In December 2019, the Canadian Accounting Standards Board (AcSB) issued amendments to Section 3400 Revenue in Part II of the CPA Canada Handbook – Accounting to provide application guidance on several topics, including upfront non-refundable fees. The amendments apply to private enterprises applying Accounting Standards for Private Enterprises (ASPE) and not-for-profit organizations (NPOs) applying Accounting Standards for Not-for-Profit Organizations (ASNPO). For certain entities, such as some member benefit organizations, the upfront fees guidance could result in a change in practice.
In response to stakeholder feedback on challenges they faced in applying the upfront fees guidance, the AcSB has deferred the effective date of the upfront fees guidance from January 1, 2022 to January 1, 2025 in order to research the matter. However, in March 2023, the AcSB decided to issue an Exposure Draft to indefinitely defer the effective date of these amendments, with early application still permitted, until other research projects are complete.
