contract assets and contract liabilities

ASC 210-912 formerly provided balance sheet classification and disclosure guidance for contractors with the federal government (e.g., presentation of receivables, unbilled amounts, and advances/progress payments on government contracts). Every paragraph in the subtopic — Sections 05, 15, 45, and 50 — was superseded by ASU 2014-09 (Revenue from Contracts with Customers). The subtopic is now an empty shell with no operative guidance; contract asset and contract liability presentation for government contractors is governed by ASC 606 (and ASC 340-40 for related costs).

ASC 606-10 is the general revenue recognition model for contracts with customers: revenue is recognized to depict the transfer of promised goods or services in an amount reflecting the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled. It is applied through five steps — identify the contract, identify the performance obligations, determine the transaction price, allocate that price to the performance obligations, and recognize revenue as each obligation is satisfied when the customer obtains control (606-10-05-4). It also sets the scope exclusions (leases, insurance, financial instruments, guarantees, certain nonmonetary exchanges), balance sheet presentation of contract assets/liabilities and receivables, and a broad disclosure package.

This subtopic gives franchisors that are not public business entities a practical expedient for identifying performance obligations under Topic 606. Rather than applying the general distinct analysis to the franchise license, a private franchisor may treat listed pre-opening services (site selection, facility assistance, training, manuals, bookkeeping/IT/advisory, quality control) as distinct from the franchise license, and may further elect as an accounting policy to treat all such pre-opening services as a single performance obligation. The expedient affects only step 2 of the model; allocation of transaction price and timing of recognition still follow Topic 606.