Overall Subtopic scope in Section 958-10-15.

After ASU 2014-09 superseded most of its content, ASC 605-954 retains only two pieces of health care recognition guidance: charity care and distributions from financially interrelated fundraising (recipient) entities. Charity care is never recognized as revenue, and distributions from a related fundraising foundation are generally a reduction of the health care entity's interest in that recipient entity rather than contribution revenue. Revenue from contracts with patients and other customers is now governed by Topic 606.

ASC 958-605 governs revenue recognition by not-for-profit entities, principally contributions received. Its core rules are (1) distinguishing contributions (no commensurate value to the resource provider) from exchange transactions accounted for under Topic 606, (2) recognizing unconditional contributions as revenue or gains at fair value when received while conditional contributions (a barrier plus a right of return/release) are deferred as refundable advances until the barrier is substantially met, and (3) classifying contributions as with or without donor restrictions. It also covers agency-type transfers where an NFP recipient acts as intermediary, agent, or trustee for a donor and a specified third-party beneficiary.

This Subtopic adapts Topic 715 (pension and other postretirement benefits) for not-for-profit entities, which do not report other comprehensive income. Everywhere Topic 715 would require net gains or losses, prior service costs or credits, and transition assets or obligations to run through OCI/AOCI, an NFP instead recognizes those amounts as changes in net assets without donor restrictions that have not yet been reclassified into net periodic benefit cost. Those amounts, and the non-service components of net periodic benefit cost, are presented in separate line items outside any intermediate measure of operations (or performance indicator for business-oriented health care NFPs).

ASC 720-15 governs the accounting for start-up activities — including one-time activities to open a new facility, introduce a new product or service, conduct business in a new territory or with a new class of customer, initiate a new process in an existing facility, or organize a new entity (organization costs). The single core rule is that costs of start-up activities, including organization costs, must be expensed as incurred (720-15-25-1). The Subtopic defines start-up activities by their nature rather than by the time period in which they occur, and carves out numerous costs governed by other GAAP.

ASC 720-25 governs how a resource provider (any entity) accounts for contributions it makes, including unconditional promises to give. Contributions made are recognized as expenses in the period made, with a corresponding decrease in assets or increase in liabilities, and are measured at the fair value of the assets given (or of the donee liabilities cancelled). Conditional promises are not recognized until the barrier is overcome, using the same conditionality analysis as the contributions received guidance in 958-605.

ASC 720-35 governs how entities account for advertising costs in annual financial statements. The core rule: advertising costs are expensed either as incurred or the first time the advertising takes place, applied consistently as an accounting policy to similar kinds of advertising activities (720-35-25-1); no advertising asset is capitalized, though sales materials may be treated as prepaid supplies and cooperative-advertising obligations must be accrued when the related revenue is recognized. The notes must disclose the policy elected and total advertising expense for each income statement presented (720-35-50-1).

ASC 720-958 (cross-referenced as 958-720) governs how not-for-profit entities report expenses: by functional classification (program services and supporting activities such as management and general, fundraising, and membership development) and by natural classification, with a required analysis linking the two. It also sets the purpose/audience/content criteria that must all be met before joint costs of an activity that includes fundraising may be allocated to program or management and general rather than charged entirely to fundraising, and requires a recipient NFP to recognize services received from personnel of an affiliate that the affiliate does not charge for.

This subtopic is a very short industry-specific overlay to ASC 740 that applies only to not-for-profit, business-oriented health care entities. Its single substantive rule is a disclosure requirement: a tax-exempt health care entity must disclose its tax-exempt status (740-954-50-1). It adds no recognition or measurement guidance beyond the general income tax model.

ASC 805-954 supplements Subtopic 958-805 for not-for-profit, business-oriented health care entities that combine with other NFPs, businesses, or nonprofit activities in a transaction meeting the definition of a merger of not-for-profit entities or an acquisition by a not-for-profit entity. Its incremental rules address classification of acquired debt securities, and—most importantly—whether particular acquisition-related amounts (contingent consideration remeasurements, the separate charge, inherent contributions, step-acquisition gains or losses) are reported within or outside the performance indicator. It also prescribes pro forma performance indicator disclosures for public health care entities.

ASC 958-805 (indexed here as 805-958) governs combinations in which a not-for-profit entity is the reporting entity and combines with other NFPs, businesses, or nonprofit activities. If the participating governing boards cede control to a new NFP, the transaction is a merger accounted for under the carryover method (combine GAAP carrying amounts, no fresh start, no new assets); if one entity obtains control of the other, it is an acquisition accounted for under the acquisition method with NFP-specific rules for identifying the acquirer, goodwill, and inherent contributions.

