IFRS

Navigating the changes to International Financial Reporting Standards

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Designed to give preparers of IFRS financial statements a high-level awareness of recent changes to International Financial Reporting Standards, this publication covers both new Standards and Interpretations that have been issued and amendments made to existing ones.
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The 2021 edition of the publication has been updated for changes to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) that were published between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2020.

The publication now covers 31 March 2020, 30 June 2020, 30 September 2020, 31 December 2020 and 31 March 2021 financial year ends.

Identifying the changes that will affect you

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Based on Standards issued at 31 December 2020
  • IFRS 16: Leases - 1 January 2019

  • IFRS 9: Payment features with negative compensation - 1 January 2019

  • IAS 28: Long-term interests in associates and joint ventures - 1 January 2019

  • IFRIC 23: Uncertainty over income tax treatments - 1 January 2019

  • IAS 12, IAS 23, IFRS 3, IFRS 11: Annual improvements to IFRS 2015-17 cycle - 1 January 2019

  • IAS 19: Plan amendment, curtailment or settlement - 1 January 2019

  • Various: Amendments to references to the conceptual framework in IFRS Standards - 1 January 2020

  • IFRS 3: Definition of a business - 1 January 2020

  • IAS 1, IAS 8: Definition of material - 1 January 2020

  • IFRS 9, IAS 39, IFRS 7: Interest rate benchmark reform - 1 January 2020

  • IFRS 16: COVID-19 related rent concessions - 1 June 2020

  • Various interest rate benchmark reform phase 2 - 1 January 2021

  • IFRS 3: References to the Conceptual Framework - 1 January 2022

  • IAS 37: Onerous contracts – cost of fulfilling a contract - 1 January 2022

  • IFRS 1, IFRS 9, IFRS 16, IAS 41: Annual improvements to IFRS Standards 2018-20 cycle - 1 January 2022

  • IFRS 17: Insurance contracts - 1 January 2023

  • IFRS 4: Extension of the temporary exemption from applying IFRS 9 - 1 January 2023

  • IAS 1: Classification of liabilities as current or non-current - 1 January 2023

The effective dates table has been colour coded within the document to help entities planning for a specific financial reporting year-end and identifies:

  • changes mandatorily effective for the first time
  • changes not yet effective
  • changes already in effect.

Where a change is not yet mandatorily effective for a particular year-end, it may still be possible for an entity to adopt it early (depending on local legislation and the
requirements of the particular change in concern).

Where a change has been made but an entity is yet to apply it, certain disclosures are required to be made under IAS 8 ‘Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors’. Disclosures required include the fact that the new or amended Standard or Interpretation has been issued but it has not yet been applied and known or reasonably estimable information relevant to assessing its possible impact on the financial statements in the period of initial application.

Identifying the commercial significance of the changes in the publication

For each change covered in the publication, we have included a box on its commercial implications. These sections focus on two questions:

  • how many entities will be affected?
  • what will be the impact on affected entities?

A traffic light system in the publication indicates our assessment of the answers to these questions

Download the full guidance

If you would like help to navigate the IFRS Standards please speak to our experts Christoph Zimmel and Rita Gugl.