This Subtopic routes health care entities to the right consolidation model depending on whether the reporting entity is investor-owned or a not-for-profit, business-oriented health care entity. Investor-owned providers apply the VIE Subsections first, then the General Subsections and the Consolidation of Entities Controlled by Contract Subsections of 810-10; NFP health care entities are exempt from the VIE model (unless used to circumvent it) and instead apply 810-10 General/controlled-by-contract guidance for for-profit investees and Subtopic 958-810 for relationships with other NFPs. It also treats sole corporate membership in an NFP as a controlling financial interest and requires malpractice trust funds to be included in the entity's financial statements.

This subtopic governs when a not-for-profit entity (NFP) must, may, or may not consolidate another entity. Control plus an economic interest is the organizing principle: a majority voting interest or sole corporate membership in another NFP requires consolidation; control through a majority voting interest in the other NFP's board plus an economic interest also requires consolidation; control by other means (e.g., contract) plus an economic interest permits but does not require consolidation; and control or an economic interest alone precludes consolidation. It also covers consolidation of special-purpose-entity lessors, consolidation of for-profit limited partnerships by NFP general or limited partners, and presentation and disclosure of noncontrolling interests.

ASC 815-954 tells not-for-profit, business-oriented health care entities how to apply derivative and hedge accounting. The core rule is parity with for-profit entities: items that would hit a for-profit's income from continuing operations must hit the NFP health care entity's performance indicator, and items excluded (e.g., amounts in other comprehensive income) must be excluded from the performance indicator. Because these entities need not present a separate equity component, the guidance substitutes tailored disclosures about the accumulated derivative gain or loss excluded from the performance indicator.

ASC 815-958 is a link-only subtopic: it contains no substantive rules of its own but points not-for-profit entities to the derivatives guidance that applies to them. It directs readers to 958-30-25-7 through 25-14 to decide whether an obligation arising from an irrevocable split-interest agreement contains an embedded derivative requiring bifurcation under 815-15-25-1, and (upon transition) to 815-20-25-3A and 815-20-25-143 for the timing of hedge documentation and hedge effectiveness assessments by certain NFPs.

This subtopic gives industry-specific guidance on financial instruments for not-for-profit, business-oriented health care entities. Its single substantive rule is a presentation rule: when such an entity elects the fair value option, the resulting unrealized gains and losses must be reported inside the performance indicator (or within discontinued operations, as appropriate) rather than outside it.

ASC 840-958 was the not-for-profit-specific guidance within the legacy leases topic (ASC 840), addressing how NFP entities applied lease accounting. Every remaining paragraph in this subtopic (05-1, 15-1, and 55-1 through 55-4) has been superseded by Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02, so the subtopic contains no operative guidance. NFP lessees and lessors now follow ASC 842, including its NFP-specific provisions.

ASC 954-10 is the Overall subtopic of the Health Care Entities Topic; it lists the industry Subtopics and defines which entities the Topic covers. The Topic supplies only incremental industry-specific guidance for investor-owned health care entities and not-for-profit, business-oriented health care entities, which must otherwise follow all other applicable GAAP (including Topic 958 for NFPs).

ASC 958-10 sets the scope of the Not-for-Profit Entities Topic and its relationship to the rest of the Codification. It applies to nongovernmental entities meeting the definition of an NFP and provides only incremental industry-specific guidance—NFPs must otherwise follow all other Topics unless a Scope Section exempts them or the subject matter is inapplicable (e.g., payment of dividends). It also lists the Subtopics comprising Topic 958 and directs NFPs to apply other guidance in an analogous manner suited to their reporting model.

ASC 958-20 governs accounting by two NFPs that are "financially interrelated" — one entity can influence the other's operating and financial decisions AND one has an ongoing, residual economic interest in the other's net assets (958-20-15-2). When a donor transfers assets to a recipient entity (e.g., a fundraising foundation) for a financially interrelated specified beneficiary and the recipient is not a trustee, the recipient recognizes contribution revenue on receipt (958-20-25-1) and the beneficiary recognizes an interest in the recipient's net assets, adjusted for its share of changes in those net assets in a manner similar to the equity method (958-20-25-2; 35-1). Transfers in which the resource provider names itself or an affiliate as beneficiary and expects no repayment are "equity transactions" reported as a separate line in the statement of activities (958-20-25-4; 45-1).

ASC 958-30 governs how a not-for-profit entity accounts for split-interest agreements—trusts or similar arrangements (charitable lead/remainder annuity trusts and unitrusts, charitable gift annuities, pooled income funds) in which the NFP shares the benefits of donated assets with other, usually non-charitable, beneficiaries. Revocable agreements are treated as intentions to give (assets recorded as a refundable advance); irrevocable agreements are recognized on execution at fair value, with contribution revenue equal to the assets received less the fair value of the obligation to other beneficiaries. When a third party holds the assets, the NFP instead recognizes a beneficial interest at fair value, and the liability side of period-certain, variable-payment agreements may contain a bifurcable embedded derivative under Topic 815